Anna Nicole: An Irresistibly Tawdry Tale

National Review: Tragedy And Pretty Pictures Turn Tabloid Trash Into Mainstream News

(National Review Online)  This column was written by Myrna Blyth.

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Robert Lichter really nailed it in his analysis of the media frenzy surrounding the Anna Nicole Smith story. Lichter, a George Mason University professor of journalism, explained to USA Today, "The media can't resist when something serious happens to someone frivolous. She had everything the media looks for in a story: money, sex, and dieting. Her death is so irresistible because it lets people mourn and gloat at the same time."

According to the Project on Excellence in Journalism, coverage of her death (including stories about her life) was the No. 3 story of last week, almost edging out the war in Iraq. The bosomy blonde's demise consumed a staggering 50 percent of the cable-news hole on two successive days. And Lichter's explanation of this is right.

Deep within the American consciousness beats the heart of a Victorian gentleman who likes nothing better than a story that shocks as well as titillates and about which he can shake a finger and say, "Shame, shame." It was that Victorian gentleman who was the target customer for mass-market papers that came into being at the end of the 19th century. The target customers for today's TV tabloid shows and celebrity magazines, whose circulations keep growing and growing, are not so very different.

Anna Nicole Smith's story really is the old morality tale of a girl who strays, becomes a stripper and a gold-digger, falls in with even more unsavory people, and finally comes to an appropriately bad, sad end. But upon this basic penny-dreadful is the overlay of a very 21st-century story of celebrity, where being famous for being famous is more than enough and can trump lack of talent, lack of substance, and, especially, lack of character (whether good or bad or anything noteworthy at all).

Add to that what modern media needs most — not the story, but the photos and video images that can illustrate the story — and you have "tabloid gold" that all the media can love. Once upon a time we knew people by their words; now we know them by their images. Let's be honest: When someone famous dies, the media now make a much bigger fuss if he or she was particularly photogenic. Part of the reason the deaths of Princess Diana and JFK Jr. got so much space was that there were huge archives of appealing pictures of them.

And there are so many photos of Anna Nicole, too, looking young and gorgeous, looking bloated and awful. By turns she is thin and voluptuous, then blowsy, then thin again.

In the last few days we have seen new photos that tell more of her story: Of her in bed with her friend, the Bahamian tourism minister (shocking, simply shocking!). A photo of her refrigerator where methadone and yogurt sit side-by-side. There is even a videotape of CPR being performed on her lifeless body. That tape was sold by paparazzi photo agency called Splash! for, allegedly, $500,000. And there are reports of more — and more sensational — photos to come.

Of course, part of the media frenzy is the media's own stories about their covering this event. We have heard how People thought it had a lock on the "hot" tabloid story of the week. They had already gone to press with the astronaut love-triangle as their lead. Then they learned there was a hotter story that broke too late for them to change their cover. A loss for them, but probably the best thing that could have happened to astronaut Lisa Nowak.

Some are now complaining about the non-stop coverage of Anna Nicole Smith and are decrying the low level of today's media. But ratings show people are watching. So Anna Nicole Smith will continue to be on the cover of the celeb magazines that sell six to seven million copies a week, and the news coverage of her death will surely continue, as the mystery of her child's daddy is unraveled and the fight for and about her inheritance continues. Even after the mourning and the gloating is over, the media are betting the audience will stay tuned in. And that's a pretty safe bet.

[kaliveotin]

The Lawyer did it. He brought about the death of Anna Nichols son and herself. He convinced her she could trust him and that thier marriage would protect her from ex-lovers claims against her daughter, now Nicole and her son are dead and her Lawyer/Husband has wormed his way into the catbird seat. What was his role in getting the drugs for both of these deseased who stood in the way of his controlling and inheriting the millions and millions he now controls. He was the only person around Nichole when she and her son took lethal doses of these drugs. He arranged to be named the babies father even though it's doubtfull it's true. If it's shown he's not the father, I'd bet he committed double homicide. I'll bet the Bahamas were even his idea
to get the cases away from California and the mainland. Is he going to get away with murder?

[prettyboo2]

I love how each of you decry the coverage of Anna Nicole's death and the chaos surrounding it. Not a one of you could have commented without coming to this page for this editorial first. Just can't help yourselves can you. How the mighty have fallen.

[fegner]

I'm sure that the Republicans are overjoyed at the media orgy surrounding Anna Nicole Smith. They are overjoyed by anything that distracts from the crroked dealing and catering to the wishes of the war contractors.

Weapon of Mass Distraction. The Neocons love it all. As we all gorge on Anna Nicoles story they scheme to provoke yet another war (this time with Iran). How silly we Americans have become. How sad.

[observantx]

I can't believe the amount of ink and edia space this is getting. We have hungry people, sick people, homeless people, people getting killed and maimed in a war and too many of us have their noses glued to this petty event.

I swear if someone could connect the JonBenet case to this story, all the print and airways would be flooded nonstop for weeks.

People, Move On!

[jimibear]

I am very glad that Anna Nichole Smith is dead. She was a parasite, a wh0re, and a useless, soulless waste of skin.

One vapid, useless cocksocket down. Paris Hilton, Jessica Simpson, Ashlee Simpson, Britney Spears, et al to go.

[bluestardad]

eggy1620; you are correct thank you it is sad!

[knyghtwolf]

Just found out last night that in OUR community that two sisters are pregnant; one who is 19 by her own FATHER and the other one who is 15 by her BROTHER!!!! They moved here from about six months ago from Somolia. Where the heck are the media crews on this one??? Their freaking citizen ship papers aren't even done yet!!!!

[sclaires]

I am sick and tired of hearing on all the news channels and also Court TV about Anna Nicole Smith. So she had a child out of wedlock. A lot of girls/women do and there isn't the coverage that there has been about this 5-month child. Then you have all the people, both young and old, who die of drug overdoses and, again, there isn't the coverage that there has been about Anna Nicole. We do not need to sensationalize drug usage, be it legal or illegal, where teenagers, who are most likely to be influenced by such coverage, are more likely to try drugs because of being exposed to it via the news media.

[talkingham]

Yeah, the only people really interested are complete idiots and media durds in love with themselves.

[oleander8]

LEAVE HER ALONE AND GET ON WITH YOUR MISERABLE LIVES.

[eggy1620]

To answer your question bluestardad, women are interested in her, women care how many men did her, women are buying all the rag mags. Just look at daytime tv ratings over the past decade. Soap opera viewership has plummeted and midday cable news viewership has exploded. Because the women who watched soap operas have switched to cable news for not only better storylines, but those stories are actually true!!!!

[bluestardad]

IS ANYONE ANYWHERE TIRED OF HEARING ANY MORE NEWS ABOUT THIS WOMAN? MAN SHE HAS DONE NOTHING ON HER OWN TO MERIT ALL THIS MEDIA COVERAGE AND STILL THERE ARE MEDIA OUTLETS COVERING HER. MAKES A PERSON WANNA PUKE! NO ONE KNOWS HOW MANY MEN OR CARES HOW MANY MEN SHE SLEPT WITH SHE IS UGLY.