Entertainment Tonight aired a story about Angelina Jolie giving birth to her twins despite being repeatedly told that the report was based on false information told by someone impersonating Jolie’s assistant.

ET claimed Wednesday that it knew nothing about the impersonator before the broadcast. The identity of the impostor has remained unknown.

According to an ET executive the report of the twins birth started with ET producer Sharlette Hambrick, receiving a BlackBerry e-mail address that was supposedly  Jolie’s assistant, Holly Goline’s. An e-mail was sent to the address asking if the swirling reports that Jolie had her twins was true. An e-mail was returned to the producer saying “Yes she did. I was actually in the room with her. They are doing fine and so is mom.”

So on Friday morning, the show posted on it’s Website and sent out e-mail alert to media outlets saying it had confirmed the birth of Jolie’s twins. The Associated Press picked up the report and the rumor spread. Entertainment Tonight did not name its source at the time. It later revealed that the report was based on e-mails from someone it thought was Jolie assistant Holly Goline.

Shortly after the story was posted, Goline told Entertainment Tonight that she was not the one corresponding with the news network. The account was confirmed by someone else close to Jolie.

“Entertainment Tonight was told before the broadcast that their information came from an impostor,” said the second person. There were several conversations on Friday by e-mail, via text message, and by telephone between ET and Goline. Meanwhile the story was challenged by other celebrity news outlets.

The TV show stood by its story and Friday night, with host Mary Hart saying on the air, “Just this morning, a source who says she was inside the delivery room tells us yes, the babies were born and yes, mother and babies are fine.”

The show said in a statement Wednesday that they didn’t learn about the impostor  until a letter was given to them from Jolie’s attorney Monday- three days after the broadcast. They then also supposedly learned that Goline doesn’t have a BlackBerry address so she couldn’t have made the baby comment.

CNN is reporting that Entertainment Tonight decided not to air a video of Heath Ledger at a party that showed drugs being used (by others) in his presence. ET said it was out of respect for his grieving family that they decided to pull the plug on airing the video; however, it may be more likely that ET decided not to air the video because of all the phone calls they received (because at first request they refused and were going to air it). It is being reported that not only did powerhouse PR firms and studio executives call in to request that it not be aired, but individual celebrities such as Natalie Portman and Sarah Jessica Parker called ET as well.

Apparently, in the video, he is never shown taking any drugs, but does say he “used to smoke five joints a day.” He also points to his tattoo of “M” and says, “this is to remind me to never smoke weed again.” (source: CNN)
Seriously, airing such a video just seems like nothing but pure sensationalism–he obviously was not seen doing any drugs, so what’s the point? Who hasn’t been to a party where drugs are present (especially in show biz)?