News Archive 2005

Below are various news items about Billy, Marg and the show. If you have any news items you'd like to submit please send the link to news@graveshiftcsi.com

December 7 CBS to VCast CSI, Survivor Mike Shields DECEMBER 07, 2005 - Tribal councils, top 10 lists, and bloody crime scenes will all soon be available in the palm of consumers' hands. CBS has announced that several of its top shows, including CSI and Survivor, will begin producing video clips for the Verizon VCast mobile video package. Besides its top prime time hits, CBS is releasing video snippets from The Late Show with David Letterman, Entertainment Tonight, CBS Evening News, and several other shows to the burgeoning mobile video on demand service starting this month. This is the first CBS content to appear on VCast, which launched early last year with clips from CNN and ESPN, along with specially produced "mobisodes" of the hit series 24. Like the majority of VCast content, CBS' content will be edited into short form clips, which are generally considered as most appropriate for the mobile environment. Additional shows producing content for VCast include: CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, The Amazing Race, The King of Queens, The Early Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. The clips will include some original content, such as behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the casts of several shows November 8 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: 3 Dimensions of Murder Announced November 08, 2005 - CSI goes all sci-fi with Grissom traveling to an alternate dimension to solve another oddball murder: Today, Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, announced the latest CSI video game, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation: 3 Dimensions of Murder, to come out of their exclusive worldwide licensing agreement with CBS Consumer Products for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) video games. CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder will be based on the characters and storylines from the original hit television series CSI, and will launch worldwide for PC in spring 2006. This is the third release in the CSI video game franchise. Developed by Telltale Games, CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder will continue the authentic experience of Ubisoft's popular CSI video games. Players will work alongside Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows and the rest of the original Las Vegas cast to help solve intense cases and investigate crimes using cutting-edge techniques and real-world forensic equipment. CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder(tm) improves upon the successful core design concepts of previous CSI games, featuring an all-new, real-time 3D engine, enriched character interactions and animations, and longer, more immersive stories. "CSI: 3 Dimensions of Murder(tm) will build upon the success of the previous CSI games with fresh new episodes that fans of the show will truly enjoy," said Jay Cohen, vice president of publishing at Ubisoft. "We take the crime-solving team back to Vegas in a gorgeously rendered 3D environment complete with all the forensic science, tools and technology that players love to use; they will feel like they are part of the Las Vegas team!" November 7 CBS available on demand through Comcast Monday November 7, 4:35 pm ET Comcast Corp. and CBS on Monday announced a deal to make episodes of four popular CBS series available on demand to Comcast digital cable customers starting in January. The agreement between Comcast (NASDAQ: CMCSA - News, CMCSK - News) and CBS parent Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA - News, VIA.B - News) marks the first time a major network has agreed to make episodes of its prime-time series available on demand shortly after they air. "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "NCIS," "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race" will be available on demand to Comcast digital cable customers in markets with CBS owned-and-operated stations, including Philadelphia. The programs will be available as early as midnight following their broadcast on CBS. Each episode will cost 99 cents, and customers will be able to view the episodes anytime they want for up to 24 hours from the time they order them. Some Comcast systems also may make "CSI" and "NCIS" available on demand in high-definition for customers with HD-enabled Comcast digital cable set-top boxes. Prior to the March debut of new episodes of "Survivor" and "The Amazing Race," viewers will be able to order episodes of the fall 2005 editions, "Survivor: Guatemala" and "The Amazing Race 8." Comcast is the nation's largest cable company, with 21.4 million subscribers. It is based in