Rant #2,121: Here Comes the Judge

Yesterday, I, and hopefully you, had a few good laughs, and good recollections, about the life of veteran comic and one of the all-time great TV kiddie show hosts, Chuck McCann.

McCann brought us legitimate, true laughter during his career.

Today, I have to laugh again, but I guess cry at the same time, over a news story that I found on my Yahoo home page today.

Judge Judy Sheindlin, better known to the world as Judge Judy, the star of the ultra-popular TV court show, won her own judgment when another judge, in a real, honest to goodness court, declared her $47 million in yearly salary from the show legitimate.

It seems that another company filed a complaint against her two years ago, the judge made the decision that what CBS is paying her is reasonable.

If I understand this case, the suit was brought by someone who was involved in the original packaging of this show with Sheindlin as host back in the 1990s, when the program was first proposed. These people were paid a percentage of the profits from the show up until a certain point, and then they were paid nothing, although they did get other money related to the show.

So they sued CBS and Big Ticket Television, basically saying that Sheindlin was overpaid and that they should get a piece of that huge pie.

The judge in this case basically asserted with the judgment in the case that it was Sheindlin--a real, honest to goodness judge who served in New York State courts for years before entering daytime TV--who was directly the reason for the show's incredible success.

She gets paid more than other TV "hosts" because she deserves it, according to the ruling. Her salary was negotiated in good faith, and without the show's namesake star, the program would not exist, nor could it continue on the air.

I am not going to argue that Sheindlin doesn't deserve what she gets. The show is ultra-successful, it brings in a lot of money to CBS and its affiliate stations, and it has been a staple of daytime TV for years.

I, personally, never understood the allure of the show, nor of its host.

She is very good at what she does, which from the shows I have watched, she pretty much tells everyone each and every show.

I think the main thing about the success of this show is her demeanor, which to most of the viewers, who have never been in a family court or small claims court setting, seems to be something unique.

We can follow along with those "on trial" on the show, go with the judge's often cantankerous demeanor, and wonder why people need to go up this avenue to resolve their differences.

Let me tell you, yes, as I said before, Judge Judy is a REAL judge, she is only playing the "role" of "Judge Judy" on the air, she was a REAL family court judge in New York State at one time.

So the things viewers like about Sheindlin are, in fact, real.

Having been in both family court and small claims court in my life, yes, the way Judge Judy acts on the air is pretty much exactly the way judges in these courts act towards those that come before them.

They are cantankerous, aloof, cast themselves as better than anyone else in the court, and are belittling to a fault.

We laugh, and admire Judge Judy for these behaviors, but if we were, ourselves, in a small claims court or family court case, I don't think that these are characteristics that we would admire.

I guess I have this sour feeling about Judge Judy because I have personally been there and done that, and I am sure others feel the same way I do.

But for the majority of viewers, who will probably never have to step into such courts, I hate to say it this way, but I don't think they know any better, and feel Judge Judy is simply putting on a show because she is, in fact, on a TV show.

Nothing could be further from the case.

Having been before numerous judges over the years, and seeing how they act in their real courts, I know that Sheindlin has simply brought that type of behavior to the TV arena. It is not a put on, it is way it really is.

She hasn't changed her tune one bit from real court to TV court, and that is her main allure.

People think it is being cone for the TV cameras, but it simply isn't.

So good luck to Judge Judy. She found major success later in life, and that is great.

But when you next watch her show, understand that she is not playing up to the cameras.

Your average garden-variety judge in local courts across the nation act the very same way, and there are no TV cameras in sight.

Here comes the judge indeed.