Howard K. Stern was just Anna Nicole Smith’s lawyer once upon a time.

The late model’s companion filed a creditor’s claim in Los Angeles Superior Court on Thursday, requesting 6 percent of any money Smith’s estate recovers from that of her husband of 13 months, J. Howard Marshall II, whose estate was worth a reported $500 million when he died in 1995.

Stern, who was appointed executor of Smith’s will in June, cited a contingent fee (payment for services rendered) agreement on file in bankruptcy court that states he’s entitled to a portion of proceeds from the battle he helped Smith wage against Marshall’s family, which has contested Smith’s spousal inheritance since day one.

The 6 percent fee is “conditioned upon recovery in the Marshall litigation,” says state court documents obtained by celebtv.com.

When Smith died in February of an accidental drug overdose, her personal assets were totaled at about $710,000; but her daughter, 13-month-old Dannielynn Hope Marshall Birkhead, figures to inherit millions if and when the Marshall matter is ever sorted out.

Smith declared bankruptcy in 2001 and was awarded $474 million due to misconduct on the Marshalls’ part; that judgment was later reduced to $88 million and then was overturned by a California appellate court. In May 2006, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Smith could again pursue her claim in federal court.

Stern, meanwhile, also filed court papers last week in which he requested that Dannielynn be officially established as the sole heir to Smith’s fortune, stating that although Smith’s will was drawn up in 2001—five years before she had Dannielynn—she would have wanted her second child “to share equally in the trust created for Daniel.”

As it stands, the will names Daniel Smith, who died at 20 just days after his half-sister was born, as his mother’s sole beneficiary.

Larry Birkhead was appointed guardian of his former lover’s estate and has been said to be on good terms with Stern since it was determined he was Dannielynn’s biological father.

Very good terms, according to former MSNBC anchor Rita Cosby, who has authored an Anna Nicole exposé in which she claims Stern and Birkhead were lovers and in cahoots to get control of Smith’s estate and custody of Dannielynn.

Stern has since filed a $60 million defamation suit against Cosby, and Birkhead has also threatened legal action.

Meanwhile, a hearing scheduled for last Friday regarding items seized during a raid on the homes and offices of two of Smith’s doctors has been postponed until Dec. 5.

Psychiatrists Khristine Eroshevich and Sandeep Kapoor are under investigation in connection with prescriptions found at Smith’s home in the Bahamas and in her room at the Hollywood, Florida, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, where she died on Feb. 8.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler (late of the Phil Spector murder trial) ordered Deputy District Attorney Renee Rose and Kapoor’s attorney to arrange for copies to be made of various documents, including some patient records.

Those papers, as well as three computers seized from his home and office, will be returned to the doctor after they’ve been examined, Rose said.

Anna Nicole Smith’s lawyer and companion, Howard K. Stern, filed a $60 million libel lawsuit Tuesday against Rita Cosby and her publisher over a book she wrote that claims Stern and Smith’s ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, had a sexual encounter.

The suit, filed in federal court in New York, seeks $10 million in compensatory damages and $50 million in punitive damages from Cosby, the former MSNBC host who wrote “Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith’s Death” — and Hachette Book Group USA Inc.

The book, which hit stores in September, claims that besides the alleged sexual encounter, Birkhead and Stern both worked together after Smith’s death to manipulate the media and maximize profits.

Smith died of an accidental drug overdose in Florida in February at age 39. Stern initially claimed to have fathered Smith’s young daughter, Dannielynn, but Birkhead eventually showed he was the father. The baby could inherit millions from the estate of Smith’s late husband, Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II.

Stern’s lawsuit says that the book falsely accuses Stern of, among other things, criminal lewd acts, homosexual acts, illegal possession and use of cocaine, conspiring to commit murder and kidnapping for ransom.

“Defendants have exploited Ms. Smith’s life and death by publishing false and defamatory factual accusations against” Stern, according to the 65-page lawsuit filed by Atlanta lawyer Lin Wood.

“Blonde Ambition purports to be a ‘tell-all’ book, but it can only be accurately described as a ‘tell-all-lies’ book,” Wood said in statement Tuesday.

A spokesman for Cosby declined to comment and referred calls to a spokesman for the book’s publisher. That spokesman, Evan Boorstyn, did not immediately return a call Tuesday seeking comment.

