"You're Fired! Edges "Mess O' Potamia" Atop Television Buzzwords (TeleWords) List for 2003-'04 Season

You're Fired!", Donald Trump's trademark catchphrase from The Apprentice reality show tops the Television Buzzword List (TeleWords) for 2003-'04 Season according to the Global Language Monitor (www.LanguageMonitor.com). Close behind was Mess O Potamia from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Girlie Men, from Californias Gov. Schwarzenegger, God, from Joan of Arcadia and Angels in America, and Wardrobe Malfunction, from the recent Miss Universe Pageant as well as Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Danville, CA September 15, 2004 -- (September 13, 2004) "You're Fired!", Donald Trump's trademark catchphrase from The Apprentice reality show tops the Television Buzzword List (TeleWords) for 2003-'04 Season according to the Global Language Monitor (www.LanguageMonitor.com). Close behind was Mess O Potamia from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart, Girlie Men, from Californias Gov. Schwarzenegger, God, from Joan of Arcadia and Angels in America, and Wardrobe Malfunction, from the recent Miss Universe Pageant as well as Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Rounding out the Top Ten were: Infectious disease, from the ever-expanding C.S.I franchise, "OCD" for Tony Shaloub's trademark Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder from Monk, The O.C. as a geographic entity from The O.C., "Extreme Makeover from any of the reality-based show genre, and Grim Reaper from Dead Like Me.

Words No Longer Hip include fahgeddaboutit from The Sopranos, Voted off the island, from the Survivor series, and so as an intensive, as in so yesterday! or so not fair! from Friends.

Television has always had a disproportionate impact on culture, reverberating far beyond the confines of the studio world. This is true even in a year marked by extraordinary events, said Paul JJ Payack, president of The Global Language Monitor. Weve chosen the words and phrases most likely to have a lasting impact on popular culture; Youre Fired! is but one example that we hear repeated endlessly in the media and on the internet, while "Mess O' Potamia" more closely reflects world events.

The Television Buzzword List (TeleWords) for 2003-'04 Season is released in conjunction with the 56th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards televised by the ABC Television Network on Sunday, September 19th from the Los Angeles Shrine Auditorium.

The complete list, with commentary, follows.

TeleWords / Show / Comment
1. You're Fired!   
Show: The Apprentice   
Comment: Donald Trump's signature phrase

2. Mess O' Potamia   
Show: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart   
More 18-49s get their news from Daily Show than mainstream media

3. Girlie Men   
Show: Gov. Schwarzenegger of California   
Transcends politics moving into pop culture

4. God   
Show: Joan of Arcadia and Angels in America   
Supreme Being made quite a comeback on the small screen

5. Wardrobe Malfunction   
Show: Miss Universe Pageant; Super Bowl XXXVIII   
Recent Miss Universe incident reinforces the phrase

6. Infectious Disease   
Show: CSI Franchise   
Evidently nothing can contain the CSI franchise

7. OCD   
Show: Monk   
Tony Shaloub's trademark Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

8. The O.C. as a geographic entity   
Show: The O.C.   
TV literally is a 'geography of the mind'

9. Extreme Makeover   
Show: From any of the reality-show genre   
Both 'extreme' and 'makeover,' in any combination

10. Grim Reaper   
Show: Dead Like Me   
Hasn't made such an impact in popular culture since Ingmar Bergman's "Seventh Seal"
           
Words No Longer Hip
       
Word: Fahgeddaboutit!   
Show: The Sopranos   
Comments: Forget about Fahgeddaboutit!

Word: Voted Off the Island   
Show: Survivor Series   
Comment: Voted off the TeleWord List
   
Word: " so" as an intensive   
Show: Friends   
Comment: As in "...so yesterday" or "...so not fair"

The Global Language Monitor documents, analyzes, and tracks the latest trends in word usage and word choices, and their impact on the various aspects of culture, with a particular emphasis upon Global English.

The GLM is supported by a worldwide assemblage of linguists, professional wordsmiths, and bibliophiles to help monitor the latest trends in the evolution (and demise) of language, word usage and word choices, and their impact on the various aspects of culture.

For more information, call 1.925.367.7557, send email to e-mail protected from spam bots or visit Http://www.LanguageMonitor.com

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