Here y’all go, freshly leaked onto the Internets:

Posted from my BlackBerry :) Gettin’ on a plane now!

UPDATE: BritneySpears.com is reporting that this grainy version of the Circus video is NOT the final version and that a director’s cut of the vid is still set to premiere on Friday Thursday night. This music video is hot … can it even get any better? I guess we’ll find out.

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Folks who are familiar with The Transporter movies might be a bit shocked to learn (POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT) that Frank Martin (played by Jason Statham) has sex with a young Ukrainian girl named Valentina (played by Natalya Rudakova) in the latest installment of the franchise mainly because the act seems so out of character for Frank Martin. You see, according to Lou Letterier (who directed the first two Transporter movies), Frank is gay and always has been:

With Transporter 3 now in theatres, the director of the first two films is claiming the sex scenes between Transporter star Jason Statham and actress Natalya Rudakova in the latest installment are misleading — because the character Statham plays in the films is gay. Lou Letterier, who directed the first two films in the franchise, outed the character of Frank Martin in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. “If you watch the movie and you know he’s gay, it becomes so much more fun. It’s so great — the first gay action movie hero!” He continued, “Action fans in general are pretty homophobic. You see these tough guys who say, ‘The Transporter, that’s such a great movie!’ If they only knew they’re really cheering for a new kind of action hero.” Letterier pointed to a scene in the second film in which a character played by model Amber Valetta makes a play for Martin, only to be rebuffed by the line “It’s because of who I am.” “That’s him coming out,” Letterier said. Though Letterier has yet to see the latest installment, which is directed by Oliver Megaton, he said he recently went back and watched the first films and realized they weren’t as gay as he had originally intended. “I was sick over the weekend and my 2 Transporters were on, so I watched them and in fact they aren’t that gay,” Leterrier wrote in an e-mail to the Times. “But it makes for fun movie legends.”

See … I knew there was a reason that I loved the Transporter movies so much. In Transporter 3, Valentina accuses Frank Martin of being “the gay” which he brutally rebuffs a couple of times … and then it is implied that couple have sex. I found that whole exchange really forced and not at all in character with the way Frank Martin usually operates in these films. To say that he is gay is also misleading … it is never really discussed and we never see Frank get romantic with anyone (except for this third movie and, as I said, we still don’t see anything happen). I quite love the idea of Frank Martin as a gay man … kickin’ ass as a bona fide action hero. It also puts all of those half-nekkid scenes of Jason Statham in fine context, I think. As I said the other day, I didn’t really love Transporter 3 … but I may have to get out my Transporter and Transporter 2 DVDs out for another look ;)

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Good Charlotte guitarist Benji Madden, who is newly single after his break-up with Paris Hilton, was spotted posing for a new photoshoot outside his DCMA shop on Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood, CA yesterday … behold:

Aww … he looks cute in his little cap. I think the single life really agrees with him … this is the way I like to see Benji, chillin’ with his boys without a care in the world. I hope he’s not sweatin’ his break-up with Paris — I’m sure he’ll find the right girl soon enough.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Here are a couple new pics of Alanis Morissette showing off her newest tattoo — of a reclining tiger — as she made her way thru LAX airport this week on her way out of town. I’m not entirely sure how new this ink work is but the shininess makes me think that it’s still pretty new … check it out:

I mean … it’s nice, I guess. Tattoos are generally very private and meaningful things to the people who get them so I’m sure this tiger has some special significance for Alanis. It’s deffo not something I would’ve guessed she’d be interested in getting but … there you have it. I think it’s nice … again, not really something that feels very Alanis to me but … what do y’all think?

