Misha Collins 'Random Acts Racing'

Misha Collins spoke to the Huffngton Post about his role in season 8 of Supernatural, as well as the upcoming sponsorship by MacDonald Motorsports for his Random Acts Charity at the NASCAR NRA American Warrior 300 race in Atlanta on Saturday September 1. The race will be shown live on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Misha was ecstatic as this prospect and commented that Random Acts has "never been nearly this studly."  The car's driver will be Jason Bowles and the car is called "Random Acts No 81 Dodge."

As for his Supernatural scenes, he said Castiel is "full of remorse and regret and self loathing...he is beaten and battered and stuck in Purgatory."  Dean (Jensen Ackles) suffered the fate of being tortured in hell and forced to inflict the same onto others, they don't call them tortured souls for nothing you know.  Also Sam (Jared Padalecki) being through the same in the cage, it's now Castiel's turn to be put through the wringer.  Hey some may see that as poetic justice for all the hurtful betrayal and selfish antics he engaged in during season 6.

As for Dean's relationship with Benny (Ty Olsson) Misha said Cas is " a bit jealous of it, as a matter of fact."  Hey does that mean all those jibes made by Crowley (Mark A Sheppard) about Cas and Dean, but especially Cas, having feelings for one another had some truth to it, ha.

Misha said on his Twitter page @mishacollins "Tomorrow @ noon EST I'll be live tweeting (as opposed to my usual prerecorded tweeting) with @JasonBowles--driver of the random acts NASCAR."

Stargate Atlantis 5.15 "Remnants" Review

Teyla (Rachel Luttrell) thinks Woolsey (Robert Picardo) is lonely.  Ronon (Jason Momoa) says he hears him crying which Rodney (David Hewlett) falls for.  He just thinks he's busy.  Woolsey wants to eat alone as he has to prepare a report for the IOA.  Sheppard (Joe Flanigan) flew some scientists to the mainland.  Ronon says he volunteered to stay overnight with them cos one of them is a woman.

Dr Parrish (Jonathon Young) finds a plant.  Sheppard: "God Lorne warned me about this."  Sheppard asks her to join him in the jumper. He is attacked and tied up.

Vanessa (Anna Galvin) asks if she can help Woolsey.  He also has a fruit cup on the tray.  Woolsey tells her, "you can call me Dick." (!) He's attracted to her.  The jumper is wrecked.  Zelenka (David Nykl) came back early, Rodney's bored with him.  He runs a scan on the ocean floor as they haven't explored their planet much.  Rodney thinks it's pointless.

Shen Xiaoyi (Tamlyn Tomita) is sent to evaluate Woolsey and tours Atlantis.  Amelia (Sharon Taylor) is asked about kickboxing and he gets Chuck's (Chuck Campbell) name wrong.  Zelenka hopes something will be named after him for a change if he finds anything.

Shen's here to appoint the chair of the earth's new environmental initiative.  Something is discovered below sea level.  Sheppard encounters the Genii and Kolya (Robert Davi).  Woolsey wants to remain at Atlantis.  His decisions have been compromised and she feels it's time for a change.  Sheppard knows he killed him which was confirmed by Beckett.  He wants to get to Atlantis and send a bomb through the gate but Kolya needs Sheppard's  IDC for that and punches Sheppard.

Vanessa asks if Woolsey wants to see a movie and Woolsey says it hasn't been a good day.  He was only appointed since he was easy to control.  He needs to fight for his place here.  The IOA can't make a decision on his fate cos she has and Shen is getting his job in return.

Sheppard can tolerate plenty cos he was married once.  Kolya says his past failures guide him.  He can't protect Atlantis anymore.  Zelenka thinks Rodney should think of something cos he's brilliant.  He rarely says that as he's a difficult man to compliment, as well as being arrogant and stubborn.  That's what Daniel (Michael Shanks) said.

Sheppard's hand is cut off.  That couldn't have happened cos they just wouldn't do that to him.  Kolya asks what he's running away from?  The device discovered on the ocean floor is emitting some sort of radiation across the data.  Zelekna figures out it's an alien password so it's a computer.  Rodney calls it a prompt.  Woolsey talks to Vanessa and Shen watches him at Woolsey's private area.  He invites Vanessa to dinner.

The device contains records of an extinct civilization.  Rodney: "designed to seed planets with organisms,"  they need to ensure it reaches its target location.  Rodney says they can either take the data or send it away.  Sheppard runs away and Amelia can't locate Vanessa anywhere on Atlantis and she didn't see any woman.  Sheppard puts up a one armed fight.  Jennifer (Jewel Staite) goes over Woolsey's test results.  He's normal. Only Woolsey can see Vanessa.

Rodney is always deep in thought as it keeps him sharp.  He's seen the frequency from the device before.  Vanessa is a physical manifestation and Shen confronts Woolsey about talking to himself.  Woolsey doesn't want the data retrieved as they're robbing them of the chance to rebuild itself.  Shen tells him he can follow procedure and keep his job.

Sheppard goes over the edge of the cliff. Rodney recalls the device induces hallucinations and they should get rid of it.  Kolya tells Sheppard to use his other hand - which is still there.  Years ago their civilization   faced extinction.  Vanessa tells Woolsey the same.  The device malfunctioned and was guided to the nearest planet.  When Rodney pulled the jumper out of the ocean, last ep, the device was activated.  Distracted Sheppard chose this hallucination.  He tortures himself everyday and was manifesting his own darkest fears.  Luthor tells Shen the council doesn't want to replace Woolsey with someone else.  He's staying as the new permanent commander.  Shen says she's no one's puppet. There wasn't a dial out for days and has been no update from earth.

Sheppard can also see Vanessa and Rodney wants to see her too in her true form.  He calls her 'neat.'  Sheppard would've said weird.  Woolsey joins them for dinner and was convinced the manifestations were real.  Sheppard says it was a coincidence the device was found when the AI appeared.  Zelenka isn't here and he wouldn't really have called Rodney a genius, no, cos Rodney doesn't need anyone to tell him that when he already believes it!

Woolsey ended up being an integral leader of Atlantis and made choice decisions regarding Atlantis.  So it comes as no shock the IOA want him removed.  At least he fights to stay and realizes they only wanted him to do the job in the first place as he was considered a puppet.  In 5.13 Inquisition, he had to fight to defend Sheppard and Atlantis, here he has to defend himself and show he's a worthy foe and not just someone who will tow the company line.

Vanessa proves to be a hallucination  at first but is actually real and is there to save her civilization and encourage/convince Woolsey to do the same.  Also Sheppard's scenes seemed far from a hallucination.  He got treated so badly and had a rough time especially with losing his arm like that.  That was really engrossing as well as being gross and cruel; not just for him but for us viewers and Sheppard fans too. Cos if he had really lost his arm, he'd be sent home.  That was strange in a way showing Sheppard carries so many dark thoughts with him, as if has the weight of the world and Atlantis only on his shoulders.

An episode of Stargate Atlantis delving into Star Trek territory, many such hallucinogenic eps in there, especially Enterprise.

As fro Zelenka calling Rodney a genius that'll never happen so knew there was something not right there.  Sheppard killed Kolya in season 3 Irresponsible.  The energy signal Rodney recognized and claims they encountered on MIB-129 was the ep Phantoms from season 2.  From the Wraith device.  Sheppard's line about Dr Parrish and Lorne warning him about the reaction to the plant discovery was from season 2's Runner, where Parrish reacted in the same way to the plant.

The Closer 7.12 "You Have the Right to Remain Jolly" Review

Santa Randy falls from a zipline whilst trying to come down the building.  Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) finds someone tampered with the equipment.  The 'zip experience.'  Provenza (GW Bailey) "according to the elves, I've been waiting to say that my entire life."  Lisa (Ivory Tiffin) was his wife and Carmen (Barbara Costa) was his girlfriend.  Buzz (Phillip P Keene) says "he's not the real Santa."  Buzz's sister Casey (Christine Woods) is in town.  Buzz has already told her about the others as she goes through each of the team.   Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) "threatens people."  Gabriel is the sharp dresser.  Flynn (Anthony Denison) is the cynical toned one and Provenza is grumpy.   Tao (Michael Paul Chan)  has his bag of tricks.  Casey is afraid of bears.

