(It took me a few minutes to realize that's Jamie Rose of "Falcon Crest" fame with Charlie Sheen. She's looking well.)

I expected a better episode (with spoilers) …

I had some fears about this "CSI"/"Two and a Half Men" writing crossover, simply because shows acquire their own style and it can be difficult to replicate. Also, because I still painfully remember that "St. Elsewhere" episode where the doctors ended up drinking in the "Cheers" bar. Did. Not. Work.

But as I was watching the "Men" written by "CSI" people, I remembered how funny "CSI" can be. Sometimes it's sneaked in, but there's a lot of humor there. Still, there's a difference between sliding in a joke here and there, and building an entire comic piece. You can't just pile jokes, which is what last night's episode did for the most part. You have to create whole structures. The Charlie Waffles infomercials are an example.

In addition, it surprised me that they would use the crossover to get rid of Robert Wagner as Teddy and Jenny McCarthy as Courtney. Not that I wanted to be rid of them at all. Well, McCarthy annoyed me. But Wagner was great fun, and I'm sorry he's gone. And while it felt last week that Courtney was scamming Charlie, the whole con-artist payoff wasn't clever enough by half. The regular writers could have done better.

Interesting, too, that Conchata Ferrell as Berta had a lot more to do than usual in this episode. Hey, if I was writing this show, I would write her lots of scenes. She's a terrific, long acclaimed actress. (Go and see what she does with just a scene in "Network.") But in the context of "Men," Berta works best as a stealth joker, moving in, making her remark and moving on. This episode overused her.

But I did like some lines. And using Jake for the "CSI"-like internal organs journeys was a good touch. But overall this was still a stunt, and stunts are risky business for TV shows. Now we'll have to see how the "Men" writers do with "CSI."

This from CBS today:

CSI was Thursday's Number One program in viewers on a night that included a special elimination edition of "American Idol," according to preliminary Nielsen live plus same day ratings for April 10.

CSI outdelivered "American Idol" in viewers (19.93m vs. 19.57m).

And here's next week's theme:

On Tuesday, April 15 (8:00-9:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed), the Top 7 finalists (Brooke White, Carly Smithson, David Archuleta, David Cook, Jason Castro, Kristy Lee Cook and Syesha Mercado) will return to the Idol stage to perform songs by Mariah Carey.

Tune in the following night to see a live performance by superstar Mariah Carey and find out who receives enough votes to stay in the competition and who must go home on the results show Wednesday, April 16 (9:00-10:00 PM ET live/PT tape-delayed).

Notes after the jump on "Survivor," the return of "CSI," "Leatherheads" the latest from the Black Keys.

After last night's ouster, Ami (above) has to be considered one of their more fascinatingly flawed characters in the history of "Survivor." She understands tactics very well, as was evident with the women's alliance in her original run on the show. But she doesn't know how to close the deal; the women's alliance turned on her, and a man ended up winning the top prize. On last night's show, she was thoroughly outmaneuvered — and by a fan, no less — as her tactical sense became a liability because it also meant she was untrustworthy. Of course, almost no one on "Survivor" is ever trustworthy, but she let herself be boxed in. Nor does it help that she's in a tribe that is, at bottom, quite bad; they really do need to win some challenges.

As for the show overall, it was a little too talky — one challenge and a lot of maneuvering. But I am still looking forward to the payoff in this season's fake-idol story.

Nice to see "CSI" back, and could we give Bonnie Bedelia's prosecutor character her own series? (I know, she's doing the "Sordid Lives" series for Logo. But she was such a force from the moment she arrived on "CSI," I couldn't help but think there was some backdoor-pilot maneuvering going.) Decent mystery, fun with the spreading illness, gorgeous look ("CSI" is one of my favorite HD shows) and they've not forgotten that Grissom is still hurting from Sara's departure.

I'm nothing but a fan when it comes to the Black Keys, but I also recognize the sense of creeping sameness that has accompanied some of their recent work. No such concerns with "Attack and Release," the newest, which suggests not a dead end for the guys but a wide open road ahead. The production from Danger Mouse takes them away from a stripped-down, hard, bluesy sound and into psychedelia and weird beauty. (Listening to the opening cut, I thought, "Hey, that's … melodic!") While I still like the older sound, with the menacing currents of late-night barroom knife fights, I keep going back to "Attack and Release" for the little flourishes and the big songs.

