Regular readers learned there first about snowclones, the basic building blocks of cliches, like X is the new Y or you don't need a degree in A to do B.

Knock knock.

The macaw was perched on Jim's shoulder.

At its best[…] “The Newsroom” has a wit, sophistication and manic energy that recalls James L. Brooks’s classic movie “Broadcast News.” But at its worst, the show chokes on its own sanctimony.