Jerry Springer Biography (TV Personality) Birthplace: London, England Best known as: Host of The Jerry Springer Show Jerry Springer is the unflappable host of the lighthearted and tawdry daytime talk show, The Jerry Springer Show. The son of Jewish refugees, Springer was born in England in 1944, but moved to New York City when he was five years old. He was educated at Tulane University and Northwestern University's college of law before jumping into politics as an aide to the 1968 presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy . After Kennedy's assassination, Springer joined a law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was elected to Cincinnati's city council in 1971, when he was just 27 years old. He proved to be a popular and idealistic politician, though his rising political career stalled briefly when he was caught having paid a prostitute -- with a personal check. He apologized, resigned, was re-elected to the council, and in 1977 was elected mayor of Cincinnati at the age of 33.

Springer served one term, then made an unusual move into local television, serving as commentator and anchor for local station WLWT from 1982-93. The Jerry Springer Show made its debut in 1991 and was originally syndicated as a serious, issues-oriented talk show. It soon morphed into an arena for average-joe guests to air personal confessions and dirty laundry, with Springer playing the role of the calm, bemused moderator. The show became a hit and a staple of daytime and late night syndication. In later years Springer returned to his political roots, publicly toying with the notion of running for office again and serving as a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He hosted a syndicated radio show, Springer on the Radio, from 2005-06. Extra credit: His carnival-like TV show spawned a musical, Jerry Springer The Opera, first staged in London in 2003; Springer himself is not affiliated with the production… Springer appeared on the show Dancing With the Stars in 2006; the competition was won by former NFL star Emmitt Smith. Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC.

All rights reserved. Jerry Springer Biography (TV Personality) Birthplace: London, England Best known as: Host of The Jerry Springer Show Jerry Springer is the unflappable host of the lighthearted and tawdry daytime talk show, The Jerry Springer Show. The son of Jewish refugees, Springer was born in England in 1944, but moved to New York City when he was five years old. He was educated at Tulane University and Northwestern University's college of law before jumping into politics as an aide to the 1968 presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy . After Kennedy's assassination, Springer joined a law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was elected to Cincinnati's city council in 1971, when he was just 27 years old. He proved to be a popular and idealistic politician, though his rising political career stalled briefly when he was caught having paid a prostitute -- with a personal check. He apologized, resigned, was re-elected to the council, and in 1977 was elected mayor of Cincinnati at the age of 33.

Springer served one term, then made an unusual move into local television, serving as commentator and anchor for local station WLWT from 1982-93. The Jerry Springer Show made its debut in 1991 and was originally syndicated as a serious, issues-oriented talk show. It soon morphed into an arena for average-joe guests to air personal confessions and dirty laundry, with Springer playing the role of the calm, bemused moderator. The show became a hit and a staple of daytime and late night syndication. In later years Springer returned to his political roots, publicly toying with the notion of running for office again and serving as a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He hosted a syndicated radio show, Springer on the Radio, from 2005-06. Extra credit: His carnival-like TV show spawned a musical, Jerry Springer The Opera, first staged in London in 2003; Springer himself is not affiliated with the production… Springer appeared on the show Dancing With the Stars in 2006; the competition was won by former NFL star Emmitt Smith. Copyright © 1998-2017 by Who2?, LLC.

All rights reserved. Advertisement Advertisement Jerry Springer biography | birthday, trivia | British TV Personality | Who2 Jerry Springer Biography TV Personality Jerry Springer is the unflappable host of the lighthearted and tawdry daytime talk show, The Jerry Springer Show. The son of Jewish refugees, Springer was born in England in 1944, but moved to New York City when he was five years old. He was educated at Tulane University and Northwestern University’s college of law before jumping into politics as an aide to the 1968 presidential campaign of Robert F. Kennedy . After Kennedy’s assassination, Springer joined a law firm in Cincinnati, Ohio. He was elected to Cincinnati’s city council in 1971, when he was just 27 years old. He proved to be a popular and idealistic politician, though his rising political career stalled briefly when he was caught having paid a prostitute — with a personal check. He apologized, resigned, was re-elected to the council, and in 1977 was elected mayor of Cincinnati at the age of 33.

Springer served one term, then made an unusual move into local television, serving as commentator and anchor for local station WLWT from 1982-93. The Jerry Springer Show made its debut in 1991 and was originally syndicated as a serious, issues-oriented talk show. It soon morphed into an arena for average-joe guests to air personal confessions and dirty laundry, with Springer playing the role of the calm, bemused moderator. The show became a hit and a staple of daytime and late night syndication. In later years Springer returned to his political roots, publicly toying with the notion of running for office again and serving as a delegate to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. He hosted a syndicated radio show, Springer on the Radio, from 2005-06. Extra credit His carnival-like TV show spawned a musical, Jerry Springer The Opera, first staged in London in 2003; Springer himself is not affiliated with the production… Springer appeared on the show Dancing With the Stars in 2006; the competition was won by former NFL star Emmitt Smith.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Stars who shone on the political stage Stars who shone on the political stage Arnold Schwarzenegger is the latest celebrity to announce he is standing for political office. But he is by no means the first star to swap the red carpet for the campaign trail. BBC News Online looks at those who took the plunge before. Ronald Reagan hit his acting peak around World War II. Photo: LFI Ronald Reagan is the most famous entertainer-turned-politician. He starred in 50 films between the 1930s and 1950s, but his political career took off when he won election as California governor in 1966 and again in 1970. In November 1980, he defeated Jimmy Carter to win the presidency, securing re-election by a large margin four years later. He survived an assassination attempt in 1981, a colon cancer operation in 1985 and skin cancer and prostate surgery two years later. But in recent years, has been increasingly laid low by Alzheimer's disease and now lives out of the public eye. Jerry Springer made the move in the opposite direction, only becoming a successful TV host after serving in politics.

He began by working for Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign and was elected mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 with the most votes in the city's history. Clint Eastwood was mayor of Carmel, California, from 1986-88 He fought an unsuccessful campaign to become governor of Ohio in 1982 and, after that, became a highly respected news presenter and, later, host of The Jerry Springer Show. He recently considered standing for the Senate but decided against such an option because he said he could not separate the job from his television show. Hollywood hard man Clint Eastwood is famous as the star of no-nonsense roles in the Dirty Harry movies and spaghetti westerns such as the Good, the Bad and the Ugly. But away from Hollywood, he had a successful - if relatively low-key - career in politics as mayor of Carmel, California. A native Californian, Eastwood discovered the Carmel area when he was stationed a few miles north at Fort Ord during the Korean War and later made it his home. In 1986, Eastwood wanted to build a small building in downtown Carmel but was prevented by town's bureaucratic government.

Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth R - she is now a Labour MP So he ran for mayor, winning 72% of the vote. He held the position for two years, bringing a tourist car park to the town, rescuing the historic Mission Ranch from developers and opening a children's annex to the city library. Singer and TV personality Sonny Bono - who enjoyed success in the 1960s and 70s in a double act with Cher - entered the political arena as mayor of Palm Springs, California, in 1988. He won by the largest margin in the city's history and wanted to bring a combination of civic pride and economic rejuvenation to the area. In 1994, he entered Congress, representing California's 44th district, and had prominent views on crime, the environment and entertainment law. In 1997, in response to the death of Princess Diana, he introduced the Protection from Personal Intrusion Act, making harassment by overly intrusive paparazzi a federal criminal offence. Warren Beatty considered running for president in 2000 But he died the following year in a skiing accident.

His fourth wife, Mary Bono, won his seat after his death - beating actor Ralph Waite, who played John Walton. Another politician, Jesse Ventura, came from another wing of acting - professional wrestling - although he also had acting parts in films including Predator and The Running Man, both of which also starred Arnold Swarzenegger. He won a surprise victory as governor of Minnesota, running for the Reform Party, in 1998 - and was a straight-talking breath of fresh air. But reality began to bite and his popularity began to wane, and he decided not to stand again in 2002. In the UK, double Oscar-winning actress Glenda Jackson - star of Women In Love and Elizabeth R - retired from the screen at the start of the 1990s. She won election as a Labour MP in 1992, saying she was "exchanging one extremely demanding disciplined area of work for another". Shirley Temple lost an election for congress in 1967 Made a junior transport minister when Labour won power in 1997, she has since become a vocal voice from the left, opposing the war in Iraq.

Gyles Brandreth is best known as the champion of multi-coloured jumpers, which he wore unflinchingly throughout his time on the Channel 4 quiz show Countdown. But for five years, from 1992, he was also the Conservative MP for Chester - and, for some of the time - a member of John Major's doomed government. In 1997, he went down with much of the rest of the party, losing his seat to Labour. Now, Brandreth concentrates on his writing and stage career - and his teddy bear museum in Stratford-upon-Avon. Among the other actors to turn to politics were Fred Grandy, who played Gopher in TV series The Love Boat and went on to serve four terms in congress from 1987-95. And Ben Jones, who played mechanic Cooter Davenport in Dukes of Hazzard, was elected to be a congressman for Georgia. In 2000, both Warren Beatty and Cybill Shepherd almost ran for president - but decided against it. And not all stars who run for office win.

Shirley Temple fought an unsuccessful campaign to be elected to congress in 1967, almost 20 years after giving up acting. Nancy Kulp, who played Miss Hathaway in the Beverly Hillbillies, ran for congress in 1984 while Al Lewis - better known as Grandpa Munster - was the Green Party candidate for New York governor in 1998. Jerry Springer - Everything2.com Jerry Springer by boone Thu Jun 29 2000 at 23:29:25 Springer was first a member of the Cincinnati City Council in the mid 70s. Then he resigned after being caught paying a prostitute with a personal check! In somewhat of a foreshadowing to Marion Barry or even Bill Clinton , Springer was elected mayor of Cincinnati in 1977. He also went on to do several years as a news anchor for Cincinnati's WLWT Channel 5. He started his lame TV show on this station, without all the pathetic losers and controversy. Then he moved to Chicago and changed formats. Tue Sep 09 2008 at 16:39:22 "I'm not conflicted. Because I know.

There's me, and there's the show. You know, I create this persona for the show. And that's what it is. I'm an act." Jerry Springer was born on February 13, 1944 in a London underground station during a Nazi bombing raid. When he was five, he emigrated with his parents and older sister to New York City. He was a brilliant student and fascinated in politics, earning a Law degree from Northwestern University in 1968. After working as an aide on the 1968 democratic primary campaign to elect Robert Kennedy , he was hired by the Cincinnati law firm Frost & Jacobs. Springer arrived in Cincinnati in 1969 at the age of 25 fresh out of law school. His rhetoric was delivered in a slight drawn out Boston accent and with a passionate fury of youth that was reminiscent of the Kennedy brothers. In 1970, less than six months after arriving in the city, Springer ran against Republican incumbent Donald D. Clancy for a congressional seat representing the 2nd District of Ohio .

In a conservative district that had voted Republican in the last four congressional elections, the New England Progressive Democrat managed to get 45% of the vote despite losing the election. "My campaign is based upon the proposition that the answers to the problems which currently plague our cities, our towns and our homes are not to be found in the decisions in Washington. They are instead to be found in the hearts, minds, and resources of our own people here at home." This early loss, however, did not diminish Springer's political ambitions or his idealism. In 1971 he ran and won a spot on the Cincinnati city council on a platform supporting civil rights and against the expanding war in Vietnam . When a proposal came up to build Riverfront Stadium partly using public funding Springer was the only member of the nine member council to vote against the proposal. In a subsequent procedural vote, Springer defied convention and voted against the proposal, keeping the proposal held up in committee. He took the opportunity to speak on the issue and eventually convinced the remaining council members. As a result, Riverfront Stadium was one of the few sporting arenas in the country funded almost entirely by private investment.

In 1973 Springer was reelected to the council with more votes than any other member on the council in the history of the city. However, six months later he resigned from the post when it was revealed that he had been a regular at a local massage parlor and had paid for a prostitute there using a check. However, even in what seemed to be the beginning of the end of his political career, Springer's natural charisma came through. Immediately after the scandal broke he held a press conference in which he told the people of Cincinnati the whole truth about the situation. As a result, the people rallied to him in a way never seen before: nuns urged the other council members to reject Springer's resignation by mailing rocks and pebbles to them with notes attached saying "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." Only a year and a half after the scandal, Springer was elected to a third term and then, in 1977, he was elected Mayor of Cincinnati with the most votes of any other politician in the history of the city. "Okay bear with me this'll be a little tough." In the following years, Springer continued to rise politically.

In 1982, Springer ran for Governor of Ohio but lost in the primaries. Out of work and out of money he accepted an offer by NBC's WLWT Channel 5 to anchor the Cincinnati evening news on the condition that each broadcast would end with a personal commentary by Springer. The station agreed to the deal and in 1984 began as news anchor and managing editor; a position he didn't leave until January 1993. During that time, he brought Channel 5 from last to first place in the rankings, won 10 Emmy Awards for his closing commentaries, and coined his signature phrase "Take care of yourself, and each other." His remarkable success as a TV personality garnered him several offers to do a show of his own. On September 30, 1991, the first episode of The Jerry Springer Show was aired. The first season of the show was mostly an extended version of Springer's commentaries with episode topics including the social effects of rock and roll , gun control , and homelessness and had guests such as Jesse Jackson and Oliver North . Ratings were terrible, however, so the network brought in a new producer for the 1994 season; Richard Dominick.

