Following the recent leak of photos from Lindsay Lohan's highly anticipated Playboy spread, Hugh Hefner and the powers that be at the magazine have decided to move up the issue's release date. "Because of the interest & the Internet leak, we're releasing the Lindsay Lohan issue early," Hefner tweeted Friday (December 9).
Although he didn't specify a release date, he did tweet a few positive comments about Lohan's spread. "The Lindsay Lohan issue of Playboy is going to be a true Collector's Edition," he wrote, adding that online demand is clearly high: "Lindsay Lohan was the top search name on the Internet yesterday. Her issue goes on sale late next week. Hot. Hot. Hot."
The photo leak has been traced to an anonymous hacker who told Fox News he is responsible for uploading the files to Russia-based file-sharing site.
A rep for Playboy addressed the latest leak to MTV News in a statement: "Someone took photos of Lindsay's pictorial in an advanced copy of the January/February issue. They posted the photos online without permission. We are not releasing any official images or information until December 15."Lohan is rumored to have received $1 million for the photos and the interview. She's scheduled to appear on Ellen DeGeneres' talk show next week to discuss her decision to pose for Playboy and had also planned to debut the now-leaked cover and another photo.