Someday, I’m going to have to write post apologizing to Nikki Finke for all the mean things I’ve thought about her in the wake of some of the mean things she’s written in her still extant column for the quickly crumbling L.A. Weekly. But the fact remains that her blog is absolutely invaluable and mostly avoids the sort of editorializing that used to drive me crazy — even if her commenters still drive me up the wall. Also, today, she helped me learn about two breaking stories which will be very much of interest to PH readers.

* As is being reported by The New York Times among many others, the Weinstein Company appears to be facing some serious financial issues. Of most immediate interest to film fans, particularly those of us who may confess to a certain amount of fanboyism, is how the reported restructuring may affect the release of Quentin Tarantino’s extremely long-awaited “Inglourious Basterds” (I think he spent a year developing the misspellings alone.) The amazing Ms. Finke reports, however, that things may be even worse than the NYT implied, and the company may have issues releasing any film.

Meanwhile, Sharon Waxman is claiming that the ubiquitous Harvey is pressuring Tarantino to cut 40 minutes or so from the currently 160 minute war flick, which got all-over-the-map reviews and comments at Cannes. While reporting a quote from brother Bob Weinstein placing the apparent financial crisis in perspective (i.e., the financial deaths of the Weinsteins have been reported more than once before), she also mentions another lavish production that could be effected: Rob Marshall’s intriguing looking “Nine.”

* And, in a Finke exclusive, she has some possible backstory on how “The Hangover” was induced. Was it really as borderline underhanded and complicated as she makes it sound? Only her “insiders” know for sure. I will say it’s yet another sign of the truth of JFK’s pronouncement that “Victory has a thousand fathers….” (The “but defeat is an orphan” portion of the quote would no doubt relate better to why we’re not reading stories about whose brilliant idea “Land of the Lost” was.)