Radio Host Fired For First Time Ever

Chris Booker has been fired from his morning show drive-time job at Q102, the Inquirer reports in a rather huge headline on the front page of Philly.com currently. (The website also switched from a photo of Booker himself to one of him and girlfriend Alycia Lane. Good move!)

Q102 is apparently moving “to a show that’s more music-intensive.” Oh, and Diego Ramos will not be fired, though a bunch of other people have been axed as well. I can only imagine that Barsky will soon be the host of a new morning show somewhere.

Booker told Mike Klein he was surprised: “I’ve been fired before for low ratings, but never for being No. 1.” On a side note, I enjoy tremendously the poll question on the front page of Philly.com: “Speak out: Did the station act hastily?” Ooh, yes, they should have waited until a full investigation was done of his show. Due process!

Booker is fired from Q102 [Inquirer]

Q102 DJ Apparently A Desirable Position

Ex-MTV VJ and current Q102 morning show guy (and, from the looks of it, current boy band member) Chris Booker apparently has a new woman in his life: Alycia Lane!

Yes, the New York Post finally didn’t break some Alycia Lane news; last night Michael Klein reported the two were seen together at a Chris Rock show at the Borgata last weekend. Booker, who broke off an engagement in March, said, “We went to see a show. Whoop-dee-do.” Anyway, they were also supposedly chummy at WOGL’s 20th-anniversary party. Ooh, they’ve gone to all the big events!

Klein calls them “Philadelphia’s new power couple,” which means they’re replacing, uh, I dunno, Chase and Jen Utley? This is probably a good thing for all of us, though, since Chris Booker totally looks like a dude who’d take (and then release) bikini photos. Hell, maybe he’s ALB!

Alycia Lane + Chris Booker = ! [Inquirer]
Note: The above is the stupidest headline ever.

Leftovers: Snitchin’ Ain’t Bitchin’

• Ex-Rick Mariano lawyer Nino Tinari is now a consultant with Philip Chartock’s defense team, who are now saying Mariano was simply a thief and not someone who could have been bribed. There are so many stories that you just can’t make up today. It’s been too much. [Inky]

• Despite all this, here’s the headline of the day: “NFL Great’s Relative Admits Having Sex With Student.” Yes, and it’s George Halas’ great-nephew. That’s a bit of a stretch. [NBC 10]

• How do you publicize next month’s Phillymag issue? Why, you publish the article about Donald Trump online, because what we really need is to read more about him! The kicker, though: The article’s effing detailed, well-sourced and actually just tremendously interesting. One of the better things I’ve read in a while. Yes, I know. Black is white, and down is up. I can’t figure out what the hell’s going on, either. [Phillymag]

• Ex-MTV jock Chris Booker is headed to Q102, and the straight ladies and the gay men scream. Meanwhile, everyone else is like, “Holy shit! Q102 still exists?” [Inky]

• This story has everything: A ridiculous interpretation of spelling bee rules, a lot of angry parents, a lot of angry parent backlash and a newspaper editor accusing another newspaper of doing hack jobs on the spelling bee his paper sponsored. It’s the scandal of the century in the Lehigh Valley! [A List Of Things Thrown Five Minutes Ago]

• A woman in Bucks County has topped that whole newsstand stealing thing: She stole a whole house. She didn’t get a crane to pick it up or anything, though — check fraud is not nearly as cool. [AP/Inky]