Bahamas News Blog @newzblogz.com

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – A Florida appeals court issued a stay Monday in the dispute over Anna Nicole Smith's body, ruling that her remains cannot be moved to the Bahamas until the judges hear a challenge from the starlet's estranged mother.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a request by Virgie Arthur to overturn a trial judge's decision giving control of Smith's body to the attorney for the centerfold's infant daughter. That attorney decided Smith should be buried in the Bahamas beside her 20-year-old son, who died last year of apparent drug-related causes.

Judge makes no ruling on custody of Anna Nicole Smith's baby, leaving infant with Stern

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MIAMI - A court order from the 4th District Court of Appeal Monday has temporarily halted plans for Anna Nicole Smith's Bahamas funeral.

An attorney for Smith's mother filed an emergency petition with the court earlier in the day asking the appeals court to throw out a ruling which granted custody of the late TV reality star's body to her 5-month-old daughter.

Attorney Roberta Mandel filed a writ of certiorari, claiming that Broward Judge Larry Seidlin selectively followed Florida law. Under the law, baby Dannielynn should only have been given custody of the body if she was at least 18, Mandel said.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. A Florida appeals court issued a stay today in the dispute over Anna Nicole Smiths body, ruling that her remains cannot be moved to the Bahamas until the judges hear a challenge from the starlets estranged mother.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal agreed to hear Virgie Arthurs request to overturn a trial judges decision giving control of Smiths body to the attorney for the centerfolds infant daughter. That attorney decided she should be buried next to her son in the Bahamas.

Arthur has been seeking to bury her daughter in her native Texas.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The fate of Anna Nicole Smith's body is now in the hands of three appeals court judges who will decide whether to overturn a trial court ruling that meant the model would be buried in the Bahamas.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a petition filed Monday by the centerfold's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, who challenged the trial court's decision last week that gave control of Smith's body to an attorney for Smith's infant daughter.

The advocate for the child, Richard Milstein, and the attorney for Smith's boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, have until 2 p.m. Tuesday to respond to the challenge. The appeals court will then review all the materials and may seek oral arguments or decide the case based on briefs.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. The fate of Anna Nicole Smith's body is in the hands of three appeals court judges in Florida.They will decide whether to overturn a trial court ruling that meant the model would be buried in the Bahamas.Smith's mother Virgie Arthur is challenging a decision last week that gave control of Smith's body to an attorney for Smith's infant daughter.Arthur wants the former model buried in Texas, not the Bahamas.Lawyers have until this afternoon to respond to the appeal. A panel o...

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Carjacking suspect caught after search through woods and swamp water   

By: Beau Zimmer

Lakeland, Florida-- Covered in mud from head to toe, deputies loaded Anthony Raulerson out of a cruiser and into a cell at a Polk County Sheriff’s sub station Monday night.Grady Judd, Polk County Sheriff’s Office:“He was armed and dangerous. There was an elementary school nearby. We weren’t taking any chances.”

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The fate of Anna Nicole Smith's body is now in the hands of three appeals court judges who will decide whether to overturn a trial court ruling that meant the model would be buried in the Bahamas.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a petition filed Monday by the centerfold's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, who challenged the trial court's decision last week that gave control of Smith's body to an attorney for Smith's infant daughter.

The advocate for the child, Richard Milstein, and the attorney for Smith's boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, have until 2 p.m. Tuesday to respond to the challenge. The appeals court will then review all the materials and may seek oral arguments or decide the case based on briefs.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A Florida appeals court issued a stay Monday in the dispute over Anna Nicole Smith's body, ruling that her remains cannot be moved to the Bahamas until the judges hear a challenge from the starlet's estranged mother.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a request by Virgie Arthur to overturn a trial judge's decision giving control of Smith's body to the attorney for the centerfold's infant daughter. That attorney decided Smith should be buried in the Bahamas beside her 20-year-old son, who died last year of apparent drug-related causes.

Arthur has been seeking to bury her daughter in her native Texas.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A Florida appeals court has temporarily blocked the removal of Anna Nicole Smith's body to the Bahamas.

Virgie Arthur, Smith's mother, has been engaged in a legal battle over where Smith should be buried. Arthur wants her daughter buried in her native Texas.

Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, wants Smith buried in the Bahamas, alongside her 20-year-old son who died in Bahamas last year of complication from drug use.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The fate of Anna Nicole Smith's body is now in the hands of three appeals court judges who will decide whether to overturn a trial court ruling that meant the model would be buried in the Bahamas.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a petition filed Monday by the centerfold's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, who challenged the trial court's decision last week that gave control of Smith's body to an attorney for Smith's infant daughter.

The advocate for the child, Richard Milstein, and the attorney for Smith's boyfriend, Howard K. Stern, have until 2 p.m. Tuesday to respond to the challenge. The appeals court will then review all the materials and may seek oral arguments or decide the case based on briefs.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- The dispute over the remains of Anna Nicole Smith isn't over yet.

A Florida appeals court has issued a stay in the dispute, which means her remains cannot be moved to the Bahamas to be buried until the court hears a challenge from Smith's estranged mother.

Smith's mother wants her daughter's remains brought to Texas instead of being buried in the Bahamas with Smith's late son. Last week, a Florida judge put the attorney for Smith's infant daughter in charge of burial plans for Smith. He had decided to bury Smith in the Bahamas, which is what Smith's companion Howard K. Stern has said Smith wanted.

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NASSAU, Bahamas - The future of Anna Nicole Smith's baby remained undecided Monday as a custody hearing in the Bahamas ended without a ruling.

Dozens of reporters and photographers gathered in a courtyard across from the white pillars of the country's pink, two-story colonial-era Supreme Court building, as lawyers and judges occasionally emerged, removing their white wigs.

The former Playboy model died Feb. 8 after collapsing at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., with the cause still undetermined. Since then, a series of legal battles began over her body, her baby and ultimately, her potential fortune - she was fighting for a share of her late husband's $500 million estate.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) - The dispute over the remains of Anna Nicole Smith isn't over yet.

A Florida appeals court has issued a stay in the dispute, which means her remains cannot be moved to the Bahamas to be buried until the court hears a challenge from Smith's estranged mother.

Smith's mother wants her daughter's remains brought to Texas instead of being buried in the Bahamas with Smith's late son. Last week, a Florida judge put the attorney for Smith's infant daughter in charge of burial plans for Smith. He had decided to bury Smith in the Bahamas, which is what Smith's companion Howard K. Stern has said Smith wanted.

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NASSAU, Bahamas The custody hearing for the 5-month-old daughter of Anna Nicole Smith ended without a decision Monday.

Still Debra Opri, the attorney for Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, said the hearing went well for her client.

As they emerged from the picturesque courthouse that is home to the Supreme Court of the Bahamas, Birklead raised both arms with his thumbs pointed upwards as if in victory.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- The judge who cried as he issued his ruling in the Anna Nicole Smith case is refusing to reconsider his decision.

Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, had asked Judge Larry Seidlin to change his mind about turning the body over to the lawyer acting as the guardian for Smith's baby. At the time of his ruling, Seidlin urged that Smith be buried in the Bahamas, with her son.

Today, Seidlin said he won't reconsider.

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NASSAU, Bahamas Anna Nicole Smith's mother and an ex-boyfriend fought for custody of her infant daughter in court today but the judge made no ruling -- leaving the baby in the care of the former model's partner Howard K- Stern.John O'Quinn -- an attorney for Smith's mother Vergie Arthur -- says Arthur asked to see her granddaughter. But the judge said she needs permission from Stern, who is listed on five-month-old Dannielynn's birth certificate as the father.O'Quinn says -- quote -- "We want a ...

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A judge on Monday declined to reconsider his ruling over who controls where Anna Nicole Smith should be buried, as her estranged mother turned to an appeals court for help getting custody of the starlet's body.

Lawyers for Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, want the 4th District Court of Appeal to reconsider Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin's tearful ruling that gave the attorney for the centerfold's infant daughter the right to decide the burial plans. That attorney said Smith should be laid to rest next to her son in the Bahamas.

Arthur wants Smith buried in her native Texas. She filed an emergency motion Friday asking Seidlin to reconsider his decision, but he declined Monday morning, saying he wanted to preserve Smith's dignity by having the funeral occur as quickly as possible.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Anna Nicole Smith's estranged mother asked an appeals court Monday to overturn a judge's decision over who controls where the starlet should be buried. Hours after mother Virgie Arthur asked the appeals court to get involved, Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin declined to block his own tearful decision from Thursday that the attorney for the centerfold's infant daughter had the rights to the body. That attorney decided she should be buried next to her son in the Bahama...

