Report: Howard Stern linked to pirated 'Super 8'

Perhaps you failed to see the J.J. Abrams/Steven Spielberg movie "Super 8." It is 82 percent fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, so it must be good.

This might explain why there is some enthusiasm for pirated versions of it online.

Interestingly, Torrent Freak reports that there exists one especially high-quality version that has reportedly appeared in several very fine P2P groups. However, each iteration seems to have come from the same DVD screener.

Here is today's vast controversy: the film is reportedly watermarked "H Stern."

This highly incriminating watermark runs through the whole of the movie, apparently.

There is, of course, no specific reason to believe that this "H Stern" is that H. Stern, the one who likes to talk about sex with topless ladies.

Still, Twitter being a lightning rod for lightning humor, there already exists a hashtag titled #nomorescreenersforhowie.

Though Stern himself has become a rather passive presence on Twitter, his personal stylist, Ralph Cirella, has replied to suggestions that the show might be involved.

He tweeted: "HA, NO but ive been hearing about it #nomorescreenersforhowie RT @GusIsGrumpy you leak Howard's copy of Super 8? It's all over the internet!"

So a mystery is born. Where did this screener come from? Is some miscreant attempting to implicate the saintly Stern? Will Paramount Pictures issue a volume of lawsuits? Will Spielberg call Stern personally and shout?

The world was such a peaceful place before technology came along.