[Photo: newscom.com]

That’s right! According to TV Guide, there’s a CSI movie in the works! And even better news is that William Petersen will return to play Gil Grissom in it. Here’s a quote from William about the movie:

“Yes, there will be a movie,” Petersen told Britain’s Radio Times. Although he is sure fans might be “a little trepidatious,” Petersen promises the move to the big screen will not be done haphazardly.

“Usually people leave it till a series has finished —they did that with The X-Files and Sex and the City,” Petersen said. “But it’s about finding the right story, there has got to be a real reason to do it.”

“You don’t just do it because you want to make money — you do it because there’s a story that can’t be told on TV and needs to be told from CSI’s perspective and the audience wants it,” Petersen said. “And we can’t wait for CSI to end or Grissom will be about 90.”

So there you have it, Grissom fans and CSI: Vegas fans! This is truly cause for celebration!

You have seen him on CSI: Vegas playing the recurring role of firearms tech Bobby Dawson. But his real name is Gerald McCullouch. According to TV Guide, while he was working on his laptop on the New York subway, a man jumped him and tried to steal the laptop. He fought back by punching the man.

“That’s when he pulled a kitchen knife out of a black plastic bag,” McCullouch said. “This thing must have had a blade 10 inches long. …I yelled at the top of my lungs, ‘Get the [bleep] away from me!’ That’s when the knife came down into my back. I don’t know whether he lost his grip or what, but the blade didn’t penetrate my leather jacket.”

The assailant was arrested and charged with robbery, assault, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.

Amazingly, McCullouch was attacked at gunpoint once before, in 2001. Thank goodness, he kept his wits about him and was able to keep from being hurt.

Now and then a new show comes along that promises to give fans of crime dramas more of what they love. This time, it’s a new real-life series called Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force. The show will premiere tomorrow, December 9 at 10:00pm ET/PT on A&E, and follows the elite agents of the NY/NJ Division in the heart of New York City, the most active unit in the country, as they track down a different dangerous felon in each episode.

Fans of such shows as The First 48 and Crime 360 will be excited about this new show that follows real crime fighters as they track down dangerous criminals each week. It looks like a good one. Here’s a trailer for the show to give you a taste of what you can expect.

Be sure to tune in tomorrow night on A&E 10:00pm ET/PT for the premiere of Manhunters: Fugitive Task Force.

[Image: © 2008 A&E Network]

We finally have the official word from CBS that Laurence Fishburne will be joining the cast of CSI: Vegas. When I told you about it a few days ago, it was still in negotiations. Apparently, they worked out a satisfactory deal for everyone concerned. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing Fishburne’s contribution to the show and know that he will become a great addition to the cast.

Here’s the official word from CBS about the character:

“Fishburne will play a former pathologist who is now working as an itinerant college lecturer, teaching a course in criminalistics. His focus is on understanding criminal behavior, how and why people commit acts of violence — tendencies he disturbingly sees within himself. In the course of a murder investigation, he comes into contact with the CSI team and ultimately joins the Las Vegas Crime Lab as a Level-1 CSI.”

And here’s what Laurence Fishburne has to say:

“I am elated and delighted to be joining the cast of CSI,” says Fishburne. “I look forward to a wonderful collaboration with the creative and talented team of such a successful and distinguished show,” he added.

It looks like the show has some great new things to look forward to after all. I only hope that the loss of three of the original cast members isn’t going to be too tough for viewers to get over. I guess we’ll have to see…

TV Guide just reported that acting legend, Laurence Fishburne is nearing signing a contract to join the cast of CSI: Vegas. (Can you believe they actually almost have “Othello” for the show - he’s incredible!)

The character he will play won’t be a direct replacement for William Petersen’s character Gil Grissom, but will play a DNA expert who has identified a gene that seems to cause serial killers…and he has the gene himself!! What a cool character!

I will update you as soon as the deal is signed. I’m thrilled! They couldn’t pick a more fabulous actor to join the show.

Good going, CSI producers!!

[Photo: courtesy of newscom.com]

Fans of the lovely Emily Procter don’t have to wait until CSI:Miami premieres this fall to get to see her in something new. There’s a brand new show that she’ll be a part of, starting tonight!

HGTV’s Summer Showdown premieres tonight at 10/9c and one of the celebrity judges for the four-episode series is Emily Procter. Some of HGTV’s best makeover experts will be going head-to-head in a challenge to redesign some very difficult rooms. A panel of celeb judges will choose which design is the best each week. And since Emily Procter has such good taste, she was chosen to join the panel.

So Emily fans, be sure to tune in tonight and for the rest of the season of Summer Showdown!

[Photo: courtesy of newscom.com]

csi-miami, csi miami, CSI, cbs, Emily Procter

Image details: DNA Testing served by picapp.com

Most parents would take exception with a summer camp where their children were looking at methamphetamine and cocaine, maybe even if they were fake. Not so, however, for parents of Camp CSI: Birmingham attendees. Last week, campers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, all of them high school students from the Birmingham area, spent five days engrossed in the real-life science behind the three CSI television series.

For the first four days, campers at the program, hosted by UAB’s Department of Justice Sciences, spent the morning being briefed by grad students and forensic science/criminal justice faculty, and working in six different teams collecting samples from different crime scenes. Then, they spent the afternoons in the lab with UAB grad students, testing blood samples, extracting DNA, and matching simulated meth and cocaine samples to a substance database. On Friday, the the teams work together on one big case. Each team collected evidence from a different part of the scene. In the afternoon, they testified about their evidence in a mock trial.

This sounds like an great opportunity for students turned on by chemistry and biology. The camp cost $199, plus a $50 registration fee, and included lunch and a snack, daily.

The camp curriculum lists the following objectives:

• Help students develop their analytical skills;
• Help students learn (by doing) the steps involved in the scientific method;
• Teach students how to collect, preserve, secure, analyze, and present evidence;
• Expose students to current generation equipment and methods used in forensic-based laboratories;
• Expose students to the reality of forensic-based investigations of crime scenes;
• Allow students to have fun while learning about such topics as DNA, fingerprints, criminalistics, and related forensic-based concepts.

Birmingham area students interested in this program for 2009, should check out the UAB Department of Justice Sciences website, especially the Camp CSI Birmingham: 2008 page.

This is definitely for the curious CSI lover. It is also not for the faint of heart. It’s not the most graphic autopsy video I’ve seen, but, for its brevity, it is interesting and informative for those who want to know more about what the medical examiners of CSI would do, if it weren’t just television.

This video is an autopsy of a man who died of an apparent gunshot wound. Who pulled the trigger?

Okay, who’s up for a seafood luncheon?

Video Source: National Geographic

This week, we saw a significant event in the investigation of the 1996 JonBenet Ramsey murder case. Investigators were able to use Touch DNA to exclude the Ramsey family from the suspect list. When I saw this reported, my first question was, “What the heck is touch DNA?” Apparently, I wasn’t the only person wondering. Here’s a clip from CBS Early Show where Harry Smith speaks with forensic scientist Angela Williamson, the investigator who worked on the case, and she explains the new technique to us.

csi-miami, csi miami, CSI, cbs, tv, Television, DNA

CBS, last week, announced their 2008 Autumn premiere dates. The CSI series will premiere as follows:

• CSI: Miami Season Seven premieres September 22 at 10PM Eastern, 9PM Central.
• CSI: New York Season Five premieres September 24 at 10PM Eastern, 9PM Central.
• CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (Vegas) Season Nine premieres October 9 at 9PM Eastern, 8PM Central.

It’s interesting that they chose to wait a couple extra weeks for CSI: Vegas.

Are you firing up the Tivo?