Nick blocks sex pix

Nick Lachey, who was in 98 Degrees and since then... well, hasn't been, is apparently rushing to keep pictures of him and his current, uh, person he appears in gossip columns with, Vanessa Minnillo out of the gossip magazines.

Pictures of them having sex in a hot-tub. Pictures, which, they say are a terrible invasion of their privacy:

Hollywood attorney Marty Singer has sent a letter to the weekly mags, warning them that should they publish the steamy pics, they'll face one mother of a lawsuit. Don't mess with Marty!

Singer told TMZ the photographer was "outrageous and malicious," adding, "The photos that were taken of our clients by a Mexican photographer violated Mexican law and were a clear invasion of privacy, and we have threatened to take legal action against third parties who publish the photos."

Wow. That really convinces us that somehow Nick Lachey and Vanesso Minipolo somehow managed to find a hot-tub in which they were simultaneously able to be photographed and feel private enough to shag with the terrible consequences that pictures are being hawked around the weekly magazines, and not some lame-ass publicity stunt to try and make people interested in Nick Lachey and Voom Issinoho.