You can find my review of "Leatherheads" here. The Beacon Journal system also involves assigning star ratings to movies, and I have yet to quite get the hang of that. This one was 2 1/2 stars (out of a possible four), as were "Drillbit Taylor" and "Honeydripper," three very different movies. In each case I found something to admire in the movie but also saw significant flaws. In retrospect, I wonder if I was too kind in some cases — or if it's just that I love movies too much. But that love is not unquestioning, and it's been some time since I saw a movie onscreen that I was really enthused about.

Jorja Fox departs "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" tonight, and she is given a good send-off. …

While the setup is rooted in the kidnapping and near-death of her character, Sara Sidle, the bigger and better arc involves unfinished business: the Season Six episode "The Unusual Suspect," where Marlon West (Douglas Smith) beat a murder rap thanks to the brilliant and devious intervention of his sister, Hannah (the eerily compelling Juliette Goglia). As is noted in flashbacks during tonight's show, Hannah not only outsmarted Sara, she smugly told Sara that the investigator had been tricked.

So tonight's episode includes a death on a Las Vegas college campus that soon enough leads us to Marlon, and to Hannah. And that all comes as Sara is fighting a case of burnout so severe that, in the episode's other case, she can't bring herself to offer minimal help to a victim. The early scenes don't ask if Sara can keep doing her job; they just make us wonder when she will give it all up.

But there's that West case. It offers Sara a chance at redemption, a chance to clean up an old mess. When it comes up, it even teases us that, if Sara can sort this out, she can also sort out a way to stay on the job.

Only this is "CSI," which is still a show sufficiently remarkable that, on those occasions when I do watch it, I think that I should be tuning in a lot more often. And it's a show that understands that the messiness and complication of murder extends far beyond blood and clues. Much of the time, the pain is seen in the killers and their victims. But it has also seeped into the bones of the investigators. Grissom's coolness is at its core a severe emotional denial.

And you have to feel that kind of denial because there is always unfinished business. A solution is not the same as resolution. No matter how the West case turns out (and I'm not telling you here), it cannot be tidy. (In fact, the show leaves one part of it dangling, an aside to the main case where viewers have to fill in their own blanks.)

But I've gotten away from the reason CBS sent out this episode, and that I watched it, which is Fox's departure. I've drifted away from that because, while it may be important to Fox's fans, and while it does provide her some fine moments, it's not the best reason to watch the episode. The best reason is that it is stark, and troubling, and captivating. That Goglia is scary-good, playing Hannah's brilliance but also playing the child within the prodigy. It's "CSI" at its best.

Notes and spoilers if you haven't watched yet, in series alphaetical order, after the jump …

"How many Emmys do you get for treating a deer?"

Well, I fudged a little with "CSI," fast-forwarding to near the end to see if Sara bought it or not. And it's a testament to William Peterson's acting that I still felt a tug of emotion as he looked at Sara in the helicopter. But that may not mean she's going to be around long; TVGuide.com is reporting, based on sources, that Jorja Fox still doesn't have a new contract with the show and she will be gone in November. And TVG's Michael Ausiello is chummy with Fox, and has an interview with her online — although Fox is coy about her future in the formal interview.

"Grey's Anatomy" was a disappointment in almost every way. One diehard fan told me this morning that she may not be back for more. I did like the milder tone (that is, no one died in this episode), and I'll always watch Bailey and the Chief, and Cristina with her interns was fun. Also, Alex's smirk after he told his interns not to complain. But let's look at some of the big gaffes.

Starting with three words for Izzie: CALL A VETERINIAN!! She has time to sit and study deer anatomy online, but doesn't think to call a vet? She's an idiot, and still poison for George.

Another gripe: Meredith's sister has been to med school, and doesn't know that introducing yourself in the middle of an ER crisis is a bad idea? Another: They're doing an Addison on Callie, taking a formerly strong character and making her soft and weak. And obviously there's more punishment to come for Callie, what with George being a complete idiot about Izzie.

Speaking of George, if the intern gossip has included Izzie's killing a guy, don't you think someone would know that he's repeating his internship — and he's married to the chief resident? Anyone? Anyone?

Too much aggravation.

