Nicky FinkeA polarizing entertainment journalist who founded the website Deadline And the man who wielded immense power in Hollywood through an acerbic and relentless lens focus, is dead. She is 68 years old.
Finke died Sunday morning in Boca Raton, Florida, “following an extended illness,” a family spokesman said. The Hollywood Reporter.
at LA WeeklyShe presided over it Deadline Hollywood Daily Column from 2002-09. In 2006, he started Deadline Hollywood Daily2007 WGA became the main source of strike related news.
that year, The New York TimesBrian Stelter wrote Finke’s blog has become “an important forum for Hollywood news and gossip, known (sometimes disparagingly) for analyzing the moguls’ behind-the-scenes machinations,” with his report on the strike ultimately “solidifying his status as a Hollywood power broker.”
Finke drops the scoops with a cut-throat style. said the late Brad Gray, Paramount’s then-chief executive times A year later Deadline The blog was launched, and even with his in-your-face reporting style, his accessibility should be respected. “Like it or not, everyone in Hollywood is reading her,” she said.
In 2009, Finke was sold Deadline To Mail.com Media Corp. — the Jay Penske company now known as Penske Media Corp. — in a deal that will see him continue to serve as its editor-in-chief. She cut the site’s ad revenue.
“At her best, Nikki Finke embodied the spirit of journalism and was never afraid to tell hard truths with a sharp style and intriguing spark. She was bold and true,” said Penske, founder, chairman and CEO of Penske Media. THRsaid in a statement on Sunday. “It was never easy with Nicky, but he will always be one of the most memorable people in my life.”
In 2008, Elle The magazine named her one of the 25 most influential women in Hollywood, and two years later, she ranked 79th. Forbes’ “World’s Most Powerful Women” List.
In 2013, Finke left Deadline after editorial conflicts with Penske, and a year later launched another media venture, NikkiFinke.com. In 2015, he launched HollywoodDementia.com, a website that publishes short fiction about the business written by Finge and others.
“There’s a lot of truth in fiction,” she said said times of that effort. “Now I can say things in fiction that cannot be said in journalism.”
Finke almost became the stuff of Hollywood fiction, but in 2011, HBO got the pilot. Tilda, a series based on bloggers like Finge, which was to star Diane Keaton. Pilot, written by Bill Condon Say you love me Creator Cynthia Mort Without Finke’s involvement Or Knowledge, also featuring Elliott Page and Jason Patrick.
Born in 1953, Finke grew up in Sands Point, Long Island, before graduating from Wellesley College. His early career was spent at the Associated Press, where he covered politics and worked on the foreign desk. Dallas Morning News, Newsweek, The Los Angeles Times And New York ObserverThere he worked as the West Coast editor of the Weekly Entertainment Weekly.
at DeadlineFinke was also known for his snarky live blogging of award shows and was one of the first to report around the clock on the weekend’s box office.
She was rarely photographed, and a website once offered cash to anyone who could get her photo.
Her legacy and that speaks for itself Deadline‘Pity A 10 year anniversary post For the publication, she wrote that the concept behind Deadline Hollywood Daily The blog — using a URL purchased for “14 Bucks and Change” — needs to get news to her column faster than she can.
“I was not a troublemaker,” he wrote. “Or the internet journalist who built something out of nothing to put the Hollywood industry back on its heels, a $100+ million website today under Penske Media ownership. Or a woman with brass balls, attitude and a ruthless hustle who told the hard truths about moguls and accurately reported scoops first.
Finke also wrote: The New York Times, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, The Washington Post, Salon.com, Premier And Angels Journalism during his career.
In 1980, after several years of engagement, Jeffrey W. Married to Greenberg, but they divorced in 1982. He is survived by his sister Terri Finke Dreyfuss, brother-in-law James and nieces Sarah Greenhill and Diana Leighton. Memorial services will be private.