Philadelphia. Published November 7, 2005 by the Philadelphia Business Journal November 2 The November7-13 issue of TV Guide has a look behind the scenes with CSI on pages 10-11 featuring pictures from the episode "A Bullet Runs Through It." November 1 You can vote for Marg on TV Guide's Best of the Year Poll. She's listed in the category "hottest cop". She's the only representative from CSI in the 4 questions, but this will be aired as a TV Special in December. Go to TV Guide Poll to vote. September 30 Marg's Emmy dress can be purchased at clothesoffourback.org. All procedes go to charity. September 23 TV Guide features two covers with the cast of CSI and an article within the magazine. September 15 Entertainment Tonight has announced that due to a death in the family Billy will not be presenting at the Emmy awards. Our thoughts and condolences go out to the family. August 22 William Petersen has been announced as a presenter at this years Emmy Awards. They air on CBS on September 18. August 19 InsideTV Magazine has a small picture of Marg Helgenberger and Gary Dourdan filming for the new season on two pages in the August 22-28 issue. The same picture can be found on page 3 and page 26. August 18 William Petersen will be appearing at the Chicago Police Memorial Foundation Benefit on August 27. Tickets are still available, $100 for floor seats $50 for Balcony. Click the link for more information. July 2 Star Scientist Marg Helgenberger fits the part of a smart and sexy forensic investigator. EVELYN TEO checks out CSI Willows behind the scenes. ACTRESS Marg Helgenberger looks as good in person as she does on television as Catherine Willows in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. The moment she walks into the room at the trendy W Hotel in Los Angeles for an interview session with a small group of international journalists, all heads turn. That’s when you understand why her CSI co-star Gary Dourdan calls her “a sex bomb walking around the set”. Dressed in a floral pink top matched with a pair of green glossy pants, Helgenberger oozes sexiness with every step she takes and her straight strawberry-blonde hair attractively frames her sultry face. She obviously works out to stay in such fabulous shape. But she is in no way a diva. She has an easy demeanour and a genuine deep-throated laughter to go with her light sense of humour that belies the sensual vibes that she emanates. Her cast mates enjoy her company and in fact, the show’s ensemble has become a family. And like any family, they have their ups and downs. Helgenberger candidly talks about the awkwardness on the set when they returned for the fifth season of the series that revolves around an elite team of police forensic experts in Las Vegas, Nevada. (The hit US show that started in 2000 has spawned two spin-offs ­ CSI: Miami and CSI: NY.) At the time, fellow actors Jorja Fox and George Eads were fired and rehired and production had to be shut down temporarily. “It was not fun. I think the events changed everything. But the cast cares about each other so much and we are all professionals. We didn’t let it affect us as best we could,” the 46-year-old star discloses recently. Working hand in glove with the same people for up to 20 hours a day could drive some people crazy, especially after five years together in close proximity. “Well, I think in any television series that runs for a long time you spend a lot of time with the group of people that you are creating with. And you become a family. And with that, there is obviously all the good stuff that happens with the family. You do care and look out for each other,” Helgenberger points out. “But there is also the stuff that every family contends with, which is, ‘You are irritating me!’ But you have to be professional about it. And you have to do your job. But ultimately we all really ­ I am not just putting you on ­ care for each other. And we all have a good time and we laugh a lot. We really do.” Apart from the tight-knit group of actors whom she refers to as family, Helgenberger has a husband, actor Alan Rosenberg (of the TV series The Guardian) and a son, Hugh Howard, who is named after her father. Helgenberger and Rosenberg met on the set of soap opera Ryan’s Hope, which was her TV acting debut back in 1982 after college. She played a police officer. In 1990, she won an Emmy (supporting actress) for her turn as hooker K.C. Koloski on China Beach. When the drama series was cancelled, she took on several small movie roles including Species and Bad Boys. Then, she had a brief stint on ER as Karen Hines, a love interest of George Clooney’s Dr Douglas Ross, before landing a memorable little role on the award-winning movie Erin Brockovich. Though in her 40s by the time CSI: Crime Scene Investigation came around, Helgenberger was perfect as CSI Willows, the