"My Name Is Earl," which I had seen before telecast but didn't get around to blogging about, was a sturdy show. And it did a nice job of maintaining the issue of the list while keeping Earl in jail. Lots of comic possiblities there for the future. And the present included such delights as Joy's rubber band and Randy's car theft.

And how very funny was Ben Foster?

Two connective thoughts about "The Office": Between it and "Grey's," it was not a good night for animals. Between it and "Earl," we saw that an hour of a sitcom is plenty manageable, even when those hours are structured so they can be neatly split into two half-hours for syndication.

And, while there have been weeks when I found "Earl" to be funnier than "The Office," this was not one of them. "Earl" was sturdy. "The Office" was creepy-brilliant.

Meredith hit by the car. Kevin and Oscar studying the mating habits of Jim and Pam. Jan threatening Pam.

Here's an episode I would like to see: Jan suspecting Angela has her eyes on Michael. What a throwdown that could lead to.

More goodies: The deep blush on Jim when the documentary makers show them the car footage. (That was one of several reminders about the docu crew; there was also the doctor eyeing the camera.) Dwight, Angela and Sprinkles. This was really creepy in my house, where one of our cats died not long ago, but still funny. And I should note that the actress who plays Angela has been on the cover of at least one cat magazine.

I read them at the vet's.

Creed's creeds. The guys' escaping the 5K. The way the route wasn't in a circle. Michael's knowing the "nurse." It was just nonstop funny.

Finally, "Survivor." Goodbye, Ashley, fangs for the memories. Mildly entertaining but I'm not yet feeling must-see about it.

"Saturday Night Live," "Friday Night Lights" and — even without a day in its title — "Grease," after the jump …

Not sure if I'll post anything on the Grammys; Beacon Journal pop music writer Malcolm X Abram is blogging during the telecast, and you can find the link on www.ohio.com.

Has been a semi-lazy Sunday, aside from groceries and some other shopping. Felt dragged after Saturday, when I did work, including the difficult, emotional task of covering a local Navy man's funeral. Got through it, but didn't watch much TV other than Thursday's "CSI." Caught up some today.

So, notes:

"CSI" was a strange, grim episode wrapping up the tale of Grissom's fill-in (Liev Schreiber) in a way that made very sure we won't be seeing him again. Very much a departure for "CSI" in its low portion of geek science. At the same time, it could be seen as an argument in favor of the geek scientists. They may have their problems, but they're nothing compared to what the old street cops brought to the table — rape, incest, murder, corruption, a severed hand.

"Grease" is now on. Opening group sing: "Summer Lovin'." Lots of hammy rivalry and shoving for the microphone. Twist announced: The two lowest vote getters among the Sandys and the Dannys will have a sing-off for their survival. Introduction of the judges, with special guest Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Video recap of last week's show, with contestant comments. Much posturing.

Break, so let's talk "Saturday Night Live," with host Forest Whitaker. The digital short wasn't much. Whitaker was obviously a good sport, happy to do some silly business — and to sing — but also willing to let other people run the sketches. In fact, it was Maya Rudolph's night — as Whitney, as half of "Bronx Beat" with Amy Poehler, as Whitaker's duet partner. "Bronx Beat" was giggly just because Poehler and Rudolph went with it. Her Whitney was entertaining, though the sketch dragged on too long. (I'm also wondering how Whitaker felt about the Whitney-mocking considering he directed "Waiting to Exhale." Of course, that could have made him even more all right about it.)

Back to "Grease." We're doing an "Idol"-ish who's-safe thing. Kevin, Derek, Chad and Austin step forward — are all safe. That leaves Matt, Max and Jason. Max is also safe. That leaves it between Matt, the guy who was brought back by the judges, and Jason for the sing-off.

Women's turn: Ashley A, Ashley S, Laura and Kathleen are called forward. Ashley Anderson, the other judge bring-back, is in the sing-off. Ashley S, Laura and Kathleen are safe. Allie, Juliana and Kate are left; Allie gets the sing-off.

The returnees sing first. Max goes with "Can You Feel the Love Tonight." Laura follows with Lloyd Webber's "Jesus Christ Superstar" theme. Very strange choice, and only a so-so performance. Judges more enthusiastic. Next: Ashley S. and Derek. He does "Footloose," with backup dancers. Gee, you think they're trying to give him a boost? Ashley S. does "Take That Look Off Your Face," another Lloyd Webber song. She's getting better; she's gotten that screechy tendency considerably under control, except for a little trouble at the end. And she looked a little orange in the lights.

