ARCHIVE PAGE 2
Archived content from January 2008 to August 2011:
POLL QUESTION
Fester's Hospital Bill Revealed!
Fester's total hospital bill for 14 days (including 8 in the ICU) during the low point of his myasthenia gravis in June was:
$284,459.00
Happy 47th Birthday, Dave the Dwarf!
On July 5, Dave the Dwarf celebrates his 47th birthday. Happy birthday, Dave! Even though the oldest dwarf with your form of dwarfism lived to be only 45, we all know you will continue to set records each year and have many more birthdays in the future.
Froggy will soon be a daddy
There are some people you can probably think of right now who you could never imagine being a parent. Whether it's the lifestyle they live, their attitude or any other factor, things like seeing them pushing a stroller or changing a diaper are completely unfathomable. Some listeners may have thought this about Froggy because of his carefree, badboy kind of persona on the show. But think again.
On Monday, June 20, 2011, MJ made the announcement at 8:05 EDT that Froggy will become a father. His beautiful wife, Kim, is about four months pregnant with their first child. It was not revealed whether it is a boy or girl. She is expected to deliver the baby some time in mid-December, meaning the child should be an early Christmas present for the radio couple.
Froggy's love of drinking - especially Jamison Irish Whiskey - and fishing may be activities he has to put on hold for a while once the newcomer arrives. Plus Meatball and Mimi, his two dogs, will have to take a backstage seat in the Cusmano household for at least a little while.
It was hard to imagine MJ being a parent, and he now is the father of two children who appear to be smart, healthy and happy. So let's give Froggy a chance because he will probably prove us all wrong and be a great daddy, won't he?
BABY UPDATE: There will be a Froggy Jr. as Froggy revealed officially on July 28, 2011 that he and his wife Kim are having a baby boy. Kim's expected due date is December 13, 2011.
Fester's disorder one of many odd ailments among crew
As most listeners know by now, Fester was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis, a rare autoimmune disorder that can affect all the muscles in the body. But Fester, who also suffered an odd health scare in 2010 when he collapsed while walking his Chihuahua, is not alone in being blindsided by a rare or odd ailment. Here are some other instances among the rest of the crew:
Froggy 1, who previously worked on the show before the current Froggy took his place and nickname, was diagnosed with acromegaly in 2010. This extremely rare disease is generally caused by tumors on the pituitary gland, which Froggy had. It caused his body and limbs to grow in size. He has had successful surgeries, but his prognosis is unknown at this point.
Froggy 2 has had his fair share of ailments and illnesses during his time on the show. He has had stomach ulcers, kidney stones, IBS troubles, nausea and other medical issues that usually plague people who are much older than he is.
Meredith had to have an emergency appendectomy in 2010 due to an inflamed appendix. She was away from the show for a week and continued to suffer from pain even after she returned. But she also chose to have surgery later in the year when she had a new chest installed.
Hurricane had complications from wisdom teeth surgery and was on pain medication for a while.
Dave the Dwarf has had health issues that go along with his dwarfism, including high blood pressure. But he has outlived the oldest dwarf with his condition by almost two years. Dave turns 47 in July 2011.
Mary the Bull-Dyke announced on the show that she had incurable breast cancer after also suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS) and other ailments.
Amazingly, MJ has had no major health issues during his 17-year run hosting the morning show. Aside from a minor case of acid reflux along with getting impaled in the arm by part of a tree while working in the yard, he is arguably the healthiest member of the show.
Thumbs up to Crystal the Intern!
There is something special about Crystal the Intern's voice. In radio terms, it "prints" well on the air. When she talks on-air, she always speaks clearly, sounds energetic and enthusiastic and simply has a great voice for radio. It's hard to say this about interns who are new. Good luck Crystal because I think you can make it in broadcasting if that is your ultimate goal!
We have a winner in the sixth annual MJ Morning Show Trivia Challenge! Congratulations to Chris Wojcik of Seattle, WA for answering all 15 questions correctly! Chris will receive a $50 Amazon.com gift certificate for winning.
Thanks to everyone for entering the contest and taking the challenge. All entrants did a great job, and it shows how much some listeners really pay attention to the morning show. There may be another contest later this year, so check back to the MJ Morning Show Fan Page for details and to stay up-to-date on the show.
Here are the correct answers to the questions:
1. In the motel room where MJ’s family was staying recently, what food item did the rats eat? Protein bar
2. What is the name of the British character Froggy plays in some of his crank calls? Billy Beebop
3. Did the Egg Test correctly predict that the Packers would win the Super Bowl this year (yes or no)? No
4. Which reality TV show did Snooki and Vicky the Interns try out for? "Big Brother"
5. Which intern did MJ criticize and make cry because she put gobs of Ranch dressing on her salad while trying to lose weight? Jordin
6. How much money did MJ blow out to listeners in March because of leftover funds in the morning show budget? $3,000
7. What did the fetish girl do to Froggy when she was in the studio? Kicked him in the crotch
8. What is the name of Fester’s wife? Allison
9. How old was Meredith’s female stalker who sent her e-mail death threats? 17
10. The name of Richard’s wife in Froggy’s crank calls was finally revealed. What is it? Judith
11. When Froggy saw someone get decapitated on a carnival ride, what song was playing on loudspeakers at the carnival? Bon Jovi’s “You Give Love A Bad Name”
12. What is the name of Froggy’s gay character in his crank calls? Alfonso (or Alfie)
13. Which member of the Spice Girls does MJ think Leah the Intern looks like? Scary Spice
14. What was the name of Meredith’s last boyfriend? Marcus (aka. Mucus)
15. Meredith joined the MJ Morning Show as its audio producer in what year? 2007
MJ Morning Show Blasts from the Past
Two former regulars on the show recently made appearances on the air:
Flunkie: His nickname says it all. He worked as the show's audio producer from January 2006 to March 2007 after his friend Joey B dragged him down from up north. He allegedly had a "tryst" in a Jacksonville hotel room with Meredith who, at the time, was the producer for the show at the Jacksonville station. His stint on the show ended abruptly after he demanded a raise from Doug Hamand, who denied his request and made him decide to quit. Flunkie said he is now the owner of a wedding DJ company outside Philadelphia.
Legally Blind Mike (aka. LBM): Mike is one of the many legally blind listeners to the show. He first called into the show about 10 years ago, and MJ decided to bring him in to the studio. He was involved in several bits, including ramming a car into a brick wall in the radio station parking lot, getting pepper-sprayed by Fester and putting his tongue on a battery in hopes that it would restore his sight. Mike said he isn't doing much these days - as usual - but is waiting on an important piece of information regarding future education opportunities. He did not provide many details, much to MJ's dismay.
Caller insults Meredith - TWICE
Prank callers rarely get through when MJ takes calls on various subjects. Even if they do, he will usually dump what they say and hang up on them as soon as he can hit the button with his finger. But one guy (or maybe two different guys) made it on recently. They insulted Meredith each time, talking about how ugly her face was. As MJ stated, they weaved in their insults quite well into the subject matter on which he was taking calls. Listen to call #1 and then listen to call #2. You be the judge on whether it's the same guy or different people.
Meredith hosts the showRecently, Meredith made it clear that she wasn't getting enough air time. So MJ and the rest of the crew fled the studio, leaving her alone to host the show with only some interns by her side. Listen to what she did in her morning show hosting debut.
Longer segments = fewer commercial breaks
From August 2010 until recently, the MJ Morning Show was split up into a ton of segments, commercial breaks and songs. If you turned on the show at the same time every morning, you might hear something different because of how varied the format was.
Starting March 21, the show took on a new format with longer segments of the crew talking and fewer commercial breaks - but now longer breaks. According to MJ, this makes the show a little more "listenable" so that when you turn on the radio, you're more likely to hear the show for a longer period of time than ithe show cutting to a song or commercial break right away.
All four hours of the show have been modified. They no longer play a song during the first segment of the show. Instead of two short segments from 7-7:30 AM ET, there is only one long segment. The same goes for the 8:30-9 AM ET block. This also means two songs are played back-to-back a little more frequently.
In the end, the show is probably about the same as it was before the changes. But longer segments are always a better thing for the listener, so at the very least they have more of those.
Fester caught talking during commercials
Fester recently took a page out of Joey B's book when he was heard talking during a commercial break. He and MJ were interviewing Jim, a member of the military stationed in Japan, about the recent earthquake there. Listen closely and you can hear Fester's voice bleed through the commercials. Also, if you forgot about it, here is what happened when Joey was caught doing the same thing a few years back. He was apparently having a conversation with MJ about ex-NFL QB Trent Dilfer.
Condolences to Fester and his family
The MJ Morning Show Fan Page would like to send its condolences to Fester and his family at this difficult time. His father Lawrence M. Siciliano passed away on Friday, February 25, 2011 at the too-young age of 69. He had liver failure and was denied getting a liver transplant just days earlier because of his poor condition and the fact that doctors did not know how long he could live after the surgery. Fester just lost his mom three years ago, so he was afraid of being an "orphan." That reality has unfortunately come true, so say a prayer for he and his family.
Former intern engaged to MLB pitcher
Jessica the Albanian Intern was working on the show for free just a few years ago. She answered phones. She got coffee for members of the crew. She got snacks out of the machine for MJ. Now Jessica is engaged to a Major League Baseball player.
During a late February visit to the morning show studio, Jessica revealed that she and Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Jeff Karstens are together and plan to get married someday. Karstens, a 28-year-old right-hander, had a 3-10 record with a 4.92 ERA last season. But his stats probably aren't a total reflection of his ability since he is a member of one of the worst teams in baseball. The Pirates finished 57-105 in 2010 and currently have the longest streak of losing seasons in the history of professional American sports. Their last winning season was in 1992 when Barry Bonds played there.
Jessica, an intern on the show from about 2006 to 2008, first met Jeff at The Venue, a bar and club in Clearwater. He was with some teammates and didn't want to hit on her at the time but found out who one of her friends was and pursued her that way. He also changed his flight to stay in town one night so he could meet her, and the two hit it off shortly thereafter.
Karstens was originally drafted by the New York Yankees in 2003 and pitched for the team in the big leagues in 2006 and 2007 before being traded to Pittsburgh in 2008. According to ESPN.com, he made $401,500 in 2009 and is likely making more than that amount now.
Who's next for Meredith?
We all know by now that Meredith is single after breaking up with her boyfriend Marcus (aka. Mucus). The two were together for over a year.
So now the burning question is, who is the next guy for Meredith? Will Robert finally get his chance? Is Hosni on the prowl? What about Bieber? Or did the "wink" to Sid that day mean something?
Can you believe it was 10 years ago this week when what we now know as the “MJ Morning Show” began? No, it wasn’t the beginning of the show itself. That happened 17 years ago on Feb. 7, 1994 when the MJ & BJ Morning Show kicked off on WFLZ-FM in Tampa. The current format of the show, however, started in February 2001. That is when BJ left the show and MJ became the primary host and face of it. Fester basically slid in to the sidekick chair sitting across from MJ, and the rest of the crew gained a little more microphone time as well.
Many listeners and radio experts wondered whether the show would succeed with only MJ as the main guy and no real official on-air partner like he had with BJ. A decade later, the crew has demonstrated that this type of show can work.
So who have we been introduced to as new crew members in the last 10 years? Here are some of the more prominent names:
- Froggy 2 (current Froggy)
- Hoover
- Joey B (second stint)
- Flunkie
- Meredith
- Ryan Seacrust
- Lunchbox
- Kristi the Apprentice
- Jabberjaw
- Tacoboy
- Tommy ChuckFor a complete list of everyone who has been on the show over the past 17 years, visit the show cast page.
Meredith is not "disengaged" from the show
Recently, MJ has commented that Meredith seems "disengaged" from the show. He doesn't think she is saying as much as she used to. He doesn't think she cares about the show as much. And he may not think she is putting as much effort into her job.
But here is the problem with that: many of her duties and responsibilities are behind-the-scenes. She always pipes in and says something if she has a point to make or wants to agree or disagree with someone else on the show. But she is also the audio producer and has plenty to keep her busy that most of the time is inaudible to the listening audience. She helps push the buttons and set up the commercial breaks, songs, segments and other aspects of the broadcast that generally go unnoticed unless you could watch a webcam of Meredith in the studio. Remember the old studio cam from years ago? That would prove my point.
So maybe Meredith can be a little quiet here and there. The only difference is it's nothing new. Her job requires other work that the primary players on the show - MJ, Fester and Froggy - don't have to do. She and Hurricane help keep the ship afloat when they are not talking on-air.
The year 2010 was defined by some unique and unexpected occurrences on the MJ Morning Show.
Health problems were a major issue for the crew this year. Froggy had a severe bout with stomach ulcers and had to have surgery to remove them. It was the fact that he had been popping Excedrin pills like crazy to help his migraines that caused the painful ulcers. Meredith had to have her appendix out in March after suffering from appendicitis. In addition, Fester hospitalized early in the year with atrial fibrillation. He was out walking his Chihuahua Bailey and collapsed in the street. Hurricane also had complications from wisdom teeth surgery and was also on pain medicine for a while. It seems as if MJ was the only one on the show to enjoy a healthy 2010.
In March, the show finally went live in St. Louis on Z1077 after 12 years of running on a one-hour delay. This allowed listeners to call in and participate in the show for the first time, and many St. Louis listeners did call in during phone segments. The show’s segments had been chopped up and MJ was cut off in mid-sentence many times before they went on live, so many St. Louis listeners were relieved about the change, although it bumped the show to an hour earlier from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. instead of 6 to 10.
