Fresh from a convincing victory over incumbent Heather Fargo, Sacramento Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson is taking advantage of his celebrity status.

Who knew the former NBA star had the kind of cachet to pull down an invite to the satirical Comedy Central show "The Colbert Report"?

On Tuesday, as he was yukking it up with Stephen Colbert, we laughed. We winced. And we wondered: What will it mean for Sacramento to have a celebrity as a mayor?

Clint Eastwood put sleepy Carmel-by-the-Sea on the international map. Since Jesse Ventura left office in Minnesota, Arnold Schwarzenegger is the only governor regularly visiting "The Tonight Show."

Johnson has never played an android or an avenging gunslinger, but he had a better cross-over dribble than either Hollywood big shot.

And he's getting noticed nationally, post-Nov. 4.

The mayor-elect had already been to the TV mountaintop. He's appeared on "Oprah."

National Public Radio's "Morning Edition" on Wednesday filled listeners in on Johnson's path to victory.

And he's tackled comedy. What's next?

"I've got all kinds of requests – ESPN, CNN, the New York Times, the Washington Post. The phone is ringing off the hook," said Steve Maviglio, Johnson's campaign manager.

Johnson was not too busy with the media maelstrom to check in with his local newspaper. He said he had "a blast" on "The Colbert Report" and that doing national media is his way of getting the word out about his hometown.

"One of the things I ran on is trying to elevate the profile of Sacramento. I think we have a chance to be more visible statewide and certainly nationally," Johnson said. "I've said I'm going to bring to bear every resource I possibly can to benefit the city of Sacramento."

Tuesday, that meant playing solid D and employing careful shot selection against the quick-witted satirist.

There were plenty of chuckles. After Colbert listed Johnson's several honors, including making a list of the "15 greatest men on Earth," the host deadpanned, "Does it hurt that you never got that championship ring?"

Then came the "oh hush" moment.

"What will you do as mayor, what will you promise right now to do to make Sacramento less unbelievably boring?" Colbert asked.

Johnson replied, "The fact that I'm on your show right now is bringing visibility to our community."

"As a Sacramentan, it's always hard to see national figures make fun of Sacramento," said Kimberly Nalder, a political science professor at California State University, Sacramento, who occasionally discusses the comedy of "The Colbert Report" in her lectures. She wished Johnson had been a little less earnest in some of his responses.

"When you're on 'Colbert,' he's playing a character, so the person being interviewed by him is in the difficult position of trying to decide if they should be sincere or if they should play along or go into some sort of character mode," Nalder said. "I just think he needed to watch more episodes."

The fact that he is getting such prominent airtime is enough of a coup for most local observers.

"To schedule this your first week as an elected official, clearly it's like the anti-Heather Fargo, who people thought was a fine administrator but not an overly dynamic personality," said Gary Dietrich, president of the nonpartisan voter awareness organization Citizen Voice.

"I mean, how many Sacramento mayors have been on national television? You just saw him last night."

Those who shape the city's image hope to hit their own follow-up shots.

"I'd like to see him go on as many things as he can," said Mike Testa, vice president of communications for the Sacramento Convention & Visitors Bureau. "We need to take advantage of some of these opportunities. It will be up to us to follow up from a PR standpoint."

Call The Bee's Blair Anthony Robertson, (916) 321-1099.