Corona | Coming Attractions

If further proof that the weight of celebrity hasn't run amok, bear witness to the court of public opinion scandal that is gripping the internet today. US Magazine claims to have photos showing Twilight star Kristen Stewart engaged in a makeout session with Snow White and the Huntsman director Rupert Sanders. The problem is twofold: Stewart, 22, is in a public relationship with her Twilight co-star Robert Pattinson while Sanders, 41, is a married father of two.

With everything that Stewart and Pattinson do under an intense media spotlight, this very public embarassment for all concerned parties has led to thousands of news stories and salacious gossip. The fact that I'm writing about it has less to do with the "OMG!" twitter impact and more to do about just how big this kind of news story now commands in our online media universe.

And it gets worse. Sanders' wife is model/actress Liberty Ross. She had her own Twitter account up to last evening when she disabled it. Before she did so, she left one final tweet: "Wow."

Stewart is also in major damage control mode. "This momentary indiscretion has jeopardized the most important thing in my life, the person I love and respect the most, Rob. I love him, I love him, I'm so sorry," the actress said in a statement to People magazine.

Sanders also issued his own statement via People. "I am utterly distraught about the pain I have caused my family. My beautiful wife and heavenly children are all I have in this world.

"I love them with all my heart. I am praying that we can get through this together."

While those managers and agents associated with the careers of the celebrities look on to see what possible long-term fallout will occur from this story, undoubtedly the marketing and production chiefs of Universal Pictures (where Snow White and the Huntsman was made) and Summit Entertainment (the owners of the Twilight movies) are paying close attention to how things develop. Universal's home video marketing plans for Snow White may have to be altered or even downplayed, and the build-up in marketing buzz for Summit's final Twilight movie may also have to shift attention away from Kristen Stewart.