smart and sexy forensic scientist with a past as an exotic dancer, who did the job then to finance her studies in medical technology. While the series mainly focuses on the cases and the science of solving crimes, the characters slowly but surely reveal their lives through the mysteries they investigate each week. Catherine Willows, for one, has certainly been through a lot in five years. Her ex-husband died, she found out her father is casino mogul Sam Braun and now, she has been promoted to swing shift supervisor ­ making her equal to Gil Grissom (William Petersen), her former boss and oldest friend in the lab. What’s more, an upcoming episode titled Weeping Willows (which will air on AXN at 9pm on July 13) is mostly about Catherine and her involvement in a case. It offers a further insight into the life of this single mother of a girl. “Catherine goes into a bar after work. It was sort of my idea,” Helgenberger says. “I wanted to explore the whole looking for Mr. Goodbar sexual obsession kind of thing. I thought it would be interesting to have Catherine somehow as the catalyst of this whole story.” Amusingly, hubby Rosenberg plays the mystery man she meets after work hours. “I am kind of looking forward to it because it will explore her femininity and her feelings. I think her sexual identity and femininity is a part of who she is but she would never capitalise on it in a work situation. But she’s also not the type that is going to sacrifice her femininity to do what she does. The little bit that I’m given, I try to explore whatever I can, however I can,” she continues. No doubt, the popularity of CSI is still growing but with the slew of procedural shows populating the American prime-time schedule at an alarming rate, does she foresee CSI living on for many years to come? “I think it can keep going for a while,” she says. “Well, obviously if the audience doesn’t get burned out on the whole crime-solving (thing). It seems like every show is either a reality or a procedural crime show.” Season Five of ‘CSI: Crime Scene Investigation’ currently airs on AXN (Astro Channel 17) every Wednesday at 9pm. Repeats are on Thursdays at 1am and noon, Sundays at noon and 9pm, and Mondays at 2am. July 2 In the July 4-17 issue of Inside TV (The 50 Sexiest Men on TV) William Petersen can be found on page 73. Small picture and little paragraph. Reads: William Petersen, 52 (CSI) What's Sexy? "Fidelity was hard when I was younger, but with maturity I got a mind'set of 'What's with all this running around to get girls?' Now for me it's, 'Why go out for the hamburger when I've got the steak at home?'" he's said June 20 Petersen of 'CSI' Tees Off For Local Charity Posted on Mon, Jun. 20, 2005 Petersen of 'CSI' tees off for local YMCA Actor has strong family ties to region BY JENNA ROSS Duluth News Tribune William Petersen sees his fair share of drama starring on the hit CBS television show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." But he thinks Duluth is pretty dramatic, too. "I remember lying in bed in my grandfather's house, listening to the ore boats whistling at night," Petersen said. "That sound gets right into your gut. I've always found Duluth to have that kind of drama." Today, Petersen, an actor who also has starred in numerous feature and television films, will visit northern Minnesota ­ a place he spent time in as a child. He summered on a lake near Grand Rapids with relatives of his mother, June Hoene. Now, he returns about every two years for family reunions. Born in Evanston, Ill., Petersen has strong ties to Duluth ­ 87 of them. "My mother was born in Duluth, the oldest of 12 kids," he said. "I have 87 first cousins from Duluth." One of them, Kevin Hoene, is the reason Petersen is visiting. Hoene is a committee member for the Duluth Area YMCA. The organization will hold its sixth annual fundraising golf tournament today at Ridgeview Country Club. Hoene hopes the participation of his cousin "Billy" will bring more interest to the event. "I'm getting a lot of inquiries about how he's related: 'Can we come to your family party?' " Hoene said. "I think that will translate into bigger attendance at the golf tournament." Participants each paid $150 to golf in the 18-hole scramble. Afterward, the organization will hold a dinner and silent auction at the course. Petersen plans to auction off a day on the set of "CSI." "I'm glad I can help the YMCA out. When I was a young, starving actor I stayed in YMCAs," he said. "And now I work out at the Hollywood Y three times a week." On "CSI," which is about detectives working at the Las Vegas Police Department Crime Scene Investigations bureau, Petersen plays senior forensics officer Gil Grissom. In 2003, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for the role. Petersen said he would continue his work as a producer