[SOLVED] Problem getting jQuery code to execute

I posted this two or three days ago as a reply to an older thread
http://forum.bytesforall.com/showthr...ry+insert+code
but haven't gotten any replies, so I'm reposting as a new thread to see if I can get a quick answer for this simple question.

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I am trying to use jQuery to show an overlay image the first time a visitor enters the site, then fade it after a few seconds or when the visitor clicks on the entry image. I worked out most of the mechanics and code on a test page, and am now trying it on one of my WP sites which has Atahualpa 3.4.2 loaded.

I can't seem to get any jQuery code to execute. I followed Flynn's directions [in the other thread] to

Add jQuery code to js.php after
jQuery(document).ready(function(){

My first simple test is to hide a DIV that floats in front of the page that has an ID of "entryImage". My code is very simple:

$("#entryImage").hide();

When that didn't do anything, I added a simple alert line to see if I could get something to execute, but I didn't get the alert popup that I expected:

alert("hello");

For the record, here is my code (in red) in js.php, showing the unmodified lines above and below what I added in grey. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

I'm sure this is pretty simple, but I don't know whether this code is invalid, or if it needs to be placed somewhere else.