Santa Jack (Fred Willard) runs the village.  Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) finds Randy and Lisa were having problems.  Outside the elves fight much to the pleasure of Provenza et al.  He doesn't want the fight to be broken up as someone might incriminate themselves.  More like it's a chick fight!  Drugs and cash are revealed in Randy's sack.  Fritz (Jon Tenney) tells Brenda she's meant to be at Gavin's (Mark Pelligrino) office to focus on the Federal lawsuit.  Brenda tells him, "you have the right to remain jolly."  Which is what this episode was meant to be but something was missing from this ep as it wasn't up to the show's much better storylines.  Fritz: "ho, ho, ho."

Gavin says Goldman used the leak in the division to get litigants for the lawsuit.  He goes through the names mentioned in last episode Nick Koslov stabbed teenage prostitutes and was an FBI informant.  Stimple the child molester.  Vasquez the Mexican Federale who was corrupt.  Kyle who killed himself in custody and Philip Stroth whom Brenda has been harassing  since two years.  He receives flowers on 5 May as Brenda says he raped and murdered Jessica.  Gavin is just presenting a milder version of Goldman's case.  He gives them a gift from the firm and tells them their punitive damages could be removed and by the way adds his retainer has gone.  Brenda wants to keep the tree ornament.

Jack, Donna and Randy all signed off on the zipline.  Gabriel can't stop ogling Casey, just like the others.  Randy and Lisa got a business loan to begin their own Christmas village.  Sanchez can't stop staring either.
Donna says she couldn't manage the people Jack hired and knew Randy was a drug dealer.  Flynn brings in Jack egg-nogged to his heart's content and doesn't Mirandize him.  He admits he paid Randy to take his place and take the jump.  Brenda asks if Buzz got the statement on film since it could  be useful, "depending on how much you believe in Santa Claus."

Pope (JK Simmons) walks in with Taylor (Robert Gossett) and asks why they're still here.  Provenza says they're working overtime.  Buzz tells Jack he's "meant to come down the chimney not smoke like one."  He's ruined all of his Christmas memories and he doesn't recognize Buzz either.
Gabriel finds Jack had an insurance policy which guaranteed him the previous year's earnings  if the village was shut down.

Sanchez: "she's hot sir, but she has opinions."  Casey seems to be the opposite of Buzz whereas he's more quieter, she's more talkative and doesn't keep her views to herself.  The 'jaded police officers' are all enamoured of Casey.  Brenda refers to them as "diabetics standing in front of a candy store."  Brenda knows all about candy.  Brenda tells Pope she needs more money and Pope tells her he'll fix it.  Gabriel says the brakes on the zipline were tampered with and he'll be paid $600,000 for shutting down.  Jack tells them about being there when his float caught fire; the health department shut him down after the brownie with botchulism and his mini van brakes gave out.  It could only have been Donna since she's the landlord so she stands to gain.  Brenda realizes someone killed the wrong Santa.

Fritz removes Stroth's stuff from the guest room and she shouldn't hold onto the past as it's also hurting them.  Is it worth rushing their whole future and they should "not freak out in advance," giving Brenda the clue she needs for the case.  Brenda adds that's not right.

She watches Buzz's film and sees Donna on film freaking out before the Santa leaps from the line.  A real estate company offered her money for the land.  Brenda tells her she'll not go for the death penalty if she confesses and she admits she'd try to kill Jack again if she could.

Pope tells Gavin that Brenda being a public servant isn't paid so much and he says he saved the city money in the lawsuit.  Pope tells him he will be seen on TV and this will generate a lot of publicity, as well as being the first resort of any law enforcement officer so Gavin should take on the case pro bono; which he hasn't done before.  He agrees as he likes Brenda.  Gavin also lets slip that Fritz paid for the lawsuit before.

Buzz finds Casey's letter to Santa Jack.  Jack sold the Christmas village to hire a lawyer for Donna and brings champagne.  Another mall will be built which Provenza says typifies Christmas.  Buzz is shocked he sold Christmas.  Casey appears on the weather forecast telling children about monitoring Santa's journey and is glad to go to a cut!

This was the 100th episode of The Closer which received mixed reactions.  I didn't like it as much as the other episodes, though it did contain plenty of Closer humour.  Setting up some storylines for future episodes such as the Federal lawsuit, Brenda finding out Fritz paid for the first retainer and just going over old ground from the last episode in reference to Brenda's past cases.  Not so much ho, ho, ho as ho hum.

Without A Trace 3.11 "4.0" Review

Schoolgirls wait for a bus and Tara’s (Michelle Horn) best friend says she never fails anything in her life.  The girls get on the bus but Tara says she has a dentist’s appointment and disappears.

15 Hours Missing
Her best friend says Tara seemed strange when the bus arrived.  Her mother said she didn’t have an appointment.  They’ve been friends since the 7th grade and she’s sure she didn’t run away.  She doesn’t have a boyfriend.  Jack (Anthony LaPaglia) comments they go to a good school and wants to meet her other friends.

15 Hours Missing
Tara’s mother, Stephanie (Gia Carides) gives Martin (Eric Close) her school directory.  She chose Harvard.  Her father’s dead and she doesn’t have time for a social life as she works 2 jobs.  Tara goes to school on a scholarship.  She’s on the swim team and she spends time alone studying.  Martin comments girls can be into all sorts of stuff.  Three months ago her mother found pills; Tara called them ‘Homework Drugs’ and everybody takes them.  She had her stomach pumped.

16 Hours Missing
Sam (Poppy Montgomery) gets security photos from a  bank near to where Tara went missing.  Danny (Enrique Murciano) finds her file of research papers and Tara has written papers on subjects ranging from philosophy and Hobbes, to Roman architecture and Australopithecus origins.  But she doesn’t have classes in any of these subjects so she’s writing papers for others and making money.  Sam comments she has a 4.0 average.  Danny says pills cost money.

Tara’s swim coach tells Viv (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) he was going to make her the team captain this year but she quit 4 months ago to focus on academic work.  She missed practice but liked to go to the pool because she could think more clearly there.

17 Hours Missing
Jack talks to a fellow student and friend who was suspended for plagerizing a paper.  Tara wrote it for her.  She used to be competitive but now helps others get ‘A’s.  She doesn’t see Tara anymore but she used to charge $10 a page.

Danny finds Tara was sending the papers to ‘NIX 32’ a Ryan Barry, (Brian T Skala) a freshman at Columbia 4 months ago.  He’s the man from the bank photo.

18 Hours Missing
Ryan’s clearing $50,000.  He says he’s not the kidnapper.  Tara owes him papers and the students wanted their money back.  She promised to do them.  She came to see him 4 months ago and wrote the papers only for the money.  She went to a deli on 96th & Amsterdam.

Jack talks to Kate on the phone.  Hannah has a boyfriend now, someone from her class.  Viv says Tara’s mobile phone was found in the bathroom at the deli with a text sent yesterday at 5.30pm.

Her best friend tells Jack she saw Tara last night and gave her a package.  10 minutes before she sent the message Tara called her from a payphone.  She told her she was going away with a a married man to his country house.  She borrowed a dress from her in the package.  Tara saw him at the bus stop but didn’t tell her his name.  Jack tells her she’s only 16 years old, what would she know.  Martin finds the name Luke Jamison (Nathan Anderson) in Tara’s notebook.
Luke Jamison  M.D
1109 Columbus Ave #315
Graduated: NYU Medical School 1995
Sam says that would make him 34.

21 Hours Missing
Luke’s a doctor at a free clinic, he can’t afford a country house.  She was his patient.  She found out she was pregnant 4 months ago.  It was too late for her to abort.  She’s over 8 months so she could go into premature labour.

22 Hours Missing
Jack tells Stephanie.  Martin says she was good at hiding it.  Her mother gave her a poncho last year which she hated but wore it everyday.  Martin thinks she may have taken the pills to miscarry.  Her mother says she would’ve helped her.  8 months ago she was in Andover for Springbreak for a 2 week leadership programme.  She told her mother about being with a boy because she wanted to have some fun.

One of her friend’s recalls the boy’s name was Gavin (Joey Gray) and he attends Keenan Prep.

KEENAN PREP
Gavin tells Danny and Sam he spoke to Tara last night.  She told him she’d taken care of the baby but said she needed his help to have the baby.  He refused.  She threatened to hurt the baby.

Tara called him from Lewis Clawson’s office on the Upper east side, that’s Nell’s (Brooke Nevin) father.  Jack and Martin find bloody towels and blood on the carpet and Nell hiding under the desk.  She tells them Tara was gone when she returned.  Jack tells her if the baby dies she could go to jail and she’s an accessory.  Nell figured out Tara was pregnant in the locker room.  They planned for her to go to Nell’s sister’s in California to have the baby in February, she’s a nurse.  Tara was saving money for the bus ticket.  Her mother would think she’s run away.  Tara would call her and tell her she’s had a breakdown.  She made up the part about the married man.  Tara came to her apartment for clothes and a blanket.  She gave her the key to he office and snuck out at 11.  The baby was born at 5am.  Nell had to cut the cord with the scissors.  Jack made her go to the bus stop and to school when Nell was coming back here.

