Update: Your fast-moving Internet should have told you by now that, yes, Britney Spears is engaged for real. Access Hollywood has the details over here. We had all this to say before there was all that:

It shouldn't come as a big shock that very few things in our over-sharing culture have the ability to surprise us anymore. We've tweeted and Facebooked ourselves out of anything resembling a secret (keeping) society. And when it comes to the celebrities we spend so much time obsessing over, this holds doubly true: we know the sex of the babies they haven't had yet; we know where they slept last night; we know what the divorce cost.

David Livingston / Getty Images file

Jason Trawick and Britney Spears.

But it struck us as a little absurd to be reading this morning (on TMZ and elsewhere) that Britney Spears' boyfriend, Jason Trawick, plans to ask her to marry him tonight in Las Vegas. When did it become normal to leak word of an impending engagement? Call us old fashioned, but beyond Trawick and Spears' father, Jamie, -- who according to the report gave his approval -- no one else should know until Britney knows. When Trawick gets down on one knee and says, "Will you marry me, Britney?" it just seems more meaningful if the pop star didn't see it coming.

If we're to believe RadarOnline.com, we've even "seen" the ring before the bride-to-be. "Don’t expect anything too massive or obnoxious,” a source told the web site exclusively. "This ring will be classy and under 4 carats." Bling! Duh.

We're certainly aware that Spears has led what seems to be a pretty tightly controlled existence since the days of, well, this. So her family and the people who control her money and movements now weren't going to just let any yahoo take her to the roof of the Bellagio and put a ring on it. Those days are hopefully over.

And while we didn't expect Trawick to put it on the Jumbotron at a future Lakers game or hire a skywriting plane to spell it out over Southern California, maybe we hoped he'd find a way to surprise a woman who'd seen it all in her hectic 30 years. Or maybe we just hoped he would take her to a quiet dinner or a walk on the beach and say, "Hey, let's do this."

And because there's always another exclusive source around the next corner, Us says he did just that Thursday night. And now Britney's Facebook page is teasing what may or may not be the big news:

Oh well. Who knows? Friday in Las Vegas could be the greatest night of Britney's life. Or maybe Thursday night already was. Knowing it was coming may be just how she wanted it and Kevin Federline will be a distant, bloated memory when she says yes to marriage a third time.

We wish Britney well. We hope Trawick is "the one" and they live happily ever after. But who are we kidding? We'll know how she's doing before she does.

Tell us: How did you pop the question or how were you proposed to? Was it a surprise? Share your tales of romance on our Facebook page.

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Kim Kardashian's life as Mrs. Kris Humphries lasted all of 72 days, but that's an eternity compared to some celebrity marriages. Here's an appropriately quick take on some of our favorites:

Jennifer Lopez and Cris Judd: 8 months

No harm, no foul here. According to attorney's representing Lopez and Judd, who was one of Lopez's dancers, the two worked everything out financially and "will remain friends."

Lisa Marie Presley and Nicolas Cage: 3 months
Amid claims that Presley tossed her engagement ring overboard while fighting with Cage on his yacht, the couple secretly wed in August 2002. Later, Presley said, "I'm sad about this, but we shouldn't have been married in the first place. It was a big mistake."

Dennis Rodman and Carmen Electra: 9 days
I do, I don't, I do, I don't. That's pretty much how the marriages (yes, two) of this pair went. The couple married in November 1998, in Vegas, and nine days later filed for divorce. The reconciled, and divorced again, another six months later.

Britney Spears and Jason Alexander: 55 hours
The childhood friends took to the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas to tie the knot; Spears untied it via annulment days later.

Robin Givens and Syetozar Mrinkovic: 7 minutes
Givens, maybe best know as Mike Tyson's ex-wife, married Mrinkovic, her tennis instructor, for a whole seven minutes. On the books, it's listed as a day, but later Mrinkovic told reporters the union lasted only minutes. 

Oh those wacky celebs! Talk more about these short unions on Facebook.

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Splash News / StarTraks

Britney Spears and Jason Trawick in London this week.

Update, 10 a.m. PT: Jason Trawick told Billy Bush of Access Hollywood on Friday morning that the two are not engaged.

Britney Spears and her longtime boyfriend (and former manager) Jason Trawick really don't talk publicly about their relationship, so the interested among us are left looking for clues. Exhibit 1-A that things are more than OK between the two, check out the jewelry on Spears' left hand that many are interpreting as an engagement ring.

Danny Moloshok / Reuters

Britney at the MTV Video Music Awards on Aug. 28.

• Does it sparkle? Yup.
• Worn on the appropriate finger? Yes again.
• Have there been rumors that the two might become engaged? Yes, Trawick was reportedly poking around a jewelry store.
• Has Spears never worn this ring before? NO. Actually, she sported it at the MTV Video Music Awards but no one seemed to take significant notice.

The last time Spears was in a relationship that existed under intense media spotlight, it didn't end so well. So if they're engaged, great, if not, ok. Either way, though I'm glad to see her happy and doing so much better than she was a handful of years ago, I'm inclined to keep Spears news to a minimum. What are your thoughts? Comment away.

Related content:

• Britney Spears slideshow

Getty Images

No one would ever turn to the annual MTV Video Music Awards in search of the most glamorous red-carpet fashions. Certainly there are star-studded events which lend themselves to a classier brand of celeb couture. But MTV's VMAs are always worth watching to see who turns up wearing what.