Some of the morning show crew made some rare national TV appearances. In June, Fester appeared in numerous segments on The Weather Channel as part of a summer kickoff show in which he grilled up popular summer food items during a live four-hour block on a Saturday morning. The crew also got plenty of face time on the Discovery Channel show “Pitchmen.” Following the morning show’s “InventorQuest 2009” event back in November 2009, footage from the event was featured in episode 2 of the series’ second season with pitchman extraordinaire Anthony Sullivan and Billy Mays III. The episode ran on August 26 at 9 p.m. on Discovery and included numerous clips of MJ as well as shots of Fester and Meredith in the studio.
Also in August, MJ added several more songs to the show. He said Tommy Chuck and other radio experts had determined that listeners want to hear more music in the morning, so he reluctantly gave in to playing more hits from Katy Perry, Ke$ha, Mike Posner and Bruno Mars to complement the crew’s usual bits and discussion. Songs were added only to the first and fourth hours of the show, however.
There was also a fair amount of sad news to go around throughout the year. Longtime GM of Tampa radio stations Dave Reinhart passed away at the age of 67 on May 2. Also, Froggy 1 (who was replaced by the current Froggy) revealed that he had acromegaly – an extremely rare neurological disorder in which the limbs and head increase in size. Mary the Bull-Dyke said she had untreatable breast cancer and likely would not survive it. Finally, “Double-talkin’” Dan DiLoreto, the market president for MJ’s Tampa station and many others decided to hang it up and retire after over 40 years in the radio industry.
This year, the show concluded with 14 breast augmentations rather than the traditional baker’s dozen. That’s because in addition to “Holiday Hooters,” Meredith had a new rack installed after she lied to the crew and said she was going to a wedding in North Carolina. She was supposed to have a nose job instead. However, Clear Channel management stopped her from having the procedure due to possible workman’s comp issues.
The two annual traditions on the show – the Super Bowl Egg Test and the Eggnog Challenge – went 1-for-2. The Egg Test correctly predicted that the New Orleans Saints would win the Super Bowl, which they did over the Indianapolis Colts. But the Eggnog Challenge resulted in the same old result – a fail. Sid the Intern was cocky and thought he could finally do what Froggy and DilBrett never could, but after only downing less than half of the eggnog, he hurled all over the place.
With talk of MJ possibly giving up the morning show in 2011 to focus on his ever-growing afternoon Schnitt Show, this may be the final complete year in review of the MJ Morning Show. So cross your fingers and hope that maybe we’ll have at least one more year of our favorite show on the air.
We've reached 400,000 hits!
Thanks to everyone who has visited the MJ Morning Show Fan Page over the years. We have now surpassed a major hit count of over 400,000! I never expected this site to be checked out by that many people. It may not be nearly as content-rich as MJMorningShow.com, but I still try to provide some different stuff on here than what you will find elsewhere. As always, if you have suggestions for material or things you'd like to see on here, e-mail me by clicking on the "Contact" link above. Thanks again to all of the great visitors!
Did Froggy rip off "Crank Yankers?"A listener has accused Froggy of possibly stealing an idea from the Comedy Central show "Crank Yankers." Within the last month, Froggy made a call posing as Biscuit the bodyguard wanting to rent a room that was posted on Craigslist. He called the couple to inquire about the room and said he was with the Wu Tang Clan. He said he'd have about 23 members of the band coming in. The listener pointed out that in the third episode of Season 1 of "Crank Yankers," they made a prank call to a hotel posing as someone from the Wu Tang Clan needing to book 12 rooms.
There are a few similarities between the two calls. First, both Froggy and the "Crank Yankers" caller - Dave Chappelle - mention that they are with the a relatively obscure band, the Wu Tang Clan. They both say they have a bunch of people who need a place to stay. They both also asked if smoking was permitted in the locations they each were inquiring about.
Here is the "Crank Yankers" call to compare to Froggy's call:
Meredith gets her own "Holiday Hooters"
She didn't get the nose job because Clear Channel management nixed the plan due to potential liability issues. But she did get a boob job.
That's right - Meredith got her own pair of "Holiday Hooters" just in time for the most festive season of the year. While most people will be spending time with family and friends over the next month, Meredith will be spending time getting used to her new chest.
She finally revealed that she had the procedure done on Monday, Nov. 22 after Hurricane and Froggy dropped the potential bombshell on Friday morning. Hurricane had seen her with some implants in her purse that she was planning to try out to see how they felt on her body. Froggy noticed that her Facebook status said she was going without makeup on the day of her surgery - something she would never do but is required before going under the knife. She lied by telling the crew that she was going to a wedding for her boyfriend Marcus' friend in North Carolina. She left the show an hour early on Thursday morning and was headed to the operating room rather than the airport.
Dr. Adams, the show's official plastic surgeon for over 10 years, installed the new rack. She received silicon implants that are a full C/small D with about 450 cc's. The procedure was done under the muscle, which is apparently a better way to go for some women. Once the swelling goes down, she expects the new puppies to decrease slightly to about 425 cc's.
So if you were planning on entering "Holiday Hooters" but were still on the fence about it, maybe Meredith's decision will sway you to do so. Obviously there is no better guy to do it than Dr. Adams.
Holiday Hooters Jingles
Download some of the jingles for this year's "Holiday Hooters" contest! These are from Mark Maynor of Monster Mix Productions. I'd like to personally thank him for sharing these with me so that I can share them with you:
Booby King (Burger King commercial)
Bra Can't Handle Me (Can't Handle Me)
I'll Hike It (I Like It)
Show 'Em Off (Take it Off)
The Way You Lie (Eminem/Rihanna song)
Meredith's nose job a no-go
The long-awaited surgery had been anticipated for months on the MJ Morning Show. Meredith was going to have her big schnazz reconstructed so that it would look smaller on her otherwise attractive face. But Clear Channel management put the kibosh on the procedure.
The nose job, which was going to be done by professionals at the Premiere Center in Tampa, was scheduled for Monday, November 22. Meredith expected to have it done, take Thanksgiving week off and then come back to the show the following week with a brand new nose. Apparently upper management at the station recently got word of the surgery, which MJ had talked about since March or April, and they were concerned about liability issues. If something went wrong, they were afraid Meredith would file for workman's comp. and have a case against the radio station.
Meredith has said that she has wanted a nose job since she was a teenager. The crew frequently pokes fun of her because of it as well. At this point, she might have to do it on her personal time and not even talk about it on the show. Also, don't forget about the breast augmentation that she also wants. At just 25 years old, does Meredith really need plastic surgery?
MJ usually has complete control over the show with no issues every single morning. But on Oct. 19, he made a rare screw-up by not breaking from the MJ Radio Network properly and immediately going to local traffic and commercials. They had to stop it all and come back to MJ so he could go to break the correct way. Check out the audio to hear what happened.
Happy One-Year Anniversary of the MJ & BJ Reunion!One year ago on Oct. 22, 2009, MJ & BJ reunited in the studio for the first time in over eight years. During the two-day event (on Oct. 22 and 23) that was preceded by some major hype, BJ admitted that he had used cocaine while working on the morning show, and drug use ultimately forced him to quit the show and move away to Cincinnati. He now co-hosts a morning show on Alice 105.9 in Denver. The two hosted the show from 1994 to 2001, and it has been the MJ Morning Show ever since. Will we see another reunion like this? Could BJ potentially come back and be a part of the show like some thought at the time? Probably not. MJ has talked about giving up the show at the end of the year. If only he could hand it off to BJ.
Does Sid the Intern need a new nickname?
When Sid the Intern started his internship on the MJ Morning Show, MJ immediately nicknamed him "Sidphyllis" - a word play on his real name and the STD syphilis. Sid balked at the name and even brought up on the show how he was offended by the name because some of his friends and family gained the impression that he actually had syphilis, which is not true. But MJ said he could call the interns (and crew members) whatever he wants. Remember that Froggy and Fester had no choice in picking their names.
Maybe Sidphilis isn't the best nickname anyway for this kid. After revealing on the show that he had been fired from a coffee shop for sexual harrassment, there was a recent incident at the station where he allegedly went after Snooki the Intern when she needed to have her zipper adjusted. She asked Sid to do it and he did. But there was some discussion on the show about whether anything else went on besides a simple zip-up.
Based on his obvious desire to show his love to girls he works with, here are some possible nicknames that might fit Sid a little better than Sidphilis:
- Sid the Flirter
- Sid the Grabber
- Re-Sid-ivist
- Sid the Zipper-Upper-Feeler
(No offense Sid, you're awesome)
More music: Yay or nay?Starting the week of Sept. 20, we now get to hear more hit music played during the show, like songs by Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift and Jason Derulo. The new music has primarily been added to the first (6-7 AM ET) and fourth (9-10 AM ET) hours of the show. This means a little less content from the MJ Morning Show crew. But research has shown that radio listeners like to hear music over pure talk in the morning.
Vote in the pol below l to let us know what you think about this change or post a comment on the FORUM about it under the thread titled "Way More Songs?"
Kudos to the crew for raising over $100,000
The MJ Morning Show crew deserves some major kudos for what was perhaps the biggest charitable effort they have ever been involved with. On Friday, Sept. 17, MJ announced that the crew had raised exactly $102,364.17 for the Curtis/Kocab Memorial Fund. This was a fund created for the families of two fallen police officers who were killed in the line of duty on June 29 of this year. David Curtis and Jeffrey Kocab, both members of the Tampa Police Department, were shot to death during a routine traffic stop just after 2 a.m. that morning by 24-year-old Donte Morris.
The crew raised this incredible amount of money by selling memorial t-shirts for $10 to listeners and members of police departments around the country. They sold a total of 14,048 shirts. They sold them online at MJMorningShow.com. They sold them through New Balance shoe stores in the Tampa Bay area as well as at the Clear Channel Outdoor billboard complex in Clearwater. They did a live four-hour broadcast and sale on a Saturday over the summer in the radio station parking lot. They made an appearance at a Rays-Yankees game at Tropicana Field and had several stations throughout the stadium where they sold the shirts. In all, it was an amazing team effort to raise some much-needed finances for these two families whose hearts were broken when they lost their sons, husbands and fathers while serving the community. Congratulations to the MJ Morning Show and everyone else who took part in this endeavor.
UPDATE: The final amount donated to the fund by MJ and Tampa Police K-9 officer Jason Tkach was $109,684,17.
Episode Review: Pitchmen starring the crewThe second episode of this season's Pitchmen series titled "Heart Wrench" on Discovery Channel finally aired on Aug. 26. This was the show that starred the MJ Morning Show crew and covered their InventorQuest 2009 event from last November. I finally got a chance to sit down and watch it. Here is my take on the episode:
Memo to the crew: Acknowledge your days offDear MJ Morning Show crew:
This is something that has bugged me for a while now. The reason I'm bringing it up is because it happened again on Monday, Aug. 30.
In the last year or so, MJ and the crew have taken days off without acknowledging that they will be out. Listeners are then left hanging, not knowing whether the crew is on vacation, is out for personal business or because of some other reason. We all know the entire crew has other obligations in life. Things come up that have to be taken care of. It happens to all of us. And in all honesty, I really don't care what they are doing on these days off. It is none of my business to know, either, unless of course they talk about it on the show like they usually do after their long vacations.
But I do have one simple request to pass along to my favorite morning show crew: can you guys at least tell us when you are going to be gone and a best-of show (or music on Z1077) is going to air instead? For big fans of the show, it is very disappointing to wake up hearing bits from months ago. But at least that disappointment can be eased slightly if we as listeners can expect to hear repeats and know that they are coming. Surprise best-of shows are no fun, period. Thank you for your consideration.
Signed,
Greg Lindberg
Your #1 fan
It's official: Pitchmen episode to air Aug. 26
My apologies for posting several different dates on here about when the Pitchmen episode with the MJ Morning Show crew will air. A final date has been set: the episode will run on Thursday, August 26 at 9 p.m. Eastern on Discovery Channel (with repeats at midnight the same night and on Sept. 4 at 3 p.m. ET).
You might recall that last November, MJ and the crew held a giant pitch-a-thon called "InventorQuest" at the Ritz Carlton in Tampa. They worked with pitchman extraordinaire Anthony "Sully" Sullivan, who was the sidekick of the late great Billy Mays on their very own show on Discovery that premiered last summer. The network has already started airing season 2 of the show that takes viewers behind the scenes of inventing, pitching and marketing cool products on TV. The network shot a bunch of footage at the event and in the MJ Morning Show studio. The footage is scheduled to air during the second episode of the second season. The title of this episode is "Heart Wrench" because it includes footage of a 16-year-old boy who has had five heart surgeries and came up with a new wrench invention. The show will follow a new episode of Deadliest Catch - one of the highest-rated shows on cable. According to Sully, this is great news because this episode was supposed to run later in the season. He said there will also be footage from the morning show event featured in another episode.
So mark your calendar and set your TiVo for a rare national TV appearance by the morning show crew. Apparently MJ, Fester and Meredith (whom Sully allegedly dated) will get the most face time during the episode.
MJ plans to race the interns again
Remember "The Race" between MJ (age 42 at the time) and Unitard the Intern (age 20) from the summer of 2008? That is what the video above is of - and clearly you can see MJ beating Unitard by a mile in this special 66-yard dash in the radio station parking lot.
Now, MJ has been challenged by Stephanie and Vicky the Interns to another race. Will it actually happen? Let's hope so. We will see if MJ is still in tip-top shape like he was two years ago and if these girls can do better than Unitard did in representing their intern status on the show. Stay tuned for more details on what will hopefully be another fun race to watch. Fester suggested doing it at a school track so they have more room.
