Over in London, where competition among newspapers is still fierce, editors have an expression for the dog days of summer, when there is no real news and wacky stories get prime placement. They call it the “silly season.”
Now, with the triumph of tabloid journalism in a media world that only Rupert Murdoch could have created, some would argue that it’s the silly season all the time, and I wouldn’t disagree.
However, this headline takes the cake: Ryan Seacrest Bit By Shark! For more details, here’s the link:
http://www.usmagazine.com/Ryan-Seacrest-I-Was-Bit-by-a-Shark
Folks, I think this is a fish tale and that Seacrest, the host of Fox’s American Idol and his own radio show on KIIS-FM, has jumped the shark! For more information on the origin of the expression “jumping the shark,” see this Wiki entry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark
I’m not much of a television watcher so it’s no surprise that I only recently learned that jumping the shark is synonymous with pushing the envelope too far in the plot of a TV series. I’ve been looking for a way to work in the expression somewhere and now I’ve got the perfect opportunity.
The Ryan Seacrest shark bite story seems like a Hollywood publicist’s wet dream. All you have to do is say the word “shark” in the middle of summer and you’re headline news. I know Seacrest is a reliable Capricorn, but this sounds mighty suspicious to me!
Making it even more questionable is the fact that this is “Shark Week,” a much-ballyhooed annual event that generates some of the year’s best ratings at the Discovery Channel. I went looking for a link between Murdoch’s Fox Network, which broadcasts Idol, and the Discovery Channel but I couldn’t find one, so I’ll have to lay that conspiracy theory to rest.
I’ve actually got Seacrest’s chart in my files, though I’m missing a birth time. Why don’t you look at the chart and see if you think he got bit by a shark over the weekend? (Beth Turnage at Astrology Explored, that means you!)
Here’s the link, courtesy of Astrodienst: http://www.astro.com/cgi/chart.cgi?rs=3&btyp=w2gw&&cid=41laaaa19347-s971800598&nhor=261
Astrology Mundo 
How the hell does that qualify as an “attack”? Sounds like he stepped on it and was bitten on the foot.
Anyhow, watching the discovery channel you would think that a reef shark is the most dangerous creature in the world. I can tell you this – they are great fun to photograph. I invite you to check out some of my photos.
David — Thanks for writing. I’ve been anxiously awaiting the hate mail from Ryan Seacrest fans and so far none has materialized. I enjoyed your post on the sensational programming of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week. Glad to know that someone can talk (and write) reasonably about sharks! — Monica
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