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The term “Jump the Shark” has been with us for a while. The clever metaphor is used for the moment when something of cultural significance begins to lose its luster, and descends into lameness. It is a reference to the T.V. show “Happy Days,” specifically the episode when Fonzie water skied over shark infested waters. This is the precise moment where the show began to decline. Republicans and conservatives are dancing with glee every time a new poll comes out showing Obama’s poll numbers going down faster than a Hilton (Perez or Paris) after a nice dinner and a couple...

TV Guide bought the famous Jump the Shark website, and pretty much got rid of it. (You can still see most of it archived at www.archive.org) So someone came along and created a brand new website to fill that void, they call it "Bone the Fish" What Happened to JTS? Jump the Shark? You can do the same here as you did on Jump The Shark. You can comment, submit topics for discussion, and vote.

Jack Bauer Now Uses Recycled Weapons Fox will announce today that thriller "24" is going green. Whether Kiefer Sutherland, who plays agent Jack Bauer, will start slamming terrorist suspects' heads into tables made from salvaged pine beams, or making close call getaways in helicopters fueled by leftover french fry oil, is unclear. But according to a New York Times article yesterday, the network has stepped things up to become the first "carbon neutral show." Fox has "hired consultants to measure the carbon-dioxide output from the production, started using 20 percent biodiesel fuel in trucks and generators, installed motion monitors in...

Exclusive: TVNewser has learned veteran Fox News Channel anchor E.D. Hill will not be renewed when her current contract expires. Hill, who has been with Fox News for more than 10 years, will continue with the network for the next few months until her current deal expires. SVP of Programming Bill Shine tells TVNewser that he "chose not to renew E.D.'s latest contract" but noted that "Hill has been a valued contributor to the success of FNC over the years, and we wish her all the best." Hill has been without a regular Fox News program since June 16,...

At this juncture, I wouldn't want to bet even a subprime mortgage on this presidential election. As perhaps never before, multiple hidden factors could alter the outcome. Judging by polls, it would seem that Barack Obama will be our next president. Monday's Washington Post-ABC tracking poll, for example, showed Obama even winning 22 percent of conservatives and getting 12 percent support among Republicans. But polls only reflect what people say they think, not what they really think. Which is to say, we have both an election and a shadow election in progress. The latter, in which unconscious motivations come into...

The troop surge in Iraq has been more successful than anyone could have imagined, Barack Obama conceded Thursday in his first-ever interview on FOX News’ “The O’Reilly Factor.” As recently as July, the Democratic presidential candidate declined to rate the surge a success, but said it had helped reduce violence in the country. On Thursday, Obama acknowledged the 2007 increase in U.S. troops has benefited the Iraqi people. “I think that the surge has succeeded in ways that nobody anticipated,” Obama said while refusing to retract his initial opposition to the surge. “I’ve already said it’s succeeded beyond our wildest...

WOW.. He sounds angry, bitter, and extremely agitated. Did O'Reilly possibly light him up??

President Bush is poised to change course and announce as early as this week that he wants Congress to pass a bill to combat global warming, and will lay out principles for what that should include. Specifics of the policy are still being fiercely debated, but Bush administration officials have told Republicans in Congress that they feel pressure to act now because they fear a coming regulatory nightmare. It would be the first time Mr. Bush has called for statutory authority on the subject. "This is an attempt to move the administration and the party closer to the center on...

During its first five years on television, the terror-thriller "24" built a huge fan base by creating the first true superhero of the post-Sept. 11 era: special agent Jack Bauer. Ruggedly handsome and righteously defiant, Jack was willing to do anything to defend his country. That "anything" has always included torture. Jack has snipped off fingers, poisoned associates, shot through kneecaps and faked executions, all in the pursuit of national security. Against the real-life backdrop of global terrorist attacks, "24" at its peak fulfilled the fantasies of an insecure nation. It became one of the most important franchises for News...

(Funds found to build statue of TV icon downtown) Pop culture fans, rejoice. Art lovers, shudder. It's official: The bronze statue of the Fonz will be added to downtown Milwaukee later this year. The $85,000 needed to create the life-size statue of "Happy Days" TV show character Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli has been raised, Visit Milwaukee, the group leading that effort, said Friday. Henry Winkler, who played Fonzie in the show, was in town to mark the occasion. He spoke with reporters in front of the Culver's restaurant in the Shops of Grand Avenue. "I can only say that I'm proud...

Those who know Spider-Man only from Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst in the movies might be surprised to learn that in the comic book, the web-spinning hero has been married for almost 21 years. That's why the comic world is in an uproar over Marvel Comics' decision to undo the marriage of Peter Parker and red-haired bombshell Mary Jane Watson, reversing two decades of storytelling. In Amazing Spider-Man #545 last week, Peter and Mary Jane make a tearful deal with the devil-like character Mephisto: In exchange for saving Aunt May's life, Mephisto erases all traces of the Peter-Mary Jane marriage...