Judges: High marks from Kathleen, Lloyd Webber, Jim and Snarky Brit, although SB wanted more anger from Ashley S.

Another break, so let me finish my "SNL" thoughts. Other good stuff: Darrell Hammond's Jesse Jackson (and that whole bit, especially the end), Valentine's Day with the Cheneys. Overall, it was a show where I less inclined to fast-forward than usual.

Still in a break, so let's talk "FNL," which I finally watched today. Solid episode, as I have come to expect from the drama. Especially impressed by its refusal to resolve the core issue in an hour, or even to have the main antagonist be genuinely regretful. What a show. I am running out of ways to explain how much I value it.

So now we can stay with "Grease." Kevin sings "Burning Love," Juliana does "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." When I listen to Kevin's Elvisness, I hear Simon Cowell saying "a little too cabaret." Definitely too Vegas. (I know, he's auditioning for a Broadway show, but even "Grease" has more hair on its chest than this.) And he's really having trouble with the melody. Got backup dancers, though.

"Evita" always makes me think of the TV ads I used to see for it during its Broadway heyday, with Patti LuPone and Mandy Patinkin going "not much to ask for. Or something. It was 30 years ago, you know. As for Juliana, decent voice but I feel as if she's dragging out the performance. Lloyd Webber looks as if he's wincing at the end.

Snarky Brit not crazy about Kevin, and thinks Juliana is too polished. Lloyd Webber says neither has made the song their own, the way the previous performers did; seems to be taking the blame for Juliana's performance. Kathleen not crazy about Kevin, either, and unenthused about Juliana. Jim — told to answer "very quickly" — is a huge apologist for both, saying he's seen them better.

Back from a break: Lloyd Webber gives a guarded endorsement to a new "Grease," although he wishes for a more diverse range of performers. (By the way, I haven't mentioned it yet today but the enthusiastic crowd, complete with signs, is quite annoying tonight. I find it not very credible.) Then the expected ga-ga sequence of the people working with ALW, leading into a group sing of "Phantom of the Opera." Not for the first time, I think Lloyd Webber is struggling to listen politely, and to let Billy Bush make the gushy comments. I remember a show on Bravo — back when it was a cultural channel — where Stephen Sondheim worked with some singers. He felt no need to be polite, directly correcting their work, his criticism unvarnished. Let's get him for a "Grease" episode.

Right.

Chad, "My Eyes Adored You." From "Jersey Boys," we're told, as part of an ongoing attempt to use compilation shows as a pretext for considering these Broadways songs. Not great, particularly on the high notes. Kate, "Buenos Aires." She seems to be much blonder. More talky than singing, even in places she could sing harder. Not good on some high notes. Let's see how Lloyd Webber looks … Down at his notes, clapping limited. And he's first up for comment. Spares Chad, who has the flu. Jokes with Kate about investing in his new show. Then calls her a terrific singer. Other judges basically kind.

Austin, "Ease On Down the Road." Big dance routine, not impressive vocal. Kathleen, "Memory." I liked her quite a bit last week. This time, not so much. She's no Betty Buckley. They have to stop showing Lloyd Webber at the end of songs; he seems really not to enjoy himself, no matter what he says after.

And coming up … the sing-off. Videotape of reactions backstage after they were told they were at the bottom of the votes. Tears included. So how is this thing going to work? Jason and Allie were the lowest vote-getters. But the panel will decide who goes home. Song: "Tears on My Pillow," each to sing part of it — Jason followed by Matt, Allie and Ashley A., then back and forth between the two women. After hearing these fragments, I'd keep Jason and, based solely on this performance, Ashley A. even though she's been very bad before. Results after the break.

Judges — only the regular three — make their call. Jason survives. Allie survives. So the two who were brought back for a second chance, Matt and Ashley A., both go bye-bye. And Jason and Allie get to do their regular performance for audience voting. Jason takes "That'll Be the Day." Very unfortunate. Allie does "I Don't Know How to Love Him." Much better.

Recap. Then the judges pick their faves of the week. Snarky Brit goes for Austin and Laura. Kathleen has Derek and Kathleen. Jim picks Max and Laura. Lloyd Webber — who politely avoids punching Bush for once again calling him "World Wide Webber" — calls it for Derek and Laura; Laura "staggered' him. Not sure about that, but Ashley Spencer told me some time ago that she thought Laura was the toughest competition.

