Some Bauer insiders are calling bullshit on the publisher's official excuses for firing Life & Style editor-in-chief Debra Birnbaum.

The official story – which we were the first to tell you about yesterday – has Bauer brass firing Debra (who'd only been sitting as editor since March) and giving Mark Pasetsky (who held the title of "general manager") the job because Debra supposedly had zero interest in the style/fashion aspect of the magazine. Mark, meanwhile, is allegedly a style expert and was around when the original concept of L&S was hatched.

But multiple sources we've spoke with inside the magazine (and staffers who used to work there) tell us the official word doesn't add up.

One insider with direct knowledge of the situation says Bauer was showering Debra with praise as recently as two weeks ago for bringing circulation up a full 50 percent during her tenure. Then, all of a sudden, they started asking for more style coverage; Bauer wanted L&S to become the "style bible," we're told. Which is odd, because as our tattler tells it, they were telling Debra there was too much style editorial just two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, some quick poking shows Debra's replacement doesn't have much of a style background himself. "Sure, he may be [general manager, and Debra's boss], but could he tell you the difference between Christian Louboutin and Heather Mills' shoes? No," claims one insider. And while Bauer may delcare Pasetsky as having hoards of editorial experience, we're told he barely had a hand in any of the day-today editing, story selection, or focus of the tabloid "besides saying, 'We need to be on Britney's divorce."

All of this, meanwhile, comes on the eve of what was supposed to be a new debut from L&S: a shopping website, much like ShopVogue.com, where readers can instantly access and buy the very items featured in the magazine. While one source says it was Debra's idea, another counters that the web venture is definitely one initiative spearheaded by Mark.

So maybe he does understand fashion, but a crash course on the difference between Chloe and Clarendon might be worth it.