Variety‘s legendary breaking-news reporter Mike Fleming has resigned to run the New York office of Deadline Hollywood Daily. He obviously won’t be the east-coast Nikki Finke — Fleming is Fleming — but he’ll certainly be seen as a compliment of her column from here on. (And vice versa.) They’re not exactly married now, but it’ll be fair to call them a brother-and-sister act.

Indiewire‘s Anne Thompson calls this “a smart hire” but adds the following: “Over two decades Fleming has built a network of sources who go to him with scoops because they trust him to take care of them. He is the exact opposite of DH’s Nikki Finke, who uses scare tactics and bullying as well as good old-fashioned power-mongering to get her stories.”

MCN’s David Poland said this: “Of course, the most significant thing about Mike Fleming going to NikkiVille is not that she has added value, but that Variety is all but done now. Another one of their stars out the door. Interesting times.”