and actor on "CSI" as long as the quality remains high. He doesn't want to get to the point of "churning out" television for the network. "That's why I was upset with all of the spinoffs," he said. "It kept depleting our creative group." June 12 ‘CSI’ star chats with fans, walks track at cancer By Diana Sroka Daily Herald Correspondent Posted Sunday, June 12, 2005 The microphones have been tested and the scene is set. Sunglasses on and hands at his side, William Petersen stands at stage right, waiting for his turn to speak. But this time he’s in Barrington ­ not California. And he’s not playing a scene as “Grissom” on the hit CBS show “CSI.” He’s speaking at Barrington’s eighth annual Relay For Life. Peterson delivered the keynote address to more than 1,100 relay participants at the Barrington High School track field, yesterday evening. Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s key fund-raiser for cancer research. Participants raise money through pledges by walking around the track from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. the following morning. The Barrington event holds special meaning to Petersen, whose sister is a cancer survivor, a Barrington resident and a volunteer with the American Cancer Society. “I do a lot of events around the country, and I can honestly say this is the most meaningful for me,” Petersen told the crowd. “I love the fact that you guys are all out here … it’s such a community. This is such a beautiful thing.” After Petersen spoke, cancer survivors walked the first few laps. Petersen and his wife joined his sister, Mary Kay Bowman, 62, in walking around the track after the first few laps. For relay participants, Petersen’s appearance at the event was uplifting and reassuring. “Cancer affects everybody, even celebrities,” said Beverly Smith, 35, of Huntley. A devout “CSI” fan, Smith also said she was excited to get a picture with Petersen. “He was very nice, very personal.” To help raise funds, Petersen hosted a raffle for the chance to attend a “CSI” taping. Petersen said he did not mind people coming up to him for autographs and pictures and yesterday’s’ event was meant to be a celebration for survivors. “What I’d like to do is make sure these people have a good time. If it means something to them to have a picture, to have an autograph, if it brightens their day then I’m cool with it,” he said. Petersen said he admired his sister’s optimistic attitude during her battle with cancer, and the best advice he could offer to those directly affected by cancer is “chin up.” “We all have something that makes us sick,” Petersen said. “Some of it’s disease, some of it’s mental, some of it’s physical… there’s different things. And somehow it’s so focused when it’s cancer. “All of a sudden, everything comes into a tiny little focus. It’s not like a bad knee, or a bad elbow. It’s the real deal. And I think it can’t help but bring us closer to God. And anything that does that ­ although it’s a challenge and it’s scary ­ it’s a good thing. The closer you get to God the better off you are.” In the past eight years combined, more than $2.5 million will have been raised at the Barrington events. The Barrington Relay For Life is one of 190 in the state. The event was scheduled to close at 6 a.m. this morning. May 20 Here are some more articles: ‘CSI’ season five: Not a shark in sight 'CSI' halting local sound stage work May 19 Here is a list of links with articles about tonights season finale: Quentin Tarantino really digs 'CSI' CSI finale on the QT Tarantino's CSI is simply terrific ‘CSI’s’ Tarantino finale Tarantino pulps up 'CSI' plot From Tarantino, 'CSI' fit for the cinema Tarantino is a 'CSI' kind of guy No "Pulp CSI," but Tarantino electrifies Tarantino lends his grave touch to 'CSI' finale May 1 The May 1 edition of TV Guide (with Star Wars on the Cover) has a 2 page article with Marg about this weeks episode. April 25 CSI Cast talks about season finale Carol Mendelsohn talks about season 5 finale April 21 On Entertainment Tonight, in a brief interview with Leslie Moonves, he revealed that next weeks episode of CSI will be a "2 hour CSI that no one knows about yet." Update.... this is what was said in the interview, but it was obviously edited. The article aboce confirms the last episode this season is two hours. April 16 The Crime Of Their Lives Click the link to read the article. April 12 Secrets of CSI's Success Click the link to read article. March 9 If I Ruled The World: Marg Helgenberger By Roger Crow, PA Features Marg Helgenberger was born in Nebraska in 1958. She rose to fame thanks to her Emmy Award-winning role in China Beach. Helgenberger also starred in ER, Erin Brockovich, Species, Species II, Bad Boys and the Steven Spielberg film, Always. