Poor Dan Gross. He must be bored.

The Daily News columnist recently posted a gossip blurb first reported by CityPaper.  The next stars of Eyewitness News of our Lives haven’t officially been separated yet.  At least, according to the Palm Restaurant.

The eatery, known for throwing caricatures of famous Philadelphians on its walls, has a pairing of Larry Mendte and Alycia Lane posing near each other.  Still no word on plans to either separate or remove altogether.

In the cell phone image on the left, I think we can make out CBS3 sportsguy Beasely Reece. And is that Kathy Orr on the right? Maybe Michael Colleran next to Larry?

In related news, rumors abounded that Mendte would be appearing in federal court today. But that’s the magic of gossip. Not all of it’s true.

In more related news, I find out in three weeks if I made the cut for Wheel of Fortune. That is not a rumor.

Two movies are coming out this weekend of interest to me.  The first is WALL-E.  I hear the first 30 minutes or so have absolutely no dialogue.  That’s my kind of movie.

The second, as depicted above, is Wanted.  I’d compare it to a father-son version of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.  Angelina Jolie is in it, after all.  So is Morgan Freeman.  And if Morgan Freeman’s in it, you know you’ll at least smile when you see him.

Inquirer movie critic Steven Rea brought up a good point in his review today.  He said the movie is like “gun porn” because of its violent nature — lots of assassinations, lots of gunfire, lots of overall violence.  His thoughts:

The film’s fetishization of firearms should win it the NRA’s seal of approval. Maybe if the murder rate in Philadelphia wasn’t so sickeningly high, Wanted’s senseless adoration of assault weapons wouldn’t be so off-putting.

This is an extremely valid point.  I never thought that living in a city with such a situation would have an effect on how I watch and enjoy a movie.

Perhaps that’s why I wasn’t to keen on M. Night Shyamalan’s The Happening.  The gratuitous violence — especially the scenes from Rittenhouse Square, just blocks from my apartment — didn’t make the movie for me.  Shyamalan topped this off by a random newspaper with a headline that read, “Killadelphia.”  He likely intended to have a double meaning, but as Philadelphians look at it in context, the double meaning isn’t necessarily understood immediately.

But something to think about.  Does your living situation have an effect on how you watch movies?  I was always interested in seeing Wanted based on the previews, and then I read Rea’s thoughts.  Now I’m a bit skeptical.

Then again, there’s always WALL-E.

Thank you, philly.com.

The Web site that is Philadelphia assembled for us an archive.  An archive entitled “Alycia Lane in the News.”

Don’t worry.  Larry’s on there, too.  It might as well be called “CBS3 in the News.”

And the latest story comes from the columnist who is Philadelphia, who assembled for us her thoughts defending Alycia.

Jill Porter wrote a column that many people will laugh at.  Many people won’t take it seriously.  It’s questionable if she even takes it seriously.

In a nutshell, her column says that we, the news-crazed Philadelphia public, never gave Alycia a chance.  Maybe she’s not the ditzy diva the Philadelphia media has made her out to be.

We ought to believe that, Porter says.  But we probably won’t.

That’s because this long saga that began December 14 after an incident involving a news anchor, a New York City cop and a taxi cab (sounds like the setup for a joke) is finally coming to an end.  There are only two more milestones to come - the future of Mr. Mendte’s federal investigation and the outcome of Lane’s lawsuit against KYW.

Well, unless Mendte files a wrongful termination lawsuit.  But let’s pretend that’s not an option.

But these outcomes aren’t what we care about.  We cared about the public destruction of two beloved news anchors - those whom we loved to watch and who will likely not be on the Philadelphia airwaves anymore.

And you know what?  We’re going to miss them.  I already do.

Way to go, Philadelphia.

But the big story tonight is…

Larry Kane coined a variation of that title phrase on WPVI’s Action News in the 1970s. Afterward, he moved on to KYW-TV in 1993 and retired 10 years later. His replacement?

Well…Marc Howard. He lasted at the 11 p.m. anchor desk for about eight months before moving to 4 p.m. His replacement(s)?

Larry Mendte and Alycia Lane.

It seemed like a beautiful partnership. Mendte, stolen from NBC10, and Lane, wanting cooler temps than Florida, began to liven up a recently rebranded station that had been sinking in the ratings.

I was one of those who “Made the Switch” with Mendte and meteorologist Kathy Orr. And I haven’t gone back since. CBS3 hasn’t given me reason to.

Read the rest of this entry »

CBS3’s Susan Barnett announced today on Eyewitness News at 6 that her former co-anchor, Larry Mendte, has been released from his contract.

The result of the federal investigation into Mendte’s alleged snooping of previously fired CBS3 diva Alycia Lane’s private e-mail has not come, but Barnett said a private investigation by CBS3 led to the dismissal.

CBS3 had a short blurb on its Web site shortly after the announcement, but does not have any official statement yet.

