Dr. Sandeep Kapoor
Gossip

Testifying at Howard K. Stern's preliminary hearing Monday, Larry Birkhead was asked if a prosecutor in the case tried to unfairly influence his testimony.

During cross examination, Ellyn Garafalo, a lawyer for Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, who is on trial along with Stern and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich on 23 felony counts related to the death of Anna Nicole Smith, asked Birkhead some interesting questions.

Namely, Garafalo asked if Deputy D.A. Sarah Slice cornered him in the hall last Friday and accused him of taking Howard K. Stern's side when he testified.

Larry Birkhead said the conversation did take place and he felt chastised.

Birkhead testified Slice suggested something was developmentally wrong with his daughter Dannielynn because of Anna Nicole Smith's history of drug use.

Outside court, Birkhead said Dannielynn was not only fine, some doctors have told him she's advanced for her age. She sure seems happy and adorable ...

Larry Birkhead and Dannielynn go to a pumpkin patch in tender moment captured by a celebrity gossip photographer. [Photo: PacificCoastNewsOnline.com]

As we reported last week, Birkhead was highly critical of Stern in the wake of Smith's death, but the two later resolved their differences and get along well.

Perhaps to establish his motives, whatever they are, Birkhead was then asked what he makes from media outlets. He testified he's raked in about $2 million.

One can assume, given that statement, that he has been paid money to appear in photos and magazine articles with Dannielynn. Not judging, just saying.

It's all subject to your own interpretation. Some might say that makes him a horrible, exploitive father. Others might not. Hey, THG reports, you criticize!

The prosecutor was then asking about reality shows, until the judge jumped in ... "I don't care about that unless it has to do with a balloon or something."

No word on whether Larry's gonna be on Millionaire Matchmaker.

Anna Nicole Smith's death wasn't pretty. In fact, it was the polar opposite.

Revelations made in the first hours of the preliminary hearing against Howard K. Stern, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor - the trio facing a combined 23 felony charges relating to the star's drug use and death - are disgusting.

We're talkin' feces in the bed, infections in uncomfortable places, blue-lipped ugliness. Detectives investigating the Playboy model's death found the following:

• Smith was found February 8, 2007, covered with feces.
• A dozen different prescription and illicit drugs from her hotel room, many prescribed by the hundreds, included powerful sedatives and muscle relaxers.
• Howard K. Stern had served Anna, who was complaining of flu-like symptoms, children's electrolyte formula Pedialyte in a baby bottle. Great imagery.
• Smith's cause of death was ruled acute combined drug toxicity of chloral hydrate, with additional drugs contributing. Sound like someone else we know?
• Coroners say Smith had an infected abscess on her buttock and that Dr. Khristine Eroshevich admitted that Smith had been taking meds via injection.
• Medications including methadone had been shipped to Smith's P.O. box during her stay in the Bahamas and were sometimes picked up by Stern.

Anna Nicole Smith (1968-2007) was a deeply disturbed individual.

Yeah. And it's actually much worse than you think. One can only wonder what will happen when Larry Birkhead is called to the stand in the case this week.

For the full story, read on at E! ...

The preliminary hearing for the three shady defendants accused of enabling the drug habit of Anna Nicole Smith - her former companion Howard K. Stern and her former Drs. Sandeep Kapoor and Khristine Eroshevich - begins this week.

Those three are in deep $h!t, but ironically, Stern's fate could be in the hands of Larry Birkhead. His former rival will be in the spotlight, and a sticky situation.

Prosecutors will ask the father of Anna's daughter, who will testify as soon as today, about various comments he made about Howard K. Stern back in 2007.

Birkhead made such comments to celebrity gossip outlets during the time he was battling Howard over custody of - and who was the father of - Dannielynn.

But Birkhead and Stern settled the custody dispute amicably after Larry was confirmed to be the father, and they have since been united on all things Anna.

Larry Birkhead, Dannielynn and a photographer go to the pumpkin patch.

So does Birkhead now back off his statements about Stern being an enabler? Does the prosecution call a witness who says the reverse of what they want?

It would be interesting, to say the least, if Birkhead backed off his story of Stern playing a harmful role in Anna's life now that their custody battle is over.

