Media Hog Chronology

September 1999: The First Media Hog of the Month

Last month in September, one of the local deejays referred to me as a "media hog" for having a letter of mine printed in a local weekly paper, which I have been doing for a long time as I use the medium to express my views about all kinds of matters that should be of importance for others as well.

But I'm not the media hog of September.

"Weird Al" Yankovic has been getting a lot of exposure on many local radio stations as he travels from city to city plugging away his new album "Running With Scissors" as well as his concert tour "Touring With Scissors", appearring on Mad TV and Access Hollywood, and even doing a song parody in cartoon form in "Sabrina: The Animated Series".

"Weird Al", what can I say, you were close, but someone beat you to it. In fact, the media hog of the week is someone Weird Al appearred with in a TV show.

I read in an interview that when this person was 4 years old, this person wanted to become an actress so she could hear her own name on television.

This youngster once wanted to be on Romper Room so that the Magic Mirror would have to say this person's name if this person was on the show, and only then there would be no other way to get around it as the Mirror would then have to say the person's name.

Some deejay commented that I write letters just to see my name in print. Oddly enough, that's more or less what this media hog also admitted in the interview.

This person was seen in countless magazines this month including the risque Maxim for Men and Bikini magazines, the Oct 2-8 issue of TV Guide, a recent Disney movie that took the star "down under", a cartoon series that can be seen seven times a week on ABC and in syndication, a top-rated TV series on Friday nights, guested in a recent Britney Spears video, and co-stars in the movie just out "Drive Me Crazy", which is also the title hit from Spears.

Did I also mention that this person was in countless interviews on many TV shows such as Entertainment Tonight, E!, and Inside Edition, defending her choice to pose in the magazines despite objections by Michael Silberkleit, publisher of Archie Comics Publications who demanded that she be removed from her role as "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch?"

Congratulations to the September 1999 Media Hog of the Month...

It's ironic that Dave from that DSC show mentioned that the only reason I write letters is to see my name in the paper. Well, an article recently reported that Melissa got into acting so she could see her name in credits. Is there some kind of parallelity going on here?

Media Hog of the Month: November 1999

As soon as host Regis Philbin declared "He's won a million bucks!" on Nov 19 (it was taped Nov 18), this man has gone down in history as being the first person to win $1,000,000 on a TV game show...excluding lotteries.

As soon as he won, he popped up over to another network opening the late-night live variety-comedy show "Live From New York, it's Saturday Night!" on Nov 20, doing a spoof on calling his father on the telephone life-line and telling him he didn't need his help but was telling him what he was doing at the moment.

He popped up on Good Morning America the following Monday, then he was off to Regis and Kathie Lee to chat and to pick up the check for $1,000,000 from host Philbin.

Let me tell you something...this was the first time I watched ABC for 18 days straight since the spring of 1979. That's a long time to follow.

As for the media hog of the month, his clip of winning the money was on most every TV news program around the U.S., and even the world.

Did I mention that he was also on the cover of People Magazine in early December?

So Who Wants to Be a Media Hog of the Month?

John Carpenter

Is that my final answer?

Yes it is!

Congratulations John!

PS: There was no Media Hog for October: the Yankess came close but they're over achievers anyway.

Media Hog of February 2000

He was known mainly to San Diegans in the 80's as a comedian appearring with a newsman of a local TV station in a series of skits about a pair of losers at a beach in the locally produced series "San Diego at Large."

He was basically unknown worldwide until he participated in a publicity-grabbing television stunt that made history in the worst kind of way.

He has appearred on countless TV tabloids, magazines, newspapers, entertainment news shows, and even radio spots.

He also hung up on Mark Jagger of Star 100.7 when he called this person at his house last week.

Ladies and Gentlemen, enough of the useless intro, let's just say the name...

Rick Rockwell

Didn't that schlub once date Betty Rubble before she met Barney?

Media Hog for March 2000

May 2000 Media Hogs of the Month

Media Hog of June

July Media Hog of the Month

* = Possible Editorial Influence. D.T. saw her live at a local Crown Books store this Wednesday.

Aaaaaand....there's more!

Darva Conger took her Playboy promotional tour to San Diego, the hometown of her ex-husband from ''Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire.'' She appearred on two known radio morning shows as well as having a news piece on TV that Wednesday.

The Star 100.7 Jeff and Jer website http://www.histar.com/djs/jeff_jer/jeff_jer_main.shtml has pictures of Darva Conger on the Star set from Wednesday.

For those who have been living in a cave for the past year, and don't know who Darva Conger is, Conger is the one who, of course, said "I do", on a live Fox special from February (not Feb-U-ary) and then, never consumated the marriage.

After breaking up with "Who Wants to Marry a Multimillionaire" groom, media hog and overrated comedian Rick Rockwell, she has now posed nude for this month's "Playboy" magazine. Well, talk about a lady who's milking her publicity for all its worth to the max!

Well, maybe these two belonged together after all: they're both media hungry hogs who have virtually nothing interesting about themselves that qualifies for famedom.

Randy Dotinga of the North County Times wrote enough for us to figure that Darva's appearrance on Star and KGB wasn't worth missing Pokemon and Sabrina on the WB station for.

He writes that Conger pretty much dodged the tough questions with lame answers, while KGB's morning show got her talking about her ER nurse job and the bizarre things she saw. This is interesting radio?

In the latest press release, Conger finally admits that her February appearance on Fox's program a huge mistake.

''When you make a mistake of that magnitude, you can't do anything but say, 'I made a mistake,' learn from it and move on,'' Conger said Wednesday. ''I just wanted to be on TV for 10 minutes. I never expected all of this would happen.''

Conger said she is comfortable with her Playboy pictorial, but added that she wouldn't have considered posing in the magazine had she not been fired from her job as an emergency room nurse after the TV show.

''They made the offer when I had no other options open to me,'' she said. Conger would not reveal what she was paid by Playboy.

Rick Rockwell, Conger's ex-husband, lives in Encinitas, north of San Diego. Rockwell, 42, previously called for a nationwide boycott of Playboy during a television interview. Sure, he's just being a sore loser as Rick is. After all, he couldn't see her nude on his wedding night for all the millions he's worth, yet for some $7, any cheapskate adult such as (insert name here) now can!

When I saw her live at Crown last Wednesday, I sensed that something qualitywise was just missing from her altogether. Nice smile. An average attractiveness for her age. Lacking of chrisma. Too easy to get into Crown in the first place. Darva is not star quality. Wonder how much her autographs would be worth 5 years from now.

Now, if it was Rebecca Romjamin-Stamos, or Elizabeth Hurley,...now those are stars!

Rick Rockwell on PAX

In a unique twist and use of his fame, Rick Rockwell is appearing on PAX TV, home of reruns of Highway to Heaven, Touched by An Angel, and Eight is Enough.

The network, known for its promise to present programming free from senseless violence, foul language and explicit sex, apparently believes in redemption.

During his annulment tour as a stand-up, Rockwell taped an on-air promo for PAX in which he encourages viewers to watch the family-friendly network, a network he says where ``people even get to know each other before they get married.''

Hasn't Rick and Darva's 15 minutes of fame been used up yet?

August Media Hog of the Month

September Media Hogs of the Month

October Media Hogs of the Month