Inside scoop

--Compiled by the Daily Pilot staff

Aspiring actress and bikini model Tina New was not just the star

witness in the murder trial of her ex-boyfriend Eric Bechler.

New, who has had a few spots on TV shows such as “Baywatch” and

“Married ... With Children,” was a star in her own right in the

courtroom.

All heads turned in her direction whenever she stepped into the

courtroom. The media followed her wherever she went in the courthouse,

including the the district attorney’s office and the on-site convenience

store.

Although she is eight months pregnant and wore maternity clothes

throughout her testimony last week, people in the courtroom stared at her

as if she still looked like she does on her interactive Web siteo7 .f7

On the Internet, New can be seen in one photo as a sexy model barely

clad in stringy lingerie. A couple of hits on the page triggers the

multimedia component, starting up a video clip at a car show that shows

her walking on to a stage like an exotic dancer.

The image posted on her Web site -- she testified that Bechler helped

her build one -- appears to be the very picture that defense attorney

John Barnett showed jurors during his opening statements.

“This is how Tina New portrayed herself to Eric Bechler,” he said,

holding up the picture. “She portrayed herself as a sexy woman and used

it to her advantage.”

New is still on call and may be asked to testify again when the trial

continues Jan. 3. Whether her soon-to-be-born baby will cooperate with

the attorneys remains to be seen.

SHUFFLING FOR SEATS

We’ve all been there. You get some place new and it’s all a bit scary

and uncomfortable.

The new guys on the Newport Beach City Council found themselves in

that exact position after taking the oath of office Tuesday.

They’d barely sat down at the dais when Gary Adams became the new

mayor and Tod Ridgeway followed as vice mayor. That meant immediate

seating rearrangements, with Adams ending up in the middle and Ridgeway

to his immediate right.

As the other two senior members, Councilwoman Norma Glover and

Councilman Dennis O’Neil got to pick and chose seats next to Adams and

Ridgeway, respectively.

Confused yet? Well, so was freshly sworn in Councilman Gary Proctor,

who had to give up his seat three times. Fellow freshman Councilmen John

Heffernan and Steve Bromberg had more luck -- each had to sit down only

once.