I apologize in advance for this.

I said I would never stoop to running tabloid celebrity stuff on this Web site.

But hey, even the staid army guys over at the Associated Press A-wire must be incredibly bored tonight.

They moved this story for Thursday's newspapers:

Britney's Crotch Shots Take Web by Storm

It will be interesting to see how many so-called "family newspapers" run this story.

It's a sure bet they won't run the photos.

But since I once worked a stint for People magazine out of New Orleans and just once got assigned to the Britney beat back in her heyday, I don't feel too ashamed to reprint this one photo here - especially since most of the Web sites now bragging about running them are getting so much traffic their servers are overwhelmed and you can't get to them.

Don't ask me who took them.

They are all over the Web on blog after blog.

The story has also already made Entertainment television and all kinds of cable news shows, although they covered up the crotch part.

And, the story is no doubt all over the European press, where they take a less than prudish approach to news anyway compared to the puritanical American press.

The story is that Britney and Paris Hilton have been out partying of late - wearing no panties. I think they do it as a joke to show how gullible the press is and how easy it is to get publicity - if you are among the idle rich and famous crowd.

You may find more by Googling "Britney Crotch Shots."

Here are a few.