Jumping the shark lives on
—Lee Margulies
A pop culture phrase lives on
Syndicated columnist Jonah Goldberg wrote in 2007, “Indeed, one could say that [the] Live Earth [concert] is proof that global warming has jumped the shark, except for the fact that the phrase ‘jumped the shark’ has jumped the shark.” Not so! The headline on a Goldberg column on the Boston Herald website just last Monday: “Besieged Obama’s already jumped the shark.”
Clearly, the phrase shows no sign of decline. Here are some other recent examples:
“The debate over the Ground Zero mosque has jumped the shark with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s call for an investigation into those who oppose it.”
—FoxNews.com, Aug. 18
“The bacon craze jumped the shark last year, about the time bacon vodka was introduced and the recipe for Bacon Explosion swept the Internet and clogged arteries.”
—The (Memphis) Commercial Appeal, Sept. 1
“Has Google jumped the shark?”
https://www.telegraph.co.uk, Aug. 6
“How do you remedy an ‘ Indiana Jones’ movie widely criticized for jumping the shark with an absolutely ridiculous plot?”
—www.cinemaland.com, Aug. 20
“From Our Image Meltdown Files: Did LeBron James Just Jump the Shark?”
—The Big Picture blog at latimes.com, July 9
“[ LSU head coach Les] Miles enters 2010 entrenched on the proverbial hot seat. After two mangled two-minute drills in 2010, and posting the worst offense in the SEC (305 yards per game), Miles has jumped the shark.”
—CollegeFootballNews.com, Aug. 30
“ Sarah Palin Endorses Carly Fiorina: Is She Jumping the Shark?”
—www.redstate.com, May 6
“The sexual tension between [Sookie and Alcide] is so thick, I worry if they actually do consummate, the show jumps the shark.”
—thestir.cafemom.com, re HBO’s “True Blood,” Aug. 9
“Has the automobile era jumped the shark?”
—SustainableCitiesCollective.com, April 14
“Is ESPN, the self-proclaimed ‘worldwide leader in sports,’ jumping the shark right before our eyes?”
—www.associatedcontent.com, Aug. 8
On an episode of the NBC college comedy “Community” last May, Troy ( Donald Glover) needs a place to live and pleads to room with his best friend, Abed ( Danny Pudi).
Abed: “Troy, you should live with someone you like, but whose friendship wouldn’t be altered because of constant irritation…. If you and I move in, we jump the shark. That’ll end it.”
Troy: “Maybe you’re ending it. Oh, and for the record, there was an episode of ‘Happy Days’ where a guy literally jumped over a shark — and it was the best one!”