Viv tells Danny to call the sanitation department to stop them from collecting the trash and ask when it’s picked up.  An ER nurse tells Sam and Viv she saw Tara on the steps but she wouldn’t come in.  When she came back with a blanket Tara was gone.  She must have taken the bus, Sam says downtown to the school.  Viv thinks she wasn’t ready to give up the baby yet.  Sam say she doesn’t have a plan right now.  Viv thinks she’s somewhere warm to decide what to do.

25 Hours Missing
Jack finds Tara at the pool.  She came here to think because it’s quiet.  He says the baby is beautiful.  He had to tell her mother and hold her baby to see if she’s okay.  Tara has a plan but her mother won’t like it.  She’s named her Rose after her grandmother.

Australopithecus means 'of humankind.'  4.0 average happens to be the title of this episode.  Even nice girls get into trouble so this was a warning of teenage pregnancy.  The fact that no matter how times change some things don’t.  Girls in my class at school were getting pregnant at 15, using similar tactics to hide it like they’d go from wearing tight clothes and skirts to baggy jumpers, weeks before exams.  Some even resorting to back street abortions.  Which were botched up.

Funny in her flashback she mentions she goes to the pool to think but nobody thought of looking at the pool after they found out she had the baby.  Also it’s the most obvious place.  Just like season 2 episode  when Martin’s aunt went back to her doctor’s house no one thought it was the most common place to look.  Also Tara had her stomach pumped yet her condition wasn't diagnozed, i.e. that she was pregnant.

Jack: “Already  it’s startin’.”
Viv: “wait 'til she’s 13.”
Jack: “You come in here to depress me.”  Think these are early signs of Hannah playing up, she already doesn’t want to talk to him anymore.  Maybe she’ll run away from home next.
Viv:” OMG…”
Jack: “What’s that?”
Viv: “Oh my God be home 6:30. Nell.”

Jack: “I admire loyalty and friendship but you don’t have that luxury right now.”

Martin: “No wonder she kept it a secret.”  More likely because it was a lie.

Jack wrongly tells them Avagadro’s Theorem: “That matter can be created and destroyed.”  All sorts of matter like a baby.  The student tells him it’s actually equal volumes of different gases contain the same number of molecules.”
Jack: “I knew that.”
Typical male attitude first they get the girl into trouble and then refuse to help.

Jack: “Wanna come out and lie to me some more.”
“Wanna be a good friend start by telling the truth.”

Jack: “Parents…parents no matter how old you get – you’re always their baby…they love you.”  An episode that is more close to home for Jack especially since Hannah will be that old soon and being the father of daughters he’ll have a lot of worrying to do.  Funny how Maria didn’t  ell him Hannah was seeing someone.  Tara names the baby after her grandmother just as Jack named Hannah after his grandmother.

Said Anthony in an interview, “[Gia] loves to remind me of it [this episode] because it was the highest rating episode we had last year.”  Gia being Anthony's wife.

 Song: Little Green Joni Mitchell

CSI:NY Season 9 Premiere Photos

CSI:NY season 9 returns Friday 28 September for lucky US viewers.  The first episode Reignited as revealed in photos shows the CSIs investigating the death of a fire chief.  Which guest stars Rob Morrow (Numb3rs).

Do my eyes deceive me or does that appear to be a new suit sported by Flack (Eddie Cahill).  Sure looks that way and about time he wore matching jacket and pants!  Hey I miss the old suits and ties he used to wear all those seasons ago.  So super smart and sexy!

Danny (Carmine Giovinazzo) stumbles across some evidence which could prove to be hiding some clues. This photo kind of remids me of 7.19 The Untouchable, where newspaper clippings, photos and Mardi Gras decorations led to the mysteries being solved.

Hurry up and get here 2013 so we can watch the new season too!

Supernatural Season 8: Deja Vu Perhaps?

Supernatural season 7 returned for UK viewers only just recently and hate how everyone's talking about season 8 already!  Jealous much?!  Yes quite a lot.  Season 8 is to air Wednesday 3 October at 9 on The CW.

Did a piece on Jared Padalecki and Sam last time round, so this time round it's Jensen Ackles/Dean's turn to a point.  Zap2it states how Dean will return from purgatory and how Benny will affect him, whereas Sam struggles with his relationship with a new chick.  So clearly they will be spending time apart once more and many fans hate that.  Well I'm one of them too.

In actual fact this reminds me of season 6 and how Sam was brought back from the Cage by Castiel (Misha Collins) and he was the one who had to deal with the fallout from being there with Lucifer and Michael both tearing strips off him and more importantly he returned without his soul.  Whereas Dean was the one who had the relationship with Lisa and Ben and all the baggage that entailed.

It was great while it lasted, as long as Sam wasn't around, but when he revealed himself to big bro, things changed and went from good to bad to worse in Dean's lovelife.  Season 8 seems to have reverted back to this, kind of, and Sam is now the one who is with woman, does that sound right?  Ha.  He will have to deal with that and everything it entails.  Whether she will be able to put up with Sam, accept who he is and what he does.

Dean will be in Sam's place, as he was in season 6, as he now returns from Purgatory.  How will he handle this?  It squarely puts both the brothers now having faced similar experiences.  Dean selling his soul to save Sam in the season 2 finale and ending up in hell, with everything he endured, his unwillingness to talk about how he suffered in hell and had to torture souls himself.  This was later transferred to Sam.  He went through the process of being soulless, being ruthless as a result of his actions in the season 5 finale and not wanting to share his feelings.  Again when Dean comes back, he doesn't want to tell Sam everything about purgatory.  Keeping secrets as he did about his time in hell.  Suppose you have to get some sort of a story that way.

Jensen described Dean's time in purgatory as "diet hell."  Yeah well he probably needed one with wolfing down those burgers! ha, Also the scenes of his time in purg will be shown in flashback.
Hopefully it will prove to be different than something we've already seen in the past especially with Jeremy Carver back on the show.  His stories were always enjoyable.

From Inside the Box Zap2it wrote the following about the second episode of season 8:  What's Up Tiger Mommy; here "the Winchesters are invited to a very fancy party.  The event is described as 'an auction of remarkable, unworldly objects d'art' and the bidding will get heated as an ancient monster grows increasingly determined to get what he wants."  An Object d'art of sorts, was seen in season 1's Provenance, well at least Sam's first love interest after Jess aside.  The next time we saw a party was in season 3.6 Red Sky At Morning where they were after the Hand of Glory.

Okay I'm off to continue writing my second Supernatural book...

CSI:Miami 10.6 "By The Book" Review

Calleigh (Emily Procter) and Delko (Adam Rodriguez) are called out on a stormy night, how cliched, to a mansion where they find the DB of a woman suspended upside down from a chandelier.  She's devoid of all blood and Delko notices the two bitemarks on her neck.  Calleigh: "I hate Hallowe'en."  Due to the absence of blood, Calleigh thinks she had to have been killed elsewhere, since it's easy to drain a body of human blood only when the heart isn't beating.  The human body contains 8 pints of blood (which was rattled off a few times and twice by Calleigh alone.)

Horatio (David Caruso) says they need to find the killer before he "kills again."  ME Tom (Christian Clemenson) notices a tingly sensation in his hands after removing the ferry pass from her pocket.  Walter (Omar Miller) says only guests who are on an exclusive list are invited.   Ryan (Jonathan Togo) takes his phone and IDs her as Andrea (Aria Pullman).  ME Tom isn't wearing any gloves, shouldn't he have been wearing some before touching the DB.  Ryan notices a dead mice smell and ME Tom says that's the smell of hemlock.  They've been trained to detect such smells.  Ryan forgets to thank ME Tom as usual when he finds her ferry pass.  ME Tom can always be relied upon to provide the laughs in an episode whenever it's usually needed.

Walter and Ryan find the plant outside in the garden and claim they need to speak with the gardener.  Lo and behold, said gardener appears with some logs.  Kenny (Michael Ray Escamilla) says he was chopping wood since they have to keep the mansion in working order cos they never know when Marilyn or other guests might arrive.  He leaves since they have no probable cause to hold him.  ME Tom becomes obsessive about washing his hands.

