And today, a bunch of people are dead! Damn, I slay me!
Am I the only person who thinks Lester Holt just looks a little too damn smug while his head is flapping? It seems like this guy is always smiling - ranging from a slight smirk to a full blown grin, whenever he reads the news...No matter what news he's reading.
He is a great talking head, and I have no personal issue with the guy whatsoever. Hell, he's the hottest TV news property out there. It just seems like his smile is a perpetual thing, and for a serious newscaster that can be somewhat of a liability.
I am a huge purveyor of inappropriate mirth. As a matter of fact, I've been known to laugh when I'm happy, nervous, scared, angry, confused, or even indifferent. Laughter and smiles are my armor. My insulation from my own reaction - until such a time as I can formulate more appropriate response to any given situation. It's my default condition.
Whenever I get hit with some weighty information - the proverbial ton of bricks, you can bet I'll react by smiling inappropriately as I inch my way toward comprehension. That's the way I seem to work, so I have no particular bones to pick with Smilin' Lester.
Still, it's sometimes unnerving to try to reconcile Holt's expression with the words that are coming out of his mouth.
He seems to be the least distracting when he's doing his morning gig with Katie Couric. More subtle reactions, and generally softer news. It's the head-on anchoring at MSNBC that always seems to convey unintended and inappropriate sarcasm. It's tough to swallow a tight, toothless smirk as a chaser to today's death toll in Iraq, or as an accompanying agent to the latest outbreak of potentially deadly disease somewhere.
I was wondering if Walter Cronkite is still alive. Wouldn't it be great to get him back? Somewhere in my mind, Jimmy Carter will always be my president, and Walter Cronkite will always be my newscaster. Someday soon, Lester will report the loss of these guys, and you can bet he'll be crying on the inside.