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, actor Alan Rosenberg, and their son Hugh, 15. She has been nominated twice for an Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, which can be seen Tuesday nights on Five. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR FIRST ACT AS RULER? "No more spin. I am so tired of the truth not being told. It's so hard for me to look at the papers these days. I don't know where to look to find something that's not about the war or policy in the Middle East." WHO WOULD BE YOUR MOST TRUSTED ADVISER? "My husband, Alan. He talks a lot of sense. He's a sensitive, passionate guy. Passionate about a lot of things and I think he's very smart, very funny and he's caring." WHO WOULD YOU BANISH? "Anyone who thinks it's okay to profit off other people's misery. I think there's a lot of corporations who are not at all benevolent. A lot of insurance companies, a lot of oil companies I don't think are decent." WOULD YOU BE A DICTATOR OR A BENEVOLENT LEADER? "Oh now what do you think? I'd be benevolent." WHO WOULD YOU SINGLE OUT FOR A KNIGHTHOOD AND WHY? "Bruce Springsteen. I'm a fan but not a fanatical one. I think he's a true American treasure. He's a poet of the working class, he's an incredible performer and a beautiful songwriter." WHO WOULD YOU SEND TO THE TOWER OR PUT IN THE STOCKS? "That would have to be George 'Dubyah' Bush and the entire administration." WHICH LAW WOULD YOU ABOLISH? "I may be going out on a limb here but I would make marijuana legal. I think it's a lot less harmful than alcohol. I've never seen one person get violent on weed but a lot of people do on alcohol." WHAT LAW WOULD YOU INTRODUCE? "Quality health care for everyone." WHICH BUILDING WOULD YOU DEMOLISH AND WHY? "There are actually two in Los Angeles. The Shrine Auditorium where a lot of award shows are held. It's just a pigsty. It needs to be torn down. And The Staples Centre I'm not too fond of. A lot of sport events and concerts are held there. The acoustics are just awful." WHICH RULER OR MONARCH DO YOU MOST ADMIRE OR HAVE MOST IN COMMON WITH? "Abraham Lincoln. He came from very simple means and I think he was a circuit court judge and one of his quotes is something like if you just tell people the truth, the republic will be okay. He took risks, he abolished slavery and was a great leader." IF YOU COULD CHANGE THE NATIONAL ANTHEM FOR ANOTHER PIECE OF MUSIC, WHAT WOULD IT BE AND WHY? "Bob Marley's One Love. It's a really beautiful song and a simple message. You can't help but feel better when you sing along to that." February 23 Tarentino Bloodying 'CSI' Team Quentin Tarentino has signed on to direct the season finale of CSI. Click the link to read the article. February 19 Look for Marg in the February 28th edition of US Weekly, page 88. And look for the CSI cover and article in TV Guide this week, should hit newstands on Monday the 21. February 5 The cast of CSI won the SAG award for Best Ensemble in a drama. This is a transcript of the speech Billy gave when they won: "Well, this is a shock. The only explanation for this is that somehow in the last year, every one of you tried to act with rubber gloves and tweezers. [laughter] Although I will have to say that when you share your close-up with carpet fibers, you're doing a little bit of ensemble acting." [laughter] "The best thing about being an actor is that we get to hang out with other actors. We enjoy being with each other every day, we care about each other, we're friends, and that's truly our reward. We're proud to be members of the Screen Actors Guild, the best private club in the world, and we would like to thank our fellowship of gypsies for this lovely award." "Thank you. Peace." [applause] (there are pictures from this event up in the photo album) February 3 Petersen Lays It On The Line By Bill Keveney, USA TODAY LOS ANGELES — William Petersen picked the cafe for its quality. "This is the worst of the coffee places on the block. The others are crammed. Nobody likes (this place), so it's great," he says. Not so great if you're a coffee lover. Quite appealing if you're the lead star of CSI (tonight, 9 ET/PT) and are used to attention at airports, Las Vegas casinos and even the neighborhood drugstore, where moments earlier he signed an insistent fan's shopping bag. Hollywood success stirs contradictory feelings in Petersen. He accepts fame but doesn't embrace it. He has been handsomely rewarded, but he rails against corporate greed. He talks proudly about the CBS series and says it will be remembered as groundbreaking, but he sounds angry, wistful and even hurt about talent and CSI potential lost to two spinoffs. "When they started to copy it and take people away to go do those shows, it was like (the breakup of) a love affair," he says. "You thought you'd done everything right, and you found out you were just one of many." Since the forensics drama rose from