parents facing charges for balloon boy hoax

Well, well... Not really surprising, but after everything that went down in the aftermath, it looks like the Balloon Boy story has taken a criminal turn. Authorities say the boys parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, will likely face felony charges: Sheriff: Boy-in-balloon was hoax, charges expected.

The stunt, apparently two weeks in the planning, was a marketing ploy by the Heenes. For what? The couple have reportedly been working a reality TV deal in Los Angeles. Which, of course, is the most logical course of action when you lead the entire nation to believe your kid went on an adventure on a homemade UFO-shaped hot air balloon... but not really.

Investigators are examining the possibility of other conspirators, "including the possibility that even some of the media outlets may have had some knowledge about this." Documents show that a media outlet has agreed to pay money to the Heenes with regard to the balloon incident.

It's not clear whether the deal was signed before or after the alleged hoax, or whether that media outlet was a possible conspirator. Investigators also want to talk to a Denver man who claimed Heene had told him he was planning a media stunt to promote a proposed reality show: Exclusive: I Helped Richard Heene Plan a Balloon Hoax.

Kind of funny how this whole thing has played out. Even funnier, how quickly everyone turned on the Heenes -- particularly father Richard, who seemed to get douche-ier with every media appearance: Doubts Came Early in Balloon Incident.

One day, everybody's captivated by this crazy balloon floating across the Colorado sky, concerned for the 6-year-old that might be inside. The next day, on the live television, little Falcon utters six words that seem to unravel the whole thing: "...we did this for the show." Now, everybody's in trouble.

It makes me wish Falcon had actually been on that balloon. At least he would've gotten a cool aerial adventure out of the whole thing. Instead, he had to hide in a box for a couple of hours, and vomited several times on live television. That stuff doesn't go away, kid. Your barf will be on YouTube for posterity.