With all the phonies out there (as Holden would say), how can you ever make sure if the person you're talking to on the 'net is really who they claim to be? Sure, sure, that's why we have awesome shows like To Catch a Predator, and now video gchat (holla!), but when it comes to celebrities, it's best just to assume the worst: that your I_Am_Paris superfan on MySpace is actually a 45-year old guy named Norbert from Wisconsin.

But once in awhile you get a legit celebrity, trying to take back their good name on the blogosphere, will actually come out and confirm their identity with a phone call to a reporter.

Which is how we now know that Shaquille O'Neil is now an avid Twitter-er.

Some choice examples of the NBA star's more recent entries:

• @HowardBeckNYT thanks for the interview, Y’all reporters like my quotes, don’t you. My quotes are Shaqalicious.

• Kobe always tried to be a hero. But you know, as the saying goes, a hero ain’t nothing but a sandwich.

• I’m going back to the old Shaq. I was normal last year – I was an earthling last summer. I had to go back to my alien roots.

Well, we always wondered what the purpose of Twitter was, besides a punchline to media jokes and a terrible way to do an obituary, but now we know: its purpose is to give celebrities an outlet for all their weird inner dialogue. More famous Twitters, plz!