If the Long Tail jumped the Shark, would it make the sound of one hand clapping?

Culture mavens looking for the exact moment when the growing popularity of Chris Anderson's provocative thesis of the "Long Tail" finally exceeded its own specific gravity and collapsed into the Singularity should take note of Universal Chairman Marc Shmuger's explanation for why he spent $150 million on Michael Mann's big-screen version of Miami Vice:

"The key on looking at the profitability of Michael [Mann]'s movies is that they've got a very long tail, well after the theatrical run."