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Yesterday, NBC Nightly News host Brian Williams unwittingly — and probably very much to his chagrin — became the most visible among Lana Del Rey‘s detractors following her awkward performance on Saturday Night Live this past weekend. He earned this distinction thanks to a note that he sent to Gawker chief Nick Denton that presumably wasn’t intended for publication. Gawker shared the note, which, of course, sent the NBC brass into a tizzy, pleading for its immediate removal in a subsequent e-mail, which, naturally, was also posted.
Lest it seem like Williams was being unduly harsh, it’s worth noting that Del Rey’s had far less flattering things written about her. What’s more, Williams was merely expressing an opinion shared by a cast of other high-profile scoffers, including Juliette Lewis (also on the NBC payroll) and @NeonBMC, one of the dudes from Neon Trees, both of whom saw fit to weigh in on Twitter with their take, only to later delete their tweets (pussies!).
Now, if it also seems like Williams is operating well outside his wheelhouse here, this might give you some insight into his comments: Turns out he knows a thing or two about would-be chanteuses, especially ones attempting to affect a certain elegance. To wit, his daughter, Allison Williams, is a burgeoning singer of sorts. In case you missed it, here’s the viral video of the Yale grad singing the words of Eden Ahbez to the Mad Men theme song (“A Beautiful Mine,” by RJD2). Given his frame of reference, you can kind of see why Williams was a little underwhelmed by Del Rey’s performance.
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