We skipped Lady Gaga's Jo Calderone drag act here, and Nicki Minaj in dayglo somesuch is nothing new, is it? Admittedly, the foursome we assembled here isn't pushing the envelope very far. But take a look at, from left, Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Beyonce and Miley Cyrus -- we've got a little leg, a little pink hair, a couple long gowns. But the accessory everyone was talking about Sunday night wasn't Perry's umbrella. It was that bump under Beyonce's orange dress. Tough to beat that no matter what you dress it up with.

Was there anyone you saw at the VMAs that you loved or loathed? Talk about the event and the fashions here and on Facebook.

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• Lady Gaga, Katy Perry win big

Chris Pizzello / AP file

Host Chelsea Handler backstage at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sept. 12, 2010.

Here's what we know about Sunday's MTV Video Music Awards: Tony Bennett will honor Amy Winehouse; there's a planned tribute to Britney Spears; and Lady Gaga will perform. And now, we know who will host the show. Absolutely no one! This was confirmed by Billboard, which just interviewed interviewed Amy Doyle, MTV's VP for Music and Talent and executive producer for the show who recently said that the host decision was "going down to the wire."

Mike Blake / Reuters file

Lady Gaga accepts the award for video of the year for "Bad Romance" while wearing a meat dress at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

"Hosting is such a unique element. We feel we got it right by putting new talent on the stage like Chelsea (Handler) and Russell (Brand). We're really challenging ourselves to find the right person so that the show feels complete," Doyle told Billboard before the executive decision to go sans host was made.

Given the challenges of hosting -- you need to be relevant, you need to be funny, you need to keep the show moving -- finding the right person is a truly difficult. Given the fact that Handler, our most recent point of reference, was upstaged by a cut of meatat last year's VMAs, the idea that MTV might take a pass at a host this year makes a ton of sense.

I would like to put it out there that I LOVE the idea of not having a host. Doyle has said that there will be, at minimum, eight musical acts. And somewhere in there, you've got to dole out awards, allow time for acceptance speeches and scandals. The truth of the matter is, there is little time allotted for a host to live up to the expectations of their perceived hilarity and the whole thing often plays out as awkward if they're expected to keep to script in the face of a Kanye moment.

Of course, in terms of planning, Sunday is a long way away, and MTV might change its mind. But should the network stick to its guns and 86 the host -- and should it work -- all awards shows could stand to take note. Maybe this is just the change we need to keep the shows from getting (more) intolerable.

Do you agree, or is there someone you would love to see up on stage?

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Britney Spears' concert at New York's Nassau Coliseum took a more personal turn Tuesday night, when the singer treated her boyfriend Jason Trawick to a pole dance on stage. Trawick, ever the good sport, was handcuffed to a pole while Spears danced to "Lace and Leather."

Spears apparently paused midway through the performance to giggle, at which point she joked "he's never coming back!" Something we'd understand entirely.

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• Britney Spears slideshow

Alexi Lubomirski / Harper's Bazaar

Britney Spears is back to doing press to promote her upcoming summer tour for her album, "Femme Fatale," and the message she's trying to spread: "I'm pretty normal," she tells Harper's Bazaar. "The type of day I love is just like everybody else's. I'm like everybody else."

For many reasons, "like everybody else" seems a stretch, but she does approach her career now from the standpoint that many women do -- as a mom.

"I think things through a little bit more, and I worry a lot," Spears told the magazine. "I'm more straightforward, and I speak up more than I did before. When I was younger, I wouldn't speak up as much, but now that I'm a mom, things have changed."

Spears' tour begins June 16 in Sacramento, Calif., and wraps up Aug. 14 in Toronto.

Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

Jessica Simpson at the Us party.

• Jessica Simpson was the guest of honor at Us Weekly's Hot Hollywood Style party Tuesday night in Los Angeles. Other notables in attendance: Hayden Panetierre, who only made a brief appearance early in the night. And, "True Blood" star Joe Manganiello who tells Scoop that "witches, blood and gore" can be expected in the upcoming season. Also: the Pittsburgh native is staying true to his roots, giving his "Dancing With the Stars" vote to Steelers wide receiver Heinz Ward. (Check out images from the event here.)

• Life is good for Jeremy Renner. We wrote recently that he's been offered the lead in "The Bourne Legacy." Now comes news he and Jennifer Lopez are attached to "Ice Age 4."

• Britney Spears' beau Jason Trawick has lost 50 pounds since he started dating the singer in 2009. How'd he do it? Spears told Ryan Seacrest, "We love to work out. We do stuff together like that. We take walks."

Yes, Britney's back (again). The singer tweeted out a preview to her new video for "Till the World Ends," (below) ahead of the world premiere on Wednesday. Apparently, when the world ends, Spears can't find any pants, and there is still plenty of AutoTune.

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• Britney in a porta-potty? Can do!

Chris Brown gives a great performance on "Dancing with the Stars," Enrique Iglesias pulls out of Britney Spears' tour and guess which easy-on-the-eyes celebrity is being called to the Berlusconi trial now? Check out the Scoop on msnbc TV.

There's really not much to say here: Britney Spears taped a stunt for "Jackass 3D" that was left on the cutting room floor, and it involves a porta-potty. The clip aired (for better or worse) on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" Tuesday night. Take a look.

We're pretty sure that's not Britney sailing high into the air and coming back down covered in porta-potty particulates. (Check out the way "Jackass" stunt regular Steve O was strapped in for the same ... gag.) But it's nice to see Britney's comedic side, real or not.

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Britney Spears' video for her new single, "Hold it Against Me," was released Thursday night, and already the critics are sounding off.

It's not so much the music, however, that's drawing ire, it's the obvious product placement in the video that's rubbing people the wrong way. Take a look and tell us what you think.

Does seeing plugs for Spears' perfume line, a dating site and electronics ruin it for you, or do you like what the Britney brand has done here?