Nightly News anchor Brian Williams appeared on the Simpsons' 20th anniversary special, Sunday, to pontificate on the cartoon’s own news host, Kent Brockman: "Kent Brockman has, in his own little world, got it going on. If you can fake the everyman thing, you have got it made. And that’s clearly what Kent has made his bones doing."
Discussing the nature of arrogant journalists, Williams continued, "He's got a little bit of that pomposity going, which we forgive, because television anchors do something special. We get to tell people what happened." Dan Rather also appeared to admit that Brockman’s portrayal of journalists isn’t far-fetched: "I don't know much, but I do know a few things about television news, and to get it bull's-eye, every time, well, a tip of the Stetson to them."
Williams has made appearances on several pop culture shows in the last month. In December, he stopped by Access Hollywood to promote the fifth anniversary of Nightly News. On Sunday, he even speculated about whether Marge Simpson is sexy: "I never saw Marge in that way. I never looked at her as a sex object. I do now."
On a more serious note, Simpsons producer David Mirkin touted the show’s America-bashing as a key to its world-wide popularity: "It's one of the shows that puts down America, that makes fun of America, that doesn't have to have the attitude, ‘America's number one and there’s nothing wrong with us.’"
A brief transcript of relevant sections of the January 10 Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice! can be found below:
8:46pm
BRIAN WILLIAMS: I never saw Marge in that way. I never looked at her as a sex object. I do now.
8:58pm
BRIAN WILLIAMS: Kent Brockman has, in his own little world, got it going on. If you can fake the everyman thing, you have got it made. And that’s clearly what Kent has made his bones doing.
DAN RATHER: I don't know much, but I do know a few things about television news, and to get it bull's-eye, every time, well, a tip of the Stetson to them.
WILLIAMS: He's got a little bit of that pomposity going, which we forgive, because television anchors do something special. We get to tell people what happened.
9:26pm
DAVID MIRKIN: It's one of the shows that puts down America, that makes fun of America,
that doesn't have to have the attitude, "America's number one and there’s nothing wrong with us."
—Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.
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Brian, go back to the White
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 19:39 ET by bse5150Brian, go back to the White House and bow to Obama some more, you arrogant lefty fool.
Well, Brian,
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 20:21 ET by UpNorthif anyone can be an expert on faking anything, it would be you. You fake being a "newscaster" 5 times a week. I guess that's what you "made your bones doing".
This guy...
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 21:09 ET by unkeeafThis guy is a two-bit hack who pretends to like NASCAR so he can be viewed as an every-guy. What a tool.
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I was watching that...
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 20:26 ET by Jnoble...and I'm fairly certain he was being sarcastically ironic to play up the 'pompous' thing.
Jnoble
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 22:24 ET by Scott WhitlockI wasn't suggesting otherwise. I just thought that the comments were amusing and that our readers would enjoy them. They're kind of funny coming from Williams, as some would say that he tries to master the "everyman" routine.
Brian Williams: 'we get to hide the news from our audience."
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 20:32 ET by Gary HallWow. Actually Brian Williams, what you you folks specialize in is in not "telling people what happened."Want an example of your own personal lack curiosity? Or is it better described as, your personal want to make damn good and sure that you censor the news to the point that people don't have a clue as to what happened.How about the housing bubble that led to the mortgage crisis that led to the current on-going economic crisis? Remember back in 2007 when you were interviewing Sen. Obama, and you asked him this (while actually more interested in his running to be your candidate for president - sharing a tingle up your leg with Matthews):
My guess Brian, is that Obama was taking about this:
Did that catch your attention, Brian? Sure sounds like it's not all Bush's fault - you sensed that, did you? Do you remember your follow up question to Obama about that?
Hey, change the subject - just like Katie Couric. She asks Obama about his illegal immigrant aunt in Boston. His long winded spin for an answer demands a follow up question, but instead, she asks him 'what did the McCain camp do that made him the angriest.'
A reasonable follow-up question, Mr. Williams, could have been - well gee - Senator, you mean that Bush is not to blame for the whole thing - that it was actually born by the liberals during the Clinton administration?
See. that wasn't a hard to dream up follow-up question, was it?
(;~/ gary
Well, I think with a little
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 21:47 ET by BKeyserWell, I think with a little yellow makeup and a lot of practice, Brian may someday achieve the journalistic integrity of the venerable Kent Brockman. Keep working at it Brian- it's good to see you've got a goal.
Pretty revealing quote
Mon, 01/11/2010 - 22:54 ET by OxyConWilliams is a "fake everyman".