Fester's wife's feet will be in a commercial
Fester's wife Allison seems to be much less of a broadcasting personality than her husband. But believe it or not, she will star in an upcoming national TV commercial - although her face probably won't be visible in it. Instead it will be her feet that will appear in a spot for "Heel-Tastic" - a moisturizing roll-on balm that is supposed to help and prevent dry, cracked heels. According to Fester, the commercial will have a winter theme to it, and Allison and others will be walking through "snow" in order to demonstrate the product's effectiveness. He said to shoot the commercial, the production team had her stand in front of a white backdrop and then asked her questions about the product and how well it works. She really does use "Heel-Tastic" and loves the product because of her flakey feet, so it's not something she is doing for show. The commercial is supposed to hit the airwaves in the next few months. Anthony Sullivan is also involved in marketing the product.
Allison is not new to the TV business. Several years ago, she used to be a model on the Home Shopping Network based in St. Petersburg, Fla. where she showed off jewelry and other products on camera. If her skills at HSN are as good as the ones she has in this new foot commercial, it should be a hit.
Happy Birthday Dave the Dwarf!
On July 5, we'd like to wish Dave the Dwarf a very happy 46th birthday! According to Dave, he is now the oldest-living person with the kind of dwarfism that he was born with. Dave will be featured in a new bit called, "What will the dwarf do next?" The crew is going to film him doing various activities and post the videos on YouTube, hoping that they might become viral. Stay tuned for those.
If you missed it, check out Dave's appearance on Tyra Banks a few years ago here. He was with his girlfriend Jessica who he's apparently still dating today.
Froggy 1 and Mary -- we wish you the best
Two former members of the show are dealing with some pretty serious health issues right now. Froggy 1, who was part of the old MJ & BJ show from about 1994 to 2002, was diagnosed with acromegaly this year. It's a disease that causes enlargement of the body, specifically the arms, legs, feet and head. Froggy is scheduled to have brain surgery to help stop the effects of the disease on June 23 at Shands Medical Center in Gainesville, Fla. If all goes well, the changes to his body should stop and there is a chance his body will reduce in size and he will look normal again some day.
Mary the Bull-Dyke - a name she doesn't mind being called - was an intern on the show in 2002 and 2003. Mary did one of the funnier on-the-street bits when MJ sent her to various places of business and had her ask to be directed to the bathroom. A few times, she was directed to the men's room. Since leaving the show 7 years ago, Mary was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and now has Stage 3 breast cancer. She was recently on the show and said she has a long road of treatment ahead. She was also only given 5 years to live.
From everyone here at the MJ Fan Page, we'd like to wish both Froggy and Mary the best in their efforts to beat these diseases. And knowing both of their personalities, they will put up a good fight.
UPDATE: Froggy's brain surgery was successful. The surgeon was able to remove one of the two tumors he had that was close to his carotid artery (near his heart). He is supposed to have radiation treatment to help treat the other tumor that apparently is too difficult to remove with surgery.
Fester to be featured on The Weather Channel
Perhaps Fester's big break in TV is on the horizon. And ironically, it looks like one of the most unlikely of networks has come calling.
Howard, a segment producer for the popular weather network based in Atlanta, recently came across the website for Fester's "On the Grill" weekend radio show (www.onthegrillradio.com). His show airs in Tampa, Melbourne and on XM Satellite Radio. Howard wanted to have someone - preferrably a grillmaster like Fester has become - grilling up some tasty food out on a beach during the morning hours of Saturday, June 19. They will do periodic cut-ins throughout the morning from 8 a.m. to noon as part of a summer kickoff series on the network.
To add a little fun to the segments, Fester plans on having Dave the Dwarf make an appearance. He will also be using his gigantic 20-foot grill for the feature and joked with Howard about grilling up Jim Cantore, the wacky meteorologist who is willing to put himself in the middle of storms and risky situations.
So be sure to tune in or set your TiVo to record a few hours of The Weather Channel on the morning of June 19. Hopefully it will happen for sure and Fester will make it entertaining, just as he did during his last big TV appearance for "InventorQuest" last year.
We have a winner in the MJ Morning Show Trivia Challenge. For the third time in a row, it's Amber Tardino of Highland, Illinois. Congratulations Amber! You definitely know the show more than anyone else who has entered these contests.
I would also like to congratulate Kelly Pfadenhauer from St. Louis, MO for her great effort. She finished in second place and was only one question away from tying Amber after the tiebreaker questions. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest!
Here are the answers to the first round and tiebreaker questions:
ROUND 1 QUESTIONS:
1. What is the name of Dementia Don's gay grandson? Alphonso (or Alphie)
2. What heart condition was Fester specifically diagnosed with during his hospital stay earlier this year? Atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat)
3. What is Sid the Intern's nickname that he hates? Sidphilis
4. Who was the show's audio producer right before Meredith got the job? Ryan Seacrust
5. What did DilBrett the Intern recently have surgery to correct? Deviated septum
6. What did BJ admit to doing when he came back for the MJ & BJ reunion shows? Cocaine
7. What song did Dave the Dwarf sing to a woman as a surprise on her birthday? “You Are My Sunshine”
8. A friend of the show was recently diagnosed with a 1-in-10 million disease called what? Acromegaly
9. In Froggy’s crank calls, where did the Stoner Guy work? A record store
10. What is the name of Dave the Dwarf’s girlfriend with whom he appeared on the “Tyra Banks” show in 2008? Jessica
11. In which month of this year did the show go live in St. Louis on Z1077? March
12. What is the name of the song that Laura, an MJ Morning Show listener, sung and had a video produced for last year? “Villains”
13. Froggy chose not to do the Eggnog Challenge in 2009. Who did it instead? DilBrett the Intern
14. Whenever MJ asks questions to crew members
or callers, he plays the theme music from which
1970s game show? “Match Game”
15. What is Snooki the Intern’s real first name? Sarah
TIEBREAKER QUESTIONS:
1. DilBrett brought two items to Froggy’s house when he was sick. What were they? Coffee and donuts
2. How many total eligible entries were there in Fester’s Big Ass Contest? 28
3. What nickname did Sid the Intern recommend he be called instead of Sidphilis? The Siduation
4. What instrument has MJ played on and off in recent years? The violin
5. Which state was Meredith born in? New Jersey
6. What nickname did MJ recently give to Dana the Engineer? Sherman Klump (from The Nutty Professor)
Froggy hospitalized again - this time with ulcers
The Froggy health saga rolls on. The guy has become notorious for having health issues, and at 30 years old, he must be a little concerned about his overall health prognosis.
Froggy missed the show on Friday, May 21 after texting Fester and Hurricane early in the morning to say that he would not be coming in because he was sick. MJ was a little suspicious about whether Froggy was really sick or was out fishing with Big Lou, so he sent DilBrett the Intern to his house that morning with coffee and donuts. Kim answered the door and told him to leave, which made MJ's suspicions even greater. But when DilBrett went back to the door for a second time, Froggy yelled at him and dropped the f-bomb, which MJ had to dump on the air because it was audible over the phone. It became clear at this point that he was home and probably sick.
Later in the day on Friday, Froggy started vomiting blood. He was taken to the hospital and was admitted to the ICU with two stomach ulcers, one of which was bleeding. Apparently he has been popping Excedrin - up to 6 pills a day for the past 20 years of his life - because of his severe migraines. But the medication has had an adverse effect on his stomach and is likely what has caused the ulcers, although his wife Kim thinks stress from the morning show has played a role as well. He spent two days in the hospital and was released on Sunday.
To add insult to injury, Meredith said on the show Monday that Kim had picked "a real winner" for a husband because of how many ailments Froggy has suffered from since they've been married. Kim said she had "no comment" on the remark when MJ asked her about it later. MJ also called Froggy while he was sick and left a voicemail asking whether he would have a crank call for Monday morning's show. Both Froggy and Kim were not happy about the joke.
UPDATE: Froggy returned to the show on Wednesday morning. He said while suffering the ulcers, he named one of them Mark (the bleeding one) and the other one Paul.
An Odd Newscast with Martin Giles
Martin Giles, who has been in broadcasting for decades, is the local news guy on 93.3 FLZ. He provides updates throughout the show during local breaks. In a recent newscast, MJ asked him to say "douchebag" during a moron story, but he refused. Martin then asked whether Mucus (aka. Marcus, Meredith's boyfriend) is a real person after they mentioned that he sent Meredith a fruit basket during the show. Listen to the clip of the awkward and odd exchange.
Dave Reinhart, longtime WFLZ GM, dies
Longtime listeners to the show probably have distinct memories of Dave Reinhart, the general manager of 93.3 FLZ in Tampa for 14 years until he retired in 2004 and Tacoboy took over. MJ & BJ (and later just MJ) would frequently call and harass Dave about everything from bits that they wanted to pull off to just wanting to get a rise out of him. Dave also put the kibosh on several stunts that MJ wanted to do on the show but that Dave did not approve of.
Sadly, Dave passed away on May 2, 2010 at the age of 67 following a long battle with a neurological disease. He is survived by his wife Joanie and children.
Check out this audio clip on YouTube of when Jason the Buffoon Boy took a lawn mower into Dave's office and started mowing everything in sight. You won't believe Dave's reaction when you hear it at the end:
Where in the world is Ryan Seacrust?
Former audio producer Ryan Seacrust abruptly left the show on the morning of Nov. 2, 2007. He originally replaced Flunkie (whose demand for more money fell on deaf ears) and Meredith eventually got Seacrust's job. A big thanks to Ryan for taking some time to answer a few questions about what his job on the show was like, why he left and what he's up to these days:
Why did you leave the MJ Morning Show so abruptly after only working on it for a few months?
“I left the show because, simply put, it wasn't for me. I knew the position wasn't the best fit for me from the get-go, but I wanted to further my career and be in Florida. The experience was one I will NEVER forget. It taught me a lot. How to and not to treat people, how politics can run a show regardless of what the right thing to do was, that you should get your job description and anything promised on paper because after that there's no pressure for anyone to do anything they said they would, and mostly your damned if you do and damned if you don't. On top of that, the stress over things that were so minute did not correlate to stress on the important things.”
Do you regret the way in which you left the show?“I definitely don't regret how I left. It could have been handled differently, a little more professionally, but in retrospect anytime I was asked why I left the show [for a job interview - especially in radio], people completely understood.”
Is there anyone from the show or 93.3 FLZ that you want to thank?“I thank my very good friends Ratboy and Staypuff (93.3 night jocks) for helping me get the job, Tommy Chuck and the entire management staff including MJ for hiring me. Don't get me wrong, I give MJ props for creating the brand he has, it just wasn't the right brand for me.”
What kinds of jobs have you had since leaving in the show?“I’ve worked in marketing for PlayStation, Geico, Energizer and T-Mobile. I also worked for a beach bar in Tampa. I made a lot of good connections there as a manager and then stepped down to bartend. After that I scored a contracted gig working for Vitamin Water as a Team Leader for their marketing team on the west coast. I made a lot of good Friends and did a lot of great networking.”
Now most importantly, I am back in radio in L.A. at 97.1 AMP Radio. It's not a full time gig but I usually have 40+ hour weeks and get to do everything I love to do and work in an awesome environment. From voicing commercials, to writing blogs, to editing videos, to jumping on air, everything I love. You can check out my work at http://www.facebook.com/l/8592b;amp.radio.com/2010/01/11/amp-tourage-ryan/ I'm also writing stand-up and working as a freelance host and editor.”
MJ Morning Show Bio Blast: Meredith
Age: 25
Hometown: St. Augustine, FL
College: University of North Florida (yes, she actually graduated)
Joined the show: November 19, 2007 (produced it in Jacksonville before that)
Position on the show: Audio producer/executive producer
Known for: Being "Mereditz," dating lots of guys, getting excited about everything ("Woohoo!"), having a fling with Flunkie, slow at finding sound effects, having a low tolerance for pain
Notable bit(s): Name That Tune or Get Shot with a Pellet Gun
Notable audio clip: Meredith screams
Dana the Intern in Low Sex Drive Commercial
Listen to a commercial in which Dana the Intern does a voice-over for a company doing a research study for women with low sex drives. Her voice is the third female voice in the commercial, and she says, "I don't have the same sexual desire I used to." Do you think she really has a low sex drive or is just doing the voice-over for this commercial? Based on some of her stories on the show, she's probably doing just fine in that department!
The Health Watch continues with Froggy and Hurricane
It's time for another MJ Morning Show Health Watch - this time wtih the always-lovable and funny Froggy and with the technical genius behind the show, Hurricane! We've heard about Fester and Meredith having health scares in 2010, so why not add two more crew members to the disabled list?
Recently while kayaking with his wife Kim, Froggy started to experience severe pain in his lower back. He compared it to kidney stone pain, which is obviously pretty intense. He then heard a little snap in his back, he started to experience tunnel vision and before he knew it, he could hardly catch his breath. He then started vomitting - probably the same way it sounds in the sound effect they play on the show.
His wife asked him why he was "puking while kayaking," as if she thought it was just weird and that he did not have any major medical issues going on. They finally got back to the shore, which took 15 minutes. They went home and she had to carry her helpless husband into the house. Froggy then laid down on the bed and felt like he was paralyzed. On their three-year anniversary. He got up to go to the bathroom. His wife called 911 and the ambulance pick him up and took him to the hospital where they gave him some shots in his butt. They diagnosed him with a pinched nerve in his lower back. They gave him Vicodin to take for pain - the same drug Rush Limbaugh was hooked on a few years ago. Let's hope it doesn't affect all guys in radio the same way.
Hurricane has also had complications from wisdom teeth surgery. He recently said on the show that he will also have to take pain medication because one of his teeth got wedged into his sinus cavity, and the surgery to remove it wasn't totally successful.
That means that MJ is the healthiest guy on the show. He better maintain his health because he did agree to run in the New York City Marathon later this year since pitchman Anthony Sullivan helped pay for the show's "Breast Christmas Ever" contest last year. If MJ gets hurt or has any kind of medical issues, his chances of running in that race could be greatly hindered.