Both Birkhead and Stern, Smith’s longtime attorney and companion, had threatened to sue soon after the book was published.
An attorney for Birkhead, M.L. Trope, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that “it’s just a matter of time” before his client files a libel suit of his own. He did not say when that would be filed.

Birkhead acknowledged meeting with Cosby several times after Smith’s death in February. But he flatly denied that he and Stern ever shared a sexual tryst.

Cosby, a former MSNBC correspondent, claimed there is a videotape of the alleged encounter and that one of Smith’s former employees had seen the former Playboy Playmate watching it. But Birkhead has said no tape could exist because the encounter did not occur.

Birkhead also has denied the book’s claim that he and Stern made a “secret deal” about finances and the custody of Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn.
Cosby has said she expected backlash from Birkhead and Stern when she started writing the book in April.

Larry Birkhead and Howard K. Stern both plan to sue the author of a new book that claims the two men shared a sexual encounter before Anna Nicole Smith’s death and worked together afterward to manipulate the media and maximize profits.

“Blonde Ambition: The Untold Story Behind Anna Nicole Smith’s Death,” by journalist Rita Cosby, hit stores Tuesday.

Birkhead, the father of Smith’s infant daughter, said that though he has yet to see the book, he intends to sue Cosby, her sources and Grand Central Publishing.

“This is going to be one of the most expensive lawsuit settlements in book-publishing history,” Birkhead told The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Stern also planned to “file and aggressively pursue a libel case” against Cosby and her publishers, his attorney, L. Lin Wood, said on Tuesday.

“The more information I have received over the last several days about Ms. Cosby’s book, the more convinced I am that she has, as a practical matter, authored a work of pure fiction,” Wood said in a statement.

Birkhead acknowledged meeting with Cosby several times after Smith’s death in February. But he flatly denied that he and Stern, Smith’s attorney and sometime boyfriend, ever shared a sexual tryst.

“It’s totally false and defamatory,” Birkhead said. “This book is fueled by Internet gossip and tabloid reports. She never once tried to contact me or Howard to see if any of these things were true.”

Cosby claimed there is a videotape of the alleged encounter and that one of Smith’s former employees had seen the Playboy Playmate watching it. But Birkhead said no tape could exist because the encounter did not occur.

Cosby quotes Birkhead on some topics in the book, she said, but not on the sexual rumors.

“We also knew what Birkhead would say because we’ve seen him inconsistent on many other things,” she told AP Tuesday, adding that the book cites numerous sources and was “carefully vetted through attorneys at our publishing house.”

“I have nothing to hide,” she said. “I make no apologies for the book, and at the end of the day, the American public will see that these two men conspired to fool us all.”

Birkhead denied the book’s claim that he and Stern made a “secret deal” about finances and the custody of Smith’s daughter, Dannielynn.
“There’s been no deal cut. There’s nobody even positioned to make deals,” Birkhead said, noting that he is still involved in a custody dispute with Smith’s mother, Virgie Arthur.
Cosby said she expected backlash from Birkhead and Stern when she started writing the book in April.

“I knew going into this that this was going to be challenged by them at every turn because they don’t want the truth to come out,” she said.

Birkhead said the sources Cosby cites “all have pending litigation against me so they all have axes to grind.”

He also accused the author of opportunistic timing: “Rita Cosby uses this week, the week that my daughter turns one and the anniversary of (Smith’s son) Daniel’s death, to try to sell a book or two.”

Cosby said Dannielynn inspired her to write the book.

“The real issue here and the reason I did this book was that little baby,” she said. “The question is: What’s ahead for her future if these two men appear to be in collusion? … I hope that my book will expose some of the inconsistencies that have been out there and maybe have these cases given a second look.”

Dannielynn turns one on Friday.

Grand Central Publishing did not return messages seeking comment.

A judge on Friday extended an order prohibiting release of a 1994 videotape documenting breast augmentation surgery for Anna Nicole Smith.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff issued a preliminary injunction against Gerald Wayne Johnson, a Texas doctor who performed the surgery. The injunction prevents the sale, distribution or dissemination of the videotape.

The judge originally issued a restraining order against Johnson on Aug. 3 at the request of Smith’s former attorney and executor of her will, Howard K. Stern.

