Favorites come and favorites go. Way back in the heady days of the early '90s, we remember when the big debate was over who was cooler: Dylan or Brandon? (Sure, there were a few freaks who thought Steve or David should have been included in the running, but there's just no accounting for taste.) These days, however, "Redmond Justice" is the hip show on the tube, and the race for the title of King of Courtroom Cool would seem to have two contenders way out in front. First, there's David "Smooth-Talkin'" Boies, the black-sneakers-in-court-wearing head mouthpiece for the government's side. A while back, we would have said he was a lock for the win, but recently we're starting to think maybe we should be backing the other favorite, who's been steadily gaining in the last few days: Judge Thomas "Grumpy" Jackson.

See, Jackson has become increasingly impatient with Microsoft's courtroom strategies, and he isn't afraid to say so, leading to some pretty entertaining moments. He's lost countless hours hearing testimony in a case he seems to have decided ages ago, and while his shifty attempts to force both sides to reach an out-of-court settlement so the nightmare can end may not have borne fruit (yet), it was a cool move nonetheless. Anyway, the judge's latest exploits are described in a CNET article, which details how he flat out told Microsoft attorney John Warden that questioning AOL's David Colburn wasn't getting him anywhere: "You have long since exhausted this witness's personal knowledge... let this guy go." In the meantime, Boies didn't do much to increase his own Coolness Quotient; to be fair, though, Boies' recent lack of spark-worthy theatrics is probably indicative of his feeling that the wisest course of action is just to kick back, relax, and watch Microsoft dig themselves into an ever-deepening hole.

Anyway, in these ways, Jackson reminds us a lot of another old favorite TV gavel-banger: Judge Joseph "Grouchy" Wapner, formerly of The People's Court. He, too, wasn't afraid to speak his mind even when he knew the world was watching, he frequently pointed out courtroom stupidity, he didn't take no guff, and he pretty much always looked like he couldn't believe he was wasting his time listening to a couple of idiots arguing over who drank the last soda in the fridge. But if Jackson is looking to unseat Wapner as the Ultimate TV Judge Personality, he's got a mighty big robe to fill. Hmmm, maybe sideburns would help, too...