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A Florida appeals court issued a stay Monday in the dispute over Anna Nicole Smith's body, ruling that her remains cannot be moved to the Bahamas until the judges hear a challenge from the starlet's estranged mother.

The Florida 4th District Court of Appeal is considering a request by Virgie Arthur to overturn a trial judge's decision giving control of Smith's body to the attorney for the centerfold's infant daughter. That attorney decided Smith should be buried in the Bahamas beside her 20-year-old son, who died last year of apparent drug-related causes.

Arthur has been seeking to bury her daughter in her native Texas.

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NASSAU, Bahamas - An ex-boyfriend of Anna Nicole Smith who claims to be the father of her baby girl said Monday he hopes to see the infant soon as he entered a Bahamian courthouse for a three-way custody battle.

"I hope to get to see her and have her soon," Larry Birkhead told reporters outside the Supreme Court building.

Others expected to seek custody in the closed session are Smith's estranged mother, Virgie Arthur, and Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, who is listed as the baby's father on the birth certificate.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Anna Nicole Smith's estranged mother asked an appeals court Monday to overturn a judge's decision over who controls where the starlet should be buried.

Lawyers for Virgie Arthur want the 4th District Court of Appeal to reconsider Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin's tearful ruling that gave the attorney for the centerfold's infant daughter the rights to decide the burial plans. That attorney said Smith should be laid to rest next to her son in the Bahamas.

Arthur wants Smith buried in her native Texas. She filed an emergency motion Friday asking Seidlin to reconsider his decision on Thursday, but he did not rule. That prompted Monday's appeal.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Anna Nicole Smith's estranged mother asked an appeals court Monday to overturn a judge's decision over who controls where the starlet should be buried.

Lawyers for Virgie Arthur want the 4th District Court of Appeal to reconsider Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin's tearful ruling that gave the attorney for the centerfold's infant daughter the rights to decide the burial plans. That attorney said Smith should be laid to rest next to her son in the Bahamas.

Arthur wants Smith buried in her native Texas. She filed an emergency motion Friday asking Seidlin to reconsider his decision on Thursday, but he did not rule. That prompted Monday's appeal.

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WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- Lawyers for Anna Nicole Smith's mother have gone to court today in Florida, asking that last week's decision on the control of her remains be reversed.

On Thursday, a tearful Judge Larry Seidlin gave the attorney for Smith's infant daughter the right to decide her burial plans. The attorney said Smith should be laid to rest in the Bahamas, next to her son.

On Friday, Smith's estranged mother filed an emergency motion asking the judge to reconsider, but he didn't immediately rule. That prompted today's appeal by lawyers for Virgie Arthur.

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Anna Nicole Smith's estranged mother asked an appeals court Monday to overturn a judge's decision over who controls where the starlet should be buried.

Lawyers for Virgie Arthur want the 4th District Court of Appeal to reconsider Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin's tearful ruling that gave the attorney for the centerfold's infant daughter the rights to decide the burial plans. That attorney said Smith should be laid to rest next to her son in the Bahamas.

Arthur wants Smith buried in her native Texas. She filed an emergency motion Friday asking Seidlin to reconsider his decision on Thursday, but he did not rule. That prompted Monday's appeal.

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NASSAU, Bahamas - Legal experts predict Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, will have a tough time winning custody of her baby when the case moves to the Supreme Court of the Bahamas on Monday.

Howard K. Stern, the former model's partner, is listed on the birth certificate as the father and "there is a very strong legal presumption that what is stated in that document is accurate," said Thomas A. E. Evans, a prominent Bahamas attorney.

Birkhead, a Los Angeles-based photographer, also must contend with a competing claim from Virgie Arthur, Smith's mother, who has said she could provide a more stable home for Dannielynn than Stern and should therefore be awarded custody of the girl - who could inherit a fortune.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Anna Nicole Smith's funeral will not take place before Tuesday, the court-appointed attorney for the starlet's baby daughter said Saturday.

Richard C. Milstein said in a statement he was working as quickly as possible on the funeral details for the former Playboy centerfold, who died in a Florida hotel Feb. 8 at age 39.

Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin ruled Thursday to let Milstein decide where to bury Smith. Milstein agreed with Smith's longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, to bury her in the Bahamas next to her son.

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NASSAU, Bahamas -- Legal experts predict Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, will have a tough time winning custody of her baby when the case moves to the Supreme Court of the Bahamas on Monday.

