Dan Gross: First Amendment Defender

The Daily News writes about the case against Larry Mendte today, and does address the paper’s own mentions in the court documents.

(Fox 29, also, mentioned last night that Dawn Stensland is Mendte’s wife; it wasn’t really anything special, but it was kind of sad to hear Kerri-Lee Halkett be forced to say “fair and balanced.”)

Mendte, incidentally, will plead guilty, according to his lawyer.

The Daily News story has some great lines, such as: “And that was just as Lane, dubbed ‘anchorbabe’ and the ‘Latina bombshell,’ had suspected.” And here we go, straight out of a film noir movie:

Then, he allegedly dispensed intimate details to the Daily News of Lane’s late-night confrontation with undercover New York police, in which she allegedly called a policewoman a slur, as well as confidential attorney-client communications about her lawsuits. These details then appeared on PhillyGossip.com, a blog written by Dan Gross [in the photo, with an indestructible cheerleader], and later in the Daily News.

Asked if Mendte supplied information about Lane, Gross said, “I don’t discuss whether anyone is, or is not, a source of mine.” Asked if he cooperated in the FBI investigation, Gross said, “Absolutely not. I have never been contacted by any investigator in the case.”

Ha ha, Dan Gross is going to shut anyone down! He’s ready to go to jail to protect his known source, Larry Mendte! (Unless Mendte leaked to Regina Medina or Damon C. Williams.)

The feds also found the famed Alycia Lane bikini pix on Mendte’s computer, but didn’t say if he was Page 6’s source. If he was, Larry: Shame on you. For the first time since this scandal started I am actually mad. One, he could have released them to the public. And two, he could have at least given them to a news source in Philadelphia instead of the New York Post. We can take lawbreakers, Larry; we don’t tolerate Benedict Arnolds.

Mendte faces a felony count [Daily News]
Photo via South Philly Review

3 Models Steal Terrell Owens’ Cheeseburger

Page Six gets the big scoop on T.O.:

Terrell Owens’ food was stolen by a gaggle of models over the July 4 weekend

Turns out some models stole his cheeseburger.

Cheese Escape [Page Six via Daily Intel]

Alycia Lane To Stay Out Of News?

It appears the long, drawn-out saga of the pretty news anchor who allegedly punched a cop may be coming to an end.

Dan Gross reported Friday Lane’s case appears headed toward a dismissal. Seems Lane’s counsel has worked out a deal that if she stays out of trouble for six months, the charges will be dropped.

Lane’s lawyers have agreed to an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal; you would think a millionaire wouldn’t have much trouble not breaking the law for 180 days or so, but who knows. Lane’s hearing is Feb. 25, which means there could be an actual chance that we won’t have to hear about her for six months. (I won’t count on it.)

On a side note, here’s a factoid you might not know: Dan Gross and Regina Medina were the first ones to report on the arrest of Alycia Lane. The Daily News has yet to note this.

In other news, Alycia Lane somehow made Rich Eisen hire the publicity firm that works for Page Six, somehow.

Alycia Lane Fever Moves From Philadelphia Will Do Comments To, Um, New York Post

It looks like the Alycia Lane obsessiveness of Philadelphia Will Do commenter “ALB” does more than annoy fellow readers of this site. No, his (or her) influence extends to, um, the New York Post as well!

In yesterday’s Page Six in the Post, the call for Alycia Lane bikini photos from “ALB” was reiterated. No, really.

Page Six broke the story two months ago of how the foxy, divorced TV reporter for CBS affiliate KYW-TV sent saucy swimsuit snaps to very-married NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen - which got her a stinging rebuke from Eisen’s wife, Suzy Shuster. Since then, fans of Lane have been on a tear trying to find pictures of her in a bikini. One of their forums has been Philadephia Weekly, which has been blitzed with requests. Daniel McQuade, editor of the paper’s Philadelphia Will Do blog, was so deluged, he finally posted a doctored photo featuring Lane’s head taped on a buxom bikini model’s body. “People still want to see her,” McQuade tells us. “I still get hundreds of hits a day from people looking up her name.”

Yes, that’s right: I, Daniel McQuade, got one of those “tells us” declarations instead of simply “said,” therefore letting the public know it was an exclusive interview with me. I’m that much in demand. Anyway, it’s only a matter of time before I move from Page Six commentator — to be honest, I thought I was going to be asked about Mayor Street and his iPhone, I would have had funnier jokes planned had I been thinking about Alycia Lane beforehand — to international superstar, and youse can say I sucked when I was underground, too.

In other news, I hate the Internet.

Panting for Bikini Babe [Page Six]
Archives: Alycia Lane

Page Six Down To Writing About Philly Newsanchors

Today’s New York Post contains one of the longstanding traditions of women in journalism: Accusing one of them of sleeping with a source for a story.

WHICH sexy TV newsgal in Philadelphia had steamy sessions with a cop to land exclusive crime stories?

Fortunately, there is only one newsgal who the New York Post writes about — right? — so it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out this blind item. But that’s no fun! Let’s blindly speculate for a few hours.

But you know what? Most writers/reporters I know would sleep with someone for a story. Or, really, just sleep with them and then consider whether to write a story unrelated to the sex. Maybe it’s all the alcohol or something.

Just Asking [Page Six]