News Bullets

[CSI Files]

• CSI: New York's Hill Harper (Dr Sheldon Hawkes) will be one of three anchors during the BET television network's coverage of President-Elect Barack Obama's inauguration on January 20. (Source)

• The Washington Post reports that CBS is having a good season and good ratings, yet CBS shows like the three CSI series often get snubbed by critics, the press and awards committees. A major reason for this, the article claims, is the fact that CBS is perceived as a "meat-and-potatoes crime-show network" that appeals to older audiences (rather than the younger audiences advertisers are after).

  Thanks to happyharper13 on TalkCSI for the link.

• One awards ceremony that will acknowledge CBS shows is the upcoming 23rd Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Awards, scheduled for February 15. Nelson Cragg is nominated in the episodic category for the CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode "For Gedda". In 2004, Cragg received the Conrad L Hall ASC Heritage Award, which is presented to a student filmmaker. CSI's lead-out Eleventh Hour is also nominated for an ASC award this year, as is the CBS series Flashpoint. (Source: Digital Post Production)

• CSI's newest cast member, Laurence Fishburne (Dr Raymond Langston), will be a presenter at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards January 11 on NBC.

  The information is from TV Guide. Thanks to Shane for the heads up.

• Casting spoiler ahead!

  Rade Serbedzija will appear in an upcoming episode of CSI: Miami. "I will play the role of agent Aleksandar Sarapov in CSI: Miami, a Russian who grew up in Texas, so the role is very complex, because some consider him a Russian, and other think of him as an American," Serbedzija told Blic Online.

[MacsGirlMel]

I want to know why the 'meat and potatoes' thing and the viewership turns into award snumbs. I'm confused.

[Faylinn]

I take it to mean that they view CBS shows as fitting into a certain niche and not breaking out of that box (like a more critic-friendly, 'unique' show might do), plus some of the biggest shows have been around for a long time (even the youngest of the three CSI shows is in its fifth season).