No one in the gossip world can touch the hem of Liz Smith’s pantsuit.

It is a sad day indeed, when the Doyenne of All Things Gossip loses her column in a major New York tabloid. This is outrageous! Especially coming on the heels of a racially charged editorial cartoon that provoked King Rupert Murdoch to publicly apologize. A little too late. And a little too little for some.

But when The New York Post makes two bad decisions within the span of a few days, it really gives pause. And yes, let’s get it out there: I’m shocked, shocked that a woman of such esteem should be given the boot in her most productive years.

Good thing there’s another, smarter place that grabbed her up fast. Wowowow, it’s a good thing for all that we can still read our fave rumor-monger and Texas twanger on that new site that seems to be striking a chord in the industry and in consumer land, as well.

Now, I never knew Liz personally, although we did work for the same paper once (Newsday). She did her thing and I wrote a weekly entertainment column. And sometimes I covered Broadway and was privy to celebrity inside information as was Ms. Smith. And, I must proudly add, I was even once quoted by this scribe. That was a day of glory for me, as trivial as it may sound.

But Liz is regenerative, like one of those lizards that grow their tails back. Not that she is reptilian, no, no, no. It’s just a metaphor. Liz knows how to change and she is now, come to think of it, better off without that tabloid breathing down her neck.
Here’s to Liz Smith! Forever may she reign!