ernie-anastos

Ernie Anastos Will Live On Forever

cityfile · 09/18/09 01:02PM

It's only been a couple of days since he uttered the now-famous expression, but Ernie Anastos' screw-up on TV the other night already stands as his greatest legacy. The numerous clips of the moment have collectively racked up close to a million views on YouTube thus far (and that doesn't include all the parodies and remixes); Jon Stewart suggested last night that he might adopt it as his sign-off; and, in typical fashion, you can now find it stamped on t-shirts and mousepads. Is the G-rated version—"keep plucking that chicken"—destined to become a quintessential New York catchphrase? (Or a really annoying thing that you're going to hear endlessly repeated for the next few months?) The Times dialed up former mayor Ed Koch, since he was responsible for coining the expression "How'm I doin'?" in 1969. "It has a nice sound to it," he said. "It could become a phrase that people could use." [NYT]

Time's New Cover, Twitter's Value & Ernie's F-Bomb

cityfile · 09/17/09 02:26PM

• Glenn Beck is Time magazine's cover boy this week, sadly. [Time, HuffPo]
Spike Lee and Robert De Niro are teaming up with Showtime "to develop a drama series about Manhattan's Alphabet City." [THR]
• Twitter is now worth $1 billion, believe it or not. [TechCrunch]
• Nikki Finke hears that Variety is planning to start charging for access to its website and The Hollywood Reporter is dropping its daily print edition. [DHD]
• Jenna Bush made her debut on the Today show this morning. [BS]
• An update how Jay Leno's new show is faring three days in. [NYT]
• An update on the protracted legal battle between CBS and ex-anchor Dan Rather, a feud that only "seems to get pettier by the day." [TDB]
• Fox 5's Ernie Anastos managed to both embarrass himself and coin a delightful new catchphrase on the news last night. [Gawker, NYP, B&C]

Happy Birthday

cityfile · 07/10/09 06:34AM

Adrian Grenier turns 33 today. Jessica Simpson is turning 29. City comptroller (and mayoral wannabe) William Thompson is turning 56. Former mayor David Dinkins is turning 82. Times film critic A.O. Scott is 43. Showtime chief Matt Blank is turning 59. Author and marketing guru Seth Godin is 49. Writer Alice Munro is 78. Actress Sofia Vergara is 37. Eunice Kennedy Shriver is turning 88. The Office's Phyllis Smith is 58. Socialite Lisa Anastos is 41. Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan is turning 52. And Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys is 55. Weekend birthdays below!

Ernie Anastos

cityfile · 02/03/08 09:32PM

A local news fixture, Anastos has been delivering the headlines for one NYC station or another for over three decades.