Delko and Calleigh find a letter at the mansion which is written in an unknown language.  Hey anyone can tell that letter was written in blood.  Slow on the uptake these two, how long have they been CSIs?  A search on the Internet reveals the writing was the creation of vampire author Marilyn Milner (Diane Farr).  (Suspiciously akin to Anne Rice or the Twilight saga if you're into that.)  The letter was signed by "your eternal disciple" and states he will drink the blood of  a virgin in her honour.  Going out on a limb here, were Tripp (Rex Linn) and Horatio assuming Andrea was a virgin, ha.  In the flash, when they show the letter being written, no gloves are worn so strange they don't find any prints on the letter.

Calleigh takes it to Natalia (Eva La Rue) for analysis since she can't take it to QD.  A DNA result matches to Wes (Chad Todhunter).  Cue Calleigh conveniently running after him (ugh - gasp- in flat shoes - yeah cos she really has those on in the mansion and psychically knew she'd be involved in a chase!).  Wes tackles her to the ground and bites her wrist, before Horatio pulls a gun on him.  He makes a run for it and climbs the tree.  Horatio shoots the branch and Wes threatens to sue.  Horatio tells him to "be my guest."

He found Andrea dead already and was going to drink her blood, but she didn't have any.  Marilyn took a flight but is missing.  Delko asks ME Tom to find the puncture wound on the DB and he thinks he should wash his hands again.  Delko then notices some trace in her hair.  Travers (Christopher Redman) identifies this as from a de-corked bottle.  He's also an expert in wines.

The chef Lawrence Kingman (Orlando Jones) is brought in for questioning and he's the anonymous 911 caller.  He checked her for a pulse when he found her and left the trace behind.  He also has a wine stain on his sleeve.  He was my suspect, cos he had access to the wine but how can a chef be so sloppy with his whites.  He'd be fired for that!  The editor, Joseph Crumbaugh (Jonathon Schaech) told him to leave.  He says he wasn't there but Horatio notices the photo of his boat.  He was with Andrea but left and was having an affair with her.

Walter and Natalia check out his boat, #1 Best Cellar (hey a clue, re wine.)  Here they find Kenny and Kingman.  They're ghostwriters and wrote the books for Marilyn, having just finished their third.  Natalia finds Andrea's laptop with an e-mail to Joseph blackmailing him, otherwise she'd reveal all.  He was going to pay her off but found her DB and left with the manuscript.  Tripp recovers this from the publisher and becomes engrossed in it in the lift and Walter has to take him out.  Walter, Calleigh and Natalia take it apart to analyze for clues.

The story is identical to real life events but there's no ending.  The DB in the book had a puncture mark between her toes where the blood was removed.  Ryan checks the satellite of the island and finds another structure there.  As he and Walter head to check it out, they find a Phantom Rolls Royce which turns out to be the original CS.  Joseph's phone is used to find Marilyn and she tells them the Epilogue will reveal the ending, but it's only available on the audio version.  This leads to a part about a goblet and drinking blood as wine.  Thus leading to the wine collection, only the bottles contain Andrea's blood.  One of them has Kingman's fingerprint.  He claims he was the real writer and she stole his work without giving him credit for it.  He gave her a chance to admit it but she wouldn't, so he drained her of her blood.  Horatio adds he left some behind.

That leaves the unsolved question of the hemlock and so it had to have gotten into her body through her skin.  Calleigh finds some in a perfume bottle from Milan and who has just come from there, Marilyn.  She knew of the blackmail and knew she would continue asking for more money.  The irony came at the end when both the killers pass each other by when arrested and Marilyn doesn't even know he wrote the books for her!  Some would call that poetic justice since he still didn't get his recognition after all that.  Marilyn also says she can write about books in prison and has ridden with police before as part of her research.  So?

Calleigh saying she hates Hallowe'en again.  Clearly this was CSI:Miami's Hallowe'en ep.  Calleigh letting herself get bitten and no one mentions it.  She kept that to herself.  Hey didn't she want to get checked out.  Ryan and his "never forget the smell of dead mice" cos he had a rat trap by the fridge when he was in college. Some more insight into his character though it came a little late in the proceedings as far as the show was concerned.  Walter calling ME Tom : "butter fingers" when he drops the board.  Yeah he can be that and do his job, ha.  Some great laughs even if the storyline wasn't up to par.

Diane Farr playing another killer of late, she was also one in last season's Mentalist.

Tripp becoming a fan of vampire books.  But why was Kingman so stupid enough to base the killings on a MSS (manuscript) that was yet to be published.  How could the so called 'crazed fan' he was hoping to pin the murder on, have known about the story?!  Only in CSI:Miami, where the criminals are dumb and or give themselves away!  Was the Crumbaugh name meant to be a Bart Simpson in-joke?  Aye crumba. Ha.

I still love the Sanguine Love ep of CSI:NY, written by Carmine Giovinazzo (Danny).  One of my fave vampire eps ever and so is Carmine.  Not a vampire of course! But excellent writer and actor.

Once Upon A Time 1.22 "A Land Without Magic" Review

Charming (Josh Dallas) attempts to free himself from prison, uttering the words he will "always find you."  Meaning Snow. That's become their tagline, though they keep going round in circles with it.  He's taken to be executed and is saved by the Huntsman (Jamie Dornan) of course.  But he can't go with Charming cos he gave his heart to the Queen  (Lara Parrilla) to save Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin).  Hey Charming had stubble whilst in his prison cell, but when he's in the woods his face is clearer.  Huntsman: "don't let that sacrifice be in vain - find her."  Sounds like something someone should be telling Emma (Jennifer Morrison).

Dr Whale (David Anders) so who's he meant to be (aside from Cutty Sark from Alias) can't find what's wrong with Henry (Jared S Gilmore) and it's not the turnover as he's not displaying any symptoms of poisoning.  Emma finds his book and there are flashes to the past.  Emma rages at Regina who screams the apple was intended for her.  Henry will never be hers as long as she's alive, well even if she's not alive, Henry still won't be hers.  The apple was the last of the magic but she doesn't know what will happen to Henry.  "Magic here is unpredictable,"  that sounded like a warning for the end of the episode and for next season!

Gold (Robert Carlyle) is the only other one who knows.  Rumpelstiltskin, or Rumples as I call him, waits for Charming in the forest with his mother's ring.  It will shine brightly when he's close to Snow, but first there's a deal to be made.  He wants Snow and Charming to be together, so along will come Emma.

David tells Mary Margaret he doesn't know why he didn't believe her and he's leaving for Boston.  She can't give him a reason to stay.  Rumples has bottled true love and put it in the 'belly of the beast.'  Gold tells Emma true love is the only magic powerful enough to save Henry.  He made it from the strands of her parent's hair and placed a single drop on the parchment where he wrote the curse, as a safety valve.  He saved some for a rainy day.  Emma must be the one to retrieve it.  Regina: "don't trust him."  She can talk.
Regina hid it in the basement.  Emma will need her father's sword.

Emma talks to Henry before she leaves saying she should have believed him about the curse.  Well took her long enough.

Jefferson (Sebastian Stan) wants Grace back but Regina goes back on her word since the apple was meant for Emma, not Henry.  He can't kill her cos it's not in him.  Emma turns to August (Eion Bailey) now that it's too late for him and he can't help her.  How would he have helped her anyway it's up to her not him.  Conveniently he now turns to wood in front of her, when she starts believing.  She must break the curse and save them all.

Maleficent (Kristen Bauer) is in the basement of the library and is the beast/dragon - who Charming fought to put the egg inside of her and whom Emma must now fight to retrieve it.  Regina "trapped her in a different form."  Yes Emma you can really use a gun, cos it's magic isn't it.

Mary Margaret reads to Henry who worsens.  Jefferson breaks out Belle (Emilie de Ravin). S Glass is seen on one of the doors in the hospital, surely Regina's got Sidney in there.  Belle must find Gold and tell him Regina locked her up.  Oh now look what you've done Jefferson.

Rumples tells Charming he will find her with the ring and transforms his clothes.  "I'm a fan of true love and more importantly what it creates."  Looking back, should have known he'd be behind the curse since it's not within Regina's powers to have created something like that.

Charming finds Snow and wakes her, that's where we came in, in the Pilot.  They need to take back the kingdom together.  Gold has Regina tied, oh that was easy overpowering her and tells Emma she sabotaged the lift.  Silly Emma gives him the egg so he can run off with it.  SO which one doesn't want the curse broken anyway.  Belle finds Gold and they declare their love for each other.

