Philly Mag File

At least before deadline.

So what are readers to make of the budding relationship between Amy Donohue, Philadelphia magazine's lifestyle editor, and real estate developer Jerry Pantelidis? In the April edition of PhillyMag, Donohue profiled the Barclay Hotel's descentinto old age. Donohue's "Heartbreak Hotel" piece also included glowing words about Pantelidis, "the Brash Young Developer" who bought the soot-covered, 22-story structure in federal bankruptcy court with aims at restoring thebuilding "back to its former luster."

Donohue wrote breathlessly about Pantelidis, "a regular in the Newport-Ascot social set," who was "on retreat in Fiji" when word came that the Barclay could be had "for a song" ("the low, low price of $5.5million"). Gushed Donohue: the native of Greece who moved to Vineland, NJ, at 13 has "no trace of accent and is as blue-eyed and preppy-looking as a young member of the Montgomery Scott clan."

Pantelidis "knows a lot of people — the right kind of people — and is said by one lawyer familiar with the Barclay deals (apparently both to Pantelidis' credit and detriment) to have 'balls the size of gorilla's,'" wrote Donohue.

The public learned about the Donohue-Pantelidis romance on May 1 thanks to a column by Daily News gossip meister Stu Bykofsky. But Bykofsky reported that the pair dated after Donohue's article hit the newsstands. Now three sources saythe couple began seeing each other before the Barclay story's completion.

While Donohue and Pantelidis adamantly deny those claims, the reports started a second round of gossiping inside the Daily News. That's because Bykofsky is on deck as the subject of a forthcoming Philadelphia feature article. AfterDaily News insiders heard about the Donohue-Pantelidis rumors and the planned Bykofsky article, many wondered whether the Shameless One pulled punches on the Donohue-Pantelidis item in hopes of getting abetter spin from PhillyMag writerSteve Rodrick.

As facts have it, the loose lips at the Daily News came close to starting a false rumor. Rodrick did not contact Bykofsky until May 7 regarding the upcoming profile. (Actually, Rodrick did not begin working on the article until May 1, the dayBykofsky's Donohue-Pantelidis item was published.) The facts are less clear, however, when it comes to the exact starting point of the Donohue-Pantelidis coupling.

Sources who contacted On Media provided specific places and times regarding the couple's alleged dates before the Barclay story was printed. For their part, Donohue swears she did not date Pantelidis until the March 29 Phil Collins concert at theCoreStates Center (the April PhillyMag was distributed on March 25) while Pantelidis says he could not recall the first date.

"Ummmm, I don't quite remember," Pantelidis says. "But I remember she said the story was already to the printers."

Meanwhile, nobody — except for the couple — denied prior reported Donohue-Pantelidis sightings.

For example, both parties attended a Christmas party in the Barclay at the home of Joseph and Carol Shanis. When contacted by On Media, Carol Shanis admits that Donohue and Pantelidis attended the holiday gathering but would not say whether they cametogether.

"I am not going to say if they came as a couple or not," says Shanis.

Five minutes later, Shanis — described in Donohue's article as "a doughty, respectable" condo owner — phoned again with a different version.

"My husband remembers that, just prior to our Christmas party, he had seen [Donohue] in the lobby and decided to invite her after talking with her," Shanis says. "He was the one who invited her. They did not come together."

Two other alleged sightings placed Donohue and Pantelidis together at an early February Gloria Estefan concert and later, on Valentine's Day.

Reports say Pantelidis and Donohue double-dated at the Estefan show with Wayne and Danielle Spilove. Despite being offered a chance to deny the reported date, Wayne Spilove declined.

"Look, I'd really rather not comment," says Spilove. "I'm not a gossip kind of guy. I'd rather not be the one who [confirms] it."

Regarding the reported Valentine's Day date — a Philadelphia Symphony concert at the Academy of Music featuring Spanish and Italian selections followed by dinner and champagne at Bookbinder's — Pantelidis says he went to both but withoutDonohue.

"My goodness gracious, well... hmmm... those are the places I asked her out," says Pantelidis. "But she said no. I kept asking her out and she kept saying no."

"We have been to Bookbinder's once for the story," adds Donohue, while denying the reported Academy of Music date. "I think we had a drink. It was work."

One source, however, says the stylish coat which Pantelidis bought for Donohue at Asta de Blue (reportedly on Feb. 15. Donohue returned the jacket, but can't remember when she got it, when she returned it, or how long she waited before sending itback), proves the relationship began prior to March 25.

"Why else would Jerry buy her a coat?" asks the source. "And how would Jerry know Amy's exact coat size?"

Despite the conflicting reports, Philadelphia's editor stands by his employee.

"Did [Pantelidis] leave fingerprints on [Donohue's] blanket?" asks Eliot Kaplan, pausing to complain that the matter is a "really low-rent" issue.

"Amy's not a rookie, she knows the rules well enough," adds Kaplan. "She can't be involved with a source or a subject of a story until after the story comes out. I don't think the story was compromised and I don't think Amy steppedover the line."

Kaplan adds the same rules apply, regardless of Pantelidis' admittedly relentless pursuit of Donohue.

"Waiting until after March 25 was more than enough," says Kaplan, noting that the only time he grew angry at Donohue came when she did not return Bykofsky's calls. "I'm very happy that Amy met a nice guy."

For their part, Donohue and Pantelidis seem more interested in learning the names of the sources who called On Media than disputing the allegations.

"Somebody is trying to put a really negative spin on this story," says Donohue. "We ended up being at the same party once or twice and we ended up being friendly, absolutely. But I feel like someone is trying to grind an ax."

"I want these people to step forward," says Pantelidis. "Somebody is clearly trying to make trouble where no trouble exists. It's really reprehensible."

— Scott Farmelant