Soon after, the show began "targeting the youth market" with raunchy topics and moved filming to Chicago. This move prompted Springer to leave Cincinnati. His final commentary was an emotional goodbye to the people of Cincinnati who had supported him for almost half his life: "Okay bear with me this'll be a little tough. You should know this isn't the first time I thought about leaving. I thought about it some twenty years ago when a check that would soon become a part of Cincinnati folklore, made me see life from the bottom. To be honest, a thought about ending it all crossed my mind, but a more reasonable alternative seemed to be 'hey how about just leaving town? Running away? Starting life over, some place else?' You see, in political terms as well as human, here in Cincinnati, I was dead. But then in the, probably, the luckiest decision I ever made, I decided 'No! I'm staying put!' I would withstand all the jokes, all the ridicule. I'd pretend it didn't hurt, and I would give every ounce of my being to Cincinnati. 'Why in time,' I was thinking, 'you'd have to like me.

Or if not like me, at least respect me.' And I'd run for council even unendorsed. And I'd prove to you I could be the best public servant you ever had, or I'd die trying. Be it as a mayor, an anchor, or a commentator, whatever it took, I was determined to have you know that I was more than a check and a hooker on a one night stand. But something happened along the way. Maybe it's God's way of teaching us. I don't know, but you see? In trying to prove something to you, I learned something about me. I learned that I had fallen in love with you. With Cincinnati. With you who taught me more about life, and caring, and forgiving, and also most importantly, giving. Giving something back. Which is part of the reason... I have been... Excuse me. So sad this week. Why... Why it's so hard to say goodbye. God bless you, and goodbye." "Life is what it is, and you take what's handed, and you work as hard as you can, and hopefully you'll be successful, but I just don't spend too much time worrying about that.

I do my show and I've always said it's a stupid show, and I've had a wonderful life because of it and all that, but I've never for a second thought that it's important. It's trivial. It's chewing gum. I recognize that. Once you do something that's significant in life, all this other stuff is just a way to eat. " The subsequent change in format and popularity of The Jerry Springer Show has had such an effect on the image of Jerry Springer that few even know of him as the young and passionate politician he once was. By many measures, it is the most popular talk show in America, beating out more benign shows including the talk show giant Oprah . In 2003, Springer began a tentative campaign for the United States Senate . Despite his reputation as "The King of Garbage", Springer managed to get significant support from the Ohio Democratic party on his natural charisma and inflammatory words. His contract obligations prevented him from running a campaign though and it never materialized into a true bid for office. Across the Atlantic that same year Jerry Springer: The Opera opened in British theaters. From January 2005 until December 2006 Springer hosted a daily three-hour radio program called Springer on the Radio .

The program was true to Springer's political roots and had a format similar to The Rush Limbaugh Show but from a more liberal standpoint. As of 2007 he hosts the NBC show America's Got Talent , replacing Regis Philbin . Sources: This American Life: Leaving the Fold, 23 January 2004, Jerry Springer Speakers Bureau: Booking Agency Info on Jerry Springer Speaker Travels From: Please Contact Throughout a long and varied career, cultural icon Jerry Springer can claim many labels other than “host”: two-term mayor of Cincinnati, political pundit, lawyer, award-winning newscaster, country recording artist, TV personality, movie star, and Broadway actor, among them. The multi-faceted Springer, with a passion for politics, was named Democrat of the Year from Ohio and served as a Delegate-at-Large at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. A regular guest on the talk circuit, Springer has appeared many shows, including The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, The View, and Crossfire.

Today, because of the continued popularity of his show, Springer is a sought after guest speaker on college campuses in the US and abroad. Ringmaster, a book written by Springer, hit store shelves in November 1998 and shared Springer’s personal look into his show, as well as remembrances from his childhood and professional career. In 1999, Springer played himself in the hit movie Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me. He became a featured character in The Simpsons 1998 Halloween Special and played himself on The X-Files. Having graced the covers of Rolling Stone, Esquire, and New York Magazine, Springer was asked by Barbara Walters to be part of her year-end 10 Most Fascinating People of 1998 special for ABC. Born in London in 1944 just after his family fled from the Holocaust, Springer immigrated at age five to New York City with his family. He can still recall the sense of awe and anticipation he felt when he first saw the Statue of Liberty, and remains dedicated to upholding the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tulane University, Springer received his law degree from Northwestern University in 1968. His first job after law school was working as one of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign aides. After Kennedy’s assassination, Springer joined a law firm and moved into the political arena himself. He spearheaded the effort to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, which culminated with his Senate Judiciary Committee testimony supporting ratification of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution. He was elected to Cincinnati’s Council-at-Large in 1971, serving five successive terms. In 1977, Springer was elected mayor of Cincinnati by the largest plurality in the city’s history. At age 33, he was one of the country’s youngest mayors. Five years later, Springer launched his broadcasting career as a political reporter and commentator on Cincinnati’s WLWT-TV. He became anchor and managing editor in 1984, and was Cincinnati’s top-rated news anchor until he relinquished the post in January 1993.

During his tenure, Springer received seven Emmy Awards for his nightly commentaries, the forerunner to his “Final Thought,” and was voted television’s best anchor for five consecutive years by readers of Cincinnati Magazine. Springer is perhaps most proud of his involvement with Cincinnati Reaches Out, contributing on-site reporting from Ethiopia and Sudan, where he documented the effort to provide assistance to famine-stricken Africans. The company that owned WLWT-TV also owned The Phil Donahue Show. One day, Springer’s employers took him to lunch and gave him a new assignment: hosting his own talk show, which evolved through the years, achieving its status as a cultural phenomenon. Biography of Jerry Springer for Appearances, Speaking Engagements Please enter below code to the above text box. Biography of Jerry Springer Throughout a long and varied career, cultural icon Jerry Springer can claim many labels other than “host”: two-term mayor of Cincinnati, political pundit, lawyer, award-winning newscaster, country recording artist, TV personality, movie star, and Broadway actor, among them. The multi-faceted Springer, with a passion for politics, was named Democrat of the Year from Ohio and served as a Delegate-at-Large at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

A regular guest on the talk circuit, Springer has appeared many shows, including The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, The View, and Crossfire. Today, because of the continued popularity of his show, Springer is a sought after guest speaker on college campuses in the US and abroad. Ringmaster, a book written by Springer, hit store shelves in November 1998 and shared Springer’s personal look into his show, as well as remembrances from his childhood and professional career. In 1999, Springer played himself in the hit movie Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me. He became a featured character in The Simpsons 1998 Halloween Special and played himself on The X-Files. Having graced the covers of Rolling Stone, Esquire, and New York Magazine, Springer was asked by Barbara Walters to be part of her year-end 10 Most Fascinating People of 1998 special for ABC. Born in London in 1944 just after his family fled from the Holocaust, Springer immigrated at age five to New York City with his family.

