Nikki Finke is back! Again! The famed and “feared” founder of entertainment blog Deadline Hollywood, short fiction site Hollywood Dementia, and the now-defunct Deadline competitor NikkiFinke.com is reportedly returning to the website she founded in 2006 after making a deal with its current owner, Jay Penske.
Page Six reports Finke was in final talks to begin a column at Mediaite, owned by Dan Abrams, for a “massive” paycheck when Penske apparently offered her “what must be big bucks” to return to her former home instead. It’s a funny move, given the endlessly complicated love-hate working relationship Finke and Penske have had over the years, which has involved several legal threats.
They continue:
Finke’s new role is designed to see her breaking Hollywood news once again back at the site she founded, Deadline Hollywood, where her relentless reporting earned her a reputation as the most feared reporter in town.
A source said Finke is expected to be “writing and breaking Hollywood news” in the position, and I’m sure executives like Amy Pascal are already preparing for the worst.