Embalming Mission

OK, my tolerance for Anna Nicole Smith stories has reached the breaking point. What took you so long?, you may ask. What indeed.

Her relatives may contest her will. Her former lovers may fight over that poor child. Aliens may descend in space ships wanting to buy her paintings, but none of that, except the last part, is particularly newsworthy, is it.

Enough!. Please.

I am prompted to that cry of pain and resignation not by the news that the story was the third most important piece of news last week, pushing out budget and presidential campaign stories, which is bad enough, but by Wolf Blitzer's question on CNN's Situation Room only seconds ago: "What is happening with the embalming process?" And yes, it was a serious question.

The answer, which required a reporter to have looked into it, is that the funeral home was balking at a confidentiallity agreement. Stop the presses, then stop the madness.

OK, just stop.

By John Eggerton.