Meredith hospitalized Monday with appendicitis
Just weeks after Fester's stay in the hospital following a severe illness and heart trouble, another member of the show is in the hospital. Meredith was taken to the emergency room on Monday morning (March 8). She was experiencing severe abdominal pain at about 5:15 a.m. Monday, so she drove herself home. Her current boyfriend Marcus (whom MJ calls Mucus) then came to her place and took her to the ER. They had her on the show throughout the morning getting updates on her status. She was given Demerol and several other painkillers. After a CT scan and a slew of other tests, doctors determined that she had appendicitis and would need to have her appendix removed.
On Monday afternoon, she had a laparoscopic appendectomy to remove her inflamed appendix, which took only about 45 minutes. MJ went to see her at the hospital on Monday night. According to Meredith, she could be off the show for a few weeks while she recovers. MJ was hoping she could come back within a few days. The crew will be on vacation the week of March 15, so if she heals up fairly quickly, she should be back to work at some point the following week when the crew is back live.
MJ walks off show after crew's unpreparedness
On Thursday morning, MJ opened the first segment of the 7 a.m. hour planning to talk about Chat Roulette - the latest fad on the Internet where people can view webcams of others around the world. He wanted to hook it up live on the air, which the crew had done a few times before, to demonstrate what it was like for listeners who hadn't heard about it. When MJ asked Hurricane why the crew did not have a webcam ready to go for the segment, Hurricane replied that MJ should take it up with Tommy Chuck, the program director. MJ then said, "You know what guys? Do the damn segment yourself." Meredith and Froggy then stumbled to play a song, which was "I'm A Be" by the Black Eyed Eyes. They went to a commercial break after the song and then came back with a best-of segment. Shortly into the segment, MJ cut back in live. He argued with Fester and the rest of the crew about how unprepared they were for the bit he wanted to do. He then took calls from listeners about what happened. Some supported him while others felt his actions of walking off the show were unprofessional.
Click here to listen to what happened (note: file is 42 MB)Click here to hear the last time MJ walked off the show. It was in July 2007 after management cancelled his big plans to give away copies of the new Harry Potter book in the radio station parking lot.
A Classic MJ vs. Fester Argument
Arguing isn't always funny. But when a fat guy like Fester screws stuff up and MJ calls him out on it, you've got to admit that it can be entertaining to hear. Listen to a recent argument between MJ and Fester that came about when Fester was unprepared to play the Super Bowl commercials on the show.
The Egg Test Was Right!
Once again, the MJ Morning Show's Super Bowl
Egg Test predicted the winner of the big game. The
test said that the Saints would win (since their egg did
not explode first), and they did win, 31-17 over the Indianapolis
Colts!
Froggy's '02 Altima engine dies on bridge
Froggy has always been known as a slow driver. Even though MJ says he is sometimes a "reckless" member of the morning show, he has an odd way about him when it comes to driving that is probably more like Dementia Don would drive than a 30-year-old guy. But this had nothing to do with why the engine died in his 2002 Nissan Altima. A few days ago, he was on his way to an auto repair shop to have the car checked out after it kept making a loud rumbling noise every time he gave it gas. Since he can't read maps, Froggy followed Fester to the place from the radio station. As Fester kept driving, he noticed that Froggy was getting further and further behind him. Eventually he lost sight of Froggy's car. So he called him up and found out that Froggy's engine had died while he was going over a bridge. He came running to Fester, who was about 200 yards away, and was crying like a baby. After only 112,000 miles, the car is now a total loss and he'll have to buy a new one, which he doesn't want to do because he hates dealing with car salesmen. MJ agreed to help him out and find him a car so won't have to deal with the hassle of getting one himself.
Fester hospitalized after fainting while walking dog
Fester has never been known for his great agility or physical prowess. But his clumsiness did not have much to do with a fall he suffered on Monday afternoon while walking his chihuahua Bailey outside. Earlier in the day, he got up extra early for work but felt light-headed and passed out right outside his bedroom. He drank fluids, ate something and felt well enough to go into work. But while on his way to the radio station, he had an "accident" in his pants and decided to turn around. MJ called him and he said he was feeling better, but after checking in with him later in the show, he said he was started to feel queezy and sick to his stomach again. Later in the day, he collapsed twice and hit his head on the pavement in front of his house. Initially he thought he had only cut up his knees, but his wife Alison noticed blood coming out of his head.
He was taken to the hospital and spent time in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). He was being treated for the injuries suffered to his head, but on a more serious note, doctors discovered that Fester had atrial fibrillation - an irregular heartbeat. This is most likely what caused him to black out. three times. But doctors seemed to link his heart issue to the fact that he had a stomach virus, which was hampering his immune system and made his body and heart weaker. The good news is that it is a very common condition people experience and recover from in a short amount of time.
Just like the past 15 years, the year 2009 on the MJ Morning Show had its ups and downs, its good times and its bad times. Even some surprises were thrown in along the way. But overall, it was another pretty enjoyable year of “crapcasting” (as MJ would say).
The year started off with a downer when, on January 20, Joey B was one of 1,850 employees laid off by Clear Channel. It marked the first time the show would be without a full-fledged executive producer. Guys like Hoover, Derek and P-Boy held the position before Joey, but at this point we can’t really add any new names to the list since Joey’s old duties are now split up among the entire crew. Fortunately for Joey, he landed on his feet and is back working at Wired 96.5, a station in Philadelphia.
The show was involved in a few big news stories as well that made national headlines. MJ had two interviews with celebrities he wasn’t too fond of interviewing but thought they’d be popular among the listeners. First, over the summer, Miley Cyrus hung up on MJ when he asked her a simple question about whether comedian Jamie Foxx had apologized to her directly for comments he made about her on his satellite radio show. Just a few months later, MJ interviewed Taylor Swift whose handlers shut down the interview after MJ prodded her about the whole Kanye West incident at the MTV Video Music Awards. Finally, the crew got entangled in a story about Jon Gosselin. Fester apparently put in a request to have the former “Jon and Kate Plus 8” star on the show, and he allegedly asked to be paid over $12,000 for the appearance, which he later denied.
Starting in the fall, MJ began playing more music on the show. This was a result of the show getting chopped up on its syndicated broadcast on Z1077 in St. Louis. Many listeners resented the music, and eventually MJ started playing less and less of it, dropping numerous hints to management on the air that he was not thrilled about losing quality broadcasting time on his show just to fill with songs.
For the first time in over eight years, BJ was back in the studio with his old sidekick as the MJ & BJ Morning Show returned on Oct. 22 and 23 for two special reunion shows. BJ made some major revelations about how he was addicted to cocaine while working on the show, which ultimately split up the successful morning duo in early 2001. He has co-hosted his own morning show for several years on a station in Denver. MJ alluded to the fact that this might not have been the final time the two would be together on the air.
The first annual InventorQuest took place on the show in November. Pitchman extraordinaire Anthony “Sully” Sullivan and his Discovery Channel crew came to Tampa for this event in which listeners and inventors from all over the country pitched their products to the crew, and the best products were selected for an on-air pitch-a-thon. Sully selected several products that he plans to eventually pitch on TV. Footage from the entire event is expected to air during the second season of “Pitchmen” next year.
The year ended with a busy show on December 18. DilBrett the Intern took over for Froggy in the annual Eggnog Challenge, which was uneventful as he gave up midway through the challenge and didn’t even puke on the air. (This is usually the best part of it anyway.) But the main event that day was the fiery blaze in the radio station parking lot. The van the crew used for the turkey fryer fire caught on fire prematurely, and the fire department had to be called to put it out, making Fester’s future with the show uncertain due to his contract being up, his primary involvement with the stunt and a subsequent investigation by state officials.
Because we don’t know whether Fester will return in 2010, the show could be different next year. Losing both Joey and Fester would have major implications on how well the show succeeds. Unless Clear Channel hires someone else to join the show – an unlikely scenario with all the recent layoffs – we could be listening to just a few voices on the show in the new year.
For the show's first-ever Zhu Zhu Pet giveaway for the holidays, MJ used several keywords to give out the popular toys to eager listeners on the air. Listeners had to text these keywords to the crew (97720 is the number) in order to win a Zhu Zhu Pet. The crew gave away about 100 of them to listeners and a few dozen to children at Shriners Hospital and All Children’s Hospital in the Tampa Bay area.
Here are the words they used for the giveaways:- Crotch pizza
- Fart filet
- Mullett
- Poop finger
- Mung
- Yule log
- Nutcracker
- Fungus face
- Nub
- Armpit
- Zit
- Meat
- Vodka
- Ho-ho-ho
The Turkey Fryer Fire Fiasco Recap
All Fester wanted was a fire. Not a big fire, but something significant enough to be somewhat entertaining and also easy enough to manually put out with fire extinguishers. He got a fire all right, but it was too much to handle.
On the morning of Friday, Dec. 18, Fester tried his hand again at the second attempt of the year to start a turkey fryer fire. The first one, which was done right before Thanksgiving, resulted in a mere fizzle – the same result he achieved in 2006. Only the 2008 attempt was successful, and Fester wanted to make it work on the last live broadcast of the show for 2009.
The crew got an old van from Henry Gonzalez Plumbing and equipped it with living room furniture, including a couch and an inflatable snowman. They did this to help demonstrate how some people are now living out of their cars due to foreclosures on their houses, and in turn, some people might be tempted to fry a turkey in their cars more now than in a better economy. They also had sponsorships from Stepps Towing and Beef ‘O’ Brady’s for the second rendition of the event.
While Fester was preparing for the demonstration, the van caught on fire and was burning for several minutes before the turkey was even dropped into the fryer in the van. MJ noted this on the air and then took a break and went outside to see it. They came back from the break and were broadcasting live from the radio station parking lot when they finally decided to lower the 12-pound turkey into the fryer using a 30-ton crane. But it didn’t seem to cause much of a fire than what had already been burning. Fester suggested that they call 911, but MJ insisted on using the 10 fire extinguishers they had on site to put out the burning van. None of the main crew members wanted to call themselves, so they chose either Tommy Chuck or an intern to make the call. It was finally Dana the Intern who called 911 around 8:20 a.m. ET and the fire department arrived just a few minutes later. MJ obviously did not want to get firefighters involved so as not to bother them with the stunt, but there was no way they could extinguish the growing fire themselves.
When they arrived on the scene, MJ and Fester tried talking to the firefighters on the air while they were working. They had no interest in talking to the crew. Once they all cleaned up most of the mess and got back into the studio, Tommy Chuck came in and stated that Fester was to be “removed” from the show. He did not indicate if he was being suspended or fired, however. Fester was gone for the rest of the show. They texted him some questions and all he could text back was that he had been “relieved” of his duties.
After the stunt, which was streamed online via Ustream, MJ did acknowledge on the air that an ambulance was in the parking lot, in addition to the fire trucks. He wasn’t sure why it was there, though. Local news reports indicated that a firefighter and a radio station employee had been injured, but they later retracted some of this and reported that only a firefighter had hurt his back while handling a fire hose. He apparently slipped on the ground since it was raining that morning.
At the end of the show around 10 a.m., MJ said, “We’ll maybe see you here after the first of the year. We’ll see what happens.” The crew (with or without Fester) is expected to be back live on Monday, January 4, 2010. But apparently the Florida State Attorney’s Office is investigating the incident, so who knows what will happen. We probably won’t hear any more about this until they get back from their two-week vacation.
NEWS COVERAGE OF THE STUNT AND AFTERMATH:
WFLZ turkey-fryer stunt injures firefighter (Tampa Tribune)
State fire marshal, state attorney look at WFLZ-FM radio stunt gone bad (St. Petersburg Times)
Firefighter injured during radio stunt (WTVT-Fox 13 Tampa)
Robert van Mierlo is a 39-year-old MJ Morning Show listener from St. Louis. The longtime fan of the show has recently showered Meredith with gifts and has expressed a deep desire to go on a date with her. In this MJ Fan Page interview, Robert explains why he is in love with Meredith and what his motive is for buying her gifts:
When did you start listening to the MJ Morning Show?
Since the MJ & BJ days, I’ve been living in St. Louis since the age of two and when they became part of my life, I was loyal from the get go.
Why do you like the show?
I love the show because it's not only the funniest show on FM radio but I can relate to Froggy. We have a lot of interests in common such as being “Back to the Future” fans. Besides that he has the same personality as I do once you get to know me. I have made Froggy my go-gay guy if I was gay, which I'm not.
Have you been attracted to any other past females or interns on the show? If so, who?
Only Dana the Intern and not because of her large tic-tacs. She seems to like older men like Meredith, which gives me the edge. We are good friends and talk off and on via Facebook and phone when she is not interning during the show.
Why do you like Meredith so much?
I like Meredith because, like I told them live on the air, she is wonderful, she is incredible and deserves the utmost respect from any guy she dates. She is charming and a true sports fan, which I like in a lady. She is brilliant though the show makes her look dumb. If any guy treats her like dirt and is a cheap-ass in front of her mother, they deserve small wieners! With that said, she is the type of lady I like and would be in Heaven if I got the chance to date her.
What has your dating history been like?
The last long-term relationship I had was three years ago with a girl named Ashley. She just wanted me for my money and never wanted to be seen with me in a public place. So I dumped her within the first month of our relationship. Since then I’ve been single and dateless. Perhaps it’s because my looks and I don't like competition as well but would give it a try if I had to. If a guy had a six-pack and walked into the room with Meredith and I if we were dating, would I get jealous? Not at all. But I know Meredith would pick the guy with the six-pack over me. I do consider myself handsome though. I have told Meredith she could date any guy she wants – we don't have to be serious. Just being part of her dating cycle would be a dream come true for me.
What would it mean to you if you could date Meredith?
If I could date Meredith I would be the happiest and luckiest guy on Earth. Though I am already the happiest and luckiest guy on Earth, this would put the adorable in my life.
