Jumping the Shark

You ever heard the term “Jumping the Shark”?

"Jumping the shark" is when a television show, celebrity, politician, name brand, social movement, etc. attempts to save its popularity that may be on the downside by doing something ridiculous in a last-ditch effort to save itself.

"Jumping the shark” is a term taken from a 1970’s sitcom called Happy Days. For all you generation “Z” kids out there let me get “Old School” for a moment. Before the World Wide Web there was this TV show called “Happy Days’” with a character known as Herbert Fonzarelli also known as "The Fonz" or "Fonzie" played by Henry Winkler.  

He was the epitome of cool on a show about life growing up in the 50’s. After many years of TV success ratings started to dwindle, which inevitably led to an episode with The Fonz jumping over an enclosed tank of sharks on water skis with a leather coat and shorts.

Yes, the Fonz survived the jump but shortly thereafter the show didn’t. Which led to me think what in my opinion tried to "Jump the shark" in 2011?

• Obamacare: Earlier this year the Obama camp put out an all out full court  press for his Obamacare Plan but the Senate, House and the People of this great nation thankfully "Jumped the shark" on the nationwide health plan and we haven’t heard anything since.  Reminds me of that School House Rock song “I’m just a Bill stuck on Capitol Hill”.  A proposed universal health plan during a time when most Americans looking for good decent job to put food on their table all the while hearing about our nation and its debt turned out to be the Presidents own shark tank. So President didn’t even get out of the water on this one.
  
  
• Actor Charlie Sheen:  His role on Two and a Half Men was loosely based on this image, and more than once production on that series was halted due to Sheen’s substance abuse problems. In an effort to show they we need the Sheen than the Sheen needs us he promptly went city to city with his Live Charlie Sheen tour where after one bad review after another led him to “Jump the Shark” with his career.  His live tour missed the ski ramp all together.
  
  
• The Occupy movement: An international protest movement which is primarily directed against economic and social inequality. The first Occupy protest to receive wide coverage was Occupy Wall Street in New York City, which began on September 17, 2011. After two months of the Occupy movement they  "Jumped the Shark" when drug dealings; muggings along with Health concerns reared its ugly head. In the beginning the Occupy movement seemed cool like the fonz but day after day seeing seeing how the Occupy movement lose the cool affect. Like the Fonz wearing those shorty shorts to “Jump the Sharks" that wasn't cool either.
  
  
• American Idol:  The shows talent last season was abysmal so to pick up the American Idol ratings they "Jumped the Shark" when they decided to add daytime talk show host/standup comic Ellen DeGeneres. Her participation this year was just a joke and not funny. There are too many “so you wanna be a star” shows and over the years it seems to have diluted the Idol talent pool. I’m sorry to say Idol contestants wouldn’t even make good shark bait no less the next super star with or without Ellen G. My apologies if I’ve offended any Sharks or friends of Sharks regarding my comments in using Idol contestants as shark meat.  
  
  
• Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain: The Father of the 999 tax plan had one women after another talking about his past sexual misconducts. Mr. Cain "Jumped the Shark" once he said he needed to console with his wife regarding his Presidential run. I bet Herman would have rather jumped a pool of sharks naked in the North Pole than sitting down with his wife to talk about his past sexual aggressions.
  
  
• Facebook: I’m sorry but FB was once a great way to connect socially with friends and family all over the world but in the last year or so it’s become more of an online social nuisance.  Reportedly to avoid “Jumping the Shark” FB is working to create its own “Smartphone” or as I call them “Look at Devices” due out in 12 to 18 months. The news has have critics raising questions about whether the social network can benefit by competing with established hardware players. The thought of Mrs. Cunningham or warmly known as Mrs. “C” the all-American mom from the Happy Days show playing Mafia Wars upsets my stomach, so lets move on.

In closing, before the big ski jump over the shark, "Happy Days" character Richie Cunningham, a.k.a. movie director Ron Howard, spoke to the Fonz and said, “Fonz, you're not jumping over garbage cans on a bike. You're jumping over a shark. On nothing! On a couple of little skis! One little slip and chomp! Chomp! Chomp!”

Well with that being said here’s to all those who in 2011 who got "Chomp, Chomp, Chomped" trying to “Jumped the Shark." As we move into 2012 I look forward to seeing who may get "Chomp, Chomp, Chomped" trying to “Jump the Shark”.