Beckloff also reissued a temporary restraining order with the same conditions against Johnson’s wife, Alana.

Smith died of an accidental drug overdose in Florida in February at 39.
Stern contended that Smith never consented to having her surgery recorded and that Johnson sent a tape of the procedure to Thomas Riccio, a Los Angeles-based memorabilia dealer.

Johnson has said he routinely records surgeries with the patient’s permission and promises to keep the video confidential “during the patient’s lifetime.”

Stern, the Johnsons and the couple’s attorney did not appear at the hearing.

Superior Court Judge Mitchell L. Beckloff granted the order Friday at the request of Smith’s former attorney and executor of her will, Howard K. Stern. The injunction prevents the sale, distribution or dissemination of the videotape.

In court documents, first obtained by CelebTV.com, Stern accused Gerald Wayne Johnson, the Texas doctor who performed the surgery, of sending a tape showing the procedure to Thomas Riccio, a Los Angeles-based memorabilia dealer. Stern claims the surgery was taped without the former model’s consent.

Smith died of an accidental drug overdose in Florida in February at the age of 39.

In a letter written June 22, Johnson said he routinely records surgeries with the patient’s permission and promises to keep the video confidential “during the patient’s lifetime.” Johnson said he gave Riccio permission to use the video after Smith died.

Stern claims Johnson’s wife and Riccio would share in any proceeds from the sale of the videotape to various media outlets.

Telephone messages left for Stern’s attorney, Vivian Thoreen, and Johnson’s attorney, Gus Pappas, were not immediately returned Tuesday.

Larry Birkhead’s former attorney filed a lawsuit against him Tuesday, claiming he didn’t pay his legal bills during a paternity dispute involving his and Anna Nicole Smith’s baby.

Debra Opri wants to force binding arbitration under the terms of a contract in which she agreed to represent Birkhead in September, according to the lawsuit filed in Superior Court.

Opri said her work on Birkhead’s behalf was “extensive, entailed hundreds of hours of work” and required her to travel to multiple states and outside the country. The lawsuit did not specify a dollar amount.

After-hours phone messages left for Opri’s attorney, David Owen, and Birkhead’s lawyer, Michael Whalen, were not immediately returned.

Birkhead sued Anna Nicole Smith in October seeking a paternity test of her daughter, Dannielynn Hope, to determine who was the baby’s father.

Howard Stern, Smith’s attorney and longtime companion, had also claimed to be the father and was listed on the baby’s birth certificate.

A Los Angeles judge ruled in Birkhead’s favor in December but the DNA testing was not performed until months later. Smith died in Florida on Feb. 8 of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

After a highly publicized court dispute, paternity tests released last month showed Birkhead was the baby’s father.

Opri was Birkhead’s attorney during most of the dispute but later withdrew from the case without explaining why.

Larry and Dannielynn Birkhead have left the Bahamas and landed in Louisville, Kentucky where Birkhead was raised. This is the first time that Anna Nicole Smith’s baby has met her paternal grandparents.

Access Hollywood is reporting that the US media freenzy has already begun in Kentucky. As Larry and Dannielynn landed, two helicopters swarmed above while the media lined the airport’s chain link fence.

Tony Potts of Access Hollywood traveled with the Birkheads on their flight from the Bahamas to Kentucky and confirmed that they had a nice flight.

“She ate, slept, played and ate again,” Potts recounted. “She barely even fussed.”

Her also confirmed that Larry had a comfortable ride. Whew, we can all sleep again.

This is also the first time that Smith’s companion, Howard K. Stern, will be away from the baby who he once claimed to be his own.

Anna Nicole Smith’s mother is attempting to block her granddaughter’s return to the US.

The late Playboy playmate’s ex-lover, Larry Birkhead – the proven biological father of Dannielynn – was granted freedom to leave the Bahamas with his seven-month-old daughter by a Nassau court on Wednesday.

But Arthur has filed an appeal objecting to the judge’s ruling, an unusual decision as she lives in the US and had previously argued that her daughter and her grandson Daniel should be buried near her Texas home, and not in the Bahamas.

There will be a public court hearing regarding her appeal today.