last scheduled pilot to the most watched (an average 26 million this season) and copied scripted series, Petersen, who plays bug whiz and reluctant boss Gil Grissom, has been known to drop the occasional bomb during interviews. He has compared the CSI spinoffs to creating McDonald's franchises and, in a Playboy interview in 2004, suggested tongue-in-cheek that he'd like to see CBS chairman Leslie Moonves and CSI producer Jerry Bruckheimer as guest corpses on the show. ("He is an artist, and he is passionate. He puts a lot of feeling into everything he does," says CBS entertainment chief Nina Tassler.) The Chicago theater veteran, sitting down for a rare, 90-minute interview, is smart and straightforward, if not tactful. But he's not looking for a fight. Part of the reason is philosophical: "They" — network and production executives, powers-that-be — "do what they do, and that's up to them. I can't fight that anymore. That's not something I'm going to win." Besides, "the show does well whether I fight or not." And part of the reason is health. A summer medical "wake-up call," a bunch of risk factors rather than any specific event, caused him to reduce his workdays from 14 hours to eight or nine (five days a week) and rethink his pugnacious style. "I was truly every one of those clichés of the workaholic: overworked, bad diet, bad blood pressure, too much stress. I'm OK as long as I don't work too much," says Petersen, 51, looking relaxed in a gray T-shirt and jeans. "I also stopped fighting for everything. I used to fight for everything." Revealing personality He has had fewer scenes in recent shows, though rearrangement of Petersen's shooting schedule is expected to raise his screen time close to earlier levels. Petersen's shortened workday is evident in tonight's episode, "Nesting Dolls," which intertwines domestic abuse with mail-order brides. However, his scenes are significant, marking one of the rare occasions in which CSI goes home with a character to peel back layers of personality. In the episode, Grissom visits the apartment of suspended subordinate Sara Sidle (Jorja Fox) to ask why the abuse case triggered an outburst that endangered her job. CSI is at its best when solving crimes, Petersen says, "not when people are crying." Yet he sees room to reveal personality through characters' reactions to crimes. Scenes between Grissom and Sidle also stir up the complexities of a five-season relationship that has featured sometimes awkward flirtation and hints of deeper meaning. "It's this weird sort of mysterious dance. We rarely know from one season to another how we're going to play the relationship," says Fox, whose character was first imagined as a love interest for Grissom. The actors help influence the shaping of their characters, Fox says. "One of the things I adore about Billy is that, coming from Chicago and that theater experience, he said, 'This is going to have to be a collective thing. We have to talk about things together.' " About that raise... The thought that CSI could have lost Fox and George Eads bothers Petersen. The pair, who were fired last summer during a salary dispute, eventually were rehired at their old pay. The matter was resolved properly, says Petersen, who adds that the network "would have been looking for me" if the dismissals had stuck. "You want a raise and that's wrong? When did that become wrong in this country? When did you have to get castigated for it?" Petersen talked to Fox and Eads but didn't go to Moonves, saying it was their business. He trusts Tassler, who matched him with CSI creator Anthony Zuiker, but appears to group Moonves with many he says have changed with success. "I'm good friends with Les when Les is a good guy." Petersen also disputes the notion that actors are interchangeable parts on procedural dramas. "You can call it a procedural. You can say it's all about the science. If that were true, then these 30 million people would be watching the Discovery Channel. They're not," Petersen says. "They want to see Marg (Helgenberger) and Billy. They want to see George and Jorja. They want to see Gary (Dourdan) and Eric (Szmanda)." He believes that actor chemistry, along with a wry sensibility, sets CSI apart from the two spinoffs, CSI: Miami and CSI: NY. Today, however, Petersen isn't railing against the creation of those shows, as he has in the past. He's resigned to their existence but disappointed at the loss of writers, directors and technical advisers to the spinoffs. "Why shouldn't we have access to all the ideas, stories and forensics advisers?" he asks. Even without the spinoffs, there would still be copies. Success breeds imitation, he says. "CSI is everywhere on every network at all times. Mostly on CBS," he says. "They're going to put it on until it doesn't work anymore." As it is, CSI is doing "as well as can possibly be expected." He likes a lot of the writing and says its film-quality look is unique for TV. Petersen, who has rumbled in the past about leaving before his contract ends in 2007, says he isn't planning to depart anytime soon: "I'm not going anywhere unless they want me to go." As an executive producer, along with longtime producing partner Cynthia Chvatal, Petersen acknowledges being paid "a lot of money." Reported estimates have run as high as $500,000 an episode, but he says it isn't that much. And though he says he doesn't want to be seen as whining, he also refers to the actor's lot in Hollywood as "high-priced, well-dressed serfdom." 