London Mayor Boris Johnson may be literally dangling on a zip line at the moment, but at least he has the rumored support of Rupert Murdoch to become Britain's next prime minister. Johnson's star has risen dramatically in the past week as the London Olympics has brought tens of thousands of Londoners chanting "Boris! Boris!" in response to his taunt to Mitt Romney: "There is a guy called Mitt Romney who wants to know if we are ready. Are we ready?" Now, according to The Telegraph's deputy editor Benedict Brogan, Johnson is receiving support from News Corp. chairman and CEO Rupert Murdoch for a potential bid for Downing Street:

Last night, I am assured, influential figures from the world of hedge funds were making a point of attending an awards dinner patronised by Mr Johnson to underline their support. More significantly, I hear, he met Rupert Murdoch recently to discuss how his candidacy might be promoted, and has invited the media tycoon to join him at the Olympics. It is said that Mr Murdoch wants to get rid of Mr Cameron. Westminster has noted the Sun’s growing enthusiasm for Boris, and how it contrasts with the vitriol the newspaper now reserves for Messrs Cameron and Osborne.

Though Murdoch's influence in British politics has lessened since the phone hacking scandal, his rumored support might give Johnson some momentum—something Johnson was literally bereft of today as he tried to zip line across a crowd during a screening of the Olympic Games at an east London park. "After losing momentum in the middle of the line, Johnson awkwardly dangled about 20 feet over the crowd for five minutes. Holding two Union Jacks, he reportedly called, 'Get me a rope, get me a ladder' as people snapped photos for posterity. Staff were eventually called over to drag Johnson along the wire to safety," reports UPI's Kate Stanton. Clearly, the man knows how to make an entrance. 

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John Hudson