smug alert

I sometimes wonder if pop culture has been too tough on news anchormen. James L. Brooks has staked a career on poking fun at these dignified, seemingly informed pretty boys. There's dimwitted Ted Baxter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show; the vacuous, upwardly mobile twit played by William Hurt in Broadcast News; and, not least of all, silver-haired cartoon character Kent Brockman on The Simpsons. Other instances in other people's films abound. Christopher Plummer's portrayal of an image-obsessed Mike Wallace in Michael Mann's The Insider had the real Wallace fuming. And we can't forget Bill Murray's seething weather man in Groundhog Day. He's so unpleasant that only an otherworldly plot device can inspire change.
But, after reading an interview with NBC's nightly talking head Brian Williams in New York last week, I am beginning to think that these filmmakers may have the right idea. If there was a meter for smugness, this nonsense would be off the charts. Let's do a rundown:

- He's against brunch. "Brunch is an unnatural event, invented by the restaurant industry. Life is about hard choices. Before noon on weekends, it's called breakfast. After that, it's lunch. Pick one." These are harsh words that totally clash with my personal beliefs. Williams sounds like the kind of guy who denies himself life's pleasures. He probably hasn't had dessert in a decade. The joyous texture of powdered sugar is probably a mystery to him.

- He refuses to disclose his political affiliations, but nevertheless makes a crack about the cost of John Edwards' haircut. Ugh, can't we let this innocuous gossip item go already?

- He's a pedestrian-knocking New York driver. When asked what he hates most about living in New York, he cites "the relatively new 'pedestrian empowerment' of crossing the street after the light has changed and glaring at oncoming drivers as if to say, 'Go ahead and hit me.'" First off, it's silly to be driving in New York. I don't care how Upper East Side (Williams' neighborhood) a person is. This is a pedestrian friendly city, Mr. Williams, and if you continue to feel such disdain, may I suggest a move to LA? But, beware, that town brunches like no other.