‘Cheers’ Star Appears Promptly, Neatly in Court

Fresh from a two-week jail stay on a drunk driving charge, “Cheers” star Kelsey Grammer showed up Wednesday for a brief arraignment in Van Nuys Superior Court precisely on time, neatly dressed in a sports jacket and tie and pleaded not guilty to a count of cocaine possession. In the past, he has frequently been tardy and sometimes unkempt.

Grammer, 35, of Van Nuys, who plays Dr. Frasier Crane on the popular NBC television series, is facing trial on the cocaine charge because he failed to attend a court-ordered drug-abuse program after his arrest in 1988.

Grammer was released from Los Angeles County Jail one week ago after serving 14 days of a 30-day sentence for failing to attend an alcohol education program ordered as a condition of probation following a 1987 drunk driving arrest in Van Nuys. Grammer was released early because of jail overcrowding, jail officials said.