Listen to the introduction to NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and you might recognize a familiar voice.  Each day the evening news begins with the voice of Michael Douglas.  Yep, the Academy Award winning actor was hired to do the voiceover after longtime announce Howard Reig retired at the end of 2007.  Even though Douglas has been doing it for over a year and a half, I just now figured it out.  But why?

If you're not listening for it, you can barely tell it's Michael Douglas.  They have the bass cranked up so much that you hardly recognize the trademark gravelly tone of his voice.  I can't imagine that NBC hired him because of his star power, because it probably goes unnoticed by most people.

And, why did Michael Douglas agree to this deal?  OK, maybe that's not such a hard question.  He says less than 20 words in front of a microphone and receives a royalty check every day that the recording is used.  Hmm, that's the kind of job I want.

But what about all the other actors and voiceover people out there who have great voices but are desperate for work?  Michael Douglas took a potential job away from someone who needed it more, and probably deserved it more.  Think of it this way, there's a little kid who sets up a cardboard lemonade stand downtown.  She sells cups of this cool, summertime beverage for 25 cents each.  Just as she gets her business set up, Donald Trump pulls up in his limosine and has his entourage set up the most elaborate lemonade stand you can imagine -- the stainless steel table, both pink and yellow lemonade, curly-que straws -- the works!  He sells cups for 20 cents each and runs the little girl out of business.  She runs home, distraught and ruined for life, all because Donald Trump took her job for no good reason.  Shame on you, Michael Douglas, for taking the job of some up-and-coming would-be announcer. 

Look for Michael Douglas in next year's Money Never Sleeps, a sequel to his 1987 movie Wall Street.