Will you lookie this. US Weekly's Ken Baker, he of the payola allegations and $55 million lawsuit, has just found a new job as E!'s Executive News Editor.

The exclusive story is at FishbowlLA.

Press release after the jump.

Baker Joins E! From Us Weekly, Where He Most Recently Served as Editorial Director for the Magazine's Web Site, Usmagazine.com

Los Angeles, CA, February 4, 2008 -- E! Entertainment, the global leader for entertainment and celebrity news, has hired industry news veteran Ken Baker as Executive News Editor. In this role, Baker is charged with obtaining and reporting entertainment and celebrity news and information for E!'s various news outlets, including E! News, Daily 10, Eonline and E! News Now. The announcement was made today by Jeff Shore, Senior Vice President, Production for E! and Suzanne Kolb, Executive Vice President, Marketing and Communications for E! and Style, to whom Baker will report.

"Ken's outstanding relationships within the entertainment industry and track record for exceptional reporting make him the perfect addition to our news organization," said Jeff Shore. "E! is the leader in entertainment news and Ken will play a key role in ensuring we continue to deliver the most reliable, up-to-the-minute entertainment news and information across our E! Everywhere platform 24/7."

Baker, who holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, got his start as a newsdesk assistant for David Brinkley, Ted Koppel and Sam Donaldson at ABC News in Washington, D.C. After working as a newspaper reporter, Baker entered celebrity journalism as a staff correspondent for People magazine. The author of three books, including his Oprah Winfrey featured memoir Man Made, Baker in 2000 joined Us Weekly, holding the title of Senior Writer, Bureau Chief, West Coast Executive Editor and, most recently, Editorial Director of the magazine's web site.

(Image via Holy Candy)