Dannielynn has remained in the Bahamas under the care of Howard K. Stern – Anna Nicole’s lover and lawyer – since Anna Nicole died of an accidental drug overdose in Florida on February 8.

Birkhead said efforts were “in the works” to obtain a passport for Dannielynn and he hoped to travel to the US “pretty soon.”

The 34-year-old photographer – who had been locked in a custody battle with Arthur – has been ordered to return to the Nassau court for another formal custody hearing on June 9.

Larry Birkhead has defended Anna Nicole Smith’s lover Howard Stern.

The photographer, who was locked in a paternity battle with lawyer Stern for custody of the late Playboy model’s daughter Dannielynn, has revealed Stern has been a great help to him since he was revealed to be the biological father.

Larry said in an interview with America’s OK! magazine: “It seems unlikely, but he’s been a great help. He’s been with Dannielynn the last several months.”

“He knows her likes and dislikes and things that could help me. He gives me credit when I’m doing good things and gives me tips on things I should do a little different.”

“People blame him a lot, but Anna had her own mind too. She had a choice and we were arguing and that’s what happens. I’m thankful that everyone can get along for Dannielynn. How could you not?”

Stern was named as seven-month-old Dannielynn’s father on her birth certificate, and tried to evade DNA tests for several months.

As well as the custody battle for Dannielynn, Birkhead, Anna Nicole’s mother Virgie Arthur and Stern also fought for custody of the actress’ body.

She has finally been laid to rest in the Bahamas. Arthur is now solely fighting Birkhead, 34, for custody of her granddaughter.

He said: “It’s puzzling for her to display affection to me and then for the attorneys to say she’s going for custody and Larry was just a sperm donor and a one-night stand.”

“Then they all come and shake my hand. You’ve gotta scratch your head and say, ‘What’s going on here?’”

“I’m willing to listen to see what people want, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to agree. I hope I don’t have to fight for the baby.”

Birkhead is determined to raise Dannielynn alone after DNA tests proved he is her biological father.

However, Anna Nicole’s mother Virgie Arthur has indicated she may apply for custody, saying: “I’m glad to find out who the father is, I just want to be the grandmother. It’s not over, but it’s getting a lot better.”

Birkhead doesn’t want a custody battle and insists he will let Arthur visit whenever she wants.

He told the ‘Today’ show: “We might go from one fight to another, but I’m hoping that’s not the case because there’s only one dad, and I have no problem with anyone that has good intentions being allowed to visit the baby and be a part of the baby’s life.”

“It would imply that I’m unfit as a parent, which I’m not. I’m looking forward to giving Dannielynn everything that she needs and all the love and support.”

Howard K. Stern – who was named as Dannielynn’s father on her birth certificate – said he was “disappointed” by the DNA results but will support Birkhead in any custody battle.

Stern revealed: “I’m obviously very disappointed, but my feelings for Dannielynn have not changed. I’m going to do whatever I can to make sure Birkhead gets sole custody.”

A hearing to determine who will raise the seven-month-old baby will be held tomorrow (04.13.07).

Birkhead, who claims he was in a relationship with Anna Nicole until May 2006 when she was five months pregnant, has been seeking custody of Dannielynn for months.

Dannielynn could inherit an estimated $470 million fortune from the estate of Anna Nicole’s late oil tycoon husband J. Howard Marshall, depending on a forthcoming court ruling.

Anna Nicole had been fighting Marshall’s family for his estate since his death in 1995 and the battle is yet to be resolved.

The former Playboy model died on February 8, aged just 39, from an accidental drugs overdose.

Courtney Love is set to play Anna Nicole Smith in a new biopic.

The 42-year-old singer – the widow of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain – is being considered to portray the tragic Playboy model who died on February 8 from an accidental drugs overdose.

A film insider is quoted by Britain’s Daily Star newspaper as saying: “Courtney is flattered to be in the frame as she had a lot of respect for Anna. Courtney feels she can relate to her tragedy.”

“Owen Wilson is also being lined up to possibly play Anna Nicole’s former love Larry Birkhead.”

Another biographical film entitled “Anna Nicole” is set to start shooting next week.

This project will see 26-year-old singer and “Dancing with the Stars” contestant Willa Ford playing the blonde bombshell.

