More popular in death than in life

Good or bad publicity is still publicity. This is a very common statement we usually get to hear every day in showbusiness.

Some people say it’s a good thing when you’re being talked about. It means you’re "famous" or "popular."

I pick my battles. I don’t believe in having to do something just to be talked about, while some people go out of their way to speak ill of others just so that they would be controversial.

Often, negative news gets the most exposure on TV and the newspapers. People who do great deeds rarely end up in the news. If they did, it would only be for a couple of minutes.

They’re not recognized or appreciated enough. We subconsciously dwell on the bad things that poison our minds and souls.

The good no longer leads and is not setting a very good example for the future. The entertainment business, however, is quite brutal. People talk most about celebrities when they die.

A normal gossip would be when two people are seen together. They get linked to each other, and, next thing you know, either the girl is pregnant or they’re getting secretly married.

This news is never-ending. It goes on for weeks and weeks. The only things that change are the names involved.

Death, however, is normally the biggest news everywhere. Anna Nicole Smith is one big example. Her has never been talked about this much. She was born Vickie Lynn Hogan and was raised by her mother, Virgie Arthur and an aunt in Texas.

At 17, Anna Nicole dropped out of high school and met first husband Billy Smith. They split and she moved to Houston to become a stripper.

She got her first big break in 1991 when she appeared to be the Playboy Magazine cover. Playboy boss Hugh Hefner personally chose Anna to pose for the magazine. In 1993, she became Playboy Magazine’s Playmate of the Year.

She shocked the world and became known in 1994, when she married J. Howard Marshall, then 89. Marshall died the following year, and Anna spent the next decade taking Marshall’s family to court for his estate.

E. Pierce Marshall, J. Howard Marshall’s son, lost the case after Anna Nicole was awarded millions of dollars in early 2006. E. Pierce Marshall passed away in June 2006. Anna was also rumored to be pregnant at that time.

Finally, a few days after photographer-former lover Larry Birkhead claimed to have proof of her pregnancy, she posted a video clip on her website, annanicole.com, confirming that she’s heavy with child.

She stated, "Let me stop all the rumors. Yes, I am pregnant. I’m happy. I’m very happy about it. Things are going really, really good, and I will be checking in and out periodically on the web, and I’ll let you see me as I’m growing."

Anna gave birth early September to a beautiful girl whom she named Dannielynn Hope. Her 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith, visited his mom in the Bahamas after she gave birth.

Anna’s world fell apart when Daniel was found dead at her bedside three days after she gave birth. Anna was devastated and suffered slight memory loss from depression.

Daniel’s funeral program contained a message from mother to son. Anna wrote, "My dearest son Daniel, you were my rock. You were the only one that could keep me solid. Why God took you away from me? I do not understand.

"Perhaps someday, I will. It is so hard to think of you, but I do every second."

There were so many controversies going on at the same time for Anna, but she kept herself together.

Dannielynn also got involved in the controversy when Larry Birkhead sued Howard K. Stern for saying he fathered Anna’s child on a talk show.

The court ordered Anna to undergo a paternity test. A few days after this order was released, Feb. 8, 2007, Anna was found "not breathing and unresponsive" in her room at Hollywood’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.

She was taken to the hospital and was announced dead in Florida’s Memorial Regional Hospital later that afternoon.

Anna’s death remains unsolved. More and more people get involved every day.

Even Howard Stern, whose name appears on Dannielynn’s birth certificate, appears to be one of the suspects in Anna and Daniel’s death.

The case will not end anytime soon. I look forward for more updates and hope Dannielynn ends up in good hands.

Even in death, Anna remains controversial. She’s now larger than life.

I also look forward to seeing all of you in theaters starting Feb. 21 for Faces Of Love, directed by National Artist Eddie Romero,

It stars Christopher de Leon, Bembol Roco, Alfred Vargas and many more.

Have a wonderful day.