Melissa has done interviews with ABC and you can see them here.
There are 4 parts to this interview.
http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/index
There are also pictures on my Anna and Daniel Forever pg of Missy and Anna.
Q: What is the biggest misconception about your friend Anna Nicole that you would like people to know?
A: There are so many to choose from. I think the one that irritates me the most is her intelligence. It is true she was no academic scholar. When it came to common sense and strategy, she was a rocket scientist. She later became VERY savvy with her street smarts as well. I suppose I shouldn't be mad at the public for not noticing though, it was very hard to tell when she wasn't lucid. She also incorporated that I'm beautiful and dumb as a rock thing into the Anna Nicole Smith persona. I can assure you it was an act! The other biggie was that her family LOVED her and she was NOT abused! Q: Why are you writing this book? Is it about making money, or is it about debunking rumors and innuendo about Anna Nicole?
A: I am not offended when I am asked this question. I feel so much of what came before me has been about money. If all I wanted was money, I could have done this years ago, when I was starving. I also had things other than this book that I know would have brought thirty pieces of silver. I have sat back with my mouth shut for fifteen years, and watched lie after lie become the conventional wisdom. I would not have written this book if Nicki were alive. I didn't feel it was my place to usurp Nicki's opportunity to right this situation, no matter how untrue what she said was. But she never did, and now it's too late. Because of that we are left with a good woman who has suffered not only the loss of a daughter & grandson, but she can not hold her granddaughter. I know if the roles were reversed and I left my mother in this position when I was a junkie, the person I knew as my friend would have been the first to step up and help me right the situation.I did this same crap to my mother, and I love her with all my heart. Just like Nicki LOVED Virgie! I tried in vain to get this information out without writing a book and could not do it. No one would listen. Now that the book is done however, I do hope it is successful. I worked my butt off for over a year on it. My family has sacrificed time and resources as well. I am a FIRM BELIEVER in Karma. Karma knows my motivation and I am content!
Q: What is your view of all of Anna's family? Alot of focus has been on Virgie, attacking her, making her out to be the monster mother.
A: Nicki's family LOVED her. I watched all of them at different times help her with their precious little resources. People like Eric Redding have made a big deal out of what Nick did for them when she became famous, or was becoming famous. What Eric and his ilk don't know, is she did that because they were always there for her. I didn't get along with some of them, but if I am going to tell the truth I have to say, I saw REAL LOVE for her! The thing with Virgie is so complicated I would have to rewrite the book to answer that. I NEVER witnessed Virgie be ANYTHING but loving and caring toward Nicki and Daniel. I think the ones who attack Virgie with LIES must have an agenda. Why else would they be working so HARD to paint her as a monster, when IT IS JUST NOT TRUE? DON'T BELIEVE THEM, IT IS PURE BS!!!!!!!!!! I know what I witnessed!
Q: What is your feeling on Anna and Daniel's deaths? What do you think happened?
A:I feel just like anyone else who has lost someone they LOVE. I'm angry, pained, guilty, but MOST of all just SAD. I always felt someday, they would come home. I know that day will never come now. We just FIND a way to live with it. I don't know what happened. I get all my information from the media. I guess, I don't have to tell you guys how accurate they are. It's like having nothing. I'm waiting on the various investigations to conclude before I decide. There is too much we just don't know.Thank You Melissa, For your truthful candid answers. Your a real sport.
Excerpts from When You Wished Upon A Star “The Evolution of Anna Nicole Smith” by Melissa Byrum. The book spans from 1987, the first day Vickie Lynn Smith walked into the adult entertainment business and spans 6 years to 1993, through her transition into Anna Nicole Smith.
All material herein is © Copyrighted material, reproduction of this material is strictly prohibited.
Chapters 1 through 9 covers 1987 to 1992, chapter 10 through 22 covers 1992 & 1993 after Anna had become a Playmate.
One day, in 1987 the door of the club opened and in walked a beautiful girl out of the sweltering Texas sun. She was tall, about 5’11, with long blonde “Darryl Hanna” hair, and it was obvious she was completely terrified. … Her eyes were darting around the club taking it all in, and her lack of “sophistication” was endearing. Vickie Lynn Smith had just walked into a world that she never knew existed.
