It was as if the “lyin’” Brian Williams scandal never happened on Tuesday, when Meryl Streep honored former “NBC Nightly News” anchor Tom Brokaw.
Harkening back to a wistful era of anchors in the Cronkite vein and big NBC news ratings, Streep called Brokaw “a narrator of our lives,” adding, “As a journalist, Tom has not only reported and delivered the news but . . . represented a certain kind of authority in our culture. Like a dad, he explains stuff to you without talking down to you.”
Without mentioning the new big man in the chair, Lester Holt, Oscar-winning actress Streep declared, “I miss my nightly Tom.”
The anchor was being honored at Avery Fisher Hall’s Mostly Mozart Festival, which he’s supported for years.
He called Streep “the Mozart of acting, because she hits every note perfectly,” later adding, “but she has the added benefit of being a lot taller and a hell of a lot cuter” than the composer.
Guests included Michael Bloomberg, David Koch, John Paulson, Jane Pauley, Mamie Gummer, William Ivey Long and Tommy Tune.