Springer to tape talk show at Penn

'The Jerry Springer Show' will feature Penn students as guests. Better fasten those chairs to the floor. The student group Connaissance announced yesterday that it secured a commitment from Jerry Springer, host of the controversial Jerry Springer Show, to tape three episodes of his show on campus April 22. Springer, whose syndicated television talk show recently shot ahead of Oprah Winfrey's show in the Nielsen ratings, was looking for a college campus to use for a special "higher education" edition, according to Connaissance Co-Chairperson Jonathan Freedberg, an Engineering junior. But the shows will not just be taped on Penn's campus --Eall of the guests will be Penn students, too. Springer's producers have already started looking for guests for several potential topics, including "I Hooked Up With Your Boyfriend at Your Birthday Party!", "I Slept With My Professor's Wife!" and "Guess What, Roomie? I Have a Gay Crush on You!" Springer said last night that he was "excited" about the tapings. "Since my audience is usually filled with white trash, it'll be nice to have a room full of intelligent, sophisticated people watching me work," said Springer, who has never been to Penn and says he knows little about the University. The show, which is particularly popular on college campuses, has experienced incredible popularity in the past six months, as evidenced by the record-breaking sales of Springer's video, Jerry Springer: Too Hot for TV! and his ratings win over longtime talk-show queen Winfrey. Many conservative groups have blasted Springer's show, which includes violence and nudity in nearly every episode. Guests frequently throw punches, as well as their chairs, at each other. One angry guest recently threw a chair at College senior John La Bombard when he appeared on the show. "I'm just glad it didn't hit my penis," La Bombard said at the time. The show employs a full complement of bouncers to break up such violence -- after allowing sufficient time, of course, for it to capture the audience's attention. Still, Springer says his show is beneficial to its audience. "I know that I'm helping people," Springer insisted. "The shows contain insight into the human condition, and they often play like a Shakespearean tragedy. And my 'final thoughts' are always spiritual and uplifting." If the Penn taping goes well, Springer may take his show on the road more often, his producers said. Springer was once the mayor of Cincinnati -- which, incidentally, means the two most famous Cincinnatians are Springer and Marge Schott. His show is usually taped in Chicago.