Oh hurry up and kiss Henry Emma.  She breaks the curse when she does and Henry returns.  The Blue Fairy  (Keegan Connor Tracy)  remarks that was "true love's kiss."  Belle remembers Rumples now and he takes her to the well which has the "power to return that which once was lost."  They notice they haven't gone back, which will another mystery. Gold brings back magic to the town cos "magic is power."  The clock goes back to 8.15.  Now Regina will have power too and all the town's people remember who they really are.  Charming finds Snow, who just seemed to be walking around in a daze.

How come magic was what Gold wanted more than his son.  Does Jefferson also get Grace back now and will his hat work?

Well they couldn't have gone another season without remembering.  Still no sign of Bae.  David getting saved when he's about to leave town.  He had to find Snow to show they always find each other.

Were the writers wrong in breaking the curse so early on?  How will this affect season 2 and the show?  Magic is now found in a realm where it has no place and this was the reason Bae came here and was meant to bring Rumples with him.  Ironically, his father has succeeded in bringing magic to Storybrooke with the use of the true love potion and some clever manipulation that no one saw coming.  Not even Regina - all she could do was to warn Emma not to trust him.  Well she can't be trusted either.

One thing about magic being brought to Storybrooke is that Storybrooke was always, or always existed as a town/land within itself anyway and had very little to do with the outside world.  Visitors did come in since it was only those who belonged here or were somehow connected to Storybrooke, as far as we know.  But no one could leave cos they didn't belong in the 'outside' world.  (Aside from them only being fairytale characters.)

It's not certain if magic being around now will change the dynamic of not being able to leave without suffering consequences.  August left: though he wasn't a real boy and that's why he turned to wood, aside from not being good.  He knew he had to return here.

There was a clue of sorts to the curse being spread or re-surfacing as it was seen in the opening title credits this episode.  That's why those little 'gimmiks' are shown as that's what the ep will be about.

If the clock has gone back to 8.15 - does this mean the curse has returned.  In a way Gold could have enough time to be the one who has magic and then make everyone forget again with the curse in place once more.  But that'd just be reverting back to the beginning and don't think that would make for an interesting season 2.  Besides Regina was happy at the end when she saw the purple smoke.  There was green smoke in the Pilot which signified the curse and that Regina was meant to be behind it.  Here the smoke was purple. maybe cos the potion in the bottle was also purple. Also did you notice purple is one of Gold's colours too.  His purple shirt and tie he wears.  The colour of magic, or the colour of his curse.  For some reason he chose not to wear that colour this ep!  Hey purple is my fave colour.

Gold also said magic has consequences/comes at a price and will this be his son? Or something different as far as the others are concerned.

Jefferson told Emma in Hat Trick that not all worlds have magic and it's needed here.  Not only for him to get Grace back, but is there another more sinister reason why it's needed.  If Jefferson knew about Belle, which he probably did, as he was always lurking and spying, why'd he wait so long to release her, also other than wanting the curse broken.  This was his way of getting back at Regina.  Instead of killing her.

Regina was actually physically crying for Henry, wouldn't have expected that of her. Dr Whale seemed to be the only one genuinely shocked at what was happening, so who's he meant to be then, which is what I asked when we first saw him.  He can't be the whale from Pinocchio.

Oh well no season 2 for most of us 'til next year!

The Closer 7.11 "Necessary Evil" Review

Raydor (Mary McDonnell) attends a crime scene with Major Crimes to ensure everything is done by the book. Provenza (GW Bailey) was first on the scene, then Flynn (Tony Denison).  Everyone should get on with their work and ignore her, as usual.  Gabriel (Corey Reynolds) took the coroner's call.  Tao (Michael Paul Chan) says SID were notified at the same time.  The log was filled out concurrently.  Sanchez (Raymond Cruz) hasn't found any murder weapon yet.  Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) is already there.

She hasn't signed the log and she asks how long Brenda has been here?  Provenza replies, "from Atlanta or tonight."  Kendall (Ransford Doherty) IDs the DB as a principal, John Reed, (Derek Webster) who sustained two GSW to the chest.  His wife notified them.   Flynn says a revolver has six rounds and they assume it was a single shooter. The other Division  found a 9 mil semi-automatic weapon and his car, a grey BMW was involved in a shooting.  They need to search for casings.

Fritz (Jon Tenney) is at the scene of the other shooting and the LAFBI are involved since it involved a TSA Agent, shots were fired.  Casings are found and entered in IBIS.  Brenda wonders if Reed was mistaken for an agent.  She tells Fritz it's her case or he'll end with with a worse case of "grumpy uglies," if he doesn't go home soon.

Raydor has been asking questions at Brenda's CS for two months now and she doesn't need her around constantly.  Gabriel talks with the wife (Katherine Sigismund) since talking may help process her pain.  She wanted him to leave this school.  Their car was knifed and threats were made.  Reed didn't report them but he recorded everything.

Raydor complains audits are an insult and a waste of money to all involved.  Pope (JK Simmons) says they're not a waste and Taylor (Robert Gossett) says she needs to find the leak in the division and cut off Goldman's (Curtis Armstrong) source of info.  Raydor's received a job offer from the LA Convention Centre.  She's not appreciated here and needs to move on.  Don't think she really wants to do that, it appears she is trying to find the leak with this revelation.

Pope tells her no one else can do this job and he'll make her a commander after the promotions freeze, much to Taylor's chagrin.  Pope knows the leak is a crisis for them now.  Brenda: "the FBI mistakenly identified this as a federal crime."  Tao hasn't deciphered Reed's password on his phone but Sanchez got the recordings.  Reed was changing the eligibility rule and all students have to maintain a 'C' grade average.  At least those taking part in sports.  Coach Carr (Michael Beach) says the children can work harder.

In a meeting with Reed, Carr was being transferred to a school with fewer problems.  But he didn't want to go since it would put the children on the streets and into jail if the school closes.  Reed said he didn't have the guts to see the bigger picture.  He threatened to call the District to tell them what's happening at Carr's house. Carr called his students to get them out of bed cos their parents wouldn't.  He was at the school for 30 years.

Raydor has a warrant to search Carr's house, but only for the trophies he took from the school; whilst really they're looking for the murder weapon.  Raydor documents everything.  They find three boys in the garage and she wants a physical exam on all of them.  Taylor tells Brenda they were all living at Carr's house and could be the killer.  Carr is dedicated to his job and Brenda denies there's a leak in the Division.  She needs the gun to tie Carr to the murder, obviously it's not him.  Brenda thinks Carr "preyed on throw away kids."  He recalls not helping a boy who was later shot to death.  They don't find anything in his house.

Something could be buried in the garden and they use a metal detector, Raydor insisting they're looking for the trophies.  Provenza asks when they should plan her retirement party for and adds she said it in front of Taylor so he wouldn't keep it to himself.  So they're implying Taylor could be the leak.  The gun is found buried in the yard.

Brenda: "we both know what's going on here."  Carr asks for a lawyer and at this point it could be Goldman who turns up for all we know.   The boys weren't abused.  Fritz tells her about Raydor leaving.  The casings match but Carr wouldn't want the TSA agent dead.  The gun is registered to Miller (Tahmus Rounds).  He served 5 years for robbing a store with the same gun.  Tao says there's no way Reed and Miller could have met.  Pope wants to release the boys to their parents.  Brenda insists she can't let them go since they could get hurt etc.  Goldman could recruit their parents for the Federal case.

Pope tells Brenda he could replace Raydor with someone worse if she doesn't talk her out of leaving.  Miller hid the gun at the woman's house and left it there with one of the boy's mother's he was shacking up with.  Miller is here to pick up Lewis (Titus Makin Jr) and he runs for it.  Then confesses to shooting Reed.  Brenda tells him the DA could try him as an adult.  Taylor says they don't have a choice as he lawyered up.  Brenda apologizes to Carr and Gabriel says a lot of children don't get the proper chances and Brenda adds  they don't turn to crime.

Raydor says Carr's actions were illegal and Brenda thinks he'll lose his job for going above and beyond.  He was doing good work when he wasn't fully appreciated for it. Referring to Raydor of course.  Brenda finds that admirable, so does Raydor.  Raydor arrives at Carr's house to find Goldman leaving.  He heard she's retiring and has a job offer.  Raydor admits she isn't but she said that to prove there's a leak.  She can get a warrant to find out who the "little birdy" is that told him.

Knew she wasn't really going to retire and was trying to find out who the leak is.  Seeing as she only told two people in Pope's office and it spread pretty quickly throughout the department.  Even Raydor says not everyone knows yet.  Brenda trying to talk her out of leaving, but doesn't come out and say it to her face.  Of course the weasel Goldman would already have reached Carr before the ink was even dry on his release form.  Don't see him responding to any sort of a warrant though as Raydor tells him she'll get one to see who his 'birdy' is.  Wonder if she should have told him that was a rouse and she isn't really leaving.