Howard K. Stern, the former model's partner, is listed on the birth certificate as the father and "there is a very strong legal presumption that what is stated in that document is accurate," said Thomas A. E. Evans, a prominent Bahamas attorney.

Birkhead, a Los Angeles-based photographer, also must contend with a competing claim from Virgie Arthur, Smith's mother, who has said she could provide a more stable home for Dannielynn than Stern and should therefore be awarded custody of the girl -- who could inherit a fortune.

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Methadone, a potent opiate once used almost exclusively to treat heroin addicts, is increasingly being prescribed by doctors as a pain medication and abused by drug users searching for a cheap, easy way to get high, physicians and federal drug officials say.

The drug, which comes in pill or liquid form, recently has come under scrutiny in the death of former Playboy model Anna Nicole Smith. A doctor in Studio City prescribed methadone to Smith for pain treatment before she was found dead Feb. 8 in her Hollywood, Fla., hotel suite.

A coroner has yet to determine her cause of death, and the doctor said his treatment was "medically sound and appropriate."

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NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- Legal experts predict Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, will have a tough time winning custody of her baby when the case moves to the Supreme Court of the Bahamas on Monday. Howard K. Stern, the former model's partner, is listed on the birth certificate as the father and "there is a very strong legal presumption that what is stated in that document is accurate," said Thomas A. E. Evans, a prominent Bahamas attorney. Birkhead, a Los Angeles-based photog...

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NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) -- Legal experts predict Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend, Larry Birkhead, will have a tough time winning custody of her baby when the case moves to the Supreme Court of the Bahamas on Monday. Howard K. Stern, the former model's partner, is listed on the birth certificate as the father and "there is a very strong legal presumption that what is stated in that document is accurate," said Thomas A. E. Evans, a prominent Bahamas attorney. Birkhead, a Los Angeles-based photog...

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NASSAU, Bahamas - Across the street from the luxury waterfront home where Anna Nicole Smith lived, Fox network cameramen stake out an empty lot waiting for the white gates to swing open.

Around the corner, freelance photographer Richard Hokemeir keeps watch from the top of a stepladder perched in the flatbed of his conspicuously parked Ford Ranger pickup.

And in beachfront hotels, a frenzied gaggle of U.S. journalists have transformed suites into makeshift newsrooms as producers and writers run down the newest plot-twisting lead in the Smith saga and map out their next move.

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HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (AP) -- Anna Nicole Smith, the pneumatic blonde whose life played out as an extraordinary tabloid tale -- Playboy centerfold, jeans model, bride of an octogenarian oil tycoon, reality-show subject, tragic mother -- died Thursday after collapsing at a hotel. She was 39.

She was stricken while staying at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino and was rushed to a hospital. Edwina Johnson, chief investigator for the Broward County Medical Examiner's Office, said the cause of death was under investigation and an autopsy would be done on Friday.

Just five months ago, Smith's 20-year-old son, Daniel, died suddenly in the Bahamas in what was believed to be a drug-related death.

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PASADENA, Calif. - Queen Latifah never does the expected. So when asked about the challenges of playing an HIV-positive wife and mother, as she does in HBO's "Life Support," her answer was, indeed, surprising.

"The only challenge was trying to stay in character when you've got people driving past you on the street going, `Queen!' `Do it Latifah!' `That's LATIFAH!'" she says of the on-location shoot in Brooklyn last year for HBO's "Life Support" (March 10, 8 p.m. EST, with an HBO On Demand preview available Feb. 26-March 8).

"Most people try to be respectful, but they're excited to see you and they're hitting you with the name or some record that you did, so that was the greatest challenge," she says. "Playing this character wasn't."

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City bar and restaurant owners say the month-old smoking ban has virtually crippled their businesses, and at least one City Council member seems to be listening. “I’m for the ban, but I didn’t know it would devastate businesses like this,” Councilman Bill Courtright said. He has been seeking out business owners for suggestions on possibly amending the ban. “Something should be done, and I hope to put together and propose an amendment using suggestions from business owner...

Fire kills 3-year-old boy

A quiet West Scranton neighborhood erupted in chaos and horror Tuesday afternoon as a relentless fire devoured a multifamily home, killing a 3-year-old boy and critically burning four others, including two infants.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Anna Nicole Smith's funeral won't take place before Tuesday.