The success of the major Anglosphere nations at last week's United Nations climate conference in Bali marks the beginning of the end of the age of climate hysteria. It also symbolizes a significant shift of political leadership in international climate diplomacy from the once-dominating European continent to North America and its Western allies. This power shift has perhaps never been more transparent and dramatic than in Bali, when Australia's Labour government, under the newly elected Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, announced a complete U-turn on the thorny issue of mandatory carbon dioxide emissions targets. Only days after Australia's delegation had backed...

NEW YORK (AP) -- Harry Potter fans, the rumors are true: Albus Dumbledore, master wizard and Headmaster of Hogwarts, is gay. J.K. Rowling, author of the mega-selling fantasy series that ended last summer, outed the beloved character Friday night while appearing before a full house at Carnegie Hall. After reading briefly from the final book, ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,'' she took questions from audience members. She was asked by one young fan whether Dumbledore finds ''true love.'' ''Dumbledore is gay,'' the author responded to gasps and applause. She then explained that Dumbledore was smitten with rival Gellert Grindelwald,...

Jones moves into '24' Oval Office By Nellie Andreeva July 21, 2007 Cherry Jones has been appointed president on the upcoming season of "24," sources said. The network wouldn't confirm, but sources said Jones has come on board the real-time thriller, the first major casting addition to the show's upcoming seventh season. "24" producers had been contemplating having a female president next season for some time. (HR 6/22) Their decision to go for it adds another wrinkle to the closely watched Democratic Party's presidential race, in which Hillary Clinton is the frontrunner. Production of the 20th Century Fox TV/Imagine TV-produced...

ut such high-minded objections sail over the chief source of Live Earth's lameness. The acts were mostly fine. But the outrage and passion felt so prepackaged you half-expected Ludacris (who rapped about the evils of SUVs) to say "this moral outrage is brought to you by GE's 'Ecomagination.' " Indeed, one could say that Live Earth is proof that global warming has jumped the shark, except for the fact that the phrase "jumped the shark" has jumped the shark. Madonna, Genesis, UB40, the Police, Cat Stevens (now Yusuf Islam), Crowded House, Duran Duran — these were among the headliners for...

RUSH: Yes, yes, of course we are going to review Live Earth, but not for a whole lot of time, folks, because it was a bomb. It was an absolute disaster. I think the whole Live Earth thing ended up being a joke. It didn't move anyone. They had a whole bunch of sixties relics showing up. These bands that were there -- I told you this -- there was no A-listers on the whole bill. What was hilarious is in Johannesburg, they explained the low turnout for global warming was because of the cold! Cold weather and snow the...

Jack Bauer Doesn't Jump - More's the Pity Previously on "24' the show made sense. But Monday night's finale, when we sat through 90 minutes of set-up, waiting for the usual slam bang finish, only to have a touchy-feely episode of "Grey's Anatomy'' break out, was the end. The big finish, with Jack Bauer standing on coast, looking moodily out to sea, was some kind of weird Hallmark card for secret agents. I kept waiting for the cliff to blow up, or a black helicopter to appear on the horizon, but no, it was just our Jack, alone with his...

That's it. Nothing following.

Jump the Shark swallowed whole by Gemstar-TV Guide Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc. said on Wednesday it has bought Jumptheshark.com, a Web site where television fans debate whether popular programs have passed their prime. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. A Gemstar spokeswoman declined to provide further details. Jon Hein, the site's founder and proprietor, said he will run it for Gemstar-TV Guide under contract. "They made a very fair offer," he said. Hein, 38, also will keep his job at Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. where he co-hosts a show that follows shock jock Howard Stern's program and occasionally sits...

In March 2005 at their summit meeting in Waco, Tex., President Bush, President Fox and Prime Minister Martin issued a joint statement announced the creation of the “Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America” (SPP). The creation of this new agreement was never submitted to Congress for debate and decision. Instead, the U.S. Department of Commerce merely created a new division under the same title to implement working groups to advance a North American Union working agenda in a wide range of areas, including: manufactured goods, movement of goods, energy, environment, e-commerce, financial services, business facilitation, food and agriculture, transportation,...

The reaction to my idea for "A Day Without Americans" has been overwhelmingly positive and strong. I have a feeling, based on my own sense of outrage among dedicated, hard-working, loyal, taxpaying, honest U.S. citizens, that most Americans are fed up with illegal aliens – and their new inclination to demonstrate a sense of entitlement is only making matters worse. It's one thing to sneak into this country in search of a better way of life. It's one thing to take up permanent residency and start dropping anchor babies. It's one thing to take advantage of America's education system, its...

Since I saluted her last summer when she took a stand in Crawford, Texas, it seems only fair that I make another public gesture now that Cindy Sheehan has removed one of her "Camp Casey" hiking shoes and stuck her foot firmly in her mouth. That gesture is to raise a hand and cover up my wincing eyes. It's not the first time this celebrated and denigrated mother of a fallen soldier has spouted off a bit incautiously. But I cut her a break before. After all, her beloved son Casey died in Iraq while mine is alive and kicking....

