Dolans' Offer Scores With Cablevision

Offer shows confidence in cable future

(NEWSER) - Cablevision's founding family is close to taking the entertainment giant private, the Journal reports. The Dolans have tried and failed twice since 2005 to strike a deal with the board, but the third time may be the charm. The magic number is $36 a share, up from $30 in an unsuccessful bid in January. More»

Former governor happy to poke fun at herself

(NEWSER) - Sarah Palin kicked off her Today stint this morning by reading a newspaper on screen, as co-host Matt Lauer joked, "Oh, man, she's doing her homework!" Lauer had already teased Palin about that issue—a reference to her 2008 interview with Katie Couric in which she couldn't name any newspapers she read—yesterday. It was the first in a series of quips proving Palin has no problem poking fun at herself, Politico reports:

• After coming out from behind the newspaper, Palin shared a story from yesterday: "Oh geez, Matt. The nicest lady in the world, she stopped me, asked me where I was heading. I said 30 Rock and she said, 'Oh honey, I told you, Tina Fey is here.'"

Duchess visits set of Danish crime drama

(NEWSER) - The cast of the Danish crime drama The Killing got a visit from a pistol-packing duchess yesterday. Camilla, duchess of Cornwall, is a big fan of the show, and arranged to visit the set with Denmark's Princess Mary as part of her Scandinavian tour, People reports. After picking up a prop pistol and pretending to shoot Mary, the duchess told the crew she was an "addict" of the series. The US version of the program is a hit on AMC . More»

These tropes are so overused, they're not funny anymore

(NEWSER) - If you're tired of hearing sitcom characters joke that they just threw up in their mouths or ironically comment, "That went well," after something decidedly didn't, you're not alone. On Vulture , Margaret Lyons lists 10 overused TV situations and lines she'd be happy to never hear again:

• "And by [thing], I of course mean [opposite of thing]." Lyons would say, "Chandler Bing called and he wants his ironic detachment back," except that joke is "even more overdone."
• "He's standing right behind me, isn't he?" Sure, it is plausible that in real life, a person might be caught gossiping. "But no one has ever actually, authentically said, 'She's standing right behind me, isn't she?'"

Billy Crystal brings the same old stuff

(NEWSER) - Last night's Oscars, like its Best Picture, was a throwback to a different time in film history. And though the show may have topped last year's Anne Hathaway-James Franco fiasco, it was boring and tired throughout:

• "The whole night looked like an AARP pep rally," writes Alessandra Stanley in the New York Times . "For a town that prides itself on tinsel and titillation, the night was pretty tame." "It all looked very familiar," but that "is perhaps necessary when so few of the nominated films are."