There are striking similarities between Ford – who calls herself the “bad girl of pop” and Anna Nicole. They both shot to fame modeling for fashion label Guess? and were named Playboy’s Playmate of the Year.

The film will chart Anna Nicole’s rollercoaster life from the age of 17, documenting her two marriages, her battle for her late husband J. Howard Marshall’s billions and her untimely death.

Anna Nicole died aged 39, just five months after giving birth to her daughter Dannielynn. Larry Birkhead was revealed as the father of the seven-month-old baby on Tuesday (April 10, 2007).

DNA tests confirmed the photographer is the biological father of seven-month-old Dannielynn.

Anna Nicole had named her lover and lawyer Howard K. Stern as the father on the tot’s birth certificate.

Birkhead said: “I hate to be the one to say this, but I told you so. My baby’s coming home soon. I’m happy to have this behind me and to be able to start a life with my daughter.”

Stern had claimed he was the father because the conception date correlated with his relationship with Anna Nicole.

However, Birkhead – who had a two-year relationship with the late Playboy model – always insisted the baby was his.

The paternity tests have now confirmed with 99.9999 per cent certainty that Birkhead is Dannielynn’s biological father.

Significantly, the result will give Birkhead control of the $474 million fortune Dannielynn could inherit from her mother’s marriage to the late oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall.

Stern will hand Dannielynn over to Birkhead in the next few weeks.

Both have agreed to block any attempt by Anna’s mother Virgie Arthur to seek joint custody.

The Playboy magnate enjoys his laugh about the paternity uncertainties still swirling around
Anna Nicole Smith, but his feelings about the former Playmate turned pop icon are no joke. In serious fashion, his bunny empire will offer three upcoming Smith tributes: a 10-page pictorial in the magazine’s May issue, an hourlong retrospective on Playboy TV and an online memorial on Playboy.com.

Smith, who first appeared on the magazine’s cover in March 1992 and was named Playmate of the Year in 1993, was 39 when she died of an accidental drug overdose in February.

So what was it about the buxom blonde Texan that Hefner found so alluring?

“It was her presence in front of the camera,” he told The Associated Press Thursday, chatting in the library of his famed Playboy Mansion. “She was one of those who loved being in front of the camera and came alive in front of the camera. There was very clearly a Marilyn Monroe quality about her and that aspiration was clear from the very beginning. She talked about Marilyn Monroe all the time.”

Smith often posed like Monroe, he said. At a Halloween party in 2004, she came dressed in a “Marilyn Monroe-type outfit” accompanied by three men in tuxedos: her attorney Howard K. Stern, boyfriend Larry Birkhead and son Daniel.

“The irony in terms of Anna Nicole’s fascination with Marilyn Monroe is how successful she was in building a similar kind of career, not through acting but simply through celebrity itself,” said Hefner, in his usual silk pajamas and smoking jacket. “The tragedy is she lived large as Marilyn did and died in a very similar way.”

She was still Vickie Smith when she first caught the eye of Playboy editors, who argued over whether to include her in the magazine.

“She came here and she weighed about 160 pounds,” Hefner recalled. “We like the voluptuous ladies but not that voluptuous. It was a wonderful statement for the simple fact that beauty has no limitation in terms of size. You can be a big lady and a beautiful lady, and she was.”

With three tributes, might Playboy be opening itself to criticism for profiting from Smith’s death? Not the case, Hefner quickly replied. “It’s quite frankly celebrating her in a way that she would appreciate.”

The publishing titan turns 81 on Monday, but makes little concession to the calendar. He just celebrated his birthday with a bash in Las Vegas, and recently started work on the third season of “The Girls Next Door,” an E! reality show about life with his girlfriends Holly Madison, Bridget Marquardt and Kendra Wilkinson. Their upcoming adventures include an appearance at the Toyota Grand Prix, where Hefner will serve as grand marshal (and Wilkinson will drive a race car), and a trip to Monte Carlo at the invitation of Prince Albert, Hefner said.

And the chatter about Hef getting engaged? Just rumors, he said.

“I am in a very serious relationship with Holly,” he explained. “I love all three of the girls, but the relationship with Holly will last, certainly, for the rest of my life. Whether it leads to marriage, we will see. I’ve tried marriage twice before without great success, and at this moment, I don’t want to spoil the relationship.”

