jumping the shark.

I was having a great laugh with a friend the other day when I referred to something we were talking about as "jumping the shark" — the popular idiom used to describe when there is a clear, defined moment when something takes a nose-dive. If you are not familiar, the idiom comes from an episode of the TV show, "Happy Days," when the (before that episode) über-cool Fonzie character jumps over a shark on waterskis wearing jean cutoffs and a leather jacket. Yes, that sentence just happened. Jean cutoffs, leather jacket, shark, waterskis. Pretty obvious now, right? The show "jumped the shark" and the ratings were never the same.

What I love about this particular idiom is that it identifies an exact moment when the collective conscious says, "Yep...we see it. Right there, that's the moment. Things really sucked after that." When used in the context of entertainment, there are examples all over the place. Like when Quiet Riot went back on tour, this time of college fraternities and with only one original band member. Or when Mr T pushes Rocky Balboa's trainer out of the way and the push causes him to have a heart attack (WTH?) in "Rocky III." Or how about starting with the opening credits of Bret Michaels' "Rock of Love Bus" (as opposed to "Rock of Love" which...rocked, but most people I know won't admit they watched it. I even caught the "Rock of Love Marathon," which was a fantastic Sunday with popcorn for breakfast, lunch and dinner.) Frankly, nearly any sequel has to be very careful about not strapping on the waterskis. What about in music? How about when John Mayer said his penis is like a white supremacist in Playboy? (For the record, that entire article is NUTS. Read it. The white supremacist thing got all the play, but seriously, there are some nuggets in there. He has one whole answer that goes like this, "It's all about geometry. I'm sort of a scientist; it's about being obtuse with an angle. It's sort of this weird up-and-over thing. You gotta think 'up-and-over'." I know...just read it.) TV? George Costanza's fiancé's envelope-licking death on Seinfeld? (Although many will argue that the show was still brilliant after that.) I think "Melrose Place" jumped the shark when the Kimberly Shaw character comes back from the dead, pulls off her wig and shows Michael her scar. That was only in season three! Ironically, the actress that played her, Marcia Cross, currently has an online poll suggesting that her "Desperate Housewives" character's lesbian story line is jumping the shark.

This could go on for days.

People use "jumping the shark" to describe all kinds of things, but typically they use it inappropriately. "Jumping the shark" is not just a disappointment, it's the demise. It's also not just an over-reaching commentary such as describing the entire state of Seattle Mariner baseball, it's a definitive moment. And the cool part? It's a moment that you know is a moment right when it's happening. No rear-view-window reflection required. Like when Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin told CBS News' Katie Couric that she could see Russia from her house. Whether you like her or not, she jumped the shark right then. Or when Helen Thomas, a nearly 60 year veteran of the White House press pool, recently said that Jews should go back to Germany (I understand that this one line is a bit out of context, but trust me...she jumped.) Or when Larry Craig, the former Idaho senator who was arrested for lewd conduct in an airport restroom sting, claimed he had a "wide stance." Watch out, we have a jumper!

Again, this could go on for days.

So after all of my laughing, I have been reflecting; what are my personal jumping the shark moments? I've had them. I know so because again, you know when something's jumped. I've had dates jump the shark. Like when I was first out of college, a guy that I had previously adored from afar in high school (three years older) asked me out, took me to a great Japanese place for dinner (all going well), then proceeded to take me to the airport lounge for drinks. If it wasn't bad enough to end up at the airport, the kicker is that they were known for serving stiff drinks. Bad move. I had some fun with it — including making him believe the date was a roaring success until we got to my apartment and I shut the door before any chance of a goodnight kiss. For the record, he jumped the shark the moment he turned into the airport parking lot.

My marriage jumped the shark and I know when that moment was. I know exactly when my path to becoming an attorney jumped the shark, as well as when friendships changed, relationships altered, or paths redirected. My list could go on for days too. Yours? It's kind of interesting to think about, isn't it? We know these moments exist right as they are happening. Whether we want to accept them or not, or when we accept them or not, is really the question. There were five Indiana Jones movies despite the fact that he saved himself from a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refrigerator. "Melrose Place" lasted seven seasons I think and it got nuttier and nuttier. "The Price is Right" jumped with Bob Barker's first plastic surgery, then again with his sexual coercion scandal at age 71 (ick), and yet again with Drew Carey as host (in my opinion) and you can still tune in and watch ecstatic Ohioans on vacation win at Plinko. And then there's "Happy Days" which limped along for another seven years after Fonzie was all wet (as were the ratings). Why? Who knows? As usual, I'm not trying to answer any big questions, I'm just thinking about these things. Exploring. Shaking my head a little. Sometimes I guess we humans just like to beat a dead...shark.

Hmmm..with that joke, did my blog just jump?