The Internet Movie Database is the dirty little secret of TV critics everywhere -- at least those of us who can't always remember who played the third lead in some '70s show that lasted one season.

But like Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia whose democratic approach to editing has lately been called into question, it's only as good as the information posted to it, which is why I'm not always inclined to trust, say, the dates of birth posted for some actors.

And now we have a cautionary tale about IMDB from "My Name Is Earl" creator Greg Garcia, who offered up the caveat that his online bio says, incorrectly, that he's the "great-grandson of [Mexican actor/comedian] Cantinflas," a bit of genealogical trivia that's worked its way into several stories about Garcia.

Turns out the bad info came from Garcia himself, who posted it years ago, after noticing that his "Yes, Dear" partner, Penn grad Alan Kirschenbaum, was identified on IMDB as the "son of comedian Freddy Roman."

Of course, as far as I know, Kirschenbaum really is the son of Freddy Roman.