Who's leaking Mel Gibson's taped rants?

In its ongoing exposé of Mel Gibson, Radar Online released yet another damning, profanity-laced audio clip earlier this week. This time, ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva accuses Gibson of hitting their infant daughter. While Grigorieva has apparently admitted that she recorded the tapes, she denies leaking them. Meanwhile, Gibson's camp is charging her with extortion, alleging that she demanded millions to keep the tapes private. Is a third party involved? And what's the point of the slow leak? (Watch an AP report about Gibson's claims)

Grigorieva has to be the leaker: In a tactical error, Grigorieva reportedly texted Gibson to tell him she'd taped him, says Elena Gorgan in Softpedia. Since her texts could "prove she was after his money all along," the "shocking" tapes may not be admissible in court — either to back up her abuse claims or to win the nasty custody battle for their child.

"Another Mel Gibson tape emerges: I want my child, no one will believe you"

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Radar backs up Grigorieva: For what it's worth, a Radar editor "claims that the audio came from a third party, not Grigorieva herself," says Annie Barrett in Entertainment Weekly. But "Radar's decision to release these one-by-one seems increasingly bizarre," and may undermine Grigorieva's leverage: They're each "terrible," but the "sheer repetition" is making Gibson's rants "sort of mundane."

"A fifth Mel Gibson tape: Enough is enough"

The third-party scenario doesn't exonerate her: Radar is affiliated with the National Enquirer, which "pays sources handsomely for hot scoops," says Jon Hopwood in Associated Content. So assuming Grigorieva is doing this for the money — and the gaps in her story are starting to suggest that — "she may be using a third party to leak the evidence and collect the loot."

"Mel Gibson baby mama Oksana Grigorieva lied"

The leaker matters less than the tapes: It doesn't really matter who leaked Gibson's rants, says Owen Gleiberman in Entertainment Weekly's The Movie Critics. The tapes are just more sad evidence that privacy is a lost cause in modern America. Gibson is going to have to live with them as his "defining performance" — he'll never "be able to put that frothing genie back in the bottle."

"Mel Gibson and the tale of the tape"