Prime time picks

Every time CSI is on (Vegas, Miami or New York), we are obliged to remind our parents to tune in and watch. It’s the one (well, three, actually) TV show that everyone in the family likes, although we differ in opinion about the characters and story lines. The only constant is that we all agree Vegas is the best show overall, and Grissom’s team is the most competent and loveable. Last night when my mom asked me and my sister who among the CSI women we find most attractive, we gave three different answers: my mom said Detective Salas (Sofia Milos) from Miami, I picked Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) from Vegas, my sister went with Caleigh (Emily Procter) from Miami. My mom’s question got me thinking about my personal favorites from the three CSIs, so I came up with this list:

• Sharpest CSI: Grissom (William Petersen) from Vegas
• Favorite CSI guy: Greg (Eric Szmanda) from Vegas
• Favorite CSI girl: Caleigh (Emily Procter) from Miami
• Favorite CSI bad boy: Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) from New York
• Best CSI tag team: Nick and ‘Rick (George Eads and Gary Dourdan) from Vegas
• Best dressed, female: Detective Salas (Sofia Milos) from Miami
• Best dressed, male: Detective Flack (Eddie Cahill) from New York
• Cutest CSI lab tech: Archie (Archie Kao) from Vegas
• Coolest CSI coroner: Dr. Hawkes (Harper Hill) from New York
• Most versatile CSI team leader: Horatio (David Caruso) from Miami (explanation: he’s not as smart as Grissom the scientist, or as gritty as Mac the detective, but he is more human than both, and I appreciate that)

Moving on to a different TV show, last night I watched House for the first time (it airs Tuesdays at 10PM on AXN), and I think I may have found a new TV addiction. It’s sort of like Monk meets Chicago Hope (one of my all-time favorite shows, by the way), blending wry, neurotic humor with tense medical drama with a dash of mystery. Hugh Laurie is hilarious as the bad-tempered but brilliant eponymous doctor, who delivers diagnoses with Sherlock Holmes precision and Simon Cowell tenderness. He spews his scathing put-downs at such a machine-gun rate that every time he opened his mouth I was straining to catch every single sarcastic word. From just one episode, I now understand why Laurie was nominated for an Emmy this year. I now have something else aside from CSI: New York to keep me entertained Tuesday nights.

Wednesday is also a good TV night. Aside from CSI: Miami, I watch Rock Star INXS on Star World. I didn’t catch the first few episodes because I hadn’t been interested until I heard my sister raving about MiG Ayesa, the Filipino contender from Australia. After seeing him and his fellow contestants take the stage (eclipsing most American Idol finalists with their talent and showmanship), I was hooked. The song selection is fantastic, ranging from classic rock songs to contemporary pop hits, and it’s great fun to sing/scream along while watching the performances. I even voted for MiG today through SMS (yeah, power to the Pinoy!). The only things that bug me about this show is how Brooke Burke delivers her spiels in a deadly dull monotone (when she pronounces “INXS” as “in-ekshess” it sets my teeth on edge), and how Dave Navarro looks just like Satan (give him horns, a tail and a pitchfork and he’s all set).