Leaked a few hours early it seemed.

Great choice. 

And it turns out our hopes were correct; the 2009 SI Swimsuit Issue cover model is… Bar Refaeli! The 23-year-old Israeli model first appeared in the magazine in 2007.

 

UPDATE 2: Don’t forget: Bar Refaeli will be on the “Late Show with David Letterman” on Wednesday, Feb. 11th. Sports Illustrated’s 2009 Swimsuit Issue is available (Today) Tuesday, Feb. 10th, in all its glossy glory.

...

http://coedmagazine.com/2009/02/09/breaking-letterman-reveals-bar-refaeli-is-2009-si-swimsuit-issue-cover-model/

Pics:

The cover was revealed Feb. 9, 2009, during a taping of "Late Show with David Letterman," which is based in the Ed Sullivan Theatre across the street from the billboard.

Refaeli, girlfriend to "Titanic" actor Leonardo DiCaprio, had been rumored to be the publisher's top pick for the iconic issue.

The 23-year-old Israeli model has been the subject of increasing buzz since becoming the new face of Marks and Spencer's Valentine's Day lingerie range.

...

http://cbs2.com/entertainment/Bar.Refaeli.swimsuit.2.931020.html

 90,000 photos to sift through? Crazy.

...

It's the cover that matters most, says SI group editor Terry McDonell, but each model — 19 for this issue — gets an equal shot at the cover. Refaeli wears a string bikini by Missoni — and the strings on the bikini bottom are being tugged south.

 

"The cover has to reflect the athleticism and sexiness of the culture. This photo is modern, her hair and swimsuit look natural. You see her freckles. Her body is amazing and she looks intelligent," McDonell said.

It's also purposeful, he noted, that the models have healthy, sometimes curvy, figures. "A skinny waif won't work here."

 

McDonell, along with Swimsuit editor Diane Smith and SI creative director Steve Hoffman, sifted through 90,000 photos this year.

 ...

 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090210/ap_on_re_us/fashion_sports_illustrated

Title cracked me up....

"The Hottest Video in the History of History"

http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=6d91b86d-1b16-43a6-a408-7ced47a3e416

Hot.

It's on now -I thought it was a rerun since it leaked so early. I'm watching Joaquin Phoenix do the most uncomfortable interview in late show history.  It's unblelievable. Letterman is great: "I'll come to your house and chew gum." 

But I guess the popular belief is that it's all a performance  -a hoax/experiment ala Andy Kaufman. Casey Affleck is following him around taping it.

I'm interested in the finished project that comes out of Joaquin Phoenix rapping.

Leonardo Dicaprio's GF is the hotness.

This site posted them all I think:

http://www.hollywoodchaos.com/girls/bar_rafaeli_sports_illustrated_swimsuit_edition_2009_pictures

I can she her vagina.