Celebrity Justice
Battle for the Body: Stern, Birkhead Arrive In Court

Larry Birkhead & Howard K. SternHoward K. Stern and Larry Birkhead, the two men who claim to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby, are in the Florida courtroom of Judge Larry K. Seidlin right now to determine what will happen to Smith's body.

At 9:37 AM, Howard K. Stern entered the courtroom and took a seat just a few feet away from Larry Birkhead. Smith's mother Virgie Arthur is in the courtroom as well, and warmly embraced Birkhead before the beginning of the hearing. Anna Nicole's father Don Hogan also made a surprise appearance in court.

Judge Seidlin addressed Stern and Birkhead and said, "I expected both of you to show."

To watch the hearing unfold live, click here to watch a live feed from Miami affiliate WTVJ.

Update 1:00 p.m. ET: Court has recessed for lunch. The hearing will reconvene at 2:30 p.m. ET.

Tags: Anna nicole Smith, AnnaNicoleSmith, Howard K. Stern, HowardK.Stern, Larry Birkhead, LarryBirkhead

Relevant Posts

Reader Comments

(Page 3 of 4) Previous 15 Comments | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments

31. tO #21:
AMEN AMEN AMEN AND AMEN..........................U R SO ON THE TRUTH

Posted at 10:50AM on Feb 20th 2007 by Tambo

32. That judge is a nitwit!!!!!!!! What a 3 ring circus!!! I can't
believe that the Mother would even think of taking her back to Texas
for burial. Whatever anyone thinks about Anna Nicole she did LOVE
her son and would want to be buried by him. That poor darling little
baby........I would hate to see her raised by Stern or Anna's Mother.
What is the Mother thinking??? I sure hope she doesn't win this
case. GET RID OF THAT JUDGE I CAN'T BELEIVE HIM....HE IS SO UNPROFESSIONAL!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 12:06PM on Feb 20th 2007 by I agree

33. I think the judge is right in the respect that Dannielynn is the most important now. And who the father is and who gets custody of her one would assume that is where Dannielynn would be raised...so maybe the burial should be where it will be close to Dannielynn.. Daniel can always be moved if it happens to be in the states.

Posted at 11:18AM on Feb 20th 2007 by Kay

34. the judge is NOT slowing the trial down, he is making it move along. He is a GREAT judge, with his main interest being the BABY. Thats as it should be. ANS mom wants the body in Texas, where I have no doubt she will bury Daniel too, once he is exhumed FOR HIS MURDER TRIAL. That clown video was freaky, anyone who thinks that man is one iota redeemable has issues.
Larry Birkhead has been mature and reasonable and VERY quiet throughout this zoo. He has wanted HIS dd from before birth. He didnt say he broke up with her for drugs, he said he told her to straighten herself out for the baby's sake, and she left him. That was when HKS took over, whisked them away to Bahamas, and started his slow killing of this young mother. If he didnt actively murder her, he sure as hell contributed to her death by not only NOT taking action against the drugs, but by mocking and demeaning her so he could get a damn video. SICK SICK SICK.

Posted at 11:03AM on Feb 20th 2007 by Michelle

35. Hey Samo,

Unless you just came off of Pluto, she has been a "beautiful" joke, for a lot of people, for a lot of years.

Take your jokes and shove them. Even the dead should get to rest in peace.

What are you ten years old? Although, I really hate to condemn the 10 year olds that I know. They have more sense than you do.



What a waste.

Posted at 11:40AM on Feb 20th 2007 by Shut up

36. If that bitch of a mother and Larry Dickhead get their way, Anna Nicole will
be buried in Mexia, Texas. This is a place she detested. She bouoght four plots at the cemetary in the Bahamas. That's good enough for me. A mother who hadn't seen her daughter in over 10 years, and then surfaces? I would say to Virgie Arthur that road goes in both directions, Virgie.

Make no mistake this judge is an ass.

Posted at 11:34AM on Feb 20th 2007 by Paul Kline

37. Anna Said that if she could do things all over again she would be back in TEXAS!! If Virgie gets Annas body i sure hope she does the right thing and bring Daniels body back to lay to rest beside his mother.

Posted at 12:00PM on Feb 20th 2007 by zoey

38. #21-It usually doesn't matter in a childs eye what there parents behavior is...Daniel loved his mother and she loved him no matter what....I agree she wasn't the "picture perfect" mother, but they still did have a bond no matter how we "outsiders" viewed it....It is what it is.....it worked for them....