'One to go his own way' Joan of Arcadia's Joe Mantegna, who knows Petersen from Chicago theater days, says he isn't conventional. When Mantegna and others took an '80s Chicago production of Glengarry Glen Ross to Broadway, Petersen passed on what seemed a great opportunity. "I think it's part of his nature. Bill has always been one to go his own way," he says. Petersen gets most animated discussing the acting moments with his co-stars, whom he praises. He has concerns about CSI's recent structural split, in which Grissom's night team was divided, with Catherine (Helgenberger), Nick (Eads) and Warrick (Dourdan) moving to the swing shift. He wonders whether the chemistry will suffer. "I don't know how that's going to play out. You have to try to do stuff after 100 episodes," he says. "As an audience member, I'm not as interested in it, but who knows?" Despite his fears that spinoffs might lead to story drought, Petersen marvels at CSI's plots. Some of the most outrageous attract the most viewers. November's 100th episode examined the mutilation of a transgendered person. "In the middle of that episode, I kept thinking, 'Now we've gone too far,' " Petersen says. It drew a CSI-record 31.5 million viewers. This month's "King Baby" episode is on infantilism. "I was looking at this guy in diapers, and I'm saying, 'Now we've gone too far.' " Post-Janet Jackson, it's not clear how much of diaper man will make it onscreen. Network concerns focus on skin and sex, Petersen says, not "how many times we plunge a knife into somebody's chest." That's just one of the many things about Hollywood that Petersen either doesn't understand or agree with. But he lives with it. "The why and wherefore of all the rest of it is beyond me. It can make me angry, it can make me laugh, it can make me sad. And I can understand it on some level. But it is unacceptable to me. "Yet here I am in the midst of it. That's my dilemma." Dissecting William Petersen Born: Feb. 21, 1953, in Evanston, Ill. Theater: Long active on the Chicago stage; helped create the Remains Theater with longtime producing partner Cynthia Chvatal. Movies: Highlights include William Friedkin's To Live and Die in L.A. (1985); Michael Mann's Manhunter (1986), in which his character, also an investigator, squared off with Hannibal Lecter; Mulholland Falls (1996); and The Skulls (2000). TV: Return to Lonesome Dove (1993); 12 Angry Men (1997); The Rat Pack (1998). Personal: Has a daughter from his first marriage and a 16-month-old grandson; married longtime girlfriend Gina Cirone in 2003. Passion: Former Idaho State University football player, he's a die-hard sports fan and roots for the Chicago Cubs, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks. January 11 The cast of CSI was nominated for a SAG (Screen Actors Guild) award for ensemble in a Drama series. January 9 Marg won the People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Television Star and CSI won the award for Favorite Television Drama... for the third year in a row. January 7 E! News Live aired a segment on the People's Choice Awards, airing on Sunday Night. In the segment they showed where different actors will be sitting. Clearly shown on the screen were Gary Dourdan and Eric Szmanda. Then they said that Marg will also be joining her cast members. No mention if Billy will also be there. January 6 CSI nominated for Producers Guild Award "Aviator," "Incredibles," "Baby," "Neverland" and "Sideways" Get Producers Guild Nods by Eugene Hernandez The Producers Guild of America has announced the nominees for its annual awards. Nominated in the best picture category this year are "The Aviator," "The Incredibles," "Million Dollar Baby," "Finding Neverland," and "Sideways." The awards will be presented at the Guild's annual awards dinner at the Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles on January 22, 2005. The group is the first of many guilds to announce their nominees this year. The DGA will name their nominees today (Thursday), while the Writers Guild and the Screen Actors Guild will announce nominees next week. The PGA also announced nominees in other categories, including Long Form Television ("Angels