Why is Anna Nicole such a big deal?

In between Jericho, an online quiz for my Scientific Models of Origins class, and Personal Defense TV, I did a bit of channel surfing. I noticed a trend that goes back all the way to last week, and possibly even further back than that. Its a disturbing trend, and one that I certainly don't understand. Seems to be very little call for it, but its there nonetheless.

What is it(?), I hear you asking. What is it that vexes Haji so? What could it be, this heinous thing that permeates cable TV?

I saw, yet again, another show about Anna Nicole Smith. I don't understand what the reasoning is. What did she do that made her worth being a celebrity that must be memorialized for weeks on end? Was she a helper of people like Mother Theresa? Was she a philanthropist as Bill Gates has become? Was she an artist, a poet, a thespian (that's an actor, not a chick that digs chicks...in case you were confused) , a world leader? Ummm...no, not quite. Let's do a quick recap:

• Playboy model, and an exotic dancer, if I recall correctly
• Marrier of almost dead multi-millionaires
• mother of a kid who died under mysterious circumstances
• Certified, Grade A, First Class Trainwreck

So what is it about her that's so compelling? I can't think of a thing. Presidents have died and had less fuss made about them. People with a lifelong body of incredible work in a plethora of fields of endeavor pass without even a note in the newspaper...which is hard to believe, given how little newspapers are read anymore, and how news starved they seem to be.

Here's the bottom line for me: she made a mess of her life. She died tragically, but likely of her own carelessness. I feel for her daughter and her uncertain future. That truely is a tragedy. Her life, though, isn't even good spectacle. She should be lamented, not celebrated. Kinda makes me a little bit sick to think that she has this kind of impact. America is becoming a weird, weird place.