Lowdown Lloyd Grove
The alleged dating triangle involving Page Six scribe Ian Spiegelman, magazine writer Douglas Dechert and the 47-year-old Dechert's 19-year-old ex-girlfriend, Abigail Vona - author of the new book "Bad Girl: Confessions of a Teenage Delinquent" - has claimed its first casualty.
Yesterday morning, about six months after Spiegelman publicly likened his job to "being in a Mafia family," New York Post don Col Allan had him whacked.
Spiegelman's firing offense was sending Dechert a threatening E-mail in response to Lowdown's item about the whole mess yesterday.
"If I wanted to take your girl out, I would," Spiegelman wrote in his profanity-laced message. "You have nothing I can't take away from you, you non-man. Doug, you little tiny fairy ... I will break your back over my knee in the press and I will push your face inside-out in private or public."
Spiegelman's abrupt dismissal came about an hour after Lowdown shared his E-mail with Post PR consultant Howard Rubenstein.
"Ian Spiegelman was a freelancer who worked two days on average per week for the New York Post," Rubenstein said. "He is no longer employed in any role or capacity for the Post. The language and the tone of his E-mail are completely unacceptable to the New York Post."
"The little ankle-biter definitely needs to get himself some help," Dechert gloated yesterday. "It's about time he got fired."
Vona's disgruntled ex has written a screed for next week's New York Press trashing both Vona (who dumped him) and Spiegelman (who last month authored a hit piece on Dechert replete with sordid details of the breakup).
Spiegelman was unrepentant yesterday, and in an exclusive interview with Lowdown he burned his bridges with News Corp. mogul Rupert Murdoch and son Lachlan Murdoch, the Post's publisher.
"I'm not going to miss being associated with the Post's parent company," Spiegelman said. "I'm talking about the 'Australian Landing Party.' It's been a hard year to work for people who want to reelect somebody who talks to Jesus on a regular basis."
Spiegelman recounted: "I got the news from [Page Six editor] Richard [Johnson]. He said he was sorry, but that Col Allan is furious. If I had to run a newspaper under ... Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, I'd be furious, too."
Spiegelman added: "I stand by everything I said about Doug Dechert. I regret sending him that E-mail, because it got me fired."