Publicist’s Resignation Sparks Gossip Column Showdown

By Ron Hogan on December 5, 2005 11:22 AM

Let’s recap: On Nov. 14, Daily News columnists Rush & Malloy break the news about Paul Crichton’s walkaway from his job directing ReganMedia’s publicity. This goes largely unnoticed until last Wednesday, when the Page Six gossipmongers pass along allegations of account padding by a woman named Paula Conway, described as the “interim PR director” for Judith Regan’s multimedia empire.

But here’s the thing, as Lloyd Grove reveals in his Daily News column today: the internal investigation Conway discussed never existed, according to a source in HarperCollins. And another source states outright that the whole thing is just Regan’s attempt to revenge herself on Crichton. But here’s the fun part: Grove says Harper switchboard operators couldn’t find Paula Conway in the staff directory, and the email I just tried sending to “paula.conway@harpercollins.com” bounced back as undeliverable.

There’s an answer to that, though: this press release for the ReganBooks release A Few Good Eggs clearly pegs Conway (left) as an independent publicist in Connecticut with an AOL address, so it makes perfect sense that Regan would turn to her for PR help in the wake of Crichton’s departure. But get this: She’s also listed as the co-author of Regan’s upcoming The Beauty Buyble, along with Maureen Regan (is she Judith’s sister?), who co-wrote A Few Good Eggs. And she was profiled in the New York Resident two years ago, when she was supposed to be starring in a reality show called Paula Travels, which is apparently, as Vincent Vega once described the majority of TV pilots, “one of the ones that became nothing.” So, Lloyd, you should definitely be able to get a followup quote in time for tomorrow’s edition…Google: it’s the reporter’s friend!

Here’s my prediction: Later this week in p6, they’ll laugh at Lloyd Grove and call him the only gossip columnist in New York who can’t find a publicist. And in the very next sentence, instead of giving me credit for that line, they’ll pass along a handfed item from Conway (or whoever’s running ReganMedia’s PR this week) without acknowledging their corporate connections.

UPDATE: After looking at the photos, we’re pretty sure that, yep, Maureen (left) is Judith’s sister…thanks to all our resourceful readers for the tips!