That word today from the court-appointed attorney for Smith's baby daughter. Richard Milstein says he's working on the funeral details.

A Florida judge left it up to Milstein to decide where to bury Smith. Milstein agreed with Smith's longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, that she should be buried in the Bahamas next to her son.

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CELEBRITY: Courts juggle paternity, guardianship cases

12:00 AM CST on Saturday, February 24, 2007

From Wire Reports Associated Press

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Anna Nicole Smith's funeral will not take place before Tuesday, the court-appointed attorney for the starlet's baby daughter said Saturday.

Richard C. Milstein said in a statement he was working as quickly as possible on the funeral details for the former Playboy centerfold, who died in a Florida hotel Feb. 8 at age 39.

Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin ruled Thursday to let Milstein decide where to bury Smith. Milstein agreed with Smith's longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, to bury her in the Bahamas next to her son.

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Anna Nicole Smith's funeral will not take place before Tuesday, the court-appointed attorney for the starlet's baby daughter said Saturday.

Richard C. Milstein said in a statement he was working as quickly as possible on the funeral details for the former Playboy centerfold, who died in a Florida hotel Feb. 8 at age 39.

Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin ruled Thursday to let Milstein decide where to bury Smith. Milstein agreed with Smith's longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, to bury her in the Bahamas next to her son.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Anna Nicole Smith's funeral will not take place before Tuesday, the court-appointed attorney for the starlet's baby daughter said Saturday.

Richard C. Milstein said in a statement he was working as quickly as possible on the funeral details for the former Playboy centerfold, who died in a Florida hotel Feb. 8 at age 39.

Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin ruled Thursday to let Milstein decide where to bury Smith. Milstein agreed with Smith's longtime companion, Howard K. Stern, to bury her in the Bahamas next to her son.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The ongoing tug-of-war over Anna Nicole Smith's remains appears to be on standstill until at least Monday.

Smith's estranged mother asked a Broward, Fla., judge Friday to reconsider his decision to let the court-appointed guardian for Smith's baby daughter decide where to bury the former Playboy centerfold.

The guardian, Miami-based attorney Richard Milstein, has said arrangements are underway to bury Smith alongside her beloved son in Nassau, Bahamas. His unmarked gravesite and the house where she once lived have become tourist destinations.

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MIAMI - Attorneys for Anna Nicole Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, filed an emergency motion Friday asking a Broward judge not to release the model's remains.

Judge Larry Seidlin left the Broward Courthouse on Friday without any word on how he might rule in the matter, a day after deciding a court-appointed guardian for Smith's 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn, would have final say in where Smith is buried. The guardian, Richard Milstein, has decided Smith should be buried in the Bahamas beside her son, Daniel, who died last fall at age 20.

Attorneys for Arthur, who instead want Smith buried in Texas, where Arthur lives, are seeking a reversal of Seidlin's decision from the Fourth District Court of Appeal.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Lawyers for Anna Nicole Smith's ex-boyfriend asked a judge Friday to step into the paternity case over the former Playboy Playmate's baby, but the judge said he doubted he had that authority.

Smith's boyfriend Howard K. Stern is listed on Dannielynn's birth certificate as her father, but two other men claim to have fathered Smith's 5-month-old daughter, Dannielynn.

Los Angeles photographer Larry Birkhead, Smith's ex-boyfriend, originally requested DNA testing in California but then asked that his case be moved to Florida, where Smith died two weeks ago.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ? From the state that brought you the hanging chad, now comes the crying judge.

Some members of the bar and other court-watchers are cringing over the way Judge Larry Seidlin wept ? no, sobbed ? on live, national TV as he announced a ruling Thursday in the dispute over where Anna Nicole Smith should be buried.

Some are accusing the brash former New York cab driver of showboating for the cameras, or worse, auditioning for his own courtroom TV show, with his one-liners, his personal asides, and his smart-alecky Bronx delivery during the six-day hearing.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ? From the state that brought you the hanging chad, now comes the crying judge. Some members of the bar and other court-watchers are cringing over the way Judge Larry Seidlin wept ? no, sobbed ? on live, national TV as he announced a ruling Thursday in the dispute over where Anna Nicole Smith should be buried.

Some are accusing the brash former New York cab driver of showboating for the cameras, or worse, auditioning for his own courtroom TV show, with his one-liners, his personal asides, and his smart-alecky Bronx delivery during the six-day hearing.

