When the show began in 2007, our man on the bench promised he would spread justice across the land, sing show tunes, and make a lot of dramatic hand gestures. He kept his word. At one point, Young -- who is openly gay -- proclaimed, "There is only one queen in this courtroom and that's me!"
Young handled some high-profile cases in his pre-TV Miami days. He sentenced one 81-year-old woman to 31 years in prison for murder. And he sent a couple of America West pilots to the slammer for drunken flying.
But in the ratings department, his personality was no match for People's Court and Judge Judy. Sony Pictures canceled the show, in part because less than 1 percent of Americans with TV sets watched him, according to the Daily Business Review.
Now that Young's days are free, Riptide invites him to hang around the New Times office and dole out tough love in the form of sound bites. Say, on September 4? We'll bring the take-out.
