M.E.

While he'll always be known to me as Oscar Madison on The Odd Couple, television audiences also know Jack Klugman from his 1976 to 1983 series Quincy, M.E. (The M.E. stands for "Medical Examiner," just so you know.) Well, he's now suing over lost profits from that television show (and not for the first time either).

A lesson that has long been learned in television negotiation is that you never take profit shares from the net of any show or movie. The magic of Hollywood accounting can have that piece of programming in debt for centuries. I think Gone With The Wind has yet to make a profit. If you are ever negotiating salary, make sure it's a percentage of the gross profits, not net.

Not that any of this wisdom helps Jack Klugman at the moment. Hopefully his case can bring to light some of the insidious accounting practices in the entertainment industry, but I'm not holding my breath.