The QVC London Fashion Show A/W 2012

Okay you may think this isn't strictly speaking part of my Blog, but it is, if you think about it.  Acting involves wearing an outfit or two and where else do you get some of the best live acting: on the catwalk!  Anyway just wanted to share some shots of the QVC London Fashion Show A/W 2012 which I had a chance to attend.

But hey you won't see a photo of me anywhere!

On show was the new Autumn/Winter Collection which proved a great hit with everyone who attended. The event was hosted by QVC UK hosts: Simon Biagi (whom I got to meet and have a photo or two taken with) and Kathy Tayler.

On with the show:

Sharon was a big hit with everyone and really got the show moving.

Here's Ali, one of my fave models! Whom I got to meet and have a few words with afterwards.

It's Ali again!

The catwalk: before and after.

It was a fun day and all the models were super (!) and friendly too.  It may not be New York, but London gave just as good and even better!

All the day's highlights and experience will be online to see at: www.qvcuk.com/qvclondonfashionshow2012  from 30 August 2012.

CSI 12.22 "Homecoming" Review

DB (Ted Danson) and his wife, Barbara (Peri Gilpin) spend time with their daughter Mya (Brooke Nevin) and granddaughter, Kaitlyn (Mya Hayes).  They leave to attend the Sheriff's (Barbara Eve Harris) re-election speech as she's garnering for votes for another year.  Here they meet up with Ecklie (Marc Vann) and Morgan (Elisabeth Harnois) Hodges (Wallace Langham) and his mother, Olivia (Jaclyn Smith).  Ecklie and Olivia are seen as good friends, just like Hodges and Morgan but his mother adds not quite like them.

Barbara is pretending she's not here.  Jack Gilmore (Craig Sheffer) introduces Sheriff Liston and she makes a speech about cleaning up Vegas the four years she's been in power.  Jack used to run a sports book and is a hockey player.  He's hoping to get city approval for a new arena.  The Sheriff states how crime has fallen, as a hit takes place.  Was it really 4 years since Warrick (Gary Dourdan) was killed off and here CSI revisits that whole ordeal again, especially with the older players involved, adding the new cast to the story.

Ecklie informs DB of a triple homicide and the CS is down the alley.  Carlos Moreno (Enrique Murciano) is working undercover along with his partner, Crenshaw (Billy Magnussen).  He looks dodgy and dirty.  The target was Donny Price and another Vic was Veronica Gilmore,  Jack's wife.  DB adds, "so much for statistics."  Nick (George Eads) comments on Morgan's nice dress as she changes into her overalls.  Hey remember when hey had that CS and Grissom had to go there dressed in his suit and Sophia had to wear her dress.  She didn't change her dress at once.

Price was beaten and knee capped.  Nick shows Morgan there's no blood outside the room so the killer was wearing booties like them.  Thus it was a premeditated hit.  Nick adds the shooter didn't plan for the witness in the bathroom.  David (David Berman) can't get a reading from the liver, infact he can't find Veronica's liver at all.  Finn (Elisabeth Shue) thinks she should have just been shot like the others but hers was a more violent attack.  Her final call was to Jack and it lasted 4 seconds.  But anyone could have made that call.

Jack says Veronica saved him and now he was doing the same for her over the past year, but she left him for Price.  He spoke to her a week ago.  But Finn arrives with both barrels blazing saying he spoke to her tonight.  The Sheriff tells her she's out of line, as does DB.  They don't see Jack as a suspect.  Finn adds "always the politician" to DB.  Infact here we get a role reversal between Grissom and DB and Catherine and Finn.  Catherine was always the political person and kept a check of the lab and Grissom advising he should be "more politic."  That's one of Catherine's quotes I never forget.  Grissom was a little like Finn, but not so gung ho in accusing people.  Though he was more interesting in solving the crime, he never went in without evidence and until he had all the facts.  DB tells her, "you never learn do you?"

 Doc Robbins (Robert David Hall) autopsies Veronica and finds trace of stippling at close range.  Sara (Jorga Fox) notices the skull fracture and she was beaten with a blunt object. Doc can't find a liver temperature since her internal organ was macerated and Greg (Eric Szmanda) says it "looks like soup."  Hodges thinks Olivia and Ecklie should go out on a date on their own.  Morgan says they shouldn't have any dates.  Maybe "they should start dating and throw a wrench in the works," but Hodges says he can't as he met someone in Italy.  Why was Morgan so curious as to why they couldn't date each other, or was it cos she was just curious and it means nothing romantic between them at all.  Hodges adds if their parents get married, they'd end up having some "bizarro Brady Bunch" family.  Hodges examines the fleck Doc found inside Veronica, which was Kevlar from an aluminium bat.

Finn confronts DB about this case and not about their history.  DB thinks Jack could have hired someone to kill Veronica.  Finn tells him he only thinks he saw Jack at the reception.  How can she know what DB saw, she wasn't there.  Nick says the time of the call was 9.07 which was the time of the murder.  She times the speech but DB insists he saw him at the reception.  Nick and Finn reconstruct the timeline.

Finn wants them to put pressure on Jack and Nick asks what she meant by "don't repeat history."  She was fired over a case where a woman worked for a powerful venture capitalist who went missing.  She needed Cooley's DNA but she couldn't test it cos he had friends in high places.  They then do a 'send up' of DB, with Finn saying, "it's not what you know, it's what you can prove."  Well Nicky, Grissom said much the same thing to you too in the past.

Nick points out there was blood everywhere at the CS.  They find the murder weapon in the dumpster as well as oversized warm ups with blood.  Nick: "chivalry died five dumpsters ago."  The weapon isn't a bat but a hockey stick.  All of this reeked of a frame up and it was so obvious to everyone except the CSIs, ha.
Finn has a warrant she got from Brass (Paul Guilfoyle) but it's only to search the hockey arena.  The Sheriff believes Jack is only a person of interest.  She's also aware of Finn's 'stunt' in Seattle.

Nick and Greg find all the players have the same gear obviously and there's an extra blade in the locker.  He explains to Greg that the sticks used these days are "not your Papa Olaf sticks", he had to get a mention!  The blade is found in Peter's locker but he has an alibi.  Brass questions Bruno (Mike Starr) who worked for Gedda.  Brass tells him he's losing his touch pinning the murder on a washed up hockey player.  Bruno recorded his conversation with Jack.

Finn takes Jack's DNA as he's bought in for questioning and watches him hold his cup with both hands.  She brings him another cup.  He was meeting Bobby Connor in the alley but he didn't show up.  They usually met at a diner but he didn't show up.  Brass finds he doesn't exist.  Finn gets some liver from the butcher's shop and beats it until it reaches the correct macerated consistency.  Hey the CSI:NY CSIs would have carried out that reconstruction immediately.  She tells DB it took her 54 blows and all of her strength so Jack couldn't have killed her as he has ALS.  Also the thread found wasn't from a tuxedo but was nylon and neoprene, like a wetsuit.  Eeww DB touching the evidence and then using the same spoon to eat with.

Finn and Carlos get a bit too friendly at work until DB and the Sheriff show up.  He calls DB her 'boyfreind.'  Crenshaw does a double take at Finn as he leaves.  Funny DB didn't pay any attention to Finn and Carlos canoodling!  Lt Kimball (Peter Onorati) is in charge of the Price undercover case and Veronica was his informant.  The Sheriff should have been told about this cos she's his boss.  Kimball says there's a leak in the department.

Greg finds the bullet matches IBIS and the gun belonged to Jeffrey McKeen (Connor O'Farrell).  Former Undersheriff and Warrick's killer.  Nick shows DB some photos and finds Bobby, who is really Kimball.  Nick tells DB McKeen killed his good friend, Warrick and Sara adds he was all their friend.  Nick can't believe McKeen is involved cos it's like he's been working from prison so really there was no point in putting him away.

McKeen took over Gedda's turf.  Morgan finds Kimball was McKeen's first partner.  DB doesn't want him brought in but to see who Kimball leads them to.  There's an exchange between DB and McKeen so there's more going on here and will be.  McKeen says Warrick didn't give him any other choice and Nick tells him the gun was traced back to him.  McKeen posits putting a bullet in Warrick made him a hero in prison.  Nick can't stand the stench and who can blame him, he leaves knocking over a chair in the process; as Greg and Sara watch from the other side.