Posted at 11:59AM on Feb 20th 2007 by igglefan

39. Did it ever occur to anyone that one of the reasons Stern took Anna to the Bahamas to have her baby was to keep her away from the media IN CASE there were problems with the baby from Anna's drug use? What if the baby would have been born with drug related problems or complications? The media would have been ALL OVER it, which would prove to the world that Anna was in serious trouble with substance abuse. That child could have been taken away from her if it was proven. Also, IF there were any problems, could the babies be switched easily there, before anyone knew? It's a mystery why Anna was rarely photographed pregnant, considering how much footage of her stoned/partying and acting peculiar Stern took round the clock. Why little of her pregnant? That clown video doesn't really show her pregnancy very much to me. He has seemingly been documenting her every move, but not then? Strange indeed. Bottom line, her blood relatives need to get control of her body, regardless of what Anna made people think about them. She has NO legal husband, so that's it! The fact that her father is there to give his support speaks volumes. It's her FAMILY, they want Anna and her son back where they belong, not in some strange country with the man who killed them.

Posted at 11:27AM on Feb 20th 2007 by Howard is a murderer

40. Its all so sad, poor ANS :(

Posted at 12:41PM on Feb 20th 2007 by Tasha

41. this is crazy !!!!! i think paternity is a big issue and should be delt with NOW anna needs to be put to rest i agree BUT the baby is still ALIVE and needs a permanant stable life which she has not had in her short little life, so i belive paternity is a big issue both hks, and larry birkhead are both there so why not get it done NOW??? WHATS HKS GOT TO HIDE???? HHMMM

Posted at 11:21AM on Feb 20th 2007 by DEEDEE DUSTIN

42. This is absolutely insane! ANS should be buried with her son in the bahamas as she wanted. She loved her son inpite of anything else she has done in her short painful life. Vergie and Larry need to back off on the matter. Let's worry about the paternity later, perhaps after ANS has gotten her long awaiting funeral as she departs this world...May you RIP ANS

Marie

Posted at 11:59AM on Feb 20th 2007 by marie

43. WATCHING THE LIVE FEED OF THE COURT IT SHOWS STERN SITTING THERE UPSET ABOUT LOSING ANNA AND IT SEEMS FROM THE COURT VIDEO THAT BIRKHEAD IS HAVING A GREAT TIME, TALKING, LAUGHING, SOME GIRL KEEPS TOUCHING HIS SHOULDER AND TALKING TO HIM,,, THIS IS TROUBLING. I HOPE THEY ALLOW HER TO BE BURIED BY HER SON. THIS IS WHY WILLS ARE IMPORTANT AND THEY NEED TO BE UPDATED.

Posted at 2:09PM on Feb 21st 2007 by jEN

44. Iggyfan, your first statement doesn't ring true, because if it does, then why did Anna supposedly hate HER mother so much? I saw footage of Daniel on the reality show, and there were times he looked downright embarrassed at some of the things his mother was doing. He looked like he wanted to be anyplace but there.
Paul...Anna did NOT buy the plots...HOWARD STERN did. We have no proof that Anna gave him permission to buy them. If you will recall, it took a long time for Daniel to be buried, and Anna originally wanted to take him back to the states. And it isn't a matter of Vergie "surfacing." She was always there, it was Anna that didn't want to see her. What drug user WOULD want to see someone they know is going to try and help them? Get real! Anna will most likely be buried in California or Houston unless that scum sucking bottom feeder Stern gets his way. Anna was so doped up all the time, she probably didn't have a clue what Howard Stern was doing with any of her personal business. Do you think she would have not left provisions for her daughter in her will if she was in her right mind? Just look at the clown video! Come on! Who in their right mind could stand there and watch an eight month pregnant woman get so stoned out of her mind? Stern is vile, beneath comtemptable and a murderer. LOOK AT HIS PERSONAL LIFE...HE is Evil pure and simple.

Posted at 11:49AM on Feb 20th 2007 by Howard is a murderer

45. Bury her junkie remains in Texas. Allow the Bahamian govt to do their investigation and have Daniel's body exhumed and moved to Texas with the
mother. After all, she contributed to his death with HKS. They had for some
years allowed these activities to go on for years. Daniel was privy to these
actions. She willingly got drugged while being pregnant. The baby should
be taken care of by LB. Even if it is not his. HKS should be in jail.

Posted at 11:56AM on Feb 20th 2007 by sheila

Previous 15 Comments | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Most Recent | Next 15 Comments