Vanessa Hudgens is in the middle of another photo scandal as new topless images have hit the web. Photo / Getty Images
High School Musical
starlet
Vanessa Hudgens
is embroiled in yet another photo storm after racy images, allegedly showing the actress provocatively posing topless, hit the web.
The newest batch of scandalous snaps hit the web yesterday and appear to show Hudgens, or at least someone who bares a striking resemblance to the star, posing seductively in front of mirrors in what looks like her bedroom.
The candid snaps appear to have been taken on a mobile phone.
Deja vu: take two
Hudgens, 20, currently dating
High School Musical
honey
Zac Efron
, is no stranger to nude photo controversy. The lass copped a heap of flak in 2007 after explicit snaps of her emerged, forcing her to apologise to her fans.
"I want to apologise to my fans, whose support and trust means the world to me," she said at the time of the leak.
"I am embarrassed over this situation and regret having ever taken these photos."
Months after the dust had settled and she got over her flesh flashing, Hudgens spoke of the experience.
"It was very traumatic, and I am extremely upset it happened," she said. "I hope all my fans can learn from my mistake and make smart decisions. But I wouldn't have been able to get through it if it wasn't for my family, friends and fans, who supported me all along the way."
Looks like she'll be needing that support again as she re-lives the red-faced horror.
Take 'em down
Gossip websites wasted no time in pawing over said snaps, and it was only a matter of minutes before they went viral and reached the inbox of notorious gossip queen
Perez Hilton
.
Blogger Hilton smeared the snaps on his slice of cyberspace for all the world to see, but was swiftly asked by Hudgens' lawyers to remove the images.
Hilton speculates that Hudgens' lawyers intervened to remove the snaps from the net because the star, now 20, was only 18 when they were taken.
He said: "We were uncertain whether the latest bunch of photos were real or not. Well, they're definitely legit!
"Lawyers for Vanessa Hudgens contacted PerezHilton.com and demanded that we remove the pics.
"They also claim that she was underage when these latest pics were taken. Naturally, we obliged and removed the images in question.
"We're not sure we believe her attorney, but asserting that the pics were taken when Zacquisha's [Zac Efron] girlfriend was a minor is the most effective way to get the pictures removed from the Internets."
Video: Vanessa Hudgens, Say Ok
Old news
Although the latest batch of snaps are new to the public, they're anything but - they were taken before the 2007 scandal, Eonline.com reports.
"She learned her lesson," a snitch said. "She hasn't done anything like that since the first ones came out. These new ones are actually old."
Hudgens' reps have yet to confirm or deny their legitimacy.
Great timing
Call us cynical, but what an amazing coincidence that these snaps emerge just as the star is trotting the promotional treadmill to plug new flick,
Bandslam
. Smear campaign?
Despite the snaps shame, Hudgens, who will play a potty-mouthed hooker in the upcoming
Zack Snyder
film
Sucker Punch
, will still grace the red carpet for the premiere of
Bandslam
in LA this evening, but, according to snitches, she won't talk about the snaps (like, duh!).
"She's not going to answer any questions about them there," the snitch said. "She said what she had to say about taking nude photos."
Practically speaking, we don't see these snaps being that damaging to Hudgens' career. Her transition from Disney darling to 'serious actress' started when she signed on the dotted line for R-rated female action flick
Sucker Punch
. Her Disney days are well behind her.
"Vanessa wants to raise her visibility and become an 'A' lister, so by posing Vanessa is shedding her Disney image and becoming a serious actress," Hollywood's leading image consultant Michael Sands told
"Vanessa feels her career is being held back and she wants to be ‘en vogue'."
What's more, she survived the first snaps scandal, and she'll survive this one. The bigger question is the one relating to the star's privacy, and whether it's fair dinkum for her to take the flak for the release of said snaps, reportedly taken from her Blackberry.
Sexting
There's also the theory that Hudgens might have fallen victim to the dark side of a growing trend among tweens - sexting.
(swapping intimate or sexually explicit photos over mobiles)
is a burgeoning trend which has taken the virtual world by storm.
When the first Hudgens snaps scandal erupted, it was reported that the images may have fallen into the wrong hands after a bout of sexting. But between who is anybody's guess.
Lesson learned
Hudgens recently revealed the lessons she learned from her first photo scandal.
"That's why I'm extremely guarded. I really do try to watch everything I say," she said.
"Because one little tiny slip, and it's like the world is coming to an end! It is hard. I do always have a wall up. But I feel by doing it, I keep myself safe. I try to live my life, do what I want, and just let everything else follow along. I try not to read the blogs or what people say about me. Because that's what brings everybody down-no matter what you do, you're always going to have haters."
She also lamented the loss of privacy as a result of the internet.
"With the Internet these days, you don't have a personal life. Nothing is private: Everyone knows everything, and they can find out everything about you," she said.
"You're not as safe as you think you are, and you have to be aware of the people you're around."
Absolutely. Chin up, love. This too shall pass.
Quote of the day
“We’re two men who happen to be roommates, wrestle a lot and share a bed. It’s bad-ass.”
— Robert Downey Jr. on filming
Sherlock Holmes with baby daddy Jude Law
He Tweets
Latino pop star
Ricky Martin
's twins have turned one, so the singer decided to share his son's first bath with us on Twitter.
"A year ago! My son's first bath!" Martin posted alongside
on his Twitter page.
Blind bits
Naughty secrets, dirty scandals...
*
“Which obnoxious celeb, who has a £5million fortune, is dubbed The Dragon by her “friends”? They see her as a meal ticket and nothing more…”
*
"This well-known actress has talked before about her Catholic upbringing. What she hasn't talked about is the frequency and timing of her sins. She is usually fairly well-behaved during the week. However, every Saturday night, she crams in enough debauchery (drinking, smoking, drugs, men) to make a sailor blush. She explains that this way there's only a few hours of guilt she has to experience before she can hit up the confessional in church on Sunday and be given a clean slate in exchange for a few Hail Marys. No, it's not
Britney Spears
."
*
“Which pop star joined the mile high club when she got down and dirty with a fellow muso? The shameless babe didn’t even stop when the flight attendants came down the aisle…”
Rob's back
Robbie Williams
is well on the comeback trail. Yesterday he
of his new single and album, and today we get this:
We may faint.
Blogger's briefs
These just in...
* Ashton Kutcher
has a novel way of combating world hunger: "If the fat people just gave the skinny people more food, we could all just eat... We could solve obesity and hunger at the same time."
* Michael Douglas'
son
Cameron
was reportedly being investigated by cops for three years before he was arrested this week.
*
Spat out.
Chris Brown
has officially lost his endorsement deal with Wrigleys.
*
Tony Curtis
: '
Marilyn Monroe
miscarried after falling pregnant with my child,'
*
Kelly Osbourne
demonstartes what it looks like to have an electrocuted possum strapped to your head.
*
Newly-engaged star Anna Paquin
flashes her engagement sparkler while in Venice, California. Bling that ring, baby.
I'm away on holiday next week, peeps. Gossip withdrawals will ensue as will general feelings of abandonment on your behalf. But be strong. We shall return, bigger, better and stronger.
Blogger Bites Back
Pictured: Vanessa Hudgens and boyfriend Zac Efron. Photo / Getty Images
*New(ish) - follow Blogger Bites Back on Twitter
She wanted to keep things under wraps, but got very excited.