You Can Call Him (Judge) Al

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.

Judge Judy Scheindlin was a lowly New York City family court judge before her show turned her into a millionaire celeb; now she claims a national following, has landed her own Hollywood star, and pulls down about $30 million a year. D'Amato's show, tentatively set for fall 2009, would likely focus on small claims, but would face off against a crowded field. But "there's always room for one more court show," one analyst said. (More Alfonse D'Amato stories.)