He can still recall the sense of awe and anticipation he felt when he first saw the Statue of Liberty, and remains dedicated to upholding the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. After earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from Tulane University, Springer received his law degree from Northwestern University in 1968. His first job after law school was working as one of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign aides. After Kennedy’s assassination, Springer joined a law firm and moved into the political arena himself. He spearheaded the effort to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, which culminated with his Senate Judiciary Committee testimony supporting ratification of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution. He was elected to Cincinnati’s Council-at-Large in 1971, serving five successive terms. In 1977, Springer was elected mayor of Cincinnati by the largest plurality in the city’s history. At age 33, he was one of the country’s youngest mayors. Five years later, Springer launched his broadcasting career as a political reporter and commentator on Cincinnati’s WLWT-TV.

He became anchor and managing editor in 1984, and was Cincinnati’s top-rated news anchor until he relinquished the post in January 1993. During his tenure, Springer received seven Emmy Awards for his nightly commentaries, the forerunner to his “Final Thought,” and was voted television’s best anchor for five consecutive years by readers of Cincinnati Magazine. Springer is perhaps most proud of his involvement with Cincinnati Reaches Out, contributing on-site reporting from Ethiopia and Sudan, where he documented the effort to provide assistance to famine-stricken Africans. The company that owned WLWT-TV also owned The Phil Donahue Show. One day, Springer’s employers took him to lunch and gave him a new assignment: hosting his own talk show, which evolved through the years, achieving its status as a cultural phenomenon. All American Speakers is a speakers bureau and booking agency providing information on booking Jerry Springer for speaking engagements, personal appearances and corporate events. Contact an All American Speakers Bureau booking agent for more information on Jerry Springer speaking fees, availability, speech topics and cost to hire for your next event.

Tag Cloud recommended favorite entertainment corporate event famous booking agency appearance fees celebrity speaker bureaus special event contact keynote speaking hire schedule jerry springer how to find jerry springer Booking Agency Disclaimer: Jerry Springer | The Jerry Springer Show Web Site Uncensored Jerry Springer; A Cultural Icon! Throughout a long and varied career, cultural icon Jerry Springer can claim many labels other than "host": one-time mayor of Cincinnati, political pundit, lawyer, former award-winning newscaster, country recording artist, TV personality, movie star and Broadway actor, among them. The multi-faceted Springer generated a great deal of attention this year when Ohio Democrats recruited him to run for a U.S. Senate seat, which he seriously explored before deciding against it. His popularity extends around the world. Springer inspired an opera in London and has hosted a popular U.K. variety show, Late Night with Jerry Springer. Additionally, he hosted another late night variety show in South Africa on M-Net. The latter program, broadcast to more than 40 African nations, featured interviews with celebrities, a monologue and skits in front of a studio audience, and ranked among the most popular in South Africa.

Additionally, he has served as the master of ceremonies for the Miss World Pageant, and added an appearance on Broadway to his varied list of achievements, starring for a week in the production of the Rocky Horror Show Live. A regular guest on the talk circuit, Springer has appeared many shows, including The Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman, Late Night with Conan O'Brien, MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, The View and Crossfire. Today, because of the continued popularity of his show, Springer is a sought after guest speaker on college campuses in the U.S. and abroad. In recent years, he has appeared at Yale, Harvard, Georgetown, University of Miami, USC, San Francisco State, Emory, George Washington, American University and many others. Springer has been a featured guest at Oxford University in England, breaking all attendance records for an invited celebrity speaker in 1999 and 2000. Ringmaster, a book written by Springer, hit store shelves in November 1998 and shared his personal look into his show and remembrances from his childhood and professional career.

Also in November 1998, Springer made his first venture into feature films starring in Ringmaster, a fictionalized chronicle of a television talk show. In 1999, Springer played himself in the hit movie Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me. During the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, Springer appeared to promote his star turn in the feature film Citizen Verdict. In the movie, Springer, co-starring with Armand Assante and Roy Scheider, plays the producer of a courtroom reality TV show. He recorded a new CD single in Nashville and has been a sought-after guest on morning radio shows across the country. Springer became a featured character in The Simpsons 1998 Halloween Special and played himself on The X-Files. He has also graced the covers of Rolling Stone, Esquire and New York Magazine. Barbara Walters asked Springer to be part of her year-end 10 Most Fascinating People of 1998 special for ABC. Born in London in 1944 just after his family fled from the Holocaust, Jerry Springer immigrated at age 5 to New York City with his family.

He can still recall the sense of awe and anticipation he felt when he first saw the Statue of Liberty and passed through the gates of freedom on Ellis Island. In America, they could live without persecution. Springer is dedicated to upholding the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. His family saw firsthand what happens when those freedoms are denied. After earning a bachelor's degree in political science from Tulane University, Springer received his law degree from Northwestern University in 1968. His first job after law school was working as one of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy's presidential campaign aides. After Kennedy's assassination, Springer joined a law firm and moved into the political arena himself. He spearheaded the effort to lower the voting age from 21 to 18, which culminated with his Senate Judiciary Committee testimony supporting ratification of the 26th Amendment to the Constitution. He was elected to Cincinnati's Council-at-Large in 1971, serving five successive terms. In 1977, Springer was elected mayor of Cincinnati by the largest plurality in the city's history. At age 33, he was one of the country's youngest mayors.

Five years later, Springer launched his broadcasting career as a political reporter and commentator on Cincinnati's WLWT-TV. He became anchor and managing editor in 1984, and was Cincinnati's top-rated news anchor until he relinquished the post in January 1993. During his tenure, Springer received seven Emmy Awards for his nightly commentaries, the forerunner to his "Final Thought," and was voted television's best anchor for five consecutive years by readers of Cincinnati Magazine. Springer is perhaps most proud of his involvement with Cincinnati Reaches Out, contributing on-site reporting from Ethiopia and Sudan, where he documented the effort to provide assistance to famine-stricken Africans. The company that owned WLWT-TV also owned The Phil Donahue Show. One day, Springer's employers took him to lunch and gave him a new assignment: hosting his own talk show, which evolved through the years, achieving its status as a cultural phenomenon. Jerry Springer's radio show to go national More people will be able to hear trash TV host Jerry Springer under a deal announced Wednesday to take his radio program nationwide. Springer's show will go live weekdays on the Air America Radio network beginning April 1.

