TMZ has learned the "Today" show has pulled the plug on the Rita Cosby interview about her book in which she claims Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead had a "relationship."
The cancellation comes after "Today" received a bristling, threatening letter from attorney Lin Wood, Howard's lawyer. Wood, who represented John and Patsy Ramsey, made it clear he would sue the "Today" show for any falsehoods that spewed out of Rita's mouth. Birkhead has also vowed to sue Cosby and others who he claims are in on a plot to "smear" him.
As far as we know, Cosby's assertion of a relationship is rooted in the testimony of Jackie Hatten, a known wacko whose brother served prison time for stalking Anna Nicole.
Make no mistake about it -- this cancellation is a big, frickin' deal.
16. The hit Rita will take career and reputation in the attempt to sale her trash novel can not be worth it unless her career was already on the skids. Opri needs to take some responsibility for this also I feel , but her career is also on the skids so maybe it all works out. These poeple are scavengers It's sick.
17. I like Rita and which she hadn't gotten involved with Debra Opri. Opri is trying to get Payback on Larry by going through Rita. I wish the best for her but this whole mess smells like TROUBLE. She's always been a good journalist. I hope she have a video and pictures otherwise this won['t end pretty for her. She better hope her book don'[t become the new O.J. replacement (meaning a VERY BIG BLUNDER).
You are delaying the inevitable. The facts and truth WILL come out. Delay, threaten and stall all you want. It's worked to the advantage of justice. Truth WILL prevail. Truth doesn't get old. Truth has never wronged anyone.
Posted at 1:14AM on Sep 4th 2007 by Mo aka tiny Mighty
19. This sheds a very bad light on Cosby's Book. Shes no better than Stearn
20. they cannot sue nbc for what rita says, this sounds like something that will come out in the open soon
Posted at 1:17AM on Sep 4th 2007 by FAT AND DUMB WITH SKID MARKS
21. and how do we know that theses lovers did not plan anna's death to get rich?
Posted at 1:17AM on Sep 4th 2007 by FAT AND DUMB WITH SKID MARKS
22. At this juncture, almost anything in this case is not too strange to be believed. This smacks of a combination of Alice In Wonderland, where things aren't quite as they seem, and Dungeons and Dragons, with all the subterfuge, intrigue, deaths, etc. It seems that everyone wants to profit off the life and death of Anna Nicole Smith.
My concern is for Dannielynn, the real victim in this case. How can she possibly get through life without all this garbage affecting her life?
Posted at 1:17AM on Sep 4th 2007 by CaiforniaSunshine
23. Maybe we should all sue Larry for all the lies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted at 1:19AM on Sep 4th 2007 by Things that make u go hmmm...
24. Whats so suprising about Birkhead sueing her if he feels the information is not true or defamatory. She has no problem trying to make a buck off this information instead of providing it to the authorities in a timely manner and demanding justice be served. All of the players in this farce are in it for the money.
26. If I were Virgie I would be all over this! Especially after TMZ pulled the story that had of Larry leaving a bar with two women (publicity stunt) - how can he be a fit parent if he is out at the clubs? Why did TMZ pull the story - was it because Larry changed his mind about wanting the story out there after all the commenters were saying it was an obvious publicity stunt?
28. If the book were totally true there's no way they would have cancelled. Knowing what we do now about Anna's addictions: Drugs, alcohol, attention, and sex. Is anything shocking that could have happened in her house? The only thing that shocks and pisses me off is that if there was solid evidence that would have been able to help authorities in clearing up this mess I would have rather seen it used for justice and to tell the truth, than to sell a book. There is no way I will give this woman even $.99 for it.
29. "She has interviewed more than a dozen world leaders, conducting historic back to back interviews with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. She was the first reporter to see prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay and even interviewed the late Serbian president Slobodan Milošević who called her from his prison cell at the Hague. Years earlier, while broadcasting live from Belgrade during the NATO bombing, she broke the news that three American POWs were going to be released."
"Cosby also made national headlines for her interviews with boxer Mike Tyson, singer Michael Jackson, and convicted serial killer David Berkowitz, “The Son of Sam,” who wrote to her during the Washington DC sniper shootings in October 2002. As that story unfolded, Cosby secured another major first, by reporting the names and license plate numbers of the sniper suspects. In 2001, Cosby's interview with flight attendant Anne Marie Smith, led to a U.S. Attorney's Office investigation of Rep. Gary Condit for obstruction of justice and witness tampering."
"Cosby served as a lead reporter during the 1996 and 2000 Presidential campaigns. During the Monica Lewinsky investigation, she broke the news that President Clinton was going to be subpoenaed to testify before the grand jury."
TMZ has learned the "Today" show has pulled the plug on the Rita Cosby interview about her book in which she claims Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead had a "relationship."
