E-Trade Financial Corp. shares surged late Wednesday after media reports fed speculation that rival online broker TD Ameritrade Holding Corp. could make a bid for the company.

With the stock market nearing its year-ago level and fear gauges back near normal, everything old is new again when it comes to investing.

In the three years since she started Deadline Hollywood Daily, a daily blog about the entertainment business, her combination of old-school skills — she is a relentless reporter — and new-media immediacy has made her a must-click look into the ragingly insecure id of Hollywood.