The liberal all-talk network currently broadcasts on 51 radio stations and on the Sirius and XM satellite networks. Springer will be heard on about 45 of those stations initially. "I said when I started the show that I am committed to making this radio program work, not only because I enjoy it, but because we need to hear progressive voices as well as conservative voices in our conversation today," Springer said in a telephone interview from Chicago. New York-based Air America, which started up a year ago, includes comedian and liberal commentator Al Franken's show and another commentary program by Randi Rhodes. The Springer on the Radio show, which began in January on WCKY-AM in Cincinnati, has expanded to other Clear Channel Radio stations in Cleveland, Detroit, Miami and San Antonio. Springer said the deal with Air America will not affect his relationship with Clear Channel. Some observers have seen Springer's radio show as a springboard for the Democrat's possible return to politics in 2006, either in a run for governor or a Senate seat. He wouldn't say Wednesday whether he would run for office again.

Springer, 61, was elected mayor of Cincinnati in 1977 and made an unsuccessful bid for the Democratic nomination for governor of Ohio in 1982. Jerry Springer will be King for a song Chat show host Jerry Springer will get audiences all shook up when he appears on Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes as Elvis Presley. Chat show host Jerry Springer will get audiences all shook up when he appears on Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes as Elvis Presley. Springer has always been a huge fan of The King and jumped at the chance to impersonate his hero. For his appearance he wears a rhinestone jumpsuit -- the most expensive costume ever designed for the ITV show. And with a dark wig and shades, he is virtually unrecognisable as his usual self. Springer will croon I Can’t Help Falling In Love on the April 2 show. He said: “Elvis is one of my favourites. I’m from that generation where as a kid we all started combing our hair back like him. I’ve only ever sung in the shower or performed for friends so this will be the first time I will have sung in public. “The make-up for Stars In Their Eyes is fantastic and I’ve got a ton on.

My eyebrows have been made pitch black and it’s had the most startling effect. Though it does seem rather a waste as I’m wearing sunglasses on the show! “I love the costume and it’s amazingly heavy. I guess they’ve done this deliberately so I don’t run away with it.” And he added: “I’m looking forward to performing but I don’t expect that I’ll get a record contract out of it!” Model Nell McAndrew also appears on the show as Kim Wilde. She said: “I feel sick at the thought of performing. My stomach can’t take the nerves. “Quite a few people have commented that I look like Kim Wilde, which I find very flattering. I’m looking forward to getting into the outfit. I’m hoping to hide behind the big hair and baggy jacket as I’m so nervous.” The show, hosted by Cat Deeley, will also feature Jade Goody’s ex Jeff Brazier as UB40’s Ali Campbell, Bad Girls star Victoria Bush as Sixties singer Mama Cass and The Bill’s Vickie Gates as Maria McKee. Jerry Springer snapped up for ITV show Talk show host Jerry Springer has signed to present a daytime show on ITV to replace Trisha Goddard, who defected to channel Five.

Springer has initially signed a one-month deal. Springer's show will continue in a similar confessional vein of Trisha and his own notorious US shows. An ITV spokeswoman said British reserve would mean it was unlikely fights would break out on set - "although you never can tell", she added. Springer made his name as the host of his own US show which became synonymous with fighting between guests and outrageous themes. Security guards are employed to separate warring people, while Springer signs off with a moral message to be taken from the show. Springer is expected to be seen on UK screens in the weekday 9.25am slot in May or June. ITV is still screening repeat episodes of Trisha, which are beating her new Five afternoon show in the ratings. Wednesday's Five show had an audience of 400,000 - while her old ITV programme had 1.1 million viewers. Jerry Springer: 'It's not my opera' TV talk show host Jerry Springer said he never would have written the "offensive" musical based on his show, The Sun reported Wednesday. ''I don't believe in making fun of religions," said Springer during a trip to London for a Jewish charity event. "It's not my opera.

I wouldn't have written it." The musical based on "The Jerry Springer Show," a hit at London's West End theater district, drew 50,000 complaints when it aired on the BBC. Springer said the "offensive" show, where Jesus admits he's "a bit gay," probably should not have been shown on TV. Jerry Springer to host politically themed radio talk show Jerry Springer has been a politician, television news anchorman and host of a raucous TV show. Now he can add radio talk show host to the list. Springer, 60, will host a politically oriented radio talk show in Cincinnati — where he once served as mayor — and he promises to challenge the Bush administration on issues ranging from Iraq to Social Security. "I'm excited about it," Springer said Wednesday in a telephone interview from the Chicago offices of TV's Jerry Springer Show, which he will continue to host. Some see the radio show as a springboard for the Democrat's possible return to politics in 2006, either in a run for Ohio governor or a Senate seat, although Springer declined to comment on the issue Wednesday.

The new show is "a great opportunity to offer other voices, which now are not heard very much in the political dialogue of America," he said. Springer did radio commentary in the 1970s in Cincinnati and was a TV news anchor in the 1980s. He served as a city councilman in the 1970s, but resigned in 1974 after admitting in federal court he wrote personal checks to pay prostitutes. He was later elected mayor and lost a bid for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1982. Springer is best known around the country for his trashy television show, which often devolves into fist fights and flurries of bleeped-out obscenities. Begun in 1991, the show has built its ratings on raunchy topics such as "Country Lovin' Gone Bad" and a scantily clad woman who ran around a trailer park painting derogatory names on her neighbors' homes. Springer said he will welcome opposing views on his show from callers in Cincinnati, a Republican bastion. "The conservatives have pretty much cornered the market on talk radio, cable talk," he said.

"The more people hear from Jerry Springer, the less likely they will be to elect him to public office," said Jason Mauk, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party. "This is a guy who peddles smut for a living." Clear Channel, which owns WSAI-AM in Cincinnati, is scrapping the station's oldies format and changing to an all-talk format with a schedule of liberal commentators. The call letters will change to WCKY-AM on Monday. Springer's show will be three hours in the morning, five days a week. The plan is to offer Springer's radio talk show in other markets, said Darryl Parks, director of AM radio operations for Clear Channel Cincinnati. "There's talk about syndicating this, which will probably be happening in the next couple of weeks," Parks said. "Anytime you can get a marquee talent like Jerry Springer, you grab the chance." Jerry Springer Debuts Liberal Radio Show There's a new but familiar voice on Cincinnati airwaves. Former Cincinnati mayor and TV talk show host Jerry Springer kicked off a liberal talk show Monday morning on WCKY, 1530 am. It airs from 9:00 a.m. until noon.

