The gossip rag behind the "Brit was beaten" brouhaha isn't backing down.
Despite strong denials to the contrary from Britney Spears' reps, Star magazine put out a statement today defending its supposed bombshell cover story that quoted ex-hubby Jason Alexander saying the popster confided to him that her agent-turned-boyfriend, Jason Trawick, got violent with her and that she was trapped in an abusive relationship.
"Star magazine stands by its story that Britney Spears told her ex-husband, Jason Alexander, that her boyfriend, Jason Trawick, beat her," the magazine's statement reads. "In a taped phone conversation lasting for more than one hour, Ms. Spears can be heard repeatedly telling Mr. Alexander how Mr. Trawick "went crazy" and hit her, giving her a black eye."
"Mr. Alexander passed a polygraph test administered by Star, where he was specifically asked, 'Did you record a phone conversation that you had with Britney Spears?' Moreover, there is information in the tape, which Star may reveal at a later date, that would be known only by Ms. Spears."
The shocking claims were perpetuated by corporate sibling RadarOnline (both Star and Radar are owned by American Media Inc., which also owns the National Enquirer) posted a clip of the alleged recording Wednesday morning in which the person ID'd as Alexander asked if Spears was engaged to Trawick and a female voice replies, "Was that before or after he beat on me?"
The reaction from Spears ' camp was instant. First, her longtime manager Larry Rudolph shot down the story, calling the voice purported to be the pop princess fake and vowing to take legal action against those spreading the vicious rumor. Her website also posted a message calling the statements by her husband of little more than two days "a complete fabrication" and promised that all appropriate parties will be held accountable in a court of law.
Adding fuel to the fire, various audio experts have since weighed in and ruled that the voice on the tape is not Spears and that the recording had been eletronically doctored.
For her part, the Britster isn't too happy about the whole fiasco. On Wednesday afternoon, Spears turned up at the William Morris-Endeavor agency for a powwow with Trawick and presumably her management team about taking said legal action. An eyewitness on the scene told E! News that Spears "looked very serious" on her way in.
"Not sad. Just serious. Totally blank-faced," said the onlooker.
Considering the seriousness of the allegations, Star's editors better hope they're right.