More than 600 pills — including about 450 muscle relaxants — were missing from prescriptions that were no more than five weeks old, according to information obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request.

It was unclear if Smith took all of them.

Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, a psychiatrist and friend of the starlet’s, authorized all the prescription medications in the Hollywood, Fla., hotel room where Smith was found unresponsive shortly before her death Feb. 8, the medical examiner’s office said. Eroshevich had traveled with Smith to Florida.

Calls to Eroshevich in Los Angeles were not immediately returned Wednesday. Candis Cohen, a spokeswoman for the California Medical Board, would not comment on any probe into Eroshevich; she said investigations of doctors are not public record.

Dr. Joshua Perper, Broward County’s medical examiner, said two other doctors also prescribed Smith drugs, but those medications were not found in her hotel room.

The type of drugs found in Smith’s system were disclosed with the release of her autopsy report last week, but the remarkable quantity of drugs she had was unclear until Wednesday’s release of additional records.

The powerful sleeping aid chloral hydrate, the medication blamed with tipping the balance in the toxic mix of drugs and causing her death, was prescribed Jan. 2. About two-thirds of the bottle was gone, according to the medical examiner’s records. The records also show 62 tablets of the anti-anxiety drug Valium were missing from a prescription less than two weeks old at the time of Smith’s death.

A probe by the Seminole Police Department agreed with Perper’s assessment that Smith’s death at 39 was an accidental overdose and that there was no foul play.

Most of the drugs were prescribed in the name of Howard K. Stern, her lawyer-turned-companion, and none were prescribed in Smith’s own name, according to documents. Perper has said all the drugs were meant for Smith.

Information released by Perper’s office shows eight of the prescriptions were issued under Stern’s name; one under Eroshevich’s name; and two were under the name of Alex Katz. It was unclear if Katz was an alias or the name of someone connected to Smith.

The records show Smith had three prescriptions for muscle relaxants in her hotel room: two for carisoprodol, prescribed Jan. 2 and Jan. 26, and one for methocarbamol, under the brand name Robaxin, prescribed Jan. 2. Some 415 of the carisoprodol pills were missing from their containers as well as 33 of the Robaxin pills, according to the documents.

Also missing were 79 tablets of the anti-seizure medications Topomax and Klonopin; and at least two dozen diuretics, antibiotics, antivirals and potassium supplements.

The newly disclosed documents did not mention the strong painkiller methadone or the anti-anxiety pill Ativan, both of which were found in Smith’s system. Also missing from the report was disclosure on who prescribed human growth hormone, the muscle-building, weight-reducing agent Smith was said to have been taking around the time of her death.

Two attorneys for Stern did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Smith had a stomach flu and a temperature that rose as high as 105 degrees in the days before her death, and she had an infection on her buttocks from repeated injections. Both the flu and the infection were considered contributing causes of her death, according to the autopsy report.

Smith, a Texas high school dropout who became a topless dancer, married 89-year-old oilman J. Howard Marshall II. After his death, she took her fight for Marshall’s estimated $500 million fortune as far as the Supreme Court. That ongoing battle could make her infant daughter, Dannielynn, very wealthy. Stern and two other men have claimed to be the baby’s father.

While the world waits with bated breath—not to mention big bucks riding on office pools—the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter is about to be revealed.

Though whether that revelation comes next week or—implausibly but, in this saga, not impossibly—next month is anyone’s guess. We just know for sure it’s not happening today.

A closed-door hearing in the drawn-out paternity battle between Howard K. Stern and Larry Birkhead concluded today in the Supreme Court of the Bahamas without any bombshells. Another hearing was set for next week.

But while signs indicate that the results of court-ordered DNA tests may soon be revealed, none of the principal players in drama is talking.

Primarily, because they can’t.

According to Bahamian legal code, lawyers, officials, and anyone who was lucky enough to snag a seat in one of the most closely watched courts in recent memory is prohibited from discussing any details of the case, even down to what’s on the day’s agenda.

Which is why, from here on out, it’s simply a waiting game to find out the results of the DNA swabs.

Anticipation for a major ruling was running high going into this morning’s hearing, especially after Stern on Monday dropped a last-ditch motion trying to block the baby’s results from being released.

