I was home today.

Everyday when I’m home, I have certain habits which have become part of my routine. Usually, between 3 and 5 there are a couple of those court shows, Judge Joe Brown, Judge Judy and The People’s Court. I’ll flip between the channels depending on how entertaining the case may be.

There is some kind of perverted fascination (akin to rubbernecking passing a bad car accident) which compels me to watch these things.

People’s Court tapes in Manhattan and I had great fun attending a taping with a friend a while back - truly one of those great free things there are to do in New York.

After the court show are over, it’s right into the days’ news. New York is unique in that there are four channels running local news shows at 5pm. Most markets don’t have that kind of coverage, so in that way New Yorkers are lucky that they have all these outlets for information.

Still, if someone could explain what the significant news value in Martha Stewart’s sentencing was and her public statements afterward I’d appreciate it.

Truth to tell - if it continues I’ll have to say I’d rather stick with the court shows before 5pm - they don’t purport to be news programs and they’re a helluva lot more entertaining.o