The Other May 5th Celebration

While you may be off swilling tequila to kill any traces of the swine flu and eating enough Mexican food to claim you actually have it - all in honor of Mexican Independence, of course...

The Breaking News Team is celebrating the other May 5th holiday.


It is our favorite news reader (aside from the husband) - Brian Williams' birthday. B-Dub, as he is affectionately called around the Breaking Newsroom, turns a crowd-pleasing 50 years old today.

I don't know if it's the new self-tanner or the never-repeated Carlo Franco seven fold ties, but our fair Brian is looking particularly handsome as of late.

We do love a news reader that doesn't take himself too seriously and is as comfortable on a late night talk show as he is scanning the ole' teleprompter Monday through Friday. And we would be remiss to not compliment his wit and comedic timing. (Did you catch his 30 Rock moment? In a word - brilliant.)

See?! He even gets along with those that mock him professionally. What a guy.

In honor of this auspicious occasion we will dining on a meal complete with all of B-Dub's favorite epicurean delights accessible in City K - from Cracker Barrel and Cinnabon. Sadly Le Cirque has yet to franchise in this neck of the woods, as hell has not frozen over.



So, cheers to Brian! One day older...and closer to vacating that highly coveted anchor chair.

W.W.B.W.E

What would Brian Williams eat?

If you believe his interview in Parade this past weekend, he eats Arby's, Cinnabon and Cracker Barrel. And other sundry Food Court anchors...Wok-n-Roll perhaps?


Yikes. Embarrassing. Whoever his publicist is should be dismissed. Stat.

We all know how much the News Readin's love a little BW. But, are we really supposed to believe that fair Brian frequents the Food Court or better...Arby's? (Note to non-Northerners...there isn't a Cracker Barrel, Waffle House or Arby's in Manhattan.)

Brian inhabits a rather swanky pad at a very tony address in New York. His neighborhood restaurant is Le Cirque. That's not an exaggeration. Le Cirque is located on the ground floor of BW's building. You can read all about it being "better than having an Applebee's in the lobby," according to Brian, here.

Let me guess, you're favorite meal at Waffle House is waffles.

Briiiaaannn...the answer is grilled cheese and hash browns - smothered and covered. And Arby's over Chick Fil A?! Blasphemous.

So, let's recap B-Dub. Comparing Cinnabon to crack is bad for business- yours and theirs. (I agree with the comparison...just sayin') Posing with pizza on the cover of Parade reeks of phony.

Stick to rockin' the purple power tie, going heavy on the self tanner, humorous banter on late night talk shows and being a good news reader. Although, if you keep up the pr missteps that chair might be empty sooner rather than later.

And that's good for the News Readin's business. Hmm...err...keep up the good work B-Dub.

Mrs. News Readin'

W.W.B.W.W

What Would Brian Williams Wear?

As far as fashion forward anchormen go...Brian Williams was rockin' the purple power tie well before the rest and obviously is fond of the self-tanner. Yum.

W.W.B.W.W is the super fun game we play on Sundays around 2:30 pm. That's when Mr. News Readin' starts asking about a clean white shirt and what ties he should festoon to be everyone's favorite Sunday night anchorman.

I don't mind that he seeks counsel regarding his attire. I'm flattered he appreciates my keen eye for what will read well on camera...but I just wish he would not ask me while I'm:

1) Catching up on DVR'd Oprah
2) Catching up on blog reading
3) Window shopping on the interwebz
4) Planning our weekly menu (Old El Paso Gordita kit, Weight Watchers Key Lime Pie yogurt)

I remain stationary during the entire exchange and shout out suggestions, while Dr. Oz tells me that I'm rotting by body from the inside out because I don't take fish oil supplements. (Whatever. I prefer lobster.)

Which leads to the real issue...his tie cycle.

Make no mistake, Mr. News Readin' knows exactly when he last wore a tie. It's insane. I'll suggest (shout) the Ben Silver blue and gray tie and he'll say, "No, no, no...I wore that two weeks ago when I did the story on slowing fireworks sales."

"Mmm, that's right." (Inside voice: Who has two hours to work out - Gwyneth Paltrow?!)

This man keeps his ties in color order on a rotating rack. Once a tie is worn it moves to another rack and is worked back into the rotation in a timely fashion. Three weeks is the minimum gap between wears. In my estimation, he owns 100 to 150 ties. Seems excessive, but I guess if he played professional basketball I wouldn't care how many hi-tops he owned. (I especially wouldn't care if he had a $10 million deal with Reebok and his John Hancock on the shoe. Anchorman endorsed tie deals just don't seem to be as lucrative...)

The organization and cycle of the tie-wearing borders on an Israeli military operation. Take no prisoners and never deviate from the plan of action...It amazes me. This is the same man who doesn't understand that pulling the laundry out of the dryer and wadding it up in a basket is not the last step in the laundering process.

And to complicate matters, he has new school clothes en route. Just like you may have gone shopping for white polo shirts and khaki pants to outfit your little ones, the News Readin' Husband ordered three new suits for the school year. Semi-custom. Because that's how he rolls.

This presents a whole new set of W.W.B.W.W. moments...because it always goes back to our on-air fashion inspiration:


And while we're at it - shall we take stock of Mr. News Readin' and BW's similarities...

Luxe locks
Natural looking bronzer
Stellar styling (obvi...)
Good at reading the news

Oh, fair Brian...your days in that chair are numbered.