They say that he let the hearing drag on way too long, that he made inappropriate jokes for a dispute over a body, that he acted as if it were all about him.

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For the first time, a stage musical version of "Gone With the Wind" is being prepared, possibly with Hugh Jackman in the Rhett Butler role, Fox News reported Friday. Jill Pace, an up-and-coming stage actress with more than a passing resemblance to Vivien Leigh, is being eyed for the Scarlett O'Hara role. The show would have its birth in London's West End, according Fox News columnist Roger Friedman.

Reportedly, the musical would be based more on Margaret Mitchell's original novel than on the movie version. Which means it would be a somewhat more somber story. "If you remember, Scarlett is really left with the slaves, and they become her family," a production insider told Friedman. "That will be more of the emphasis of the story, with Rhett more of a darker, more complicated character."

ANNA NICOLE SMITH UPDATE: The epic battle between Anna Nicole Smith's mom and boyfriend resumed Friday, when the mom, Virgie Arthur, filed an emergency request to block Smith's burial in the Bahamas.

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Are you pleased so far with the progress of the Hwy 101 widening project?

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE

Attorney for Anna Nicole Smith's baby says no funeral

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Attorney: No funeral for Anna Nicole before Tuesday

12:21 PM CST on Saturday, February 24, 2007

Associated Press

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After feuding over where to bury Anna Nicole Smith, the former Playboy Playmate's mother and boyfriend are now preparing for another fight — this time in the Bahamas, for custody of Smith's 5-month-old daughter.

The grandmother, Virgie Arthur, claims she could provide a more stable home for the infant, who could inherit a fortune. She wants to wrest guardianship from Howard K. Stern, who is listed as Dannielynn's father on the birth certificate but faces a three-way paternity dispute.

A hearing on Monday is not likely to resemble Thursday's bizarre courtroom scene in Florida, where a weeping judge announced before news cameras that he wanted Smith buried in the Bahamas.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- From the state that brought you the hanging chad, now comes the crying judge. Some members of the bar and other court-watchers are cringing over the way Judge Larry Seidlin wept - no, sobbed - on live, national TV as he announced a ruling Thursday in the dispute over where Anna Nicole Smith should be buried.

Some are accusing the brash former New York cab driver of showboating for the camer

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -- Anna Nicole Smith's estranged mother filed an emergency request Friday to block her burial in the Bahamas, hours after attorneys for the centerfold's ex-boyfriend asked a judge to step into the paternity case over Smith's baby.

Virgie Arthur filed the request with Judge Larry Seidlin, who a day earlier allowed the attorney for Smith's baby daughter to decide where the model could

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NASSAU, Bahamas -- On Monday, the Anna Nicole Smith saga will return to the Bahamas.

A private hearing to determine the guardianship of Smith's infant daughter is expected to resume. And some of the same players who've been in a Florida court this week will be in the Caribbean.

Smith's companion, Howard K. Stern, and her estranged mother are both expected to appear. After fighting each other in the U.S. over where to bury Smith, they're now battling in the Bahamas over who gets custody of the girl.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Despite the a judge's ruling, the legal battle over where to bury Anna Nicole Smith may not be over.

Smith's mother, Virgie Arthur, said she will appeal Thursday's order by a Florida judge that left the decision to the court-appointed attorney for Smith's infant daughter.

Witnesses at the six-day hearing testified that Smith was devoted to her son and wanted to be buried with him. But Smith's mother wants her buried in her native Texas.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — An advocate for Anna Nicole Smith's daughter decided the former model would be buried alongside her son in the Bahamas after a tearful, sometimes blubbering judge gave the attorney the power to make the decision.

Richard Milstein, the court-appointed lawyer for 5-month-old Dannielynn, announced the plans Thursday but gave no time frame for the burial.

Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin, who choked up frequently as he explained his decision, made it abundantly clear what he felt should be done in giving custody of the body to Milstein.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. The disposition of Anna Nicole Smith's body has been settled. But a paternity case is still pending in California.Lawyers for ex-boyfriend Larry Birkhead plan to ask a Florida Family Court judge tomorrow to either order that a sample of her five-month old daughter's D-N-A be collected in the Bahamas, or require the girl be brought to Florida for testing.Three men are claim to be the girl's father. There's Birkhead, Frederic von Anhalt, who is the husband of actress Zsa Zsa ...

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