Springer says the radio show won't be anything like his TV show. Instead, it will cover a variety of topics from news of the day to entertainent. Springer tells 9News he wants to give listeners an option to the conservative talk shows. "Even though I realize my views are left of center and are left of Cincinnati, I also thought there has been a level of respect where people say 'I might not agree with Jerry but that's an interesting point and here's why I disagree,'" Springer told 9News. "But it's a grown up conversation and that's all talk radio has to be." Springer promised to provide unabashed liberal views to counter the positions of President Bush in the first airing Monday of his radio show in Cincinnati, where he once served as mayor. Springer, who will continue to host his TV show, called the war in Iraq immoral, saying it appeared to be focused on determining whether Iraq's Shiite majority or Sunni minority will be in charge as the country tries to grow into independence. "Would you be willing to have your son or daughter die for that?" Springer said.

"If you are not, why in God's name is it OK to support this war when you're sending someone else's son or daughter to die?" Some see the radio show as a springboard for the Democrat's possible return to politics in 2006, either in a run for Ohio governor or a Senate seat, although Springer has declined to comment on that issue. Springer, 60, shelved the idea of running for Senate in 2003 after he traveled Ohio to meet with voters and found they would not support him while he hosted TV's "Jerry Springer Show." Begun in 1991, the show has built its ratings on raunchy topics featuring a lineup of pimps, prostitutes, skinheads, homewreckers and too-friendly relatives. Springer began his five-day-a-week, three-hour daily talk show by playing a prepared promotional recording of music and people praising the American Revolution's patriots and their fight against England's King George. The recording then jabbed at President Bush by referring to him as a "King George" who doesn't want to hear opposing views. "If someone challenges the war, they're not a patriot? If someone challenges the president, they're un-American?

Come on," said Springer, who was joined on the program by Jene Galvin, a political activist who backed Springer in 2003 when he considered running for Senate. Pam Stevens, a spokeswoman for the White House, declined comment on Springer's show. Before Springer's debut, Ohio Republicans were dismissive. "This is a guy who peddles smut for a living," said Jason Mauk, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party. It took more than a half hour before Springer received his first phone call Monday, from a listener who said he is a liberal and is pleased Springer is espousing that point of view. Another caller praised Springer as "a voice of reason." Springer did radio commentary in the 1970s in Cincinnati and was a TV news anchor who did nightly TV commentary in the 1980s. He served as a Cincinnati city councilman in the 1970s, but resigned in 1974 after admitting that he wrote personal checks to pay prostitutes. He was later elected mayor and lost a bid for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1982. Springer will broadcast from Cincinnati three days a week and the other two from Chicago.

Here's Jerry: Springer Debuts Radio Talk Show Cincinnati's Prodigal Son Headlines New Liberal Talk Format On WCKY-AM (1530) Jerry Springer has been mayor of Cincinnati, WLWT anchorman and host of a raucous TV show. Now he can add radio talk show host to the list. Springer, 60, begins a politically oriented radio talk show in Cincinnati today, and he promises to challenge the Bush administration on issues ranging from Iraq to Social Security. Some think the show may be a springboard for the Democrat to return to political office. Just last year, Springer toyed with the idea of running for a U.S. Senate seat in Ohio. "I'm excited about it," Springer said last week by telephone from the Chicago offices of the "Jerry Springer Show," which he will continue to host. "It's a great opportunity to offer other voices, which now are not heard very much in the political dialogue of America," he said. National radio powerhouse Clear Channel, which owns WSAI-AM, is scrapping the station's oldies format and changing to an all-talk format offering a diet of liberal commentators.

It's also returning to its old call letters, WCKY-AM (1530). Springer's show, "Air America," will be three hours in the morning, 9 a.m. to noon, Monday through Friday. The programming includes liberal commentator Al Franken and talk show host Randi Rhodes. Springer did radio commentary in the 1970s in Cincinnati and was Channel 5 news anchor in the 1980s. Springer was a city councilman in the 1970s but resigned in 1974 after admitting he wrote personal checks to pay prostitutes. He was elected mayor and lost a bid for the Democratic nomination for governor in 1982. But Springer is best known for his trashy television show, which often devolves into fist fights and flurries of bleeped-out obscenities. The show, which began in 1991, has built its ratings on raunchy topics such as "Country Lovin' Gone Bad" and a scantily clad woman who ran around a trailer park painting derogatory names on her neighbors' homes. Springer said he will welcome opposing views on his radio show.

"The conservatives have pretty much cornered the market on talk radio, cable talk," he said. "I'm not saying that it's a terrible point of view. But clearly, it is terrible if it is the only point of view that we get." He said he's not afraid to criticize the Bush administration. "We certainly could have used other voices before the administration began the debacle in Iraq. We probably could use some other voices before they destroy Social Security," in an apparent reference to Bush's plan to offer Americans a private investment alternative in Social Security. Republicans jabbed back, saying they welcome Springer's foray into radio. "The more people hear from Jerry Springer, the less likely they will be to elect him to public office," said Jason Mauk, a spokesman for the Ohio Republican Party. "This is a guy who peddles smut for a living." An Ohio Poll conducted by the University of Cincinnati in February 2003 -- when Springer was considering a run for the Senate -- found 71 percent of those surveyed had an unfavorable opinion of Springer, the highest such number in the poll's history. "He's a terrific speaker. He has a wonderful way of communicating his position on issues," said Tim Burke, Hamilton County Democrat.

The plan is to offer Springer's radio talk show for syndication in other markets, said Darryl Parks, director of AM radio operations for Clear Channel Cincinnati. "There's talk about syndicating this, which will probably be happening in the next couple of weeks," Parks said. "Anytime you can get a marquee talent like Jerry Springer, you grab the chance." Springer will broadcast from Cincinnati three days a week, and twice from Chicago, where his TV show is taped. Springer Opera Stars Stage Tsunami Concert Stars of Jerry Springer – The Opera are set to sing for charity in a cathedral later this month. David Bedella and Ben Lake are among a number of stars from West End musicals scheduled to perform at a concert in Chelmsford Cathedral, Essex on January 23 to raise money for the Asian tsunami appeal. Church officials say the concert will feature “appropriate” songs. The BBC was inundated with complaints as a result of its decision to broadcast the musical on BBC2 on Saturday. Hundreds of protesters staged a demonstration outside BBC buildings with critics saying the show was “blasphemous”.

Jerry Springer goes to hell Last week, an aggrieved Christian turned up on one of the news bulletins claiming that he had a right not to have his faith insulted. This, sadly for him, is a common misconception. What the gentleman has is a right to believe anything he likes, just as I have a right to call his beliefs superstitious piffle. If my opinion upsets him, that's a shame. These faiths they talk about must be fragile things, in any case, if they are threatened by Jerry Springer and what the BBC chose, in a polite warning, to call "challenging" language. On Saturday the Daily Telegraph, or some other sane and rational paper, reported triumphantly that the corporation had received 50,000 complaints over the broadcasting of a musical with salt on its tongue. In a endless supply, and it is populated, increasingly, by people who believe no humiliation is too great if it involves an appearance on the box. Ruby Wax, as gruesome an exhibitionist as any of Springer's guests, then offered up a risible excuse for a backstage documentary before a short piece on the success of the musical.