DB threatens McKeen's family and how one phonecall will leave them homeless.  He wants his family left out. But since there's so much talk of family, it's apparent this won't be the case for anyone.  Sara: "everyone's got some weakness, especially when it comes to family."  SO again knew where this was leading.  Nick and Ecklie watch Winnock (Jeremy Glazer) pay off Kimball and Ecklie shoots Winnock.  Moreno and Crenshaw find Kimball's abandoned car.

Greg tells DB that the autopsy on Winnock reveals him as being Mckean's son.  Nick tells McKeen he knows how that feels now, it's karma.  His son paid for McKeen's sins and he should blame himself.  Nick states he should have killed McKeen when he had the chance, "I might just get that chance again."  Ecklie doesn't know how deep this corruption goes.  DB: "storm's coming, heads are gonna roll."

Greg thinks things have improved in 4 years and Nick thinks it's all just talk.  DB didn't think Finn was wrong in Seattle and she has plans with Carlos.  Olivia and Hodges leave in their car and Morgan and Ecklie decide to walk, cos we know what's round the corner.  Olivia doesn't want Hodges to drive, wonder why?  Well Jaclyn didn't have much to do this episode, a shame really.

Finn drinks and is happy to be on her own.  Carlos thinks she's complicated, well that's one word she doesn't want to hear after telling DB not to use it.  Finn:" you're so much hotter when you don't talk."  Carlos leaves and Crenshaw, the dirty weasel makes his move and Finn's happy to go along with him.  How shallow is that.  Clearly when it comes to men, she wants her own way, no wonder she had failed marriages.  Sorry as a CSI she's great but in that scene alone, she put me right off as liking her as a person.

Nick says it's all about the game in this town and Catherine was right about quitting.  She told him, "if you can't handle this job, there's the door and you know what, I'm out."  This comes as a shock to Greg and Sara.  Of course he's not really leaving and will be back next season, which is just as well cos he's one of my fave characters, as you know.

Crenshaw gets a call. replying he has "eyes on the package."  A car drives up and shoots and Ecklie takes the bullets to save Morgan.  Sara calls DB about Ecklie and Barbara answers the call where a man tells her to go upstairs.  Katie is missing and a note is left on her bed, "KARMA."

I can't believe the complacency here, especially with DB and his family and Ecklie.  Clearly the shoots were meant to be for Morgan or so it seemed so Ecklie would suffer the same pain as McKeen for his son.  Though don't believe McKeen can suffer any sort of pain.  But with DB, there were so many hints that something would happen to his family too, but it just didn't click.  With McKeen and corruption now being revealed as rife in LVPD, did they really think nothing would happen to them?

McKeen last appeared in the season 9 opener For Warrick and it was inevitable he would be making an appearance at some point.  It was so good seeing Nick having a chance to vent and still not place a finger on McKeen, no matter how much he wanted to and how much he was hurting.  Especially since Warrick's death and the pain he (and the others) suffer from is still there under the surface and is brought to the fore by this case.  George gives a great performance as always, particularly when he must play emotion and to see it finally all get too much for him was gut wrenching.  No matter what they do and how hard they work at 'cleaning' the city; they only ever appear to scratch the surface.  His walking out comes as a shock to Sara and Greg, but clearly she doesn't want him gone.  I also liked how Sara reminded them Warrick was a friend to them all.

Catherine's line Nick mentioned came from the season 12 opener, 73 Seconds.  Also apparent was how much Nick has learned from Catherine whilst he's been a CSI and how the job should be done.

Ironically the triple murders occur when the Sheriff is giving her re-election speech about cleaning up Vegas in the 4 years she's been in power and Greg is in agreement with her.

Sara being the one to mention family, as family orientated episode this was.  She and DB had a talk on family, kind of a talk in the last episode.  Yet in these crucial minutes; it becomes apparent how much family is really worth and what family means.  Also how much of a family the CSIs are to each other, especially as Nick leaves them, his family.  The Vegas lot have had so many departures.

Ecklie being shot just as he and Morgan are about to make headway.  The season 13 opener won't have Morgan walking away from his side, like she did in CSI Down, when he so much wanted her to turn to him for comfort.

Enrique will also be back as we know since his partner is so obviously crooked.  Fans would just love to know how long he'll be around for, oh just make him a series regular and have done with it!

Doctor Who Photos For Christmas Special

Apparently from the Doctor Who photos for the Christmas Special, we're going back to Victorian times once more.  Just as Charles Dickens featured in the Specials with David Tennant, the Tenth Doctor, and other epsiodes and how the Cybermen marched throughout Victorian London in The Next Doctor;  it seems we're reverting to this.  Which is great as long as there aren't any floating fish or sharks about either.  There's something about Christmas, Victorian London, giving the show a whole vintage feel.  That story was set Christmas Eve 1851 and this one is set in the 1890's.

Others will be relieved there won't be the same fiasco of The Doctor, The Widow and The Wardrobe which didn't go down too well with a lot of critics last Christmas.  There was nothing wrong with that episode as I wrote in my review elsewhere in this Blog.

We will also get to meet his new companion, Jenna Louise Coleman.  Richard E Grant will play the new villain in the Doctor's life.  At least for this episode.

She looks rather good in her outfit.

Matt Smith looks all serious in the above photo, no not the one with Jenna, the one above that.  Though it's not the first time we've seen him in a top hat.  He donned one for the season 6 episode Let's Kill Hitler.  Hey he gets to wear a hat again.  Not a fez though, but where's his bow tie?

Doctor Who season 7 begins 1 September 2012.  Can't wait!

CSI: Miami 10.5 "Killer Regrets" Review

Gangs spray paint to the tune of "Won't Get Fooled Again." Later a man is seen painting over 'Mala Nocha' on his wall, as his wife, the sheriff drives away, there's an explosion.  Anita's (Kate del Castillo) husband, Geraldo (Carlos Sanz) was in the truck and the only trace of him found are his glasses.  She believes Memmo (Robert LaSardo) ordered the hit from prison.  Any old excuse to feature Memmo in another episode, it seems.  Horatio (David Caruso) vows to help her find Geraldo's killer, even though the death occurred in Mexico and they have no jurisdiction.

A visit to Memmo reveals he has nothing to do with the hit after Horatio threatens to remove his daughter from her mother. He wants Horatio to hit him so no one gets suspicious.  Memmo adds Horatio was keeping that inside a long time when he punches him hard.  He believes the hit was ordered by El Asesino.

Calleigh (Emily Procter) checks the grenade and Walter (Omar Miller) warns her the case is of limits, but helps her anyway.  The grenade was from World War II and she traces it back to the US and specifically to a stockpile of weapons in Texas.  At least they have some sort of jurisdiction now.  Brendan Dwyer (Scott Patterson) is based in Miami and when questioned by Calleigh and Delko (Adam Rodriguez) he states there was a robbery and he was shot, showing them his leg.  Anita and her brother, Carlos (Marco James) are packed off to a hotel for protection, what Miami doesn't have a proper safehouse and only one policeman who is picked off pretty quickly.  That's shouting out for a hit and that's exactly what happens.  O'Shay (Ed Begley Jr) arrives and tells Calleigh the case isn't theirs and she tells him about Dwyer.   Calleigh tries to drive away in the Hummer to the call out, but it doesn't start.

After a struggle between Anita, who manages to hold the silencer and direct it away; Carlos tries to stop him too.  Funnily enough when Carlos was wrestling with him, Anita didn't reach for her gun which was in her bag, cos that'd be too easy.  Horatio and Ryan (Jonathan Togo) arrive to save the day and Ryan notices she has a burn on her hand from where she touched the silencer.

Carlos tells her Geraldo was offered money to make her stop and he promised Geraldo he wouldn't tell her. Delko notices some trace under her nails which turns out to be paint from the silencer.  This paint leads to Luis (Jeremiah Bitsui) who is Mala Nocha and he is also wounded in his arm where El Asesino shot him.  Horatio wants Memmo to tell him the truth and he says the silencer was his but he discarded it and Luis admits he picked it up.  Memmo wants to see his daughter but Horatio refuses, instead he can have the next best thing: steak.  Which doesn't even turn out to be cooked to his liking.  He says El Asesino is looking to buy weapons which are located at the dock; where they find Dwyer.