Smith’s lawyer/companion was fined $10,000, and the hearings were scheduled to resume. With no more appeals pending, the court could render its judgment at any time and determine whether Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern will be adding Birkhead to her list of monikers.

Stern, who has been caring for the child since Smith’s Feb. 8 death, took the child in for a cheek swabbing on Mar. 21. However, when the results do come in, they will not necessarily prove that Stern is the father—they will simply prove whether or not Birkhead is.

Dannielynn’s DNA will only be tested against the photographer’s, as well as that of less likely paternal candidate Prince Frederic Von Anhalt. Stern was never ordered to give a sample because he is already listed as the father on the girl’s Bahamian birth certificate.

As for the tests themselves, they were reportedly sent out to the DNA Diagnostics Center in Fairfield, Ohio, under the auspices of one Dr. Michael Baird. He is expected to present the results in court, perhaps during next Tuesday’s session, though he has remained mum on any immediate travel plans.

At least one involved party, however, doesn’t appear too worried about the technicality of DNA results.

Last month, and virtually every month prior, Birkhead has spoken out about his certainty over his fatherhood, going so far as to announce that he is already getting a nursery ready in his Los Angeles home.

The murky circumstances surrounding Anna Nicole Smith’s death could become clearer Monday, when authorities are expected to release the results of the former pinup’s autopsy.

The anticipated disclosure of what killed Smith comes more than six weeks after she was found unresponsive at her hotel suite in Hollywood, Fla.

The autopsy results had been expected weeks ago but have been repeatedly delayed, in part because the Broward County medical examiner, Dr. Joshua Perper, said he received additional evidence from the Seminole Police Department. The department is investigating the starlet’s death because the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino where she was staying is located on tribal land.

Authorities would not disclose what the additional evidence was.

Perper’s initial autopsy report was released a day after Smith’s death, but he said an extensive battery of tests was being performed to search for all manner of causes.

Perper’s initial tests found no evidence, either in Smith’s stomach or her bloodstream, that she had taken large amounts of prescription medication. The medical examiner said prescription drugs, but no illegal drugs, were found in Smith’s hotel room. He would not identify the drugs.

The initial examination did find signs of inflammation in Smith’s heart. Perper said it was “something which looks a little bit unusual” but that it may be nothing.

Because Smith’s death was so sudden and because her 20-year-old son Daniel died under suspicious circumstances five months earlier, there has been speculation of possible criminal activity. The Seminoles will not comment on their investigation, although they initially said there was no indication Smith was the victim of a crime.

Smith arrived at the Hard Rock on Feb. 5 and planned to leave four days later aboard a new yacht her companion Howard K. Stern was arranging to buy. She was said to be suffering from a stomach flu before she was found dead Feb. 8.

Smith was a former Playboy Playmate of the Year, Guess jeans model and bride of 89-year-old oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II.

Stern and two other men have claimed they are the father of her baby, Dannielynn.

The father of Anna Nicole Smith’s daughter will be revealed soon.

A DNA test to determine five-month-old Dannielynn’s father was ordered by the Bahamas Supreme Court yesterday (Mar 20, 2007).

Anna Nicole’s former lover photographer Larry Birkhead, who claims he is Dannielynn’s father, was overjoyed by the ruling.

Birkhead, who pumped his fists in the air and jumped up and down as he emerged from court, said: “I feel great. It was a great day in court for me. Bahamian people, thank you so much!”

Asked if he thought he would see Dannielynn soon, he smiled and winked.

Anna Nicole’s lover and lawyer Howard K. Stern – who is listed as Dannielynn’s father on her birth certificate – was left devastated by the judge’s decision. He said: “I’m doing the best I can.”

Stern, who is currently caring for Dannielynn, was ordered not to leave the Bahamas with her before the custody ruling.

Frederic von Anhalt, the husband of legendary Hollywood beauty Zsa Zsa Gabor, also claims he could be Dannielynn’s father.

Dannielynn has been at the center of a paternity battle since her mother collapsed in a Florida hotel room and died aged just 39 last month.

She could inherit millions from the estate of Anna Nicole’s late husband, oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall.

Anna Nicole had been fighting his family for his estimated $500 million fortune since he died in 1995.

Anna Nicole Smith’s secret diaries could jeopardize her claim to her late husband’s estate.

