When I saw these pictures of Anna Nicole Smith and Howard K. Stern’s wedding I kind of cringed a little. Anna looks strung out and greasy faced, especially in the picture of her holding her baby. The whole thing seems like a ridiculous stunt considering that she had a baby and her son died just three weeks ago.
The accompanying article is a fluff piece about how great the fake wedding was and how Anna’s been coping with the tragedy of losing her son after supplying him with methadone.
When asked why they had the stupid ceremony in the first place, a different one of Anna’s lawyers claimed they needed the “adrenaline rush.” It looks like the cash for the pictures was a bigger motivation.
At around 3 p.m., Stern, in a black dress suit and white shirt, and Smith, holding a bouquet of red roses, exchanged vows and Bible verses – as well as temporary rings, because the real ones weren’t yet ready.After the ceremony “we all cheered and Anna wanted to jump into the ocean,” says John James, Smith’s friend and the former Dynasty actor. “But there were sharks out there, so we sped back to (Sandy Cay), and then Anna and Howard jumped in.”
Guests toasted them with champagne and apple cider before digging into some fresh Kentucky Fried Chicken, delivered by boat to the party.
“It was fun and Anna was smiling,” says James. “Howard and Anna were both crying and kissing and holding hands. It was kind of sad and happy at the same time.”
That pretty much sums up the last month of Smith’s life. Just 21 days before the ceremony – which was not legally binding – she gave birth to 6-lb., 9-oz. Dannielynn in the Bahamas. Three days later her son Daniel, 20, died mysteriously in her hospital room.
Then on Sept. 26 Stern revealed on Larry King Live that he is not only Smith’s lover but also Dannielynn’s father – despite claims by Los Angeles photographer Larry Birkhead that he is the father.
So why add to the drama with what was, essentially, a mock wedding with no official marriage license? “They needed a little adrenaline boost because things have been so hectic and devastating in their life recently,” explains Smith’s Nassau attorney Michael Scott.
Larry Birkhead has filed suit at an LA courthouse claiming paternity of Anna Nicole’s newborn Dannielynn. In statements given to the press, he insists that Anna Nicole and Howard K. Stern are just friends, that there’s no way Stern is the father of Anna’s baby, and that Stern was often hanging around the house when he visited Anna. He also claims that Anna miscarried an earlier baby she conceived with him.
These pictures destroyed any shred of sympathy I had left for Anna. I wish her well and I hope her baby gets the care it needs, but she and Howard need to be questioned and put on trial to determine their role in Daniel’s death.
Photos from People Magazine. There is also one picture from Splash News Online of Larry Birkhead arriving at court to file paternity papers.
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