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Michael Phelps is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of Sports Illustrated magazine which named the famed Olympic athlete as their Sportsman of the Year for 2008. This is the first time the mag has ever named a swimmer as their Sportsman of the Year. While I find this to be a great honor, I am very surprised at the coverphoto that was chosen for this special issue:

Michael Phelps achieved another unprecedented feat: the first swimmer honored as Sports Illustrated’s sportsman of the year. Phelps broke Mark Spitz’s iconic record with eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics in August and became the winningest Olympian ever with his 14 career victories. Olympians in other sports have earned the award before in its 54-year history, but never a swimmer. In 1972, the year Spitz won his medals, UCLA basketball coach John Wooden and tennis great Billie Jean King were honored by the magazine. “Honestly, I feel like the same person I’ve been my whole life,” Phelps told The Associated Press at a recent photo session where he posed for the Sports Illustrated cover. “I’m doing what I love. I was able to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish this year. It’s been a dream come true of a year, and I definitely couldn’t ask to change anything.” The 23-year-old Phelps follows a more traditional winner, NFL quarterback Brett Favre. Sports Illustrated Group editor Terry McDonell called the selection of Phelps “the easiest choice I have made.” “It is so obvious that he changed not only swimming, but the entire Olympic landscape,” McDonell said. Phelps captivated Americans during his record chase, driving up NBC’s television ratings and inspiring conversations about swimming among people who had never followed the sport before. He returned to the U.S. to the ultimate validation of pop culture relevance: He hosted the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” “The football players and basketball players and baseball players have it a little bit different. Everybody sees their faces more often,” Phelps said. “Just being able to have the attention of the American public is something I’ve always wanted for our sport. I’ve been able — not only myself but my teammates — have been able to work together to allow that to happen.”

Much kudos and congrats go out to Phelpsie on this latest achievement but WTF? is up with this coverphoto? I’m sorry … this photo is NOT cute. It’s almost not even human. The wet shirt doesn’t even do the trick … the whole think just looks ridiculous. Whoever approved this covershot for publication should be fired … and then beaten with a stick. What do y’all think … do any of y’all like this photo?

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Britney Spears stepped out on the town last night to celebrate her 27th birthday with a few family and friends at the NYC nightclub Tenjune. After a day filled with live performances and a taped appearance in Rockefeller Center, Brit Brit looked ready to get her party on with some famous friends (Heidi Klum, Lance Bass to name but two) at her circus-themed b-day bash:

Britney Spears’ 27th birthday party Tuesday night ended up being quite a circus. Literally. To tie into the release of her latest album Circus, NYC hot spot Tenjune was transformed into a giant circus tent, complete with with a hot dog stand and popcorn and cotton candy machines emblazoned with the pop star’s name and even a man on stilts and jugglers. Outside the club, a huge screen projected circus imagery. Spears – who had taped a speech to air on the upcoming Rockefeller Center New York City Tree Lighting Ceremony special earlier in the day – arrived in a low-cut gray cocktail dress that showed a lot of cleavage. She smiled throughout the night as she mingled with guests, including her mother Lynne Spears, her manager Larry Rudolph, Lance Bass, Jeremy Piven, Robert Buckley and Ciara. As she was presented with a cake — featuring sparkling candles that tied into the bash’s circus theme — Barry Weiss, CEO and president of Jive Records, told the singer, “We are so proud and so happy to be a part of your life. Looking at your two boys today, it’s an amazing experience” … Added pal Bass, “I’m so proud of her! The album’s amazing. I love when people do themes for their albums. A circus is a lot of fun.”

Oh yeah, Britney had a very long day … as well as a long week ahead of her b-day party last night so I’m glad to see that she was able to let her hair down and relax a bit. She looked pretty hawt in that black dress of hers … her boobage was almost pouring out of the damn thing. Last night’s birthday celebration was a far cry from the messy birthday she celebrated last year. After the jump, check out a cute video interview with Britney at her party last night that was filmed by Entertainment Tonight (warning: the video autoplays) …

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Last night David and I were able to take his sister Eden out for a celebratory pre-birthday dinner at Alta and managed to have an amazing time together. But, today is Eden’s actual birthday so I would like to take the opportunity to wish her a very happy birthday today:

I understand that Eden is out with friends getting massages and various other sorts of pampering services done on her big day … I hope she has a great day and year to come :)

I am about to say farewell to NYC as I fly back to LA in a couple of hours. I had a great trip … spending Thanksgiving with the Hauslaibs in Connecticut was fun as always and the few days I got to spend here in NYC have been a blast. I’m looking forward to the warmer temps of SoCal, let me assure you. I’m out, NYC … thanks for everything!!