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person: Carly Smithson

The Bottom Line: "Perfect"

I have never been this entranced and engaged by an American Idol finalist since Carrie Underwood back in the 4th season. If I can take a page from Randy Jackson's book, I would say that Carly can definitely blow! Her vocal power never ceases to amaze me - she makes singing Heart songs look so easy.

And those eyes. Oh my god, those eyes make me melt.

I was really sad when she was booted off the competition before her time, but I'm pretty sure she'll have a great career ahead of her. She's got boat loads of talent, has a great personality, and incredibly gorgeous. Who could ask for more?

show: Law & Order

episode: Personae Non Grata

The Bottom Line: "Fair"

Ah yes, the dangers of the internet.

Case-wise, it was one of the most boring episodes I've seen. I was able to peg the perp almost right off the bat, and the plot was predictable. But the episode does send a message that people should be wary of who they talk to or make friends with online because who knows, they might be some kind of sociopath like Donna.

As for the actors, I didn't see any spectacular display of acting ability from any one (because this wasn't exactly a dramatic or action-packed episode) but I am starting to warm up a bit to Anthony Anderson's character. I think he's still an a*s, but I think I'm gonna give him a chance. Probably the best part of this whole episode was was Anita Van Buren posing as a younger woman on the internet. I just had to laugh at the stuff she came up with to keep Bob interested.

3 out of 5 NYPD badges for this one. If this had been the finale (which I thought it was), I would've been really disappointed.

show: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

episode: Cold

The Bottom Line: "Great"

Okay, I've been debating with myself whether or not I should write a review for this episode because just thinking about what happened is too painful for me, but I figured this is one special episode and I should just go ahead and suck it in.

First, let's talk about Chester Lake. I had to agree with what he said to Fin about not making an effort to get to know him. I think it was an indication of how the season went for him. There were rarely any episodes that focused on Chester, and I think that made it difficult for some of the fans to accept him (myself included). He was always the odd man out, and IMO he never really meshed well with the group. Sure, maybe he would eventually fit in if he stayed longer, but we'll never know that now. In this episode, we were shown quite clearly what made him tick, unfortunately it turns him into a killer.

Second, there's Fin. I loved the way he had Chester's back even if Chester didn't trust him. I also loved the way he mouthed off at Elliot. Don't get me wrong, I like Elliot, I just thought that exchange was beautifully done. And Fin had a right to be pissed off. I'd probably would've reacted the same way. His transfer request was a real shocker, though. I hope he changes his mind.

Lastly, and prolly the most painful part of this review, there's Casey's lackluster departure. I cannot even begin to describe the length, depth and breadth of my disappointment of how she was written off. She was an ADA for five long years, and they just had to degrade her by letting her make a Brady violation. What a way of sending her off by tarnishing her reputation. I had expected that "misstep in the case" to be an honest one, not intentional. And of course seeing Casey break down like that really made me sad.

It's not the best finale I've seen. I'm really sad that Casