His Royal Hype-Ness

Perhaps the most shocking thing about shock jock Howard Stern during his two-day broadcast from Hollywood this week was how his characteristic edginess was replaced by effusive self-congratulation.

Long a master of personal hype, Howard Stern reached new heights in self-promotion on Friday, the opening day of his first movie, “Private Parts.” The self-dubbed King of All Media sounded a lot more like the King of all Love Fests.

When his fans called to rave about the movie, he thanked them profusely.

“I’m glad to hear you liked the movie,” Stern graciously told a goofy-sounding caller whom he would ordinarily have mocked mercilessly.

Broadcasting from Billboard Live on the Sunset Strip before an adoring crowd of about 500 fans, he spent most of the four-hour broadcast Friday reading glowing reviews (some from papers he’d never heard of), fielding calls from Jay Leno, Sen. Alfonse D’Amato (R-N.Y.) and TV personality Greg Gumbel and urging the rabid fans who called in along with celebrities and politicos who happened by his show--including Ozzy Osbourne, Jason Priestley and West Hollywood Mayor Paul Koretz--to see the movie.

On Thursday and Friday--as in recent weeks, since he began hyping the movie version of his bestseller “Private Parts”--listeners heard little of Stern’s trademark blend of raunch, political incorrectness and humorous straight-shooting.

“It had me roaring with laughter,” Stern read aloud from one newspaper review Friday.

The film “transforms him from a scourge of the airwaves to a sweetheart of the screen,” Stern read from another.

“They compared it to ‘Naked Gun,’ ‘Animal House’ and ‘Airplane,’ ” Stern marveled to his audience.

And, of course, those audience members--about as devoted as they come--have fallen all over themselves to express their undying adoration.

“He’s all about truth and love,” said a long-haired man who identified himself as the Top Ramen Shaman. The self-described spiritual advisor-deejay-musician had waited in line to get to see Stern broadcast locally, wearing a hat festooned with flowers, plants and a lighted candle.

“I just want to bask in his glory,” he said. “In medieval days you’d come to see the king. I’ve come to see the King of All Media. He’s in our town of Hollywood, and I want to tell him I appreciate the way he’s broken down barriers in the media.”

“He’s everything I want to be,” said Eric Weintraub, a 27-year-old dietitian who made the trek from San Diego to catch a glimpse of Stern in the flesh.

Gracing more magazine and newspaper covers this month than any entertainment figure in recent history, the man everyone loved to hate has become beloved, bedecked (with a rhinestone crown presented to him by a “Hard Copy” reporter) and not a little bewildered.

“It’s beyond a dream,” Stern said during a break in the broadcast. “My dream was just to be on the radio. I can’t believe the reviews. I was up all night. I can’t get over the excitement. . . . There’s not a downside to any of this.”

However, one longtime listener did see a downward trend.

“I’ve listened to him for the last three or four years,” said Jerry Kazdoy, 40, a journalism teacher from Santa Clarita. “I like his honesty, especially in his news segments. He’s outrageous and has a different angle. He states his opinion so forcefully that it’s always interesting. But I’ve stopped listening to his show for the last two weeks. It’s been nothing but a four-hour commercial for his movie.”

Stern, whose film is in 2,138 theaters, is syndicated in 36 radio markets, including Los Angeles on KLSX-FM; his show is also broadcast on the E! Channel. He has been fined in recent years by the Federal Communications Commission for indecent broadcasting and regularly engages in raunchy antics including Butt Bongo Fiesta, Lesbian Dial-A-Date and sundry body-baring sessions with strippers.

“I haven’t even thought about sex, just about the movie,” Stern said.

Stern is unabashedly dazzled and has no intention of playing down his newfound screen fame. He said he planned to tour Southern California theaters Friday night to gauge the reaction, though he has already seen the movie--in various forms--about 20 times.

“How often in my life will I have a movie coming out?” Stern said. “It’s the only thing happening in my life right now. How can I not talk about it? In a few weeks I’ll probably go back to normal, but right now I’m going to bask in the glory.”