Now she has a driver. We go to the McDonald's drive-thru and get an Egg McMuffin and coffee. On the set, the atmosphere is relaxed and informal. Members of her staff wander in and out or lounge on a black sofa before a large-screen television set. Sitting behind a mammoth black desk, Sheindlin munches her breakfast while reviewing one-page summaries of the cases she will rule on that day.
Today there is good news.
Her makeup person reads from The Hollywood Reporter that the show has just surpassed Oprah, the long-reigning queen of daytime television, in ratings for the second straight sweeps period. Sheindlin jumps up to see for herself. She savors the news because the publication's television critic has been relentlessly harsh on her. If you see an actor in a movie and don't like the part he's playing, don't go after him. Just because you don't like Hannibal Lecter, don't take off on Anthony Hopkins.