And that's enough for this post.

I did like the twist in the middle of "Veronica" — when we found out she wasn't as innocent as we have come to expect from watching shows that aren't as well made as "Veronica." And it was a nifty way to tie up some storylines, while starting a new one for Wallace. But I set a high bar for "Veronica" and it didn't always reach it. The end suggested the FBI is all done with Veronica, when there seemed to be enough evidence to keep interrogating her as a witness if not as a suspect. And I hope that the settling of this story means that at some point we'll get back to the bus mystery.

"Earl" and "The Office" had good things. But I've also felt as if I'm trying to shake a bug today, and it seemed especially pronounced when I was watching TV. Have you noticed that, when you're even a little bit sick, TV feels slower? It's as if your brain has reduced the pace at which you receive images because you can't process them very quickly.

I checked on last week's "CSI" for a couple of reasons. One was that I wanted to see how scary-looking Faye Dunaway had gotten; she had looked bad when she did that WB reality series and I was hoping it was an aberration. No such luck. Age and what appears to be some cosmetic surgery have not been kind to her. In a strange way, though, the look fit her character; I think there's a real-life Vegas star who had a romantic connection to a mobster, and who in more recent years looked as overdone as Dunaway did on "CSI."

The other reason I watched was that this spring the bride and I are going to Las Vegas; she has been there before, while it's something I have just dreamed about for years. (The dream was very specific, too: Renting a convertible in L.A. and driving across the desert, hitting Las Vegas at night, with its lights a beacon out of the darkness.) So I have not only been reading up on modern-day Las Vegas — and watching cable specials about it — but thinking about the mythology I have accumulated from books and movies and shows like "CSI." Thursday's episode was awash in the mythology, from the lavish modern settings to the echoes of the city in the '60s. I'm really curious about how the real thing will measure up. For instance, will it look as startlingly colorful as "CSI" in HD?

I've started dipping into "CSI:NY's" first-season DVD, and I keep thinking that the box should have a big label saying "We're Not Like This Anymore."

That first season started with a blue color scheme and a lot of darkness — though less in actuality than what stuck in memory. CBS thought viewers found it too much of a downer so now, in the show's second season, the look is brighter, there's more sunlight and things move faster. If the first season was NYC as seen by its worst critics, the current season is something more tourist-friendly. Yes, some of the characters have an attitude bordering on rudeness, but that's part of the NYC of mass imagination, too: the swagger of someone certain he lives in the greatest city on earth and helps make it so. In other words, the attitude of a Yankees fan.

I'm more willing to give the new version some attention than I did the first-season model. The new one feels as if it is allowing me to use my escape time wisely. And as intense as the "CSI's" can be, they are fundamentally light entertainment. They may make you think a bit, but they're mostly there to give you a way to spend an hour that takes you out of your world but doesn't make you feel stupid for doing it.

Case in point: A recent episode of the original "CSI." It tracked two cases, one involving murder among Laotians, the other the death of "the next Brad Pitt." (His demise, as one character noted, instead made him "the next River Phoenix.") The serious subtext, underscored by the frequent use of split screen and by a nifty sequence moving up the floors in a casino, was that the huge economic and cultural divide between the characters still took them to the same place — a slab, and a CSI investigation.

But while that message was there, the reason to keep watching was the whodunnit, and the howdunnit, and the way the coolness of the investigators lets us have an emotional distance from the deaths onscreen. Yes, we occasionally get emotional reactions to cases — "CSI:NY" has had quite a bit lately — but we're still seeing everything through the eyes of people who deal with death daily. They have found a way to be emotionally removed, and then we are, too. And all that death is simply the basis for our amusement.

I suppose somewhere here I should talk more about "CSI: Miami," but I haven't watched it in some time. I'll probably catch an episode this season, since I try to watch some of every show on the air, but I won't do it eagerly. There have been some good things on "Miami," but they come in the context of David Caruso, a once-interesting actor reduced to a mannered stoicism.

Look at the "Miami" episode that set up "CSI:NY" and look at Caruso vs. "NY's" Gary Sinise in scenes. It's pretty clear who's doing the better job. In fact, I find myself watching "NY" and enjoying moments where Sinise is simply thinking. He's that interesting to watch.