Newsday.com

Anna Nicole Smith Resents Jokes

HOUSTON (AP) -- Ex-stripper Anna Nicole Smith finds little humor in the late-night jokes about her elderly husband's death and her court fight over his multimillion-dollar fortune.

''My husband is dead and they're joking about it,'' Smith told the Houston Chronicle after returning this week to court, where she and a stepson are suing to claim a share of the fortune of her late husband, J. Howard Marshall II.

''Anything for a laugh about Anna Nicole,'' she said. ''Some of them hurt.''

Smith's appearance in the Houston courtroom was her first in about a month. She has claimed a hand injury suffered while exercising in October has kept her from attending the trial, which began in September and isn't expected to conclude until April.

In her lawsuit, the 33-year-old Smith claims the elder Marshall, who died in 1995 at age 90, promised her half his fortune and that Marshall's other son, E. Pierce Marshall, illegally is blocking her from claiming the inheritance.

Sporting a tan, the 5-foot-11 platinum blonde who first gained notoriety as a Playboy Magazine Playmate of the Year credited her bronze complexion to tanning lotion.

''But I don't think I should be telling you that,'' she told the Chronicle.

''You have to guard your beauty secrets,'' said her attorney, Howard Stern of Los Angeles.

Smith also said she is upset Playboy is running old photos of her in the magazine's February issue. The magazine owns the photos and she said she was receiving no additional money for them.

''I can't believe they did that to me,'' she said. ''They didn't even ask.''

-- (nemesis@awol.com), January 05, 2001

Answers

said her attorney, Howard Stern

Now thats funny!

-- Ain't Gonna Happen (Not Here Not@ever.com), January 05, 2001.

Anyone who has sex with a ninety year old man deserves to get his money.

-- me (yes@youknow.who), January 05, 2001.

ewwww^^^^^^^^^^^^^^but sooo true. :-)

-- sumer (shh@aol.con), January 06, 2001.

And any 90 year old man who want's to sleep with a smokin hot like her had better be ready to pay.

-- Uncle Deedah (unkeed@yahoo.com), January 06, 2001.

Unc, and they usually do, with a stroke!

-- Cherri (jessam5@home.com), April 16, 2001.