in America," "Horatio Hornblower," "Ike," "The Lion in Winter," "Something the Lord Made"), Non-Fiction TV ("Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," "Inside the Actors Studio," "The Amazing Race," "The Apprentice," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy"), Episodic TV drama ("CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Nip/Tuck," "Six Feet Under," "The Sopranos," and "The West Wing"), Episodic TV comedy ("Arrested Development," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Scrubs," "Sex and the City," and "Will & Grace"), and Variety TV program ("Chappelle's Show," "SNL," "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," "The Late Show With David Letterman," "The 76th Annual Academy Awards"). Special honorees this year include Jeffrey Katzenberg from DreamWorks, Terry Semel from Yahoo, and producers Laura Ziskin and John Wells. December 7 "In Good Company" makes Hollywood Premiere By ANN SHATILLA, For The Associated Press LOS ANGELES - The stars were "In Good Company" at the world premiere of the new dramatic-comedy from director Paul Weitz. Dozens of fans screamed for co-stars Dennis Quaid and Topher Grace as they made their way down the red carpet outside a theater on Hollywood Boulevard Monday night. "In Good Company" portrays a collision of life and work, with Quaid as a hotshot sales executive whose world is put turned upside down when he's demoted and given a boss half his age, played by Grace. Quaid, 50, dressed casually for the premiere in a leather jacket and open-collar red button-down shirt, while Grace, 26, wore a tapered navy Prada suit and silver tie. Marg Helgenberger, who plays Quaid's wife, wore a slinky formfitting black satin cocktail dress with a lace cape. The actress said she shot her role in seven days, to allow her to do double duty for the movie and her CBS television series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Helgenberger told AP Television News that "In Good Company" is an "insightful comedy about characters and the complexities of life." "The movie's a thought-provoking film that addresses issues that a lot of people are going through today with corporate merging and outsourcing," the actress said. Quaid said everyone will see themselves in at least one of the characters. "Oh, sure, I related to the part," he said. "Everybody's been through a time in their life when their whole world gets turned upside down, and that's what I found great about the part" Grace called Quaid a role model. "He'll answer questions, but I really used the opportunity to shut up and observe the master." "In Good Company" opens in limited release Dec. 29, and will go into wider release on Jan. 14. November 19 From the Chicago Sun Times: STAGE WHISPER: Chicago Shakespeare Theater's artistic director Barbara Gaines has been having discussions with William L. Petersen about starring in a production of "Macbeth." Stay tuned. October 27 William Petersen has been nominated for Favorite Drama Star of 2004 for TV Guide's favorite moments of 2004. The show will air on December 20 on ABC and you can vote for Billy and the other categories at tvguide.com. October 26 For the first time this year you can vote for the People's Choice Awards winners online. Marg has been nominated in the category Favorite Female Television Star and CSI has been nominated in the category Favorite Drama. You can vote at pcavote.com October 1 Now every home can have a crime lab September 30, 2004 In the immortal words of Dave Barry, we are not making this up. Planet Toys has signed a licensing agreement with CBS Consumer Products to produce a line of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" forensic activity kits to be sold at Toys 'R Us, the CBS Store and the CBS Online Store. The first kit will be a CSI: Forensic Facial Reconstructive Kit, available Friday. The other two kits will be available in late October. "These activity kits will appeal to the younger fans of 'CSI,' " says John Tullock, director of marketing for Planet Toys. "The target age is 14 and up. The kits will give the user a chance to discover what it's really like to be a crime scene investigator, and further their interest in forensics." Does this mean your kids will be busy trying it out on every dead squirrel, bird and raccoon in the neighborhood? Let's hope not. The CSI: Forensic Facial Reconstructive Kit will allow the investigator to recreate the skull and realistic facial likeness of a crime scene victim. The kit comes complete with a case that the investigator must solve with the clues provided. (Older readers will remember the board game Clue. The second product released will be a CSI: Forensics Lab. "Everything the young investigator needs to solve the case will be included, such as a microscope and fingerprinting kit," says the toymaker.