God, this time in our lives was fun, though. We would shop, go to the movies and eat out all the time. We had a seriously expendable income, and it was all basically good clean fun, in the beginning
When we would go shopping, Nicki would buy tons of things for Daniel. She relished buying clothes and toys for him, while he was living at Virgie’s. For some strange reason, she would always buy gifts for a baby girl as well.
As Nicki and I grew closer, we began sharing our life stories with each other with the openness that is only found in a friendship forged in youth.
For me, just having someone to share these conversations with was special. I had never trusted anyone enough to reveal this level of vulnerability. Nicki always told me that I was the first real friend that she ever had. She loved that I would never sit in judgment of her and she knew that I would willingly do anything that I could to come to her rescue, which was often the case later on. And it was never grudgingly
As is always the case, good, clean fun only lasts so long. Our nighttime pursuits began to revolve around the clubs and bars that we could manage to get into.
We went to meet Mr. Marshall the next day. I had no idea what to expect, but I assumed he was an older businessman with lots of money. When we pulled into the parking garage, I asked her which office was his. She laughed and said, “Honey, Howard owns the building.”
She went to her closet and opened a safe, which was at least eight cubic feet. Hordes of jewelry that Mr. Marshall had given her were piled inside.
. Immediately, Mr. Marshall set two boxes on the table. One of them held a gorgeous pair of sapphire and diamond earrings. The other held an equally breathtaking pair of amethyst and diamond earrings. He then handed Nicki a thick envelope and told her it was to pay for the gold bracelet she had ordered.
We were relatively quiet on the way to the restaurant, just making small talk. But as soon as she parked and turned the car off, we looked at each other and started squealing like schoolgirls. I was so happy for her! For years she had been dreaming of owning a place like this one, with plenty of land, horses and lots of different animals. It was part of the white picket fence dream, the one with her, Daniel, her perfect husband, and the baby girl that she’d always wished for.
Everyone always assumed that she emulated Marilyn Monroe, but this was not entirely the case. The media later married Anna Nicole to Marilyn, and she was not displeased with that.
These pictures have materialized everywhere lately, including in Nicki’s absent sister, Donna Hogan’s, book. She mistakenly identified me as Sandy Powledge, Nicki’s lesbian lover and she indicated that Anna and I were showing off real tattoos with Daniel, but they were fake tattoos, and were Daniel’s idea of fun.
We checked into the Bel Age Hotel in the Hollywood Hills, which is directly down the street from Playboy Studios. The bellman had no sooner been tipped and left than Nicki and I began jumping around and squealing in excitement. This is still one of my favorite memories. We were hugging and both had tears streaming down our faces. The trip from LAX to the Bel Age with Nicki’s face plastered everywhere cemented the fact that she had arrived. I was so happy for her.
“That blank - blank Eric Redding has been calling Guess Corporate all day. He’s telling them that he’s my manager!”… Mr. Marciano greeted us at the front door. He was just as gracious and accommodating as he had always been. He escorted us upstairs and showed Daniel and I to our rooms. It was almost dusk, so Daniel, Nicki and I started to put on our costumes….Dressing up was always one of Nicki’s favorite things to do, and soon she had forgotten all about Eric Redding. When the three of us walked downstairs, Mr. Marciano was extremely amused. Here were two grown women dressed as fairies and a little Batman. He snapped a few photographs.
As I watched the battle rage on in Florida about where to lay Anna to rest, I found it hard to contain myself at times .When Howard Stern testified, I was shocked to hear him speak like an expert on Nicki and Virgie’s relationship, knowing full well that he did not even know Nicki in the early years.
My heart bleeds for Virgie because not only has she lost her beloved Vickie and Daniel to the hands of the puppet master, but she has had to sit in a courtroom and endure being vilified by people who have no idea what went on during that time.
Thank You to Melissa Byrum for the excerpts of your new book. May it due well.
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