Nikki Finke died Sunday in Boca Raton (Florida) after a long illness: she was 68 years old. The longtime entertainment reporter suffered from a prolonged illness.
An “assault” journalist in the world of entertainment, she rocked Hollywood by creating the Deadline Hollywood Daily site in 2006 (inspired by the column she edited on LA Weekly), in which she published reports on the golden world without fear of hitting majors, producers or powerful industry used to being flattered. With her scoops and her indiscretions, she revealed little-known secrets and mechanisms, forever changing the way of telling the world of entertainment. Unforgettable her “TOLDJA!”, When her scoop was then officially confirmed, as well as her outspoken live blogging of the most famous awards ceremonies, from the Golden Globes to the Emmys to the Oscars.
Over the years she made several enemies (but also several friends and supporters), and she persisted in maintaining a very private profile, doing everything to avoid being photographed (very few of her images are available, also because she sued the few who managed to take them). Deadline’s golden moment was the years 2007-2008, when Nikki Finke followed the writers’ strike very closely, giving voice to those who did not have a voice.
In 2009 Jay Penkse’s Mail.com (which later became PMC) acquired Deadline, and Finke remained as editor-in-chief. In 2010 Forbes placed her in the top 100 of the most powerful women in the world, and in the same year, HBO ordered a pilot with Diane Keaton entitled Tilda and based on her life. The series, co-created by Bill Condon, was not made with Finke’s involvement and was subsequently scrapped.
In the following years, the journalist had numerous clashes with Penkse, which in the meantime has acquired numerous other reference outlets in the industry (Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Indiewire). In 2013 she left Deadline with a deal that she couldn’t work for competing publications, so in 2015 she founded HollywoodDementia.com, which published fictional stories about Hollywood. HBO signed a pre-emption agreement to build projects based on these stories.
“In her prime, Nikki Finke embodied the spirit of journalism, and she was never afraid to tell the harsh truths with her punchy style and an enigmatic spark. She was bold and true, ”Penkse commented. “It has never been easy to work with her, but she will always remain one of the most unforgettable people I have met in my life.”
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