Doing a complete 180 seems like a stretch, but he could now say that some of the statements he made about Howard K. Stern were in the heat of battle.

In any case, Howard K. Stern, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich have pleaded not guilty to a grand total of 23 felony charges. Stay tuned.

Howard K. Stern, the former companion and wannabe baby daddy of Anna Nicole Smith, was arraigned today on 11 felony charges related to her drug use.

The charges include allegations that Stern, the late model's principal enabler, helped the Playboy model score opiate prescriptions using aliases, a major crime.

He is also accused of helping administer them.

Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, both of whom treated and allegedly prescribed drugs to Smith, were each arraigned on six felonies as well.

All three defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Howard K. Stern is in hot water over Anna Nicole Smith's death.

Howard's attorney, Steve Sadow, charges against his client "BS" at a press conference afterward, and claims that Anna Nicole Smith was "not an addict."

He says the medications given to Anna were prescribed for pain relief, and there therefore, she wasn't an addict. Not sure that adds up, Steve, but hey.

Anna Nicole's health was Howard's "main concern," his lawyer said.

Tuesday, a Los Angeles Times report described the death as a pharmacutical suicide. Like the Michael Jackson case, time will tell if a jury finds that the defendants below played criminal roles in Smith's death, however it's classified ...

Howard K. Stern, Dr. Khristine Eroshevich and Dr. Sandeep Kapoor.

Move over, Dr. Sandeep Kapoor. You've got company.

TMZ has just confirmed the California Medical Board is conducting a formal investigation into Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, Anna Nicole Smith's shrink.

She's the one who prescribed numerous drugs that Anna Nicole Smith ended up taking, and which turned up in her autopsy report.

In all, a shocking combination of eleven drugs was found in the hotel room where Anna Nicole Smith died, all prescribed by Khristine Eroshevich.

Eight were prescribed to Smith's lawyer and companion, Howard K. Stern, including chloral hydrate, the drug that was the most direct cause of Anna's death.

As we stated above, this is the second doctor being investigated for prescribing practices involving Anna Nicole Smith.

The Board is also investigating Dr. Kapoor, who prescribed methadone to Smith under an alias when she was eight months pregnant with Dannielynn.

Last year, just five days after Smith's son, Daniel Smith, died, a document shows that Dr. Eroshevich sent Dr. Kapoor a prescription wish list for Anna Nicole, which included methadone, Soma, Dilaudid and Lorazepam.

Dr. Sandeep Kapoor has said he did not fill the prescriptions. More on this story as it develops.

We've heard of patient/doctor privilege.

But patient/doctor gay club groping?

Those that defended the integrity of Dr. Sandeep Kapoor may be interested in a video that's surfaced. In it, the medicine man is topless at a gay bay in West Hollywood in 2005.

By his side - and on his lap - is Anna Nicole Smith.

Also appearing on the TMZ.com footage are dueling baby daddies Larry Birkhead and Howard K. Stern.

They can be seen looking on as Anna gets groped and licked by Kapoor, who is currently the subject of an inquiry by the California Medical Board over his possible misconduct in the prescribing of methadone to an alias used by Smith.

The Hollywood Gossip isn't an expert on those kind of practices - but we do know enough about inappropriate behavior (thanks to Katie Rees) to say something is wrong here.

We just hope Dannielynn remains safe and sound.

Can the story involving Anna Nicole Smith get any stranger?

Of course it can.

Forget the battle between every other man on the planet for paternity rights to Dannielynn Hope Marshall Stern for a moment - and let's focus on how Anna Nicole may have died.

Meet Dr. Sandeep Kapoor. He's the doctor who prescribed methadone to a very pregnant Anna and had it shipped to the Bahamas. But that's not even all.

Kapoor, who practices in Los Angeles, wrote a prescription for methadone on August 25, 13 days before Anna Nicole gave birth.

TMZ then searched the Internet and found a description of Dr. Kapoor's practice in an advertisement for someone who has worked "in an outpatient based setting." In the description of his practice, Dr. Kapoor lists "Entertainment Medicine."

What does that mean? Who knows for sure? But you can bet Pete Doherty wants a batch.