Dwyer admits he works for the government and weapons are sold to Mala Nocha as they lead to the higher up members of the gang.  Sensors are placed in the guns, but as these were usually discovered, they ended up putting in two sensors.  A special order 2.2 is tracked to Anita's hotel room and the gun is found in Carlo's backpack.  That's not such a big surprise as there weren't that many suspects inn this episode, only I didn't think Carlos was guilty.  She is his sister after all.  He admits he found the gun under Geraldo's dresser, though have to wonder what he was doing there.  Flash to Anita and Geraldo meeting at the shooting range, did she never wonder what he was doing there?

Delko looks at the bomb debris and luminol doesn't reveal any traces of blood.  Thus Geraldo didn't die and lo and behold turns out to be El Asesino.  Instead of killing her, he fell for her, which isn't surprising or original.  He shot Luis cos he was looking out for her.  No one thought about that being the reason he fired at Luis.  It's all over the news that Anita has been shot which was a rouse to get him out of hiding and he does.  Couldn't he have been placed in witness protection or something in return for info, sure they could have got plenty out of him, but Geraldo doesn't want to be taken alive, it'd also mean putting her life in even more danger if he did that  Though this wasn't as dramatic as a shoot out in a hospital room and being shot by Horatio, only to slump over Anita.  Well he's carked it now for real!  He wanted his death to make her leave her job but that didn't work.  So he didn't really know her that well then, why would she, his dying would only make her more determined.

Ryan and Delko not wanting to deal with Memmo and Tripp (Rex Linn) telling them it's cos they "have to dance with the devil to get out of hell."

O'Shay gives Walter his card and wants him to work for him but he doesn't have any intention of doing so; until Calleigh who happened to be nosing around, suggests it would be a good idea.  Oh no, they're not going to do a 'Boa Vsta' when she was a mole for the FBI.  Only Walter working for the opposition will be okay now cos he's really on their side.  Oh and Natalia was absent this episode.

O'Shay tells calleigh Hank Kradic is on the oversight Panel with him and he donated the HumVees, so he won't like them working this case.  However Calleigh tells him in no uncertain terms it involves the shooting of an officer now and he'd better stay out of his way, or she'll charge Hank with obstruction.

Memmo asks if working for Horatio, telling him the info, has earned him the 'grace' Horatio mentioned earlier on.  Since grace is like forgiveness. Horatio replies that's up to him. Well it's hardly likely Horatio will forgive him for killing Marisol this lifetime or any other time.  Why does Memmo crave his forgiveness anyway?  Him being a hardened criminal, killer and one time leader of Mala Nocha.

Oh how did Carlos get that gun over the border, was it in Anita's luggage or something, her being a sheriff.
O'Shay is meant to be the baddie in their lives, but personally I preferred Rick Stetler, ah the good old days.  He was such a worthy adversary and then they cheapened his character by making him dirty!  Though he was a bad guy in abusing Yelina, it was great watching him and Horatio and their altercations!

Didn't much like this episode, don't really like the Mala Nocha ones, nothing ever happens to my satisfaction.  It's like Miami grasping at straws for a lifeline and ratings!  Also Miami throws in another lab tech, Jamie (Amber Lancaster) how many does that make and they have to be female.  Just keep Travers or someone else, even though the actor may be busy on another show, don't bother putting one in, cos I'm sure a CSI can do the job.  It just made it look as though she was trying to go one better than Walter and then asking for the coffee too, ugh.

Also Horatio being an expert on bombs doesn't process any of the fragments or debris, not that he would have found much, but it was better when Horatio used to 'muck out' in the lab.  Was using Won't Get Fooled Again in the opening a clue or just a bad joke?! Ha.

Merlin 4.4 "Aithusa" Review

A thief steals an object from the Druids and it joins to one he already has.  He contacts Gaius (Richard Wilson) to ask about the object and Merlin (Colin Morgan) listens in as usual.  It is the Triskellion of Ashkanar and has caused trouble for Gaius before.  It has Druid writing and is a guide to the tomb of Ashkanar.  Legend states the last dragon's egg is hidden there.  The third part of the piece is in the vault at Camelot.  gaius refuses to help since it's been there 400 years.  The old ways should be left as they are and believes in the future Arthur (Bradley James) will build

Merlin says there's one chance to save the dragons and Gaius knows Borden (James Callis) can't be trusted.  Merlin summons the Dragon (John Hurt) as you know he would and he thought he'd be the last of his kind.  He thinks it a "chance in a thousand".  Merlin must retrieve the egg as he's a Dragonlord and it is his father's gift.  He gave up everything to save him.  What would his father say?  The dragon utters "I beg you in your father's name."

Merlin tells Borden he can help him since he's Arthur's servant.  He enters his chamber in search of the key and of course disturbs him, which is funny cos at other times, Arthur doesn't even stir.  Merlin's excuse, he's checking for woodworm.  He then uses magic for Arthur's pants to drop and gets the key when Arthur is in conference with the others.

The third piece fits the Triskellion.  Borden knocks out Merlin and leaves, now how did he not see that coming?  He wakes Arthur once more and is kind of saved by the bell.  Arthur is concerned for Merlin. The box was left open when Merlin and Borden were there but when Arthur now touches it, the box is closed!  Gaius was eager to tell them about the legend.  Agravaine (Nathanial Parker) says the egg can live for thousands of years.  Oh another thing, if Gaius knows all about Agravaine and his being in league with Morgana (Katie McGrath) why does he spill about the legend in front of him, knowing full well that Agravaine will rush off to Morgana to tell her.  Arthur believes the egg must be destroyed.  Merlin hopes Borden gets to it first.

Merlin sees it as the last dragonhold and Gaius is angry.  The knights camp for the night and play a trick on Merlin as if they haven't saved any food for him.  That's what the knights have been reduced to.  Then again said trick meant merlin wouldn't get any food the night night.

The Druids call out to Emrys  One tells him Ashkanar was wise as the Triskellion is also a trap.  The legends are clear and warns Merlin, "only when the way ahead seems impossible you have found it." Merlin tells them the right direction and Elyan (Adetomiwa Edun) tells them he's right.  Merlin: "ever heard of the word sorry?"  Well clearly not, it being a king's and knight's privilege, ha.  Arthur replies, "no is that another word you made up?"

There's a footprint by the cave which leads to a waterfall, hiding the entrance to another land and the tomb. They're attacked by Borden.  Merlin uses magic and Borden escapes, throwing a poultice into their food.   Merlin finds the poultice and Merlin gets no food conveniently as the others fall ill and he has to cure them using magic and heads off alone to the tomb.   Borden doesn't heed Merlin's warning and is gassed temporarily.  The egg is on display.  That place looked like where Morgause  placed the cup in the season 3 finale, The Coming of Arthur Part 2.

Merlin says the egg isn't his to take and he won't share the money either as dragons aren't used for wealth, they are free to roam.  He tells Borden he's the last Dragonlord cos Borden won't be around for much longer.  The egg is removed and the tomb crumbles with Borden left inside.  The others arrive too late.  Where did Merlin get his bag of supplies from since he didn't have the bag with him, nor is it large enough to hold any supplies.  The egg is inside and Leon (Rupert Young) says nothing could survive under that rubble.

Gaius tells him Merlin should think first since all was nearly lost cos of him, oh and what about blabbing about the legend to begin with.  The egg was concealed by Ashkanar for nearly 400 years.  Merlin must decide what to do.  He takes the egg to the Dragon and tells him he's no longer the last of his kind.  Only the Dragonlord has the power to summon them from the egg and it falls open.  He must name it and calls it Aithusa.  It's a white dragon and is named for the "light of the sun," in Dragon tongue.  A white dragon "bodes well for Albion, for you and for Arthur and for the land that you will build together."

Well we know it won' work out that way especially since Morgana will get her hands on the dragon and manipulate for her own purposes.  Would have thought she'd have been in this episode and neither was Gwen (Angel Coulby.)  Oh and another thing the story must have jumped forward since Arthur didn't appear to have any 'kingly' duties, aside from the pants fiasco; (also seen last episode) yet he had the time to go chasing after a dragon's egg.  Who was running Camelot whilst he was away and Uther's (Anthony Head) name or passing was hardly mentioned at all.  That was moving on pretty quickly.  One of those eps you either liked or didn't.

Colin Morgan could keep the dragon's egg after filming.  James Callis played Merlin in Merlin and the Book of Beasts (2010) and played 'Gaius' in Battlestar Galactica.  His horse in this episode was named 'Galactico.'  Scenes from 3.11 The Sorcerer's Shadow where used again when  Merlin is in bed and gets up to see the Dragon.  Merlin in his red shirt with the blue scarf is the same scene from 3.13 The Coming of Arthur Part 2, where he needs the Dragon's help to obtain Excalibur.