Anna Nicole – who died last month aged just 39 – writes about a series of lovers she had before she married billionaire J. Howard Marshall in 1994.

The two explosive diaries, which are being auctioned on internet website eBay for up to $1 million each, are set to question Anna Nicole’s entitlement to her late husband’s estate.

Anna Nicole, who met the oil tycoon in a Houston strip club in 1991, was terrified about telling a lover she could be pregnant in 1992 – and considered having an abortion.

She said: “He will only support me if I have it. But if I decide to go the other way he won’t. I’ll be on my own. I think that’s tacky. I’m scared.”

One entry shows her irritation with Marshall for calling her “20 times a day” when they first started dating.

However, Anna Nicole does show a softer side to her relationship with 89-year-old Marshall in the second diary, often proclaiming her love for her husband.

She wrote: “My husband is very sick. I want every hour to comfort him.”

The diary shows her dedication to Marshall, revealing how she fed him and cared for him. She also vents her frustration at Marshall’s son for cutting off her money.

The second journal, which begins in 1994, ends on the day Marshall died in 1995.

The former model also reveals she hated sex. She said: “I hate for men to want sex all the time. I hate sex!”

The diaries – along with her book of business contacts and driving license – are being sold by a former neighbor who kept them after he saw Anna Nicole’s mother, Virgie Arthur, throwing them out.

Following Anna Nicole’s death, the dispute for the Marshall estate will be carried on in the name of her six-month-old daughter Dannielynn.

A lawyer for one of three men claiming to be the father of Anna Nicole Smith’s baby girl, Dannielynn, asked a judge Tuesday to order late Playboy model’s partner, Howard K. Stern, to come to California and provide a DNA sample.

Attorney Debra Opri, who represents Smith’s former boyfriend Larry Birkhead, said after a closed hearing that she wants the DNA to determine if Stern is the baby’s father. His name is on the little girl’s birth certificate.

“Put up or shut up, that’s what we’re asking for,” Opri said outside court.

Superior Court Judge Robert Schnider refused to make Stern a part of the paternity court action but said he would review the matter in two weeks after he considers the law more closely, Opri said.

Stern was living with Smith at the time of her death. He and the baby, Dannielynn, currently reside in the Bahamas.

Opri said Birkhead needs a paternity ruling from California to present in the Bahamas to strengthen his case for claiming paternity of the child.

“Without it, we have a weak argument,” she said.

Ron Rale, a lawyer who had represented Smith, argued against the DNA request, saying Stern’s name is already on the birth certificate as the father.

“Howard Stern doesn’t have to go to Larry Birkhead for anything,” Rale said.

Schnider originally asserted jurisdiction in the paternity suit in California because Smith had connections in Los Angeles and Birkhead claimed the baby was conceived in California.

Smith, 39, died of unknown causes Feb. 8 after collapsing at a Florida hotel.

A court in the Bahamas is currently dealing with custody issues involving the child. A judge has barred Stern from taking the girl out of that country until a custody ruling is made.

Birkhead attended the hearing in Los Angeles and said he was confident he would be declared the father.

“I’ve been putting a nursery together so I’m smiling. I’m in a good mood,” Birkhead said outside court.

Meeting the child in the Bahamas, where Smith was buried, “was one of the greatest things in my life,” he said. “That was my delivery room just to get to meet her.”

Frederic von Anhalt, the husband of actress Zsa Zsa Gabor, also says he may be the father.

Smith married Texas oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II in 1994 when he was 89 and she was 26. The reality TV star and Playboy playmate had been fighting his family over his estimated $500 million fortune since his death in 1995.

Pamela Anderson has sent a message of support to
Britney Spears.

The former ‘Baywatch’ actress has been upset by the troubled singer’s recent erratic behaviour and hopes she can get well soon for the sake of herself and her two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

Pammie said: “When you are scrutinised in public and judged by people who have no idea what is going on, it can be devastating. I wish her well and I am sure she will overcome this. People need to be more supportive.”

The blonde star was also saddened by the recent death of Anna Nicole Smith, who, like Pammie, was one of Playboy magazine’s most iconic cover girls.

She said: “It’s so sad, she left behind that little baby girl, Dannielynn. I wish she could have been strong enough to make it through.”