Jerry Brown and Dr. Phil, together at last

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Atty. Gen. Jerry Brown may not be on the air with campaign commercials just yet, but Wednesday afternoon he’ll get the kind of media exposure money can’t buy. Brown is making his debut on the ‘Dr. Phil’ show. And just for good measure, he will be appearing alongside Kelly Osbourne.

Who needs candidate debates when you’ve got Brown, Osbourne and Dr. Phil on one stage?

What could possibly bring those three together, you ask? Prescription drugs.

Perhaps that should be rephrased a bit. Wednesday’s ‘Dr. Phil’ show will focus on prescription drug abuse -- an issue that Brown has focused on as attorney general.

Brown has long had a knack for garnering free publicity -- a skill that may come in handy as he faces the prospect of being outspent by millions in the upcoming gubernatorial election. As attorney general, Brown has used the high-profile deaths of Anna Nicole Smith, Michael Jackson and most recently actor Corey Haim to try to raise awareness about what he has called a growing problem in the state -- and in the process, inserted himself into stories normally reserved for gossip sites and celebrity news shows.

Osbourne, the daughter of musician Ozzy Osbourne who has had her own substance-abuse problems, has signed on as a regular contributor to ‘Dr. Phil,’ adding what she called ‘a youthful perspective and opinion on the issues that affect ourselves, our families and society as a whole.’

Brown spokeswoman Christine Gasparac said the attorney general has long been dedicated to fighting abuse of prescription drugs, noting that they are to blame for more than half of all overdose deaths.

We’re guessing the national exposure doesn’t hurt, either.

-- Anthony York