Headlines packed with jokes and clichés can be fun and interesting, but they can also diminish the impact of the stories they top. Recently, the San Antonio Express-News decided to ban puns from its headlines altogether after editors found that they had used nine different ones in one day. And as Gelf previously noted, the Times is also attempting to excise clichés from its pages. While the papers are in cutting mode, they might also take on this one: "Coming soon to an X near you", a tired pun on movie trailers.

Here are a few recent examples:

Coming soon to a desk near you: Treadmill work stations
MarketWatch, Feb. 27, 2006
(Gelf much prefers its own clichéd headline for a similar story: Slow and Steady.)

Coming soon to a field near you; tractor pulls
Greensboro News & Record, Feb. 18, 2006

Coming soon to a health care system near you: 'Transformative change'
Vancouver Sun, Feb. 15, 2006

Coming soon to a tap near you—tastier water
St. Paul Pioneer Press, Feb. 7, 2006

Coming Soon to a Patio Near You: Nets Tickets
New York Times, Oct. 9, 2005

Coming soon to a dashboard near you
The Oregonian, Sept. 23, 2005

The Federline Effect; It's a look—and it's contagious. Coming soon to a guy near you…

People, Sept. 19, 2005