Jane Genova: Speechwriter - Ghostwriter

"CSI: Miami" - Eric coming into his own

The beauty of tonight's episode of "CSI: Miami" is that Horatio, who was on the other side of the case, gave support to Eric Delco when the former CSI officer got a little weak in the emotions.  Horatio explicitly told Eric that the two were family.  It had been Eric's sister who Horatio married.  Both the husband and the brother lost her to a bullet.

Eric used to stand in just about everyone else's shadow.  There was his wise boss Horatio.  His beautiful sister and his girlfriend Calli.  The weak Wolf who had to be monitored closely by Horatio.  Eric had no space his own.  Now he does.

He was representing, as a forensic expert witness, a man accused of murder.  That meant that he had to stand toe-to-toe against his former team.  The plot was quite convoluted, maybe too much so.  The guy was thought guilty, then not guilty, then guilty again.  But this was necessary to provide Eric with his professional rite of passage.

Callie asks Eric if he's returning home to Puerto Rico.  That would make sense given all he has been through, ranging from losing his sister to being seriously wounded while working at CSI.  He says no.  It looks like he will continue his journey toward whatever right in Miami.

Of course, we all felt how much of a comfort zone the CSI lab had been for Eric.  The pull back was palpable.  After he finishes his inner work will he return?  Since he has morphed into a strong character, the series may need him.

"CSI: Miami" sees conflict: Eric Delco back & for the other side

Several weeks ago, Eric Delco told Calli he was leaving the team.  And with good reason.   He had been shot.  He had been through the death of his sister who had been shot.  And now and then he experienced some memory loss from his wounds.  He was supposed to tell the team officially later.  That later never came or if it did I missed that episode.  Meanwhile the stud did a guest appearance on "Ugly Betty."

Well, tonight Eric is back.  And sparks will fly and not the romantic kind with Callie.  He is assuming the role of expert witness for the other side.  From the coming attractions, Calli doesn't seem too pleased with his stance.  Wonder how H will handle it?  After all, there seemed to have been a special bond between H and Eric, ever since H fell in love with his sister, married her, then lost her to a bullet.

"CSI: Miami" - Eric back Monday nite as expert witness

First Alexx went.  Then Eric.  "CSI: Miami" has lacked sizzle since their going.  The worst part:  Eric told Calli he would tell the team he was leaving and never did.  After that, he had a guest appearance on "Ugly Betty."

Well, tomorrow night at 10 PM [New York time], Eric will be back on "CSI: Miami" as an expert witness.  Alexx also had a few post-medical examiner appearances on "CSI: Miami" as a plain-vanilla medical doctor at a hospital.

How we miss Eric. 

Best Fictional Roles Played by TV Characters For 2009

Another year of television is ending.  Some, including myself, contend it's a dying medium.  But, nevertheless, it exerts a pull force, particularly on our hearts.  We become attached to the best bosses, fathers, friends, and screwups.  I've talked to other Baby Boomers and even some Silent and X Gens.  Here's what we came up with:

• Best Boss: Aaron Hotchner "Criminal Minds"

• Best Father:  Jewish patriarch on "Numbers"

• Best Friend: Eli "Ghost Whisperer"

• Best Screwup: Bree "Desperate Housewives"

• Best Professional Comeback: Alicia "The Good Wife"

• Best Emotional Cripple: Jack Malone "Without a Trace" [Canceled for fall 2009]

• Best Aging: Mack "CSI NY"

• Best Pest: Jackie "The Good Wife"

• Best Survivor: Horatio "CSI Miami"

• Best Prince Hal Type: Carlos "Desperate Housewives"

• Best Zany Gal: Tie between Abby "NCIS" and Penelope "Criminal Minds"

"Criminal Minds" - Hotchner Turns Down Retirement Package

Deep sadness hangs over both Aaron Hotchner and the rest of the FBI team on "Criminal Minds." 

Tonight the episode opens at Haley's funeral.  Hotchner delivers a poignant eulogy.  Then he takes a time-out to be home with his son Jack.  But even before the team take off their mourning blacks they're called out to a serial killing in Nashville, TN.  Hotchner stays behind. 

While the tension is lessening just a little, Chief Strauss comes over with an unasked-for retirement package.  It would provide full pension and benefits.   She says that he can be home with Jack.  As if that's what makes Hotchner tick.  Fortunately, Haley's sister offers to stay with Jack while Hotchner is out of town.  But we still don't know if Hotchner will cave to guilt that his job caused Haley's death and his need to, as Rossi puts it, chase and catch the bad guys.

Hotchner turns down the offer for retirement.  We are yet to learn who will head the elite unit: Hotchner or Morgan, whose performance as head way exceeded anyone's expectations. 

