Incoherent Judge Judy Hospitalized Mid-Taping

D'Amato is in talks to start a hyper-lucrative daytime court show a la Judge Judy

(NEWSER) - As if fathering a child at age 70 weren't enough drama, now Alfonse D'Amato might get benched: The former senator is in talks to start a daytime court TV show, the New York Daily News reports. And lest his following in the footsteps of Wapner incites too many snickers, such shows sentence their stars to a life without the possibility of going broke. More»

How Judith Sheindlin became our most beloved judge

(NEWSER) - Think Oprah Winfrey is the queen of daytime television? Think again. Judith Sheindlin, otherwise known as Judge Judy, routinely beats Winfrey in the ratings—and she does it with a distinctively different style from the feel-good talk show host. “If I call someone an idiot, they're an idiot,” the no-nonsense judge tells the Daily Beast . “I don't care if they're a boy or a girl or black or white or green or chartreuse.” More»

(NEWSER) - Tonight Show host Jay Leno was hospitalized today, KTLA-TV reports, forcing the cancellation of this evening’s gabfest. Leno, who was feeling poorly, checked himself into the hospital, but his ailment is not serious—a spokeswoman said he was in “good spirits” and penning jests from his bed—and he is now resting at home, a rep tells TMZ. More»

(NEWSER) - Ed McMahon has been hospitalized for almost a month with pneumonia, and was recently diagnosed with bone cancer, Entertainment Tonight reports. McMahon’s wife, Pam, has been with the sickly former Tonight Show sidekick, and her “deep faith is helping her through this difficult time,” a source said. McMahon, who is 85, is in the intensive-care unit of a Los Angeles hospital. More»

She collected cool $260m; second-place Seinfeld nabbed $60m

(NEWSER) - Talk show diva Oprah Winfrey continues her reign as the Queen of Media, topping Forbes' list of 2007's 20 highest earning TV stars with a whopping $260 million. Jerry Seinfeld came in a distant second with $60 million—mostly from residuals. They were followed by Simon Cowell ($45 million), David Letterman ($40 million), Donald Trump ($32 million) and Jay Leno ($32 million). More»