What are all the items you have sent her, and how much total money have you spent on her?
I bought her three necklaces and the last item was a $1,000 1-ct diamond ring, which was an engagement ring. But since she is hanging out with Sully in Mexico and who knows where else, I need to show her I am interested in dating her. She wouldn't know anything about me if I didn't make a chance to show her who I am since I live in St. Louis and Sully is in Florida. I have no problems, like I said earlier, Meredith can date anyone she wants, I just want to be in her dating cycle like I said. I have no chance if Sully ignites her flame though which in some ways seems to have already become a reality. Since Meredith seems to like older men as well, I would love to show her to my St. Louis Blues hockey games and all!
What else could you be buying with this money?
I have everything I need and if I want something I would buy it myself. At least Meredith knows if I ever met her mother during dinner on an important date that I WOULD be capable of paying for the bill.
What would you say to people who call you a “stalker?”
Don't judge a guy you know nothing about. I never put a label on someone I don't know. That said, I labeled Hurricane one time but took it back and was sorry I ever did that. It was over the fact that MJ kept saying Hurricane was whining about his salary and his job. Now Hurricane and I are great friends as well. We talk via e-mail here and there and I would buy him a Bentley. Meredith and I talk via Facebook and e-mail but not the phone yet. I'm not counting on the air. I would treasure those days if they ever come true.
NEW BREAST CHRISTMAS EVER JINGLES
Check out these new jingles for this winter's version of Breast Christmas Ever. These include parodies of today's most popular songs. Thanks to Mark Maynor of Monster Mix Productions in St. Petersburg, Fla. for letting me share these:
To listen to jingles from previous contests on the show, check out the Jingles and Songs page where you can also hear some old rap songs from Jabberjaw and Kristi the Apprentice during their rap duel.
Listen to this promo where MJ promotes the iHeart Radio application but then pokes fun at Meredith at the end. Wow, she actually does think it's easy to use! Who would have thought?
To promote the recent Pitchmen event, Fester appeared live on "Good Day Tampa Bay," a morning news show that airs on Fox 13, the local Tampa affiliate. Listen to Fester's appearance or visit this site to watch the video. Note the two times he says things you probably shouldn't say on broadcast TV.
Get ready to pitch your product on the show!
They've been talking about it for a long time. And now it will finally happen.
The MJ Morning Show will host a pitch-a-thon event on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at the Ritz in Ybor City, Fla. Pitchmen star Anthony Sullivan - the former pitchman partner of the late Billy Mays - will be on-hand for the inaugural event of its kind. Along with help from Sully's crew and members of the morning show, every person who attends will have a chance to pitch their product in 90 seconds. About 20 to 30 finalists from this event will be selected to appear in the studio with MJ and Sully on the morning of Friday, Nov. 6. During this time, they will come up with one or two people who will probably appear in an episode of the Discovery Channel show with their invention.
Because the show has so much appeal to eager inventors looking for a venue to pitch their products, MJ expects listeners and even people who don't listen to the show from all over the country to fly in to be at this special event. With one-on-one access to Sully and the TV crew, it should make for an interesting "Invention Convention."
Cocaine addiction led to split of MJ & BJ
We now know why the popular morning radio duo of MJ Kelli and BJ Harris were last together on Feb. 7, 2001. It was BJ's cocaine addiction that broke up the successful show.
On Oct. 22, BJ made his first visit to the studio he once worked in after almost nine years. He was even late getting there after his flight from Denver was delayed and he missed his connection in Atlanta to get to Tampa. MJ paid $1,735.09 for a limo to bring BJ and his girlfriend, Lisa, from Atlanta to Tampa (about 600 miles) overnight. BJ stepped up to a microphone in the studio at around 7:55 a.m. Eastern Time, finally sharing his voice on the air with MJ once again. In the following segment of the show, it did not take him long to reveal his major cocaine problem that flourished in the late 1990s. The two started the morning show in 1994, but BJ said the addiction was probably at its worst by late 1999 and early 2000.
He went on to discuss how MJ and management at the radio station did everything in their power to help him overcome the addiction. Both MJ and Dave Reinhart, former executive at Clear Channel-Tampa, even took BJ to the rehab center by themselves, sat in the waiting room, and waited for him to emerge as a new man. The rehab helped some but he quickly relapsed and hit another low point by late 2000. At that point, management at the radio station agreed that BJ would no longer be able to work because paying him to be an employee only fed his drug problem. On the morning of Feb. 7, 2001, BJ got up in the last hour of the show and quit. He was later given job opportunities in Chicago and Cincinnati and finally settled down at KALC-FM in Denver around 2005. That is where he now co-hosts a morning show with crew members Erica and Howie. But it is not a Clear Channel station.
BJ will be on the air again Friday morning for a more traditional show. MJ joked that maybe BJ would take over for him so he could focus entirely on his afternoon Schnitt Show, so maybe we'll hear more about that possibility as time goes on. Or at least we might hear more about some of the old characters on the show show and why the team worked so well together.
The MJ & BJ Show is back...at least for a few days
Longtime listeners of the show remember the MJ & BJ Morning Show fondly. From 1994 to 2001, the radio duo became one of the most-listened-to morning shows in the Tampa Bay area and made national headlines for stunts like the "MJ BJ OJ" billboards and the time they streaked butt-naked in downtown Tampa after the Buccaneers won their first five games in 1997.
In 1998, when Z1077 started syndicating the show, St. Louis listeners were finally exposed to the crazy antics, and the audience in that market caught on quickly.
But when 2001 rolled around, the popular duo split up. BJ left to work in another market, and the program simply became the MJ Morning Show. Many listeners wondered why the two successful hosts broke up a show that had worked so well for years. The main reason for the split that was reported in newspapers at the time was that BJ had been overworked. At one point, he was operations manager of 93.3 FLZ and a co-host on its morning show. He decided to leave the show and focus on a managerial position in radio. He left the Tampa market, spent time in Cincinnati and eventually landed at a station in Denver, where he has been back on the air for a few years as a morning co-host on Alice 105.9 FM.
MJ has rarely discussed why the two went their separate ways. But in his "major announcement" on Monday, Oct. 5, he and BJ both agreed that they will lay everything out for the listeners. BJ will be in the studio on the mornings of Oct. 22 and 23 to talk about what happened and just to enjoy a little MJ & BJ reunion. It should be interesting to hear the two back in action once again and find out what exactly went down during the show's first seven years and what caused the breakup. Plus newer listeners to the show (after 2001) will get to hear MJ & BJ for the first time together on the radio.
The MJ & BJ Morning Show crew in 2000
Left to right - Froggy #1, Fester, MJ, BJ, Dave the Dwarf, Joey B, Hurricane
MJ is now spinning the hits on the show
For years, the MJ Morning Show crew has prided itself on not playing any music, or maybe one song in the first hour of the show to give MJ extra time to map out the show for that morning.
But it appears those days are over - at least for now.
A few years ago, MJ said radio listeners wanted to hear more content. They did not want to hear one song after the next during their drive to work. They wanted to hear personalities talking about current events and doing entertaining bits. Apparently times have changed since then.
According to a new electronic ratings system from Arbitron (called the People Meter), radio listeners now want to hear more music and less talk in the morning. Management at 102.7 KIIS-FM in Los Angeles even told morning show host Ryan Seacrest to stop talking so much and to play a little more music. He balked at the idea but apparently has taken their suggestions to heart.
So MJ decided to give it a whirl with his show. He now plays one or two songs every hour, But the commercial breaks are slightly shorter than they used to be. Before the change, the show consisted of nine total segments, some of which were upwards of 30 minutes long. Now the show is divided into 12 shorter segments with about three commercial breaks an hour and two songs an hour. The songs are current Top 40 hits from artists like Pitbull and Kings of Leon.
Back in the early days of the show and up until about 2000, the MJ & BJ Morning Show played plenty of music every morning. They would routinely play a few songs back-to-back in each hour of the show. Sometimes you'd have to wait 10 or 15 minutes to finally hear the crew back on the air. Once they came back, they would fill the segments with top-notch entertaining talk that really made the show compelling. Maybe MJ will have to restructur some things to give the audience prime-time content throughout the whole show when music and commercials are not running. That is the best way to keep listeners who aren't particularly interested in the music he now plays.
The Taylor Swift Debacle: What's the big deal?
Some may say this website puts MJ on a pedestal. But don't most fan pages of any person or thing do that? I thought so.
Either way, I have to side with MJ on the whole Taylor Swift interview gone bad. Or maybe I should say I have to side with his actions during the interview. There is no reason Taylor should have expected anything else when it came to the radio interviews she did on the Friday following the Kanye West incident five days earlier. If she only wanted to give The View her first and only interview on the situation, why did she even agree to do a radio tour? She had to know - or at least made aware - that people wanted to hear more from her about what happened. And the one of the ways to accomplish that was for her to go on radio stations around the country to talk about it.
Maybe the reason people are upset with MJ is because they thought Taylor should have been coddled following the nightmare she had to endure at the MTV Video Music Awards. Showing more compassion for her might have been the appropriate thing to do. But as a celebrity or anyone in the public eye, you have to be able to answer the tough questions. Other celebrities do it. Athletes do it. It takes time to learn the ropes, and maybe Taylor is just naive at 19 years old. Hopefully she will learn how to handle hardball interviews better as she matures, even though MJ's was hardly that. A simple "no comment" to any of his questions could have sufficed.
Finally, what was the big deal with Taylor walking away from the phone? This interview was one of a dozen on that one day, and it is amazing how much press it got. The interview probably would have gotten even more press had she answered the questions she was asked. And it would have made for good publicity for both sides instead of the way it's been portrayed.
MJ and crew planning to team up with Sully on Pitchmen
The groundwork is starting to be laid for a potential deal for the MJ Morning Show to be involved in the upcoming season of Pitchmen. The Discovery Channel show, which was based on inventors pitching product ideas to the late Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan, is expected to start taping its second season very soon. MJ came up with the idea to do a Radio Pitch-a-thon. If it works out, listeners will be able to call in and pitch a product. MJ will decide which people have the best ideas, and he will invite them into the studio. Sully will then be involved by hearing the top "pitchers" tell him their ideas and possibly demonstrate their products in front of him in the studio.
Sully said he really likes the idea and hopes his producers will also go for it. MJ thinks listeners from all markets and even people who don't listen to the show will want to be involved since it will be a prime opportunity for any inventors to get the word out about their products.
In other Sully news, Meredith finally admitted that she went out to dinner with him - but only once. Sully jokingly said that Meredith stood him up for a second date. Between the two of them, who knows what really happened.
MJ's vacation adventures in the Windy City
This summer, MJ went on a week-and-a-half vacation to Colorado and stopped over in Chicago for a quick visit. The story of the trip had nothing to do with the Centennial State - it was all about the Windy City.
While taking in the sights and sounds of northern Illinois, MJ took the family to Cortino's italian restaurant - a place recommended by the concierge at his hotel. Chloe had to go to the bathroom during dinner, so MJ took her upstairs to go. He sat down at an empty table about 12 feet from the bathroom to wait. He pulled out his Blackberry and checked some e-mail to pass the time, not realizing that the way he was holding it up almost looked as if the camera lens on it was aimed directly at the women's bathroom door. A guy came out of the men's room, saw what MJ was doing and started yelling at him. He called him a pervert and said he was going to tell the restaurant manager about what he thought MJ was doing. He even said he would tell MJ's wife about it. MJ told the guy to shut up and threatened to throw him down the stairs. When MJ stood up, the guy ran away. He said he was a scrawny guy and could easily defend himself against this moron. He couldn't believe that simply looking at his Blackberry screen a certain way would make someone think he was taking pictures of people in the bathroom or coming out of it.
MJ also visited the Tribune Tower with Julian, while Michelle took Chloe to the American Girl store. This building houses the Chicago Tribune and WGN radio. He saw some old friends he used to work with in Tampa and they showed him around the place. He went down to the "bunker room" seven stories underground. The only way to get to this private area is on an elevator, and there is no other way to get back up if the elevator is down.
Once again, MJ had another eventful vacation. We'll have to see what happens next time when he takes a few days off after Labor Day in early September.
On another note, MJ mentioned that he would love to live in Chicago and even insinuated that there could be some kind of deal brewing to potentially move him there.
How do Froggy, fishing and boating go together?
It's no secret that Froggy is a self-proclaimed lazy guy. He talks about how he likes to sit around in his underwear, drink beer and play Xbox 360 whenever he's home. A few years ago, he created the "Live Lazy" bracelets (a play on Lance Armstrong's "Live Strong" bracelets). Since Fester lost some weight, it seems like Froggy has taken on the title of being the laziest guy on the show that Fester used to be. In some ways, it's amazing that he is actually a married man.
So why in the heck would Froggy be interested in fishing and boating?
In the last year or so, Froggy has talked about how he and Big Lou find ponds all around the Tampa area to fish in. One time, some teenagers spotted the two fishing and called Froggy names because of how lame it looked for him to be fishing in what MJ described as a retention pond. Not long ago, a police officer came up to him and told him that he was trespassing when he was fishing in a lake. Froggy even talks about how he keeps up with national fishing tournaments and watches fishing shows on TV.
To fish, you have to have patience. It might take a few hours before you ever catch anything. Can you picture Froggy standing outside with a rod hoping to reel in a fish? Maybe it's like making a prank call. You have to make multiple attempts before you get someone to "bite" on your prank, just like with fishing.
As for boating, maintaining a boat requires even more work and patience. Froggy has talked about buying a boat for a while now. But in order to use it, you have to know the ins and outs of boating, you have to spend a lot on upkeep and even navigating a watercraft isn't too easy.
Maybe we are seeing the evolution of Froggy. Since he will be 30 years old later this year, maybe this is the beginning of a new Froggy - a guy who actually has more patience and isn't like the rebellious guy we've grown to love.
Laura has become an unlikely radio star
A personal trainer named Laura probably thought she would never get any recognition for her singing abilities - or, at least, she thought she could sing. On a whim, she sent a CD with two tracks of her singing on it to the Clear Channel offices in Tampa. The tracks were recorded three years ago, making the whole thing even more obscure. Little did she know, MJ would bring her into the studio in a limo, have her on the show, and help her produce a music video for one of the songs on the CD.
One afternoon a few weeks ago, Tommy Chuck was listening to the CD in his office. MJ heard it and asked what it was. He said it was just one of the many CD's sent in by listeners hoping that they might cut through the clutter and get some airplay on the radio. So MJ took the disc and began playing the songs last week. He would roll snippets of them here and there every morning, poking fun at how off-key some of her notes were. He even said she should stick to personal training and forget singing.
The crew's multiple attempts to contact her were unsuccessful until she finally answered the phone one morning. They had her on the show and MJ was very honest with her, which didn't really help matters. He then offered her the chance to come in one morning so they could talk to her. When she agreed and came in, he made the offer for her to star in a music video to one of her songs - "Villains" - just to have some fun. It took some coaxing but she ultimately said yes.
The ironic thing about all this is that Laura had never even heard of the MJ Morning Show. Now she has become somewhat of a star on the radio with a chance to become noticed on the Internet as well. William Hung and Susan Boyle surprised everyone, so could Laura be the next sensation?
Billy Mays, a friend of the show, has died
Celebrity deaths just won't seem to stop. Hollywood lost three big names - Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and Michael Jackson - just last week. Although he wasn't a major Hollywood celebrity, Billy Mays was still known to Americans as the top TV pitchman of today. Mays was found dead in his Tampa, Fla. home on Sunday, June 28 around 7:45 a.m. He was 50 years old.
For years, MJ had always wanted to have Billy on the show. He heard a rumor that Billy did not like him because Michelle had some problems with OxiClean that MJ talked about on the air. But the two finally made a connection in 2009 when Billy called in to the show one morning. They would later have he and Anthony Sullivan, Billy's business partner, in the studio as well as Billy III, his 22-year-old son. And of course they had Billy star in a video shot at a McDonald's restaurant in which the pitchman ordered breakfast in his classic voice.
Billy and Sullivan were also involved in the "Pitchmen" TV show, which chronicled how a product is developed and eventually advertised. The morning show crew attended the premiere party for the Discovery Channel show, which was picked up for a second season and was scheduled to begin in the fall. MJ even pitched an idea to Billy about doing something where the morning show could be featured on one of the episodes by having listeners send in their ideas for products to be pitched.
Just think of how many more products Billy could have pitched in his lifetime. Maybe he could have landed roles in movies at some point. He seemed like he was a genuinely nice guy from hearing him on the radio and watching his show. Billy Mays will be missed.
Congratulations to our winner: Amber Tardino of Highland, Illinois!
Amber listens to the show on Z107.7 in St. Louis. She correctly answered 14 of the 15 questions.
Thanks to everyone who entered. There were more entrants this time around, so I appreciate everyone for taking the time to enter, and I may do another one of these later in the year.
Here are the correct answers:
1. In the “Hurt Nurse” fake radio shows, what is the name Froggy uses for the radio host?: Jose Castillos
2. How old does Dementia Don claim to be in his phone calls?: 97
3. What ended up being in the Mystery Safe when the crew finally opened it?: Nothing
4. What is the name of the contest MJ planned to do for women with great bodies but not great faces?: Butter Face (or But-a-Face)
5. What is the name of Fester’s Chihuahua?: Bailey
6. Which young actor does Froggy claim he was friends with in high school?: Channing Tatum
7. What invention idea has Froggy always talked about getting a patent for and even pitched to Billy Mays?: Tube socks on a roll
8. What company does Meredith’s step-dad work for?: Wachovia (Wells Fargo)
9. Which minor league baseball team did Dave the Dwarf recently play for?: York Revolution
10. What is the name of Fester’s barbecue sauce?: Tony Fatso's Everything Sauce
11. In what year did Fester and his wife get married?: 2001
12. What is MJ’s brother’s occupation?: Plastic surgeon
13. January 20 was President Obama’s first day in office and the last day for which crew member on the show?: Joey B
14. What sport did MJ beat President Obama’s low score in?: Bowling
15. Unitard and which female intern supposedly hooked up?: Jub Jub
Jub Jub gets caught, and Meredith was there
This past weekend, the show's flagship radio station 93.3 FLZ held its annual Memorial Day Weekend party at Shephard's, a tiki bar/restaurant/hotel complex on the beach in Clearwater, Fla. Meredith was one of several station staffers who was on the air broadcasting live from the event. Her shift was from 4-7 p.m. on Sunday. She got her own room to get ready for the live broadcast. About an hour before going on the air, Jub Jub the Intern came to Meredith's room at the hotel where Meredith and her friend Sue from Jacksonville were hanging out. Jub Jub said she had a "surprise" to show them. She opened her purse, pulled out a bag of marijuana and started smoking it. Meredith claimed that she and her friend did not partake in the smoking. A security guard then knocked on the door and said he smelled something coming from their room. They admitted to having pot in the room, and he told Jub Jub to flush it down the toilet and no further questions would be asked. She complied with his request.
Because of this incident, MJ said that Jub Jub has lost her internship with the show yet again. Last summer, she shoplifted a sweater from a Dillard's store at a local mall. MJ fired her for doing that but later agreed to give her another chance as an intern. Since she came back, the crew has been trying to help her lose weight with its "Biggest Loser" bit. So far she has lost over 20 pounds.
But MJ is also wondering whether he should fire Meredith for her involvement in the ordeal because she did not tell Jub Jub to leave or get rid of the drugs at the party, which was sponsored by the radio station. He claims that she put the station and morning show in a bad position by allowing Jub Jub to stay in the room and use drugs right in front of her when all three girls could have been arrested and charged with misdemeanor drug possession.
UPDATE FROM 5/27 SHOW: MJ said he is going to make Meredith do 100 hours of community service for her involvement in the situation. He wants her to work with some kind of anti-drug group that warns teens against the dangers of using drugs. As for Jub Jub, he fired her a second time on Wednesday's show after telling her she was fired the day before. She wasn't too happy about his insult to injury.
UPDATE FROM 5/29 SHOW: Froggy went up to Meredith and pulled out a chunk of her hair. Click here to listen to her reaction. He insinuated that he'll probably have the hair tested to see if it reveals anything related to the whole situation.
Show can now be heard on iHeart Radio
Maybe you've heard MJ talk about how the morning show is now available on iHeart Radio, but you weren't sure what exactly he was talking about. Well, with the advent of "smart phones" such as the iPhone in recent years, these devices can connect to the Internet almost anywhere you have one. They are also capable of connecting to streaming audio. Most radio stations stream their audio so you can listen to them online around the world, and now you can listen to stations right on your phone. The quality of the audio is pretty decent, too.
The MJ Morning Show now has its own streaming station on this application. All you have to do is download the iHeart Radio application, which can be installed on the iPhone and the Blackberry. When you run the application, there will be an option to select from various Clear Channel stations around the country, which you can listen to live. There is a menu titled "Personalities" that includes several morning shows. Go to that menu and you should see the MJ Morning Show listed. Each 4-hour show becomes available shortly after it ends every morning, and the shows are replayed throughout the day. So if you miss a show from a Tuesday morning, you can listen to it over and over later on Tuesday afternoon and at night. On the weekends, the channel will replay shows from the previous week. So get the application and try it out!
Maniac Marty Calls the Stoner Guy
Listen to one of Froggy's recent calls to the Stoner Guy at the record store. He posed as Maniac Marty - a radio show host who was doing a contest to give away a ton of money.
Dave the Dwarf digs the long ball
Read a story from the York Daily Record about how a minor-league baseball club in Pennsylvania hired Dave the Dwarf. And he's not just a mascot or entertainer in the stands - he's actually playing on the team!
Dana the Intern is living the high life
It can't be too often that a young woman is approached by a wealthy businessman who offers to wine and dine her around the country, plus pay for other luxuries like lip augmentation.
Or can it?
Either way, that is exactly what has happened to Dana the Intern (or Dumbass Dana, according to Froggy). Some guy named Todd (ironically MJ's real name) runs a public relations company out of New York. Donald Trump is apparently one of his clients, so we can assume his pockets are pretty deep. He first met Dana at a Super Bowl party in Tampa back in February. The two hit it off, and they've been seeing each other ever since. Todd was supposed to fly Dana out to see the Grammy Awards in L.A., but that never happened. What has happened is he has named her "vice president" of his PR company. She now carries business cards with her name and new title on them. He has also flown her to New York a few times and the two went to Las Vegas. (Maybe he's just a little obsessed with her?)
Most recently, Dana got lip augmentation that Todd paid for. MJ noticed her plumpy lips and thought she was bitten by a bunch of bees. She was hesitant to reveal what actually happened but finally spilled the beans that it was Todd who made her face more plumpified. Dana is also hoping to get a tummy tuck and especially a new boob job - something she has wanted ever since she got botched implants a while back. She is hoping Todd might shell out money for the new rack as well.
Find out more about Dana (and maybe some insight into her escapades with this guy) on her MySpace page. She does list herself as being "in a relationship."
The Famous Robert from the STL
Listen to the audio of MJ and the crew talking about Robert, our famous friend from St. Louis. They kind of called him a "stalker" because he has sent flowers to Meredith and has made websites about her. (audio coming soon!)
Meredith has been center stage recently
The MJ Morning Show's Meredith has been the subject of plenty of attention lately. And it hasn't really involved her seemingly lack of knowlege about pop culture or current events. Although she doesn't say too much during the course of a given show, several bits in the last week or so have put her on center stage because of her looks. She was recently named as one of the top 50 hottest women in radio - but by a website that almost nobody has heard of before. She came in at #12 on the list and was beat out by Lisa Paige, a girl who used to do middays at 93.3 FLZ in Tampa. She was also contacted by a representative from Playboy magazine - so she thought to potentially do a photo spread for one of its issues, which may have come from the fact that she made the top 50 list. But it turned out that this was a hoax and Meredith was duped.
Meredith has talked about a getting breast augmentation to enhance her body since she says it would really help her potential career and could lead to other opportunities outside of radio.
So my question is: Based on pictures you have seen of Meredith on the website since she has been on the show, do you think she is hot? Be honest.
OTHER POLL QUESTION
On the morning of Monday, February 7, 1994 at 6 a.m. Eastern Time, the MJ & BJ Morning Show was born on WFLZ-FM in Tampa. The crew included MJ, BJ, Mike, Jason the Buffoon Boy, and Hurricane. Fifteen years later, the show has a slightly different name, is heard on more radio stations, and probably sounds a bit different than it did on day one. especially with how much music was played on the show back then. But two of the show's original members still remain - MJ and Hurricane.
So Happy 15th Anniversary, MJ and crew!
Joey B becomes victim of layoffs
The economic crisis has finally hit close to home for MJ Morning Show listeners. Joey B, the show's executive producer for the last three years, was laid off by Clear Channel on Jan. 20. The media company announced that it was laying off over 1,800 employees that day - about 9 percent of all employees. Joey just happened to be one of the unfortunate victims. The entire media industry has undergone significant cutbacks in the last few years, especially with Clear Channel and radio in general.
Joey worked on the MJ & BJ Morning Show from 1998-2001 and then came back five years later to rejoin MJ after stints at stations in Miami and Philadelphia. Joey brought Flunkie with him the second time, and the two were roommates for a while until Flunkie decided to move back up north. Joey has been living by himself since and has also been dealing with his ailing elderly mother who lives in New Jersey. Losing his job is probably the last thing he needed to happen to him.
Media coverage of the Clear Channel layoffs included a story on a St. Petersburg Times blog. Joey told the Times: “It’s just business, not a personal thing," he said. "“When is a good day for somebody to lose their job? Is there ever a good day for that?" He also said he hopes to find another job in Tampa.
Because Joey was laid off and not fired, he probably will not be replaced any time soon, unless someone wants to come in and work for a significantly lower amount of money than what Joey was making. That means the executive producer duties will likely be dispersed among the rest of the crew - at least for now.
Listen to the audio of MJ talking about Joey B getting laid off.
Froggy 1, who some may remember as simply Froggy, started on the MJ & BJ show in the mid-1990s as an intern, a buffoon and later ran the audio and sound effects. He left in the summer of 2002 to work on the morning show on Miami's Y-100 FM. The current Froggy took Froggy 1's name and job on the show when the first Froggy left.
Click here to check out a feature piece on the old Froggy that recently ran in the Miami Herald. It includes some quotes from Hurricane.
Flunkie makes an appearance on the show
After Flunkie supposedly strong-armed Clear Channel management in March 2007 by demanding more money or quitting his job on the show - and then picking up and leaving - many people thought it would be the end of the Flunkster, and MJ would want no part of him anymore. But that turned out not to be case. MJ has made quick mentions of him since his departure, including playing his famous "Go West" theme song. He even had him on the air again for the first show of 2009. During the show's holiday break, Joey B was out and spotted him in town where he was working as a DJ for a private party. The two former roommates didn't talk very long, but Joey said he was "mesmerized" by something about Flunkie - his hair. When he was on the show, Flunkie would always wear a hat to try to hide the fact that his hair was thinning. Now, according to Joey, he has a full head of hair and looks like a new man. But he's still fat.
Listen to the phone call where MJ confronts Flunkie about his new hair and how he got it.