"Opera really is our show put to music," said Jerry, in one of the more astute pronouncements. "The chaos, the mock tragedy, the farce . . . the gender misidentifications." So what of the "opera" itself? It wasn't bad. It involved no words I hadn't heard before, so the lyrics were easy to follow. Soul was very good as Springer and the piece made neat stylistic connections: talk show audience as chorus; "ad breaks" sung to satirical effect; Jerry in hell, arbitrating in debate between Jesus and Satan, in the ultimate creators believed; secondly, deeply moral. Springer winds up in hell, for God's sake. He Himself turned up in the end, playing his traditional role as a theatrical deus ex machina, but not before BBC2 had made a meal of the Springer phenomenon. First we had a potted biography of a liberal politician who fell among harlots – having made the mistake of paying by cheque – before reinventing himself as the emotional vampire of trash TV. "As with everything to do with Jerry," said David Soul, who impersonated the low-life in the musical, "it's a strange story." Not really.

Springer is simply the embodiment, albeit the most successful, of tendencies in TV fashion. The medium is like a child with the shortest possible attention span. Rather than refine or improve on formats and genres, it looks constantly for new toys. The human zoo happens to have an endless supply, and it is populated, increasingly, by people who believe no humiliation is too great if it involves an appearance on the box. The work, by Stewart Lee and Richard Thomas, wasn't really an opera. It was parodic musical theatre with jokes at opera's expense (I particularly liked Springer's "inner valkyrie"). Part two was better and more ambitious than part one, which simply put tunes to a typical Springer freak show and upped the cussing rate. "How do I sleep?" Jerry responded at one point. "I sleep on my back, of course." We may thank whoever that the BBC didn't fold on this issue. Jerry Springer – the Opera didn't merit all the fuss, but look on the bright side: it spared me from reviewing Sea of Souls, a drama that takes the paranormal seriously. Let us give thanks.

Jerry Springer opera draws 1.7m viewers More than 1.7 million viewers watched Jerry Springer - The Opera on BBC Two on Saturday, despite the objections of protesters. At least 45,000 people had contacted the BBC to complain about swearing and religious themes in the opera. Most opera broadcasts attract an audience of about 1 million viewers, a corporation spokesperson said. In comparison Billy Connelly on BBC One attracted 4.3 million while Ultimate Force on ITV1 drew 5.2 million. The BBC said on Sunday that it had received 317 calls since the broadcast, more than half of which had been supportive. Figures showed 28% appreciated the show, 16% were happy it was broadcast, 33% thought it was offensive and 23% though it should not have been broadcast. The spokesperson said this was a higher than average number of calls in defence of a programme. The spokesperson also said the BBC stood by its decision to broadcast the controversial musical, which continues to run to packed audience in London's West End. "We are pleased that a wider audience has been able to see an important piece of contemporary culture," said the spokesperson.

Early indications suggested Jerry Springer - the Opera was watched by twice the number of 16-34 year-olds than normally expected for opera, added the spokesperson. Meanwhile, Stephen Green, National Director of Christian Voice, a UK-wide prayer group, confirmed on Sunday that his organisation would mount a private prosecution against the BBC. He said: "We will probably bring a private prosecution against them for the common law offence of blasphemy. "Having seen the thing, if this is not blasphemy, nothing is. There will be nothing sacred if we cannot successfully prosecute the BBC." Hundreds of Christian protesters rallied outside BBC buildings on Saturday before and during the broadcast. The show was reported to contain a total of 8,000 obscenities - a total reached by adding every swear word sung by each member of the 27-strong chorus The Conservatives also joined the attack on the screening, with deputy leader Michael Ancram saying the BBC had a duty to exercise caution. But a BBC spokesperson said the number was less than 300 and was arrived at "even using the broadest definition of an offensive word".

Director general Mark Thompson, himself a practising Christian, said he believed there was nothing blasphemous in the production and was going out after the watershed with "very, very clear" warnings about strong language. The National Secular Society defended the BBC's right to screen the programme, urging the BBC not to give in to "religious bullies". Vice-president Terry Sanderson said: "This organised attack is the latest of a series of attempts by religious interests to control what we can see or say in this country." Protest at Jerry Springer opera January 9, 2005 CHRISTIANS called for prayer vigils last night in protest at the BBC's screening of the controversial Jerry Springer musical. Critics have complained that the show, to be shown uncut on BBC2 tonight, features more than 8,000 swearwords and portrays Jesus in a nappy admitting he is "a bit gay". Stephen Green, National Director of Christian Voice, a UK-wide prayer group, said: "What kind of Christians find mocking God and Jesus Christ acceptable?" The decision to broadcast Jerry Springer - The Opera has sparked a record 7,361 complaints to TV watchdogs.

Jerry Springer gets his own radio talk show Trash TV king Jerry Springer will begin hosting a three-hour weekday radio talk show in January. Springer, a former Cincinnati mayor and Democrat who may be interested in running for statewide office in Ohio, will start the show on Cincinnati's WSAI when the Clear Channel station switches from oldies music to liberal talk. He said on Thursday that he wants to syndicate the show nationally. Darryl Parks, operations director for Clear Channel's four AM radio stations in Cincinnati, said the station had been negotiating with Springer for months. The one-year radio commitment will not affect Springer's daytime TV show taped in Chicago, he said. Springer will do the radio show Monday through Wednesday from Chicago before taping his television shows and will broadcast Thursday and Friday from Cincinnati. Springer, 60, ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1982 and considered runs for U.S. Senate in 1999 and last year. Beeb Swears By Jerry Show The BBC is set to risk a barrage of complaints when it screens the most expletive-riddled programme in television history.

More than 8,000 obscenities will be broadcast when BBC2 shows a screen version of the musical Jerry Springer - The Opera in January. The current swear word record is held by Channel 4 when it screened Reservoir Dogs last year. Religious groups are also likely to be offended by the musical because it contains some blasphemous scenes. Media watchdogs are concerned about the level of foul language in the show, which has caused controversy since it opened in 2001. John Beyer, of lobby group Mediawatch, said: "The BBC is supposed to be cleaning up its act as it prepares for its Royal Charter to be renewed in 2006. "Does this programme represent that? Research shows bad language does alienate viewers." However BBC2 station controller Roly Keating said the show would "push back the boundaries of taste and decency". He added: "It will be filmed as it is on stage. There will be warnings but we don't intend to cut it.

