NBC nightly news anchor Brian Williams blogged yesterday about how he's totally unsurprised that the Sunday New York Times is suffering rapidly dwindling circulation. 'Cause BriWi picked up one of these Sunday papers the other day and was totally unimpressed. "I must admit that on Sundays it becomes a tough paper to figure out. While this week's paper featured an op-ed piece by Elizabeth Edwards bemoaning the lack of serious, in-depth coverage of the political race, it's tough to figure out exactly what readers the paper is speaking to, or seeking." Then he sorta writes a Gawker post about it!

NBC News anchor Brian Williams, onetime standup comedian and America's secret boyfriend, held his own on the Daily Show, becoming one of the few guests on the program to give as good as they get. Fall in love with him all over again as he fields from host Jon Stewart questions like, "which candidate are you biased against?" Video after the jump.

After an internship with the White House, Williams began his news career at the National Association of Broadcasters and then became as chief White House correspondent with NBC. Two years later, he was tapped to host The News with Brian Williams on MSNBC. In 2002, NBC execs started planning for Tom Brokaw's eventual retirement. Williams was picked as his replacement and on December 2, 2004, he became the seventh anchor and managing editor of The Nightly News. Additionally, Williams has endeared himself to the youth audience with hosting SNL, slow jamming the news on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, and popping up on 30 Rock. In 2011, NBC announced that he would host Rock Center with Brian Williams, the first new NBC news program to launch in primetime in over two decades. [Image via Getty]

NBC News anchor Brian Williams "loves his nickname," says Rachel Sklar over at HuffPo. The perenially upbeat media blogger dubbed him 'BriWi' at some point, we couldn't even begin to tell you why. Makes him sound like some newfangled networking device from Apple. Oooh, maybe he is! Thing is, when she mentions it to him in a video interview, he looks like he just wants to bolt. Or smack her, whatever ends the whole thing fastest.

Drudge is linking this morning to Time's 'Person of the Year' prelude, in which Brian Williams, Aretha Franklin and Stephen King put forth their noms. His headline, for a column that appeared five days ago, about a month-old story, reads "NBC News Anchor Brian Williams Picks 'Mother Earth' For Time 'Person Of Year.'" Matt, this is not like you, come come now. Perhaps you have simply worn yourself out silly on all the crazy-ass weather we've been having lately? Previously: 'Time' Person Of The Year: Might Be Less Sucky Than Last Year?

Each fall, Time magazine hosts a panel luncheon to put forward nominations for their annual super-special "Person of the Year" issue. The magazine feeds a couple hundred media folks and then pretends to let them participate in the decision—they also hand out gift bags, which was a good enough reason for us to go today! This year's panelists: Brian Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, George Allen, MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe and rockstar activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Last year's much-ridiculed mylar heraldee—you! I mean, me!—requires a decent recovery for 2007. This is why it was so lame that Williams, Whoopi and DeWolfe all suggested some take on the environment. Whoopi even went all abstract on us, choosing just the word green. Too much Joy Behar exposure, perhaps?

Live from Time's "Person of the Year" panel discussion going on right now at the Time and Life building: "Brian Williams' mic just cut out. 'I'll be at Chuckles on Route 3,' he says. Big laugh. Then he goes on to nominate frigging Mother Earth. Sigh."

Brian Williams hosted "Saturday Night Live," and the reviews are in! "The show was a great success. His acting was nuanced, subtle, and wonderful, the lines were delivered naturally (not a surprise), his characters were colorful, he took enough risks and didn't cross any lines, and lastly: HE'S FUNNY!" Of course that was written by his daughter, but that's what the Huffington Post is for. In other news, my mom did an awesome job on some stuff this weekend too. [HuffPo]

Everyone in the world's secret boyfriend and NBC news anchor Brian Williams to host Saturday Night Live next month. (Musical guest: Feist. Hmmph.) [HuffPo]

In a weird adapted excerpt from his book on T.V. news that apparently comes out tomorrow, Washington Post nosepicker-columnist and CNN blatherer Howie Kurtz lets us know that the liberal T.V. painted the Iraq war as a bloody place where people get blown up and bad things happen! That is so crazy! How could they?! (Is the rest of his book so ludicrous?)

"I'm going braless," Huffpo's Rachel Sklar said in the cab on the way to the Sheraton. She was tucking herself into a sleek black dress. "Women sweat there!" When she had first invited me to the 28th News and Documentary Emmy Awards, this wasn't what I had in mind: learning the finer points of a lady's thermoregulation sitting in UN-caused traffic jam in Midtown. I was dreaming of Russert, Blitzer, Koppel, Wallace, Stewart, Soledad—Brian Williams! Christmas for the newscasters! Get behind me, Santa!

Now that Hamptons season is nearly over, Katie Couric is ready to leave for Iraq on a trip that's all about the journalism. You will take her so seriously. You will tune in every night! She is not fluffy, she is totally surrounded by serious things like people getting arms blown off every hour! Variety notes that "CBS News has an able correspondent in Iraq, Lara Logan, whom it has worked to elevate in stature over the past few years, raising the question of why take the risk of sending a high-value target such as Couric, a single mother of two." That is true. Though also we think that when Brian Williams went to Iraq they probably didn't mention that he and his lovely wife Jane have two kids, so maybe there is something to this whole sexism thing. Anyway, come back in at least two pieces, Katie! The benefit circuit and your massive staff and your publicists depend on you!

ABC "World News" anchor Charlie Gibson wasn't interested in funning around with T.V. comedian Stephen Colbert and his fake campaign against "wrist violence," even though other big T.V. anchors did. HuffPo blogger Rachel Sklar talks to the Times about going on the Colbert show: "It's a test. If you play along, you're funny and cool, and if you don't, you're stiff and boring. How people like Brian Williams and Katie Couric react to him are an indication of what they are really like—their instinctive reactions are measures of their good humor and authenticity and humanity." That is SICK. It's the worst, most antijournalism, most cult-of-personalityish, upside-down end-of-days take on what newsreaders, even in their current reduced state, should be that we've heard in ages. Also: Those appearances exhibit Katie Couric's authenticity? Yeah. No. Maybe the opposite of authenticity actually.

Last night, NBC News anchor Brian Williams appeared in the mildewed basement of the Upright Citizen's Brigade theater. He was doing standup—well, a comedy monologue—which was really confusing (that it was happening, not in its substance). Also he has a mighty rack. Some sort of steroid usage was responsible for that. They've since gone down a bit. Why was he there? Apparently he is good friends with SNL's Amy Poehler.

Brian Williams' "Nightly News" has lost 533,000 viewers since he took the anchor's chair. Over at CBS, Katie Couric has only shed 287,000, many to natural causes. To be fair to Williams, he had a lot more viewers to lose. Also, it's summer and nothing is happening. [AP]

That compares to ABC's 89 cents for Charlie Gibson watchers and NBC's 55 cents for bargain Brian Williams. To be fair, you've got to figure in the extra medical costs that the old people who watch CBS incur. [NYP]

"And now, apparently because encyclopedias were too exact, we have Wikipedia, the inexact encyclopedia. We don't get hung up on facts. In my entry alone there are seven errors, and I'm completely unimportant."

• Sam Zell is the probable winner in the battle for Tribune. News of the end of this fucking story could come as early as this morning. [LAT]
  

• Are Ron Burkle & Eli Broad back in the Tribune game? How will Sam Zell's bid work? When will this fucking story ever end? [LAT]