Keen observers of pop culture and hip critics of American television were shaken Thursday with reports that the popular Jump The Shark web site had itself jumped the shark when, according to the even more popular TVFans.com, online voters began weighing in on such topics as when the children’s cartoon Rolie Polie Olie jumped. The highly trafficked site – dedicated to chronicling the moments when TV shows and other series go downhill – bounded the proverbial mako in October after scrapping a failed partnership with Rolling Stone magazine to chronicle the demise of rock bands. “It didn’t help when the...

Jump the shark By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, December 18, 2005 If politics is the process by which decisions are made, then pop culture is the vernacular that defines the process. Beginning with the first official "pop" president, John F. Kennedy, we have been smitten with these colliding entities. Kennedy's charm, good looks, chic wife and "Rat Pack" pals made him more iconic than presidential. Since those mystical days of Camelot, politics and pop culture have maintained a rather lusty cohabitation -- a remarkable feat, considering the fickle nature of both. Click below for the rest:

Jumping the shark By Salena Zito TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, December 18, 2005 Pop culture, like politics, has a language all its own, adopted from a multitude of sources. The most influential is television, which provides news, information and cultural influences in a constant stream. So it's fitting that we often use pop slang to describe political milestones. "Jumping the shark" refers to the moment when something once-great ends, or even tumbles into free-fall. Its origin is the "Happy Days" episode in which the Fonz, on water skis, jumps a shark, marking the decline of the show. Now take a moment to...

Fifth Season Pre-Order Now From NBC: SANTOS NEEDS TO DISTANCE HIMSELF FROM THE TROUBLE AT THE WHITE HOUSE WHILE STAYING LOYAL TO HIS PARTY - As a Grand Jury is convened to investigate the miliatry shuttle leak from the White House, the campaign's focus changes to national security. Vinick (Alan Alda) deftly handles the issue while Santos (Jimmy Smits) is bound by his party loyalty to align himself with the Bartlet administration. Also starring Bradley Whitford, Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Martin Sheen, Janeane Garofalo, Kristin Chenoweth, John Spencer, Dule Hill, Mary McCormack.

CINDY SHEEHAN'S JUMP-THE-SHARK MOMENT?(idea by PJ-Comix, metaphor + logo by Jon Hein) by Mia T, 9.01.05 (viewing movie requires Flash Player 7, available HERE) PLAY MOVIE THE GREAT FISH moved silently through the night water, propelled by short sweeps of its crescent tail. The mouth was open just enough to permit a rush of water over the gills. There was little other motion: an occasional correction of the apparently aimless course by the slight raising or lowering of a pectoral fin--as a bird changes direction by dipping one wing and lifting the other. The eyes were sightless in the...

From the 2005 Family Guy season opener aired on May 1st. 1. Brian is reading Michael Moore's book "Dude, Where's My Country?". 2. Brian's car had kucinich 2004 sticker. 3. Mel gibson has nazi stuff. 4. Peter said he helped congress start the war because he stood up and said "anyone who doesnt want to go to war is ghey... so they all started saying they wanted to go to war... someone like cheney was up front saying i wanted to go to war first!" 5. "Christians do not understand gravity" 6. The depiction of Jesus as being an Uzi-wielding,...

Steve Barrett reporting that "The Reverend Jessie Jackson has accepted the family's invitation to join the demonstrators outside the hospice where Terri is dying." 1. Is this turning into way too much of a circus? 2. Want to bet the race-baiting poverty pimp invited himself?

I hear so many of you talk about the sanctity of Schiavo's innocent life... why, then, can you support the war in Iraq which has taken thousands of lives, many innocent?

Gregoire ‘Jumps the Shark’ * Now claims she has nothing to do with lawsuit Bellevue, WA – Christine Gregoire had nothing to do with an Attorney General opinion opposing the inclusion of previously rejected ballots into a hand recount. Nor does she have anything to do with a lawsuit filed by the Democratic Party regarding the hand recount in the governor’s race. At least, that’s what Christine Gregoire says. This week Gregoire, who has been Attorney General for 12 years, claimed she had no knowledge of long-standing Attorney General advice that in a manual recount, rejected ballots cannot be introduced...

NEW YORK — Final pre-election polling shows Sen. John Kerry (search) with a razor-thin edge over President George W. Bush (search) with just one day to go before Election Day. According to a national FOX News poll released Monday, 48 percent of likely voters back Kerry, 46 percent Bush, 1 percent independent candidate Ralph Nader (search) and 5 percent are undecided. Among registered voters Kerry leads 47 percent to 45 percent, with Nader receiving 1 percent. Results among both likely voters and registered voters are within the poll's plus or minus three-percentage point margin of error.