Long before Dr. Phil first browbeat a thick-headed Oprah couch-guest into taking control of her drug/weight/self-image problem (we think we’ve covered the likely bases there) and ushered in a bold new era of daytime TV tough-love, there was Montel Williams, who, unlike the aforementioned, shouty fake-doctor, hardly needed to raise his voice to let the troubled know it was time to shape up. Alas, the Montel Era is coming to a close at the completion the current season, the show’s 17th. Maybe it’s just our grief talking, but we feel like it’s not the craziest thing to hope that Williams might soon be fielding a call from Barbara Walters, offering him a chance to be The View’s first penis-bearring permanent co-host, as seemingly countless days listening to Sherri Shepherd’s nonsense have finally made her consider shaking up their tired format. [USA Today.com]