News Bullets

• This Saturday, Gary Sinise's Lt. Dan Band will perform at the Arie Crown Theatre in Chicago in honor of the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation, an organization that provides help to the surviving family members of fallen police officers. For more information on the band's new gig, visit their official website. William Petersen (Gil Grissom), who has been friends with Sinise for years, will also make an appearance, according to the foundation's official website.

• In this week, Mike Ausiello, of TV Guide's Ask Ausiello column, offered a possible explanation as to why Vanessa Ferlito (Aiden Burn) decided to leave CSI: New York. "Let's just say that when I interviewed this person last year he/she was not looking forward to relocating to Los Angeles for the job," Ausiello announced. "I wouldn't be surprised if that's why he/she decided to bolt." Though the columnist did not want to reveal who is leaving the show, Ferlito's departure has been confirmed by CSI Files sources.

• CSI was used as a plot device last night on the Comedy Central show Reno 911. Though neither of the cast members made an appearance, their names were used through the episode freely. In the episode, the cast and crew traveled to Reno to shoot some scenes, and the Reno detectives were in charge of protecting William Petersen and Marg Helgenberger's trailers. But they were invariably yelled at by the crew of CSI for talking too loud, blocking the entrance to the trailers, and generally doing a lousy job. "Who the hellgenberger does she think she is?" said Officer Jones when "Helgenberger" made some rude remarks (off camera, of course). "That black dude ain't even that cute anyway." This episode of Reno 911 will re-air all through this week on Comedy Central. Check your local listings for more information.

• Melina Kanakaredes (Stella Bonasera) will this fall star in Into The Fire, and the indie flick has already received some positive buzz. The New York Daily News named it one of the fantastic movies of the season, while the Baltimore Sun praised Kanakaredes's emotional range and versatility. Into The Fire tells the story of an NYPD harbor cop who freezes during the rescuing of a woman who drowns after her plane crashes. As the officer tries to deal with the events of the night, he must also provide some answers for the woman's identical twin sister (Kanakaredes). Thanks to Divine Providence for the heads-up.

• CSI executive producer Laurie McCarthy recently talked to the Buffalo News about getting her new series, Windfall, picked by NBC. "I was just thrilled. I couldn't believe it. It was the first time I've written a pilot, it was my first shot at development and to actually get something on the air. The odds are so slim. It's terrific," she said. Windfall follows the life of a group of friends after they win a multi-million dollar lottery and the emotional changes that occur in them as a result of the money.

• The complete 4th season of ER on DVD will hit stores on December 20th of this year. The season features Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) as Dr. Maggie Doyle, a no-nonsense doctor who proves to be a friendly counterpart to Noah Wyle's John Carter. Fox first appeared on the show during its 3rd season and left during season 5 to make a few West Wing appearances and later join the cast of CSI.

• Variety writer Josef Adalain recently e-mailed a fan to retract his use of the word "warhouse," which he used to describe CSI in his latest article (news). "While 5 seasons IS a long time for any TV show (most die after one season), I think you may be right that it would be better to reserve the word for shows like Law & Order or The Simpsons," he said.

• DavidCarusoFans.com has been updated with promotional images of David Caruso's 2001 movie Session 9.

• Caruso also has a brief appearance in the Steve Carell movie The 40-Year-Old Virgin, not physically but by mention. Carell's character is, as the title of the movie conveys, a 40 year old virgin. In order to help him lose his virginity, Carell's friends advise him to, "be like David Caruso in Jade." Visit the LA Daily News to read a review of the film.

• Adam Rodriguez (Eric Delko) recently attended Maxim Magazine's Hot 100 party in Hollywood. To view a few pictures of the event, visit Just Adam.net.

• Sofia Milos (Yelina Salas) was present at this year's Scientologist's Celebrity Center Gala in Hollywood. Milos's official website has been updated with images of the event.

• Gary Dourdan (Warrick Brown) has kept busy this summer, as in the last month along the actor attended an opening of the new BCBG Max Azria Flagship store in Beverley Hills, E! Entertainment Television's 2005 Summer Splash Event, and ESPN The Magazine's Miami's Own Irie Weekend After Party at Mansion Nightclub. These and other Dourdan news can be found at the Gary Dourdan Experience.

• Screen caps of the CSI episode "Slaves Of Las Vegas" have been added to Erica's CSI Caps.

• CSI: New York will premiere in Spain this September 5th on the network Telecinco, while the CSI season finale "Grave Danger" will be shown at the Premium TV festival in Paris next weekend. More CSI news from Europe can be found at the European CSIForum.

• Thanks to CSI and other Los Angeles based television shows, the city has seen a boom in employment, according to an article published by the LA Times. The increase in television production in the city has greatly benefited its residents as well as its economy, as these shows provide more (and often stable) work for Los Angelinos. "There is no question TV is driving an increasingly large share of our production activity," said Steve MacDonald, president of Entertainment Industry Development Corp, which found Los Angeles hasn't seen a peek in television production this high since 1996. "The growth in television has been explosive."

• David Caruso is planting his feet in the city of Miami, as the actor and his soon-to-be-mother of his second child recently bought a $5 million-plus floor-to-ceiling glass condo at the soon-to-be-built Canyon Ranch Living towers. Caruso has been living in Miami for years now, as his now ex-wife owns her own business in the area.

• According to the City Paper Online, the New York producers' decision to bring Hill Harper's Sheldon Hawkes out into the field was taken in order to increase the doctor's screen time with Mac Taylor, as Sinise and Hill's chemistry was something the producers noted right away and wanted to experiment with. The producers also hope the change in the cast will intensify Sinise's role as star of the show.

• Christina Chang, who portrayed Horatio Caine's beau Rebecca Nevins on CSI: Miami, has been awarded lead-role in the new ABC family show Breadwinners. The Futon Critic describes the show as, "a new half-hour single-camera comedy about three friends with high-paying careers who are dealing with the issue of whether a successful relationship is possible with men who make less than they do."

• Hudson Leick, who portrayed Callisto in the series Xena: Warrior Princess, will guest-star this fall in an episode of CSI that hasn't been revealed yet. In addition to her Xena role, Leick has made appearances on the shows Tru Calling and Fast Lane, and has lent her voice for a couple of video games. Thanks to Rob, from the Hudson Leick mailing list, for the info!

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