The bottom-line on Brad Pitt‘s knickers allegedly being in a twist about his being on the new Vanity Fair cover without prior approval (per TMZ) is that the magazine was well within its rights. Reps for the Conde Nast publication have told TMZ that Pitt “posed for a Robert Wilson video portrait, and in the photo release (signed by Pitt), agreed to allow Wilson to use the portrait or any images from that sitting in connection with any publicity on Wilson’s video project.”

Vanity Fair thereafter “decided to do a story on Wilson’s video portraits and obtained rights to the entire collection of photographs from those sittings, which included Pitt’s.” Mag reps also state that “in a letter dated 10.5.06, and sent to Pitt care of Brillstein-Grey [Pitt’s managers], Wilson informed Pitt that a still image from his portrait was going to be featured in the December art issue of Vanity Fair.” A source told TMZ that Pitt “never saw the letter” — isn’t that in the same ballpark as “the dog ate my homework”?