No word on who will replace Mendte in the anchor chair. He’s been off the air since May 29. Anchor/reporter Chris May has been filling in at 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. since.

This release from contract may come at a convenient time for Mendte. His wife, FOX29 anchor Dawn Stensland, is in need of a co-anchor for the FOX 10:00 News since the dismissal of her co-anchor, Dave Huddleston. Could Philadelphia see its first married anchor team?

Last summer at CBS3, three on-air talent had nice offices overlooking the city while most other anchors and reporters had oversized cubicles or less. Those three offices - occupied by Mendte, Lane and retiree Marc Howard - have all been vacated.

Weeks of logging on to CBS3 looking for one particular story have finally been validated. Not because I’m taking a stance…just because I like network news drama.

Just another day in the Philadelphia media market.

Browsing the Phillies Web site yesterday, I was surprised to see a familiar headline.

“Gee, that looks familiar,” I thought to myself. A few words, followed by a colon, followed by more words.

“Hmm…interesting setup.”

And then I read.

It seems the Phillies have plagiarized off my column. That’s right. As in the picture above, the Phillies stole the soon-to-be trademarked Cut to the Chase name for promoting second baseman Chase Utley’s All-Star lead.

OK, so it’s not trademarked. And the Phillies didn’t plagiarize. But I’m on a plagiarizing fix these days.

Regardless, I’m flattered that the Phillies have chosen to use the name of a prestigious, thoughtful column to advertise their truly unstoppable second baseman.

Next thing I know, Wheel of Fortune will be stealing the name of this blog post for a Before & After puzzle.

Today, I had the pleasure of starting an internship at SEPTA, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority.  I was placed in a cubicle that had nothing in it except a notepad and a few pens.  So what’s an intern to do?

Make lists.

No, not lists relevant for the job at hand.  After all, it’s only Day 2.  No, make lists to challenge yourself.

First, I sat down to list the entire staff of The Temple News.  I proudly scored a 25 out of 25.

Next, I wrote down a list of the Owl Ambassadors.  I’m assuming there are also 25 of them.  If so, I’m 25 for 25.

Third, I decided to recall the entire active roster of the Philadelphia Phillies.  I did pretty well — the pitchers got me, as I forgot Condrey and Durbin.  And Jayson Werth also threw me off.  I forgot he was on the DL, and should have replaced him with both Bruntlett and Snelling.

Last - and both my proudest and most embarrassing - is a list of the on-air talent of CBS3.  And you know what?  I got every one.  I even added the two extra CW members on the list, as they occasionally report for their sister station.

Next time you’re stuck in a tall cubicle surrounded by push-pin material, make a list.  It’s the only thing that can keep you sane.

It’s Larry Mendte’s turn.

Philly.com and Channel 6 are the first to report that the main anchor on CBS3 is at the center of an FBI probe for possibly snooping on former co-anchor Alycia Lane.

Mendte’s personal computer has been confiscated and officials told CBS3 not to destroy any work files. The probe is looking into the possibility that Mendte snooped in Lane’s personal e-mail account, which is considered a federal crime.

Mendte’s attorney says FBI agents approached Mendte Thursday on allegations allegedly made by Lane. Lane’s attorney denies such comments.

CBS3 is cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s office. In a statement, the station said, “Late this week CBS3 became aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office regarding anchor Larry Mendte. CBS3 is cooperating fully with that office in this investigation.”

Mendte’s current co-anchor Susan Barnett was on the air solo Friday night. According to Philly.com, he showed up for work Friday but suddenly left. And yes, his bio is still on CBS3’s Web site, as linked to above.

Please note that a report like this and those on other media would only occur in a media-obsessed town like Philadelphia. It’s a crazy city in which we live.

Photos courtesy 6abc.com.

The Philadelphia Police are reporting an increase in robberies in Center City, Philadelphia.

In areas typically considered “safe” and “busy,” like Society Hill, Old City and even City Hall, robberies are on the rise. More than 300 have been reported in the past month. One suspect allegedly said to his victim, “I’ll blow your brains out” at Sixth and Spruce streets.

To keep citizens in the know, the Philadelphia Police have created a Web site that allows you to enter an address or intersection and see a list of crimes committed in that area within a certain time frame.

Click here to check out crime stats for your neighborhood, Center City or otherwise.

OK, so I’m a little late in posting this.  But it’s still worth posting.

Tuesday was a big night for the Phillies.  They had their highest-scoring game since 1999, beating the Colorado Rockies 20-5

On Tuesday, Jamie Moyer won his 235th game.  But that’s not the only milestone from that night…

He became the oldest Phillie to get a hit at the age of 45.  But that’s not the most of it…

Jamie Moyer, who will be turning 46 in November, has officially beaten every team in Major League Baseball.

It must be that 73 mph fastball, right?