Fester said these four days will always stand out in his life:
#1 - The day he got married
Many listeners thought Fester would always be a single man, mainly because of how lazy he was. But he finally settled down and tied the knot in 2001 with a girl named Allison. Seven years later, he and his wife now co-own a Planet Beach tanning salon franchise in South Tampa. I once asked Fester if he and Allison would ever have kids, and he said taking care of his chihuahua was enough work for him.
#2 - The day he weighed in at over 400 pounds
The "Fester 400" was a "race" that Fester did by himself. It had nothing to do with running and burning calories - rather, it was the opposite of that. Fester always weighed around 380 pounds, sometimes more and sometimes less. So as a bit, MJ decided to make him finally reach the 400-lb. mark. He shoved his face with as much food as he could round up, mainly pizza. Once all was said and done, he and former general manager Dave Reinhart went to a truck stop. They did a weigh-in, and the scale read 402 lbs. Fester later had the lap band procedure done and has dropped over 150 lbs. in the years since this day because his stomach is "tied up" to be smaller and thus hold less.
#3 - The day MJ kissed his ass
In 2000, Fester made a bet with MJ that he could book Arnold Schwarzennegger to be a guest on the show. If was able to pull it off, MJ would have to kiss his ass. Fester did it, they had Arnold on the show, and MJ's lips met Fester's rump for a historic smooch. They even took pictures of the kiss and sold copies to listeners at various locations around town. The crew occasionally references this moment as one of the most significant days in the show's history.
#4 - The day he set off a turkey fryer fire
Fester finally got redemption on this one. A failed attempt to create a fire from a turkey fryer in 2006 gave Fester motivation to try it again two years later. On November 26, 2008, he was successful. He used regular cooking oil instead of peanut oil and set off a blaze in the station's parking lot as the frozen turkey met the scalding hot oil in the fryer.
Future looking brighter for the MJ Morning Show
There has been plenty of speculation here on this website among listeners who are wondering what the future holds for the MJ Morning Show. MJ's last Clear Channel contract expired on Aug. 31, and he even said on the air that he might give up the show soon to focus on his afternoon Schnitt Show, which is starting to build up a nice list of affiliates around the country.
But we now know for sure that MJ will continue to host the morning show for the foreseeable future. Although we don't know the specific details of the latest contract he signed, MJ said the show will go on in 2009 and he will be picking up at least two new affiliates for the morning show in January. That could bump the show's network up to at least eight stations. MJ will embark on his 15th year hosting the show on Feb. 7, 2009. And from the looks of it, he may just add another year or more to that number, which is already a pretty big accomplishment for a show to last that long and be a consistently top-rated show in one market.
There are also a few other indications that the show will remain on the air for some time. MJ said he wants to have a new logo designed. The current one has been used since 2002 when he held a contest to see who could come up with the best logo. He also said he may be taking the morning show website off-premeses to a site that would not be owned and operated by Clear Channel. This would give him more freedom to put things on it that the company might otherwise restrict him from doing.
Jub Jub is back for the third time
MJ has brought back many former members of the show, including Froggy 2, Joey B, and Jabberjaw. The same deal now holds true for Jub Jub the Intern, also known by her real name, Elena. She was originally on the show for several months before leaving to take a job with what turned out to be a shady operation in a foreign country. That didn't work out, so she came back and MJ let her back onto the show as an intern. She then was arrested this past June for shoplifting a $69 sweater from a Dillard's store at a local mall. After a dramatic phone conversation with her on the air, MJ felt that this crime was too much for her to remain on the show, so he let her go in late July.
Obviously time has healed this "wound" for MJ and he's had a change of heart about her. When Meredith mentioned that Jub Jub would be taking her to the dentist to have her wisdom teeth pulled, MJ decided to get her on the phone and talk to her. He then had her in the studio and ultimately gave her an intern position on the show for the third time. Is the third time always the charm? Hopefully it will be for Jub Jub. Expect fewer fat jokes and more about her being a thief.
MJ gets some big political names
Some people might think a radio show that is broadcast out of Tampa, Florida wouldn't have as many big-name guests on it compared to shows in markets like New York City, Chicago, or Los Angeles. But MJ has been able to snag a few well-known guests during presidential races over the years. And to the surprise of some, they haven't all been Republicans.
In 2000, MJ & BJ interviewed Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore in the closing days of that year's election. They learned that Mr. Gore is actually from the same area of Tennessee where BJ grew up. Four years later during the Bush-Kerry race of 2004, MJ interviewed John Kerry's younger daughter, Vanessa, in what turned out to be a somewhat heated but solid exchange. This year, MJ has had on three different people involved in the race. He first interviewed John McCain on his afternoon Schnitt Show for over 10 minutes. He then had Senator Joe Lieberman, who is stepping outside of his party to back McCain, live in the morning show studio. Then Sarah Palin called in to the morning show just one week before election day. To wrap it all up, he had McCain on again - this time on the morning show - the day before the election.
The Rays and the MJ Morning Show
You may not think a radio show like MJ's would be associated with a Major League Baseball team. But there have been some connections between the MJ Morning Show and the American League champion Tampa Bay Rays. In 1999, Dave the Dwarf was a fixture at Tropicana Field, riding around the stadium in a scooter and entertaining the crowd. Also, on June 19, 2005, MJ threw out the first pitch at the Trop when the Rays ironically hosted the St. Louis Cardinals. As expected, the Cards handed Tampa Bay an 8-5 loss that day in one of only a few meetings the two teams have had. And the show has given out several World Series tickets this year to see the Rays play the Philadelphia Phillies. Even though MJ has never been a big fan of the team and says he is still bitter about the 1994 MLB strike, he is still supporting his hometown team during the unprecedented magical run this season.
Listen to MJ's World Series prediction he made in 2004 - a year in which the team won only 70 games. It sounded ridiculous back then and probably even earlier this year. But in 2008, his prediction has come true.
The Jabberjaw Story As We Know It
According to MJ, this is the REAL story about what went down with Jabberjaw. You can believe what you want:
On Sept. 24, Jabberjaw wanted a personal day off from the show to go to a Barack Obama rally. She told Joey B and Tommy Chuck (the station's program director). Joey didn't tell MJ that she wanted the day off, nor did Jab tell him. When Jab didn't show up for work that morning, Joey made up a story that she had a migraine. He was going to spring a "bit" on MJ the next day that she really didn't have a migraine and instead went to the Obama rally, knowing how much MJ is against Obama. MJ then called Jab's house to find out if she was really sick with a headache. He talked to her mother and found out that she went to the rally. He said he would've been OK with that if she had let him know she was going or if she had simply asked him for a personal day. MJ said the two had a recent conversation in which he told Jab to let her know what she was doing. After talking to her mother, he finally got ahold of her on the phone and said "you're fired." But he said firing her was a joke.
"I fire everyone on this show. She wasn't fired. It was a joke on the air," he said. (This is actually pretty accurate because Froggy, Fester, and others have been "fired" many times before but eventually end up returning to the show, possibly after a probationary period)
According to MJ, Jab came in the following morning (Thursday) after the show to discuss the situation with him. MJ claimed they had "patched up" the problem at that particular meeting, which lasted between 30 and 45 minutes. MJ told her at the meeting that he was working toward getting her a full-time job and more money right away. He said she left the meeting with a smile on her face and told the crew she would see them the next morning. But on Friday morning, she didn't show up for work. She instead chose to go on a competing radio station and stabbed MJ and the crew in the back by spreading what MJ called "lies and slander" about him and the show.It also came out that somehow, MJ's request lines at the station were forwarded to Jab's home, so her mother was receiving calls from listeners that would normally be going to the radio station. He said it was an accident and Joey may have been responsible for accidentally pressing a certain key combination on a phone in the studio that forwarded the lines to her home number.
So this marks the end of Jabberjaw's second stint on the show. She started out as an intern in the summer of 2005, worked her way up to a assistant producer role, and then left for an internship at a local TV station. After not liking that, she came begging to have her job back. MJ surprisingly brought her back in April 2007 to fill in for Rachel the Flying Tomato who lost her mother. Rachel moved on to another show, and Jab got her gig back. She had to endure her fair share of abuse from Froggy, so maybe she's at least glad that stuff appears to be over.
MJ plans to replace Jabberjaw's part-time position on the show while also doing some rearranging with the crew. He hopes to bring in Big Lou, Froggy's good friend who has tried out for the show in the past, to run the show's audio and sound effects. Since that is normally Meredith's job, he may give her a similar role to what Jab had with gathering Hollywood dirt while also having her continue to do some of the tasks she still does, like pulling audio for the show. She just wouldn't be running the board as much anymore, which is something MJ has constantly complained about to her.
Froggy's Date of Fate on the Show is:
Thursday, October 9, 2008
That is when MJ will make a decision about Froggy's future on the show. Since he has acted out and done some stupid things, including putting dog poop in one of Jabberjaw's Coach purses, MJ is giving him a 30-day "trial" period to get his act together and really prove that he can be on the show, be funny and entertaining, and not misbehave like a child, which he has been doing more often than not in the last few months.
MJ's Clear Channel Contract
Expires On:
August 31, 2008
The contract is for both the MJ Morning Show and the Schnitt Show, which was picked up by Jones Radio Networks, a radio syndication company that has already syndicated the show to stations around the country.
MY PREDICTION: MJ will sign a new contract with Clear Channel through at least the end of the year, possibly for one more year (through Aug. 2009). After that, I think he'll focus on the afternoon show full-time and may even move to another radio company or to a bigger market if he can make more money. In doing so, he would keep the afternoon show on in the markets it's always been on in (Tampa, Miami, etc.) while continuing to build up his affiliate base via Jones Radio. In the end, I hope loyal morning show listeners will be able to follow his radio career no matter what happens.
UPDATE: The update is that there really is nothing to report on MJ's contract. I haven't heard him mention anything about it, so we can assume that he did sign some kind of deal to remain with Clear Channel for the forseeable future. However, since he is an "independent contractor" and isn't technically employed by the company, we don't know for sure what the situation is behind the scenes.
Froggy vs. Jabberjaw: Is the battle finally over?
Froggy and Jabberjaw have never really gotten along. Some of the tension between them can be traced back to bits like "Froggy's Bag of Intrigue" where he scared Jab with different items that he made her grab out of a bag, like dog poop. Since then, the tension has mounted even more. Several months ago, Froggy destroyed one of Jab's expensive purses by lighting it on fire.
Recently, Froggy morphed into a character he called "FrogFreak" and went on another destruction rampage by using fireworks to destroy Jabberjaw's favorite boots. He was then suspended for several days following this incident and other instances where he wasn't getting along with the crew. To get back at him, Jab decided to aim for something close to his heart - his video games. She found Froggy's keys in the morning show office, went to his house and took his beloved Xbox 360, and brought it back to the station to have it destroyed. The twist was that she wasn't going to do the destruction herself. She made him do it. MJ gave him a sledgehammer and told him to bash the "mystery item" that was tripple-wrapped in paper bags. Initially he thought it was something of value to someone at the station and refused to do it. But when he was finally coaxed into doing it and smashed it all up, he opened it up and saw the remaining pieces, soon realizing he was looking at pieces and shards of material that once made up his Xbox console.
Froggy stormed out of the studio after the retaliation that Jabberjaw got at him. The next morning, the two made up after Froggy read a statement declaring a truce in the battle. MJ thinks Froggy is now a new man who has turned over a leaf and learned a valuable lesson.
So is this tension between Froggy and Jab finally over? Let's hope so.
Jub Jub steals sweater and gets let go from show
Jub Jub the Intern has done her fair share of bits for the show over the last year or two. But she will no longer be doing any more. On the morning of Thursday, July 24, someone tipped off MJ about something Elena (her real name) did on her 22nd birthday back in June. She swiped a $69 sweater off the shelf at a Dillard's store, made her way into a dressing room and a bathroom, and eventually found an exit she thought would be safe to go out. Little did ehe know, mall security was standing by and nabbed her as she and her friend were walking to their car in the parking lot. She was ultimately arrested and charged with shoplifting and now has to do community service after going to court. MJ confronted her on the phone about the incident that morning, and she admitted to being a thief, although she said it was a stupid mistake. She said the reason she did it is because her parents didn't buy her a new cell phone she really wanted for her birthday, and it was a way to get back at them. The next morning, MJ made the decision to let her go from her intern position on the show because he could not have someone work there who he didn't trust and it would not have been morally right to keep her around.
This was actually Jub Jub's second stint as an intern. She left earlier in the year to go work for what turned out to be a shady operation in a foreign country. She came back wanting her gig back, and she was granted it. During her time back, she got to talk to American Idol judge Paula Abdul about becoming her personal assistant. Paula would probably have second thoughts on that now if she knew what happened. Unfortunately Jub Jub made the wrong move by committing a crime that MJ felt was enough to say goodbye to her for most likely the final time. It also means we won't get to hear her cute little giggle in the background that has become a staple of the show since she's been on it. And no more fat jokes about her, either.
Joey B talking over commercials
Joey B didn't realize his microphone was on during a commercial break on a recent show. Listen to how it sounded and what he said. When they came back on the air, MJ said the conversation was about retired NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer joining ESPN as an analyst. He was glad Joey didn't drop any F-bombs.
Vacation recap: condoms, a watermelon, and a mountain
MJ and his family took the vacation of a lifetime when they traveled across the globe to the earth's largest continent - Asia. Usually MJ will take three full weeks off during the summer months and split them up, like two in July and another in September. But this time he took the full vacation all at once, meaning the crew will be live until Christmas vacation rolls around in December.
Their summer trip started out a little rough with a quick jump to Atlanta in order to catch a direct flight from there to Seoul, South Korea. They stayed overnight in a hotel, and Chloe and Julian found condoms (that they thought were balloons) right next to the Bible in the hotel room. The hotel gave them the room free for the trouble.