The actual plot line focused on a man reliving, until he kills his prey, the romance he had with his former girlfriend.  She dumped him for the best man before they were married.  He had lost the wealth he grew up with and supports himself as a valet driver. That's how he gets the home address of women who resemble the upper-middle-class woman who dumped him.  He wines and dines the victim, then stabs them to death.

It will be a long time before the team can experience joy, including in the work they do so well.

Another Loss for Baby-Boomers: "As the World Turns" no more

I remember eating Cheerios from the box as mom and my aunts watched "As the World Turns."  I didn't so much join in the daily experience as feel relief that the women of the house [in those days extended families packed into one tenement apartment] were preoccupied and off my back. 

Now this part of my Baby Boomer childhood is vanishing.  Soon enough we ourselves will go gently or not so gently into the night.  Let's hope that's before we are drooling in a nursing home, wondering if they caught JFK's murderer.

Here are two chapters from a Baby Boomer novel Download FGFGchapters1,2.  And here's the video trailer, which my mother and aunts never ever ever dreamed would deep-six the wonderful time-out of the afternoon soaps.  

"Desperate Housewives" - Plane a game-changer on Wisteria Lane

For some on Wisteria Lane, this is their last Christmas season.  An out-of-control plane landed on the street and mowed down quite a few people attending the outdoor holiday party.  We just don't know who.  The episode ends with a major question about who will be alive for the next episode.

We are pretty sure, though, that Mona was dead.  She was trying to extort more than $60K from Angie.  When suicide Dan was in the hospital recovering from his overdose, he accidentally tipped Mona off to details of his past.  Then he confided the whole story of Angie's killing a man when Mona drove him home.  Angie could only scrape up $10K, plus her grandmother's ring.  Mona gives her 24 hours to come up with the rest.  Angie got mighty lucky.

We are also sure that Mike and Katherine are alive.  They were not at the party.  Mike was in jail because Katherine told the police Mike stabbed her.  Katherine was in the nut house because it became clear she was delusional.  She really believed she was married to Mike.

We know one or more of Bree's lovers are dead.  Orson and Karl were fist-fighting over Bree in a gingerbread cottage.  The plane wings it.  A hand is sticking out the window.  Bree is shown to be alive.  So is Tom.  But bets are all off about the rest of them. 

Next week "Extreme Home Makeover" is having a two-hour show.  I assume that means we will be on hold for two weeks.  Desperate Suspense for us.

Reflection: Angie, who played Andriana on "The Sopranos," is the strongest performer on the show.

Will Nancy Rant Grace Be Too Intense for Daytime Talk?

Nancy Rant Grace drilled herself into the national consciousness when Laci Peterson, eight months pregnant, went missing.  Lucky for Grace - and Nassim Taleb indicates in "Fooled by Randomness" that lots of success is luck - the development went tragic and played out long.  Her style was and is intense.  And Judy Garland was said to lose her opportunity in TV because of her intensity.

Well, we will find out if Grace's way plays out on daytime TV.  She's got herself a talk show "Swift Justice With Nancy Grace."  It will have the courtroom staging. 

It's one thing for males to be in-your-face in daytime TV.  Think Dr. Phil, who incidentally isn't doing all too hot himself.  But will the audience accept this blast of hot from a female?

Laughed his way to the bank, now maybe Dobbs is laughing even more

Things couldn't be sweeter for Lou Dobbs.  He got to laugh his way to the bank with his severance package from CNN.  Now he gets to laugh again, at the expense of that network. 

In REAL CLEAR POLITICS, Tom Bevan reports that since Dobbs left his show, "CNN suffered a 25% decline among all viewers in Dobbs' 7 pm time slot, and a 26% decline among adults 25-54."  Perhaps another chuckle can come from the news that CNN's Anderson Cooper is also tanking in ratings.  Bevan tells us that according to Nielsen figures, "Anderson Cooper 360" has seen a total viewer plunge of 62% and in the 25-54 demographic 70% since November 2008.

It's nice to witness your former employer twisting in the wind.

Here's a YouTube [where CNN should be instead of on TV] about laughing your way to the bank.

"Criminal Minds" - Crushing Disappointment

How is Hotchner doing?  And, his son?

Will the tension start between Hotchner and Morgan about leadership of the unit?

Will JJ, who now has a baby, re-think being an active member of the elite team?

That's what we have been fretting about since last week's episode of Hotchner v The Boston Reaper.  Yes, Hotchner won that one but paid a heavy price.  His wife was murdered by Reaper.  There was an official investigation of his actions in killing Reaper.  He did get off, but, come on, who recovers from being investigated?

Yet, tonight there was no new episode.  Not even a repeat.  The show was bumped by the Emmy Awards.  Last night another of our favorites - "The Good Wife" - was bumped by a Victoria Secret show.

How we miss the FBI team and Alicia, especially since she has her marriage back.