NBC News’ strategy in hiring young Luke Russert is now clear: whenever anything happens, Brian Williams can ask Luke what his dead father thinks about it. [MSNBC]

BRIAN WILLIAMS IS HILARIOUS:: Never mind the newscast; check out his blogging! The Sunday New York Times is full of bizarre lifestyle crap, Peggy Noonan is “doing the work of her career,” mom’s cocktails in New Jersey were the best, and he skipped the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to watch NASCAR in his kitchen. [Brian Williams' Daily Nightly]

• Reliable Source: Miley Cyrus can’t enjoy a steak in peace… The Supreme Court Justices go out together, walk in single file… Hugo Chavez takes Naomi Campbell to the gun show. [WP]
• Yeas and Nays: Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon traipse around New Hampshire for John Edwards… Apparently that’s what it takes to get Matt Lauer’s attention. [Examiner]
• Shenanigans: She may have made Hillary Clinton cry, but Marianne Pernold Young is voting for Obama. [Politico]
• Page Six: Norman Mailer got Tina Brown her green card… Lou Dobbs screams and cries when he doesn’t get his way. [NYP]
• Rush & Molloy: There is much attention paid to Sascha Baron Cohen’s penis. [NYDN]
• Fishbowl DC: Howard Kurtz doesn’t think Benzair Bhutto’s chances of winning her election are very good… All roads lead to Politico… Rick Klein got carded 10 years too late… Brian Williams says reporters are falling in love with Barrack Obama. [Media Bistro]

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We are just going to second TVNewer’s call for screengrabs (or clips, better yet!) of this (quoting Brian Williams): MORE »

* Reliable Source: After much anticipation — namely by Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts — Sen. John McCain made his cameo halfway through last night’s “24″. . . Scheduler for Sen. Jeff Sessions has been “dealt with” following post of “provocative photo” online. . . Jordan’s King Abdullah spotted at Georgetown Safeway. [WP]
* Under the Dome: Brian Williams confused Sen. Barak Obama with Rep. Harold Ford during State of the Union broadcast. . . Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) hawks hardcover version of “The Constitution in Crisis” report with a introduction by Joe Wilson. . . Colin Powell sings “Happy Birthday” to opera singer. . . Liam Neeson and Holly Hunter play the Lincolns in Library of Congress production. [The Hill]
* Inside the Beltway: Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) is the longest-serving House member. [WT]

The White House correspondents will get feted at the White House later this week, but all the sliced ham and swing bands in the world can’t make them any less surly. It’s a sucky job, someone has to do it, and it sucks even more someone sweeps in for a stunt-casting moment of glory, like Brian Williams did today. The blogging anchor has been in the WH basement trenches but, clearly, he was not eager to get back to his roots during the 12-hour rolling interview he conducted with Bush. Instead, according to our cranky eyewitness, Williams skipped “the rigorous Secret Service sweep (’hands out, turn around, cough’) that other trip-takers enjoyed in the luggage lounge by Gate 2″ and “did not sit with the other White House press corps cretins in the pod by the kitchen.” He did not gaggle, he did not “dine on an enormous muffin and a bottle of warm water.” Williams did drop names (”We took [a plane] like that to Bosnia. Had Albright, POTUS …”) and one curious fact:

During the mostly quiet ride, Williams at one point blurted out: “This city has the second highest number of single family dwellings in the country after Baltimore.” A wag said: “That’s a pick-up line I use all the time.” Again, silence.

Our special lump-of-coal operative expands on the day’s events after the jump.

The Daily Nightly

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• Animatronic anchors Elizabeth Vargas and Bob Woodruff (hybrid models with auto-shutdown and cruise control) will continue to host ABC’s “World News Tonight,” winning out over standard transimission hostbot Charlie Gibson, who still runs on diesel. [ABC]
• Hacktasatic Jon Friedman calls “The Week” journalism’s “first blogazine.” No, wait — it’s a magalog! A Zlog? What does that make “The Best Week Ever”? A blogedy? And the “Nightly News” — that’s a blogcastnewslog. CNN’s Blog Report is a bloport. And Times Select still sucks. [CBS Marketwatch]
• Anchlogger Brian Williams is a “dog person.” HOW CAN HE BE A BLOGGER THEN? [WaPo]
• FishbowlDC on the quitting/re-hiring of Postie Gabe Escobar: “Escobar is one of the Post’s only Hispanic editors (the only other one we can think of is Emilio Garcia-Ruiz, Assistant Managing Editor/Sports.” National Book Award Finalist American Chica author and editor of Washington Post Book World Maria Arana, on the other hand, is just a girl who likes to read. [Fishbowl DC]
• Howie Kurtz on why the MSM blogs (Mblogsmers): “Actually, we’re just trying to look cool.” [WashingtonPost.com]
• David Corn hearts Viveca Novak, can’t guard her husband. Perhaps her conversation with Rove’s lawyer sparked a revelation: “maybe my client did not tell me everything.” [DavidCorn.com]

We are told that at today’s TIME Person of the Year luncheon, “Mother Nature emerged as the consensus choice.” Right. “Mother Nature.” They’ve really loosened the requirements for that “person” slot, eh? We’re hoping “The Easter Bunny” has a shot next year, or maybe “rain.” MORE »

• Sports writer does not miss balls. [WCP]
• Air America does not miss former chairman. [NYS]
• Brian Williams does not miss his therapist. [NYT]
• Bill Hemmer does not miss CNN. [CincyPost]
• People Jesus would not miss. [HuffPo]