REMEMBERING MERV GRIFFIN

The late Merv Griffin was involved with his last project, the new game show Merv Griffin’s Crosswords — premiering today — up until the very end, the show’s host Ty Treadway shares. “He was very aware of his state at that point, and there were so many other things that he could have done with his time, but he loved the game.” Along with creating the competitive word competition and writing music for the show, Merv even styled his emcee from his hospital bed at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles before his death. “Merv gave one note after watching tapes of the show: Change Ty’s hair,” remembers Ty. “He said, ‘We need something more dramatic, something spikier.’ It’s sad that he’s no longer physically here with us on set, but somewhere, he’s looking down and playing along.”

The courtroom series Judge David Young, featuring TV’s first openly gay judge, also rolls out today. I got to experience just how fabulously David will dole out justice when we met for breakfast on a balmy summer morning. After being on the bench in Miami, Fla., for nearly 14 years, David’s known for his tough but fair sentencing, all done with a bit of pizzazz. “People used to love to come into my courtroom because they knew it would be a show,” he shared. David also left me with some sage advice. “Make sure you stop by Bergdorf Goodman. They’re having a 50 percent off sale on everything!”

Now that’s an order I can live by.

Merv Griffin’s Crosswords and Judge David Young premiere Sept. 10. Check local listings.