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UPDATED 10:48 p.m. The Larimer County, Colorado, Sheriff's department reports that it is preparing charges to be filed in the case involving a boy and a helium balloon. 鈥淲e do anticipate 鈥� there will be some criminal charges filed in respect to this incident,鈥� Sheriff Jim Alderden said at a news conference Saturday. There had been growing speculation that the episode was a hoax or a stunt.

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Life imitating art imitating ... oh, forget it. Besides, 鈥渁rt鈥� in this case would have to mean 鈥渞eality TV鈥� -- that cultural phenomenon that by definition is as phony as the headline on a supermarket tabloid.

And so the story of 鈥�balloon boy鈥� keeps drifting over public consciousness like that silver puffy mushroom-shaped gas bag, degenerating into a debate over whether it was a hoax or merely a stunt carried out -- to be charitable -- by a 鈥渄ifferent鈥� family given to chasing hurricanes, posting YouTube videos of their little boys rapping, and building flying contraptions in the backyard of their suburban Colorado home. And, of course, trying to get their own reality TV show.

Now, we learn, the Heene family saga in fact was a hoax. At least according to an anonymous 鈥渟tudent鈥� who claims to have worked with Richard Heene.

The 鈥渟tudent鈥檚鈥� motivation? To sell his story to National Enquirer for $5,000-$8,000. At least according to a report in -- 鈥渁 new business site with deep financial, entertainment, green tech and digital industry verticals.鈥�

鈥淭his is kind of the evidence that they're looking for,鈥� the anonymous source says. 鈥淚鈥檓 a student, you know, so if I can get my rent paid from this it鈥檇 be awesome.鈥�

Awesome, yes. And maybe a part in what the 鈥渟tudent鈥� describes as Mr. Heene鈥檚 鈥渂usiness plans and proposals鈥� for a TV show involving 鈥渟cientific experiments and controversial pranks.鈥�

OK, so maybe the sourcing here is a little sketchy. A "student" looking for rent money. A new company with entertainment ties looking to

An paints a few more brush strokes to Richard Heene鈥檚 portrait:

Barb Slusser Adams, who along with Heene and another man worked on a proposed show called "The Science Detectives," said she became used to his relentless attempts to get media attention for the program, which never aired. Heene described the show on his MySpace page as a documentary series "to investigate the mysteries of science."

Slusser said one of Heene's publicity ideas involved going at dawn to the top of a mountain with her and an associate from the show. They would be clad in black attire similar to that worn by characters in the "Matrix" movies, "and the helicopter would come by and strafe us or whatever," Slusser said. She and the associate said "absolutely not."

You knew there鈥檇 be more twists and turns to the story, and there are.

Early Saturday, Richard Heene said he鈥檇 be having a press conference a couple of hours later to include 鈥渁 big announcement.鈥� When he appeared in his front yard, where a multitude of reporters had camped out, there was no 鈥渂ig announcement.鈥� Instead, Heene put a cardboard box outside the door.

鈥淚 want your questions in the box,鈥� he said. 鈥淚'll get right back to you. Okay?鈥�

Was it because law enforcement officials were headed back for more questioning? They want to know why little Falcon Heene -- the boy who wasn鈥檛 in the balloon after all but hiding out in the family鈥檚 attic -- told CNN that 鈥渨e did this for a show.鈥�

Law enforcement isn't looking too good either. In searching the house while the balloon drifted aimlessly toward Kansas before wobbling down to a dirt field landing, how could they have missed Falcon right above their heads?

So, the story continues. For as William Shakespeare almost wrote: All the world鈥檚 reality TV, and all the men and women merely players. That鈥檚 you, my friend. And me.

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