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'CSI' Looks To Get A Boost From Taylor Swift

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By WALT BELCHER

wbelcher@tampatrib.com

Published: March 5, 2009

Can teen songstress Taylor Swift lift "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" out of a ratings sinkhole?

Ever since William Petersen's Gil Grissom character split from the CBS forensics drama, ratings have skidded downward. This week, "NCIS" surpassed "CSI" to become the network's most-watched drama.

So perhaps 19-year-old pop/country star Swift can give "CSI" a boost when she guest stars on tonight's episode at 9 p.m. Swift, who played to a sold-out house at the Plant City Strawberry Festival this week, appears to have some acting skills. She's cast as the murdered daughter of a couple that runs a seedy motel where other deaths have occurred.

Her story, told in flashbacks, is the key to this week's twisted mystery. Swift's character goes through at least four different hairstyles and just as many moods.

It's too early to tell whether "CSI" fans have rejected Grissom replacement, Dr. Raymond Langston (Laurence Fishburne), or whether the show's performance is just part of a general ratings malaise affecting prime time.

Ratings for "American Idol" are off, too, but it still managed to be the top-rated program in prime time last week. Fox won the most recent weekly Nielsen Media Research head count thanks to "Idol," "House" and "24," but second place CBS had 11 series in the top 20. ABC had four on the list. NBC had zip.

TV TIDBITS: Comic Bob Einstein will bring back bungling stuntman Super Dave Osborne for a four-part series on Spike TV this summer.

•Yes children, there will be a "High School Musical 4." The Disney Channel has deemed it so. Production, with a new cast, will begin later this year for a 2010 debut.

•The new ThisTV Tampa Bay movie channel, launched by WMOR, Channel 32, on Monday is not yet available to Verizon FiOS customers. WMOR officials had hoped the channel, which offers films from the MGM library, would be up and running on Verizon channel 463. But Verizon officials say it's still a work in progress. Meanwhile, the new service is broadcast on digital signal 32.2 and is on Bright House Networks channel 630.

IDOL UPDATE: The drama is over for Nathaniel Marshall and Kristen McNamara on "American Idol."

The pair of singers who sparred with their group during Hollywood Week were two of nine semifinalists sent packing Wednesday on the popular Fox singing competition.

The third group of three finalists headed to the top 12: Lil Rounds, the smooth 23-year-old mother of three from Memphis, Tenn.; Scott MacIntyre, the soulful 23-year-old piano player from Scottsdale, Ariz., and Jorge Nunez, the charming 20-year-old college student from Carolina, Puerto Rico. The trio received the most viewer votes Tuesday.

The show's four judges seemed in agreement with the viewer votes this week.

At the end of the show, the judges also announced the semifinalists who will get a second shot at the top 12.

Von Smith, Jasmine Murray, Ricky Braddy, Megan Corkrey, Tatiana Del Toro, Matt Giraud, Jesse Langseth and Anoop Desai will return to the stage for the wild card round Thursday. The judges will pick the final three finalists from that group.

Nunez, MacIntyre and Rounds join previously picked finalists Kris Allen, Adam Lambert, Allison Iraheta, Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace and Michael Sarver. The show's dozen finalists will be known Thursday after the wild card round.

Beginning next week, the finalists start competing - with one singer sent packing each Wednesday.

The Associated Press

TUNE IN TONIGHT

"The Office," 9 p.m., NBC

On a new and belated Valentine episode, love blossoms for Dwight and Kevin. Michael gets a new fixation while Pam and Jim share lunch with Phyllis.

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