News Bullets

• Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders) was briefly profiled by USA Weekend recently. The 30-year-old actor told the magazine there are virtually no differences between him and his character, he considers co-stars George Eads (Nick Stokes) and Jorja Fox (Sara Sidle) his best friends, and is CSI's official court jester. Thanks to Al Forno for the heads-up.

• If you love the characters of CSI so much you wish you looked more like them, the website StarBrand.tv will soon launch individual web pages dedicated to helping fans find and purchase the clothes worn by the characters of CSI, Miami, and New York. Shoes, purses, and other accessories seen on the three shows will also be profiled on the website.

• Quentin Tarantino had the opportunity to hitchhike with a Nascar driver for a few laps at the Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday. The director instantly fell in love with the adrenaline rush. "Yeah, Baby! That's what I'm talking about!'' he said after the race. "That was incredible. I didn't 100 percent know what to expect when I got here. I was very open to be intoxicated, and I most definitely was," he said.

• This weekend, Gary Sinise (Mac Taylor) and William Petersen (Gil Grissom) attended a gala in Chicago to help raise money for the Gold Star Families Memorial and Park, an organization that helps the family members of fallen Chicago cops. Actor Vince Vaughn was also present. "I'm just proud to be a part of it," Vaughn said. "It's just a chance to say 'thank you' to the people that go the distance every day for you and me. Some of them, unfortunately, give the ultimate sacrifice, and this is a way to say 'we appreciate you.'"

• Starting next week, CSI: New York will be moving to Wednesday nights in Ireland. The next episode, "Tanglewood," will air at 9:30 on RTE TWO. Additionally, mew episodes of CSI will be shown in Holland starting Monday August 29th on RTL4. More European CSI news can be found at European CSIForum.

• The David Caruso (Horatio Caine) dedicated website DavidCarusoFans.com has been updated with screen caps of the Miami episode "Kill Zone."

• Issue 18 of the British CSI: Official DVD Collection is now available for purchase. The issue includes a special report on lie detectors, an interview with real-life CSI Robbie Dahn and a guide on the episode "Identity Crisis." Issue 19, which hasn't been released yet, includes a special look at fuming chambers, a profile of Sara Sidle, and a look into the mind of jealous killers.

• Season 1 promotional picture of the cast of CSI: New York have been added to Past My Shoulder.

• Rapid City Journal yesterday ran a series of articles about the influence CSI has had on real-life crime scene investigation. The CSI Effect continues to misguide the public about the most important factors needed to solve a crime. "Science can be corroborative, but it's not always necessary," deputy state's attorney Jennifer Utter said. "Compelling eyewitness testimony ... still remains our first and best evidence in our cases." The second article discusses in great detail the differences between real-life and television crimes, and the third article reveals why even the most expensive equipment isn't as productive as they make it seem on the show.

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