Our audience will expect it to be broadcast uncut." The show, starring Starskey & Hutch star David Soul, contains 3,168 mentions of the f-word and 297 of the c-word and will be shown after the 9pm watershed. Does Jerry Springer's Show have a sadistic audience? What is the craze about reality TV that has come up over the last couple of years? Apparently some of us enjoy watching people get tortured on national TV. The rise of reality TV has turned the audience into a sadistic mass of people. Even when the viewer wants one of the contestants to win, the contestant is still going through the torture that is prescribed to him or her by the show. The contestants on these shows compete for fame and prizes, and they are willing to do anything to get it. The reality TV shows take advantage of this and they put the contestants through a living hell. The first style of reality TV that emerged was the game show. Everyone remembers watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. Game shows were a national phenomenon. Today there are so many game shows that there is a Game Show Network. There is nothing sadistic about watching a traditional game show since you want one contestant to win.

Unless you want one person to lose, there is no sadistic pleasure in watching these shows. The Jerry Springer show has been voted the worst show in the history of television and the fans still love it. The guests are brought from the bottom rung of society and are humiliated on the air in some way or another. Almost every story deals with infidelity and love triangles. The guests usually get so violent that they have to be restrained. The guests are made into fools on national television and are jeered by the audience at the end of the show. What is really sick is that if a woman (or man) shows off her breasts in public, she gets a necklace of Springer beads. There is a bell that is occasionally rung, which triggers the guests to attack each other like animals. The Springer show has one of the most sadistic audiences on the air. Jerry Springer - The Opera will be on TV soon BBC2 is expected to announce this week that it has bought the rights to air Jerry Springer - The Opera. The Corporation is believed to have been talking to the show’s co-producers Avalon Productions about filming the stage show in its entirety in the next few weeks. It is scheduled to be broadcast during the first week of January next year.

The BBC has previously broadcast musicals such as Cats and Oklahoma!. The musical, written by Stewart Lee (pictured) and Richard Thomas, premiered at the National before transferring to the Cambridge Theatre in the West End, where it continues to play. This year it became the first West End show to win four West End awards for best musical but has been hit financially by the ongoing legal battle with the Daily Mail over incorrect reports printed in the paper that it was losing money at a rate of £40,000 a week. Lee and Thomas are now working on an opera in Germany - The Ha-Ha Hole - based around a night out at a London comedy club. It will be sung in German by a cast of opera singers. Jerry Springer Goes Door To Door In Ohio A Night Before The Elections, Encouraging Voters To Support John Kerry At The Polls! November 1, 2004. Talk-show host Jerry Springer joked that he had quite a costume as he went door-to-door in Toledo, Ohio the night before the elections asking people to support Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry at the polls. Mr.

Springer met with members of the local Services Employees International Union at the UAW Local 12 hall on Ashland Avenue near Bancroft Street before taking to the streets to campaign as the sun set on Halloween. "I'm dressed like this Jerry Springer guy," the former mayor of Cincinnati said as he walked through the neighborhood. "And I've got the best costume." Mr. Springer, who considered running for the U.S. Senate, has been knocking on doors and meeting with voters in the months leading up to the election. "It's been great," he said. "Sure, being a celebrity gets people's attention, but you have to have something to say." He said he came to northwest Ohio yesterday because he knows how important this region will be in determining who wins tomorrow. "This is a key part of the state," he said. "We just need to make sure everyone gets out and votes." During brief remarks at the union hall, Mr. Springer spoke about job losses, health care, education, and Iraq. Outside, he knocked on doors and listened as unassuming residents recognized him before he could make his pitch for votes. Jerry said ''as an opera it's perfect'' Defamation suits. Bad press. Feuding producers.

“Jerry Springer: The Opera” has spawned a behind-the-scenes soap opera to match its onstage melodramatics. The scabrous musical inspired by the king of trash TV is facing an early closing because of an expensive lawsuit against a British newspaper that claimed -- untruthfully at the time -- that the show was losing money. A huge critical hit, “Jerry Springer” is due to run in London’s West End until October 2005, with a Broadway production scheduled to open next fall. But producers acknowledge that the mounting cost of a lawsuit against the Daily Mail newspaper could force it to close within days. “It’s a fragile situation that may go either way,” producer Jon Thoday said Tuesday. Thoday’s company, Avalon Promotions, says the show’s problems began in January, when the Daily Mail ran a story claiming the musical was losing $73,000 a week. After examining the show’s books, the newspaper apologized, acknowledging that “Jerry Springer” was “hugely popular” and making a healthy profit. The producers nonetheless sued for a reported $730,000 in lost earnings, saying the Mail’s story had hurt ticket sales.

The case is due to come to court in December, and backing out now would leave Avalon with a bill for both sides’ legal costs. Thoday said that during a tough fall for West End shows, the producers of “Jerry Springer” have had to slash their marketing budget because of the potential cost of the lawsuit. Created by composer Richard Thomas and comedian Stewart Lee, “Jerry Springer” opened to rave reviews at the National Theatre in April 2003, and transferred last October for a commercial West End run. The $13.9 million production is scheduled to play San Francisco’s Orpheum Theatre next summer before arriving on Broadway in the fall. The musical’s fusion of high art and lowbrow TV has delighted critics and audiences alike. The show features a chorus line of dancing Ku Klux Klansmen and an all-singing cast of adulterous spouses, strippers, crack addicts and transsexuals. In the musical, Springer is shot at the end of the first act and gets dragged down to hell. The real-life Springer saw the show last November in London and praised the production while distancing himself from the Jerry portrayed in it. “It’s a persona, and they did it remarkably well,” Springer said.

“As an opera, it’s perfect.” The show won an Olivier Award -- the British equivalent of the Tony -- for best musical. But it has played only to about 60 percent capacity since transferring to the 1,200-seat Cambridge Theatre, and its four-letter content has kept its catchy songs off radio and television. “It’s new work, and it’s quite risque,” Thoday said. “When people see it, they say, ’It’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen, but I couldn’t possibly recommend it to my mother.’ I say, ’Why not?”’ Thoday said the show’s cast and crew “have been supportive beyond the call of duty” and audiences were growing, giving him hope the show could hold on until the lawsuit is settled. Others were less optimistic. “It’s a difficult show to market, because of the language,” said Terri Paddock, editor of influential theater Web site “I think it’s a shame if it closes, but I don’t see how it can continue.” The crisis also has exposed a rift between Avalon and the show’s other producer, Los Angeles-based Allan McKeown.

On Monday, McKeown issued a statement saying, “Neither Allan McKeown nor the production of ’Jerry Springer: The Opera’ are a party to, nor do they endorse, the action that Avalon Promotions has brought against the Daily Mail.” Thoday said McKeown “did agree to the lawsuit originally. Whatever he thinks now is another matter.” Thanks for visiting MyTelevision.com!

Question: Which television personality was elected the mayor of Cincinnati in 1977?
Answer: JERRY SPRINGER