Exclusive

The calendar says it's September — so why, you're wondering, is Daily News gossip Lloyd Grove still got gossip real estate? Shouldn't Ben Widdicombe have taken over his space when Lloyd's contract expired at the end of August? All very good questions, you gossip sleuth, so let us fill you in on what's going on.

While Daily News owner Mort Zuckerman has refused to renew Lloyd's contract, we're told Mort is allowing the Lowdowner to continue penning the column until he finds a new gig elsewhere. As we've mentioned before, Lloyd's been hunting for a new gig for months, even taking meetings in Washington, where he was based before Mort drew him north. But so far — no luck. Nobody will hire Lloyd for a variety of reasons, though the concensus seems to be the "Scarlet Letter" factor. Which means you might be subjected to a Paris Hilton-less column for weeks or months to come.