Jimmy, Sarah May Be on Again

Old slur 'doesn't mean what it used to,' he says

(NEWSER) - Ricky Gervais has done it again. The boundary-busting, always irreverent funnyman has been accused of using a slur associated with people with Down syndrome on Twitter ( here , here , and here )—and making goofy faces to go with the tweets. He was instantly called out on it, reports ABC News , but Gervais insisted the word he used no longer refers to someone with Down syndrome, but rather refers to "a div, a dozy spud-headed twonk," adding: "I would NEVER use it to mean Down syndrome.” Gay "used to mean happy. Words change. Get over it," he snapped. But he added that "the police" have "come round and confiscated all my awards." The tweet was illustrated with another goofy face. More»

'Mad Men,' 'Boardwalk Empire' also score big

(NEWSER) - A cute moment during today's early morning Emmy nominations : Melissa McCarthy, who was announcing the nominations alongside Joshua Jackson, struggled to keep her emotions in check after learning she herself had been nominated as lead actress in a comedy series for Mike & Molly. Other nominees included such familiar faces as Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin for 30 Rock and Steve Carell for his last season on The Office. Fan favorite Betty White even scored a supporting actress nod for Hot in Cleveland. Top series contenders include Glee, Modern Family, The Big Bang Theory, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, and The Office for comedy. For drama: Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Mad Men, Dexter, The Good Wife, and Friday Night Lights. More»

Jimmy Fallon pulls it off, and upset victories help

(NEWSER) - "Who took the Emmy awards away and replaced them with this? I have no idea, but we'll keep it," writes James Poniewozik in Time , echoing the sentiments of reviewers everywhere:

• The broadcast "was a night of refreshing twists and unexpected surprises," Poniewozik continues, "leavened throughout by the guitar-comedy stylings of Jimmy Fallon. (Which were welcome, if not surprising.)" Presenter Ricky Gervais gets the award for line of the night (watch at left) with his crack about Mel Gibson.
• "Ambitious, energetically hilarious, and, most important, almost seamlessly constructed," last night's telecast was the best awards show in recent memory, writes Mary McNamara in the Los Angeles Times . Fallon pulled off his hosting gig "with sheer nerve and terrific personal stage presence," and announcer John Hodgman of The Daily Show offered "deadly wry commentary."

Nothing too shocking at 2010 awards

(NEWSER) - More interested in who wore what than in who won ? The Fug Girls kept up a running commentary on the best and worst dressed at last night's Emmy Awards over at New York . View some highlights in the gallery, or for their complete liveblog, click here . (If you do care about the winners, click here .) More»

Twitter tries and fails to take down another celebrity

(NEWSER) - Bill Cosby is not dead, despite what you might have read on the Internet this afternoon. In fact, the 73-year-old comedy legend is alive, well, and making up words on Twitter, reports WPIX . Using a term he created after a similar false alarm in February, he tweeted today, "Again, I'm rebutalling rumors about my demise." He added , "Emotional friends have called about this misinformation. To the people behind the foolishness, I’m not sure you see how upsetting this is." To learn more about things the web has actually killed, click here . More»