While in South Korea, MJ attended the wedding of a friend's son who was getting married. He also stopped by the DMZ and got a brief look at North Korea. Plus he saw a square watermelon on sale at a market for what amounted to $210 in American money.
In Japan, where Michelle lived as a child with her father who was stationed there, the family climbed Mount Fuji - the country's highest mountain standing over 12,000 ft. high. It took them parts of two days to get to the top, and they even stayed in a small shack and slept in sleeping bags with other people around several thousand feet up. According to people who work there, MJ's son Julian (who was just shy of 4 years old on that day) may have been the youngest person to successfully climb to the top of the mountain.
Overall, MJ said he had a great time and really enjoyed interacting with the people who live there.
Congratulations to our winner, Amber Tardino! Amber wins a $40 gift certificate from Amazon.com for answering 14 of the 17 questions correctly. She definitely knows her MJ Morning Show well!
Thought the challenge was too hard? Weren't impressed with the prize being offered? Send me some feedback and let me know your thoughts on it. I'd like to do more of these in the future, but I didn't get much of a response.
Here are the correct answers to the questions:
1. What is Jub-Jub the Intern's real first name?
Elena2. What is Joey B's favorite college football team?
Nebraska Cornhuskers
3. Unscramble this show member's name: ADURITN HET TIENRN
Unitard the Intern4. Kiss 95.1 FM began syndicating the MJ Morning Show in what year?
20075. Instead of Tony Fatso, what name did the crew use for the image of a black-looking Fester on his barbecue sauce t-shirt?
Tony Fatbro6. What is Joey B's favorite (specific) brand of beer?
Bud Light7. From which game show is the theme music for "Guest or No Guest"?
The $10,000 Pyramid or Family Feud8. Which TV court show did members of the morning show tape an episode for that never actually aired?
Judge Joe Brown9. What radio station did MJ work at in Los Angeles?
KQLZ, Pirate Radio10. Which celebrity does Jub-Jub the Intern want to be a personal assistant for?
Paula Abdul11. What is the name of the company in Tampa where the Jesus Door was discovered?
Bay City Plywood12. What basketball player is mentioned in the "Chloe's Mom" song?
Hakeem Olajuwon13. Listen to this Pick Your Plastic jingle here. What song is it a parody of?
Pretty Ricky - "Your Body"14. Where did Meredith go to college?
University of North Florida15. MJ owns land in what mountainous state?
Colorado16. What was the name that Joey B gave to a lizard that got into his house?
Lester17. In this photo, who is the former intern all the way to the right?
Taniya the Intern
Jabberjaw and Meredith Interview
Check out this video interview Jabberjaw and Meredith did with Tampa Bay Media Talk. They interviewed the girls about everything from what it's like working on the show to what their plans were for Valentine's Day.
Froggy 2 - POOFIE
Listen to Froggy's song about MJ's "poof" - when his hair starts to puff out from the top of his head. It's a parody of Aretha Franklin's "RESPECT."
(Note: Better audio quality than previous file)
R.I.P. Noelia the Intern
Our condolences go out to the family of a former MJ Morning Show intern. Noelia, who worked on the show a few years ago, passed away at 26 years of age on May 16, 2008. She had a twin sister, and obviously she and her family are having to deal with this terrible loss. Rest in peace, Noelia, and I hope the family will be able to move forward together.
MJ ponders future of the morning show
MJ created what he called a "firestorm" when he made some comments about his plans for the rest of his career in radio recently. His afternoon Schnitt Show was picked up by Jones Radio Networks, which will syndicate it to stations around the country. He said he hopes to build up a few dozen affiliate stations over the next few years. With that said, it leaves his plans for continuing to do the MJ Morning Show up in the air. With his Clear Channel contract expiring on August 31, 2008, he said he is not sure whether he will continue to pull double-duty every day by doing both shows, or if he will give up the morning show.
MJ has been doing the morning show since 1994 and the afternoon show since 2001. That means he has gotten up at the crack of dawn for over 14 years while doing two shows a day (seven hours of original programming) for almost seven years. You have to wonder how long he wants to continue with that grueling schedule that most radio hosts would probably never take on for more than a few years. He said his long-term plan is to host the afternoon show until he is ready to retire.
So that leaves us with the question: how long will the MJ Morning Show as we know it be on the air? MJ said he could give up his morning gig when the contract expires, or he might continue to do the show after it expires in order to give the station ample time to bring in a new host. He also said that the rest of the crew would probably stay intact, and the only thing that might change is adding a new crew member. Fester said he'd be willing to step up to the main microphone and host the show with a new co-host. Whatever happens, it sounds like someone else would join the program if MJ were to depart any time soon.
I'm guessing that MJ will give up the morning show at some point in the next two years or so. That could mean that he walks away from it at the end of August or he signs on for a little more time until ultimately focusing all of his attention on the afternoon show. I still think he has the drive and work ethic to do more than only three hours of broadcasting a day, which he would be doing if he only did the afternoon show. That would be a dramatic decrease in his work schedule, but maybe it would make the Schnitt Show that much better. We'll have to wait and see what he decides in the end, and that decision shouldn't take too much longer to make.
Froggy - Imagine A Morning
Download the song about Froggy imagining a morning when MJ is nice. Does he actually sound better than John Lennon? You decide.
Jesus Door tour is underway
The MJ Morning Show's tour of the Jesus Door will begin this week. The Jesus Door was discovered at a warehouse when a guy noticed that it looked like an image of Jesus appeared on a door there. In fact, someone who touched the door won a $9-million lottery jackpot shortly afterward, making some believe the door will bring riches (or at least good luck) to people who touch it. The guy who discovered it also said he experienced a warm feeling when he touched the handle. That is why MJ will send out various crew members, probably Froggy and Fester, on a tour with the door and drive it around to listening areas. It will be taken to locations in the Tampa Bay area and around the state of Florida, but MJ did mention that he wanted to take it to St. Louis at some point as well. The crew has collected several religious-looking artifacts over the years, including a Jesus Pipe found on a listener's roof in Spring Hill, Florida in the late 1990s that they also showed off around the area at Crotchety CD signings. Plus MJ found a chicken nugget that looked like the Virgin Mary in a hot food vending machine at the radio station.
Tour stops:
April 15 - Brandon, FL
April 17 - Pinellas Park, FL
April 18 - Tampa, FL
April 23 - Jacksonville, FL
April 24 - Melbourne and Vero Beach, FL
May 1 - Maryland Heights, MO
May 2 - Belleville, IL
May 6 - Port Charlotte, FL
MJ's afternoon show picked up by big radio network
(Courtesy of Radioink.com)
Todd Schnitt Joins JRN Lineup
DENVER -- March 14, 2008: Jones Radio Networks has added "The Todd Schnitt Show" to its afternoon lineup.
"The time has come for Talk radio to get the 25-44 demographic," said JRN VP/Talk Programming Amy Bolton. "JRN will do that with Todd Schnitt. Finally, we have Talk radio with a Rock radio edge."
JRN will handle afffiliate sales for the show, while ad sales will be covered by Jones MediaAmerica.
Schnitt -- who also hosts mornings on WFLZ/Tampa, as MJ Kelli -- said, "This is a fantastic opportunity to deliver my style of an exciting, fast-paced, and unpredictable form of Talk radio. Unlike some shows, I've tossed the obligatory checklist out the window. What's my take on the day's hottest issues? Don't assume, listen!"
---
So now that MJ's afternoon show appears to be going nationwide (probably a few dozen affiliate stations around the country), you can't help but wonder what will happen to the MJ Morning Show. MJ's contract with Clear Channel expires this year on August 31. He mentioned before the two-week Christmas break about "changes" being on the horizon in terms of his career. Plus he has been doing both shows now for over six years, and you have to wonder if he is starting to get tired of the grueling routine. I'm not saying the morning show will end soon, but I think this deal that was just announced might say something about what he is really committed to doing in the long run. Whatever happens, I think it's safe to say that MJ will be on the radio for many years to come in one way or another.
MJ gets tossed out of ice cream shop
All he wanted was some nice cold ice cream to enjoy with his daughter. Instead he found himself going home empty-handed after getting thrown out of the shop. MJ and Chloe were recently at an ice cream shop in hopes of chowing down on some dessert after dining at a sushi restaurant. They went to a place that MJ has been going to for 14 years, and they both ordered their favorite frozen treats. MJ noticed that the guy preparing the desserts was taking money from customers and not washing his hands or even using gloves to handle the food. He called him out on it because he was crumbling a cookie with his bare hands into some ice cream that MJ ordered. The guy got angry with MJ and eventually threw him out of the store because he didn't want to deal with him anymore. MJ does not plan to return to this particular business after the incident, and many listeners who work in the food industry flooded the phone lines in agreement with his observation. The guy claimed to be a "Certified Food Handler," but the way he was handling MJ's food did not demonstrate his title at all.
The Elevator Crotchety Call
This classic Crotchety call is from MJ & BJ's Crotchety Christmas II CD and the Nothing But Crotchety CD. Did Milton Fludgecow survive a scare in which he was trapped in an elevator? Listen to find out.
The Meredith Curse?
Is there a black cloud hanging over the MJ Morning Show? Ever since Meredith joined the show in November, more negative things have been happening in the lives of the show's members. Froggy thinks Meredith is responsible for putting a "curse" on the show, and he is worried about what might happen next. Here are just a few things that have happened to prove his point:
1) Froggy has had a terrible bout with kidney stones that made him miss work for almost 15 days and caused him to have surgery that took hours. He took 140 Vicodin pills during his bout, and he later experienced a "detox" period for a whole weekend when coming off the medication.
2) MJ's hand was harpooned by a palm tree in his yard. He had to have surgery to remove whatever goop was in there, making it the first time in his life that he was knocked out by anesthesia for surgery and preventing him from being able to style the poof on his head, so he had to wear a baseball hat to work. (Joey thought his injury was only a boo-boo)
3) Fester got punched at a local night parade in Tampa by a drunk pirate. He was driving slowly in his truck on the parade route and almost ran the guy over in order to get away from him.4) Meredith broke her finger for the first time right after moving to town to work on the show.
5) Julian has left the water running twice in a bathroom sink at the Schnitt house. MJ thinks it was running for up to a few days straight, and he is concerned about getting his next water bill, expecting it to exceed $1,000.
6) Jabberjaw bought a DVD at Wal-Mart for her young niece's birthday. But to her sister's surprise, there was nothing in the case when she opened it to watch it while the entire family was gathered around the TV one night.
Dave the Dwarf on "Tyra Banks"
Watch Dave the Dwarf and his girlfriend, Jessica, on "The Tyra Banks Show" from February 7th. They appeared as one of the "unlikely couples" mainly because of their differences in age and height. Dave said Tyra wasn't very friendly and would sit backstage away from the guests during the commercial breaks.
Joey B announces the end of his drinking days
He has always been known as a heavy drinker. MJ constantly asks him, "Are you drunk?" if he says something that doesn't make sense. He even had Bud Light logos embroidered onto the seats inside his 1994 Toyota Tercel. But after all of this stuff about drinking, are Joey B's days of boozing it up finally over? That is what he announced to the MJ Morning Show audience on Monday, Feb. 11. MJ thinks it is just another song and dance he has done before where he says he will stop drinking and goes right back to it as fast as he can get his hands on a can of beer. It certainly would help his health if he put down the bottle for good. He went to the doctor awhile back and said he recommended that Joey cut back significantly on his alcohol consumption. Plus, who knows what his liver looks like now. He has said he will ask MJ if he ever needs a liver transplant since he thinks MJ can pull strings and get things done that the average person could never do. But maybe if he stops now, he won't need a new liver in the future.
SIGN THIS PETITION if you are in support of Joey B's decision to stop drinking. Let's try and give him as much support from the fans as possible. (Thanks to Robert in St. Louis for setting it up)
Our condolences go out to Fester and his family
Everyone here at the MJ Fan Page and those who post on the forum are thinking about and praying for Fester and his family. His mother recently passed away. She suffered a stroke a few months ago that had left her incapacitated. This is already the second member of the show to lose their mother in the last year. Rachel the Flying Tomato and her mother were in a serious car accident last April, and her mother did not survive, which was a terrible loss for Rachel because of how close she was to her mother. Fester is undoubtedly in a similar situation, and I hope that he will be able to get through the tough times and return to the show when he feels it is appropriate. Visit the forum and look for the sticky thread titled "Fester" at the very top if you would like to post a message for him.
POLL QUESTION
Hillary Clinton on Idol
Listen to Hillary Clinton's "appearance" on American Idol,
and find out what the judges think of her.
MJ's picking on Froggy is starting to get old
It always seems like MJ has an issue with Froggy these days. At the beginning of most shows, he will ask Froggy whether or not he has something to contribute to the show that day. Sometimes Froggy says he does. Other times he says he will kick back and let the rest of the crew do something for once. Whenever he doesn't have an idea, or he has an idea that MJ isn't particularly fond of, MJ will pick on him, berate him, or remind him that he is part of the Millenials generation that has the reputation of not being motivated and expects everything to be handed to them. He also gets upset if Froggy is out of the studio for just a few minutes. Meanwhile, he is in the production room working on something for the show, or is in the bathroom suffering from IBS.
I think Froggy is a pretty funny guy, and I will stand up for him when it comes to this constant picking that MJ does on him. I'm not a fan of every song, crank call, or bit he comes up with. But he seems to contribute a fair amount of material overall, and he comes up with funny quips here and there that other members of the crew rarely do. MJ's picking on Froggy is starting to get old. It may be a bit or it could all be real. Either way, I hope MJ finds someone else to pick on once in awhile other than the guy who does quite a bit for the show on a fairly regular basis.
NOTE: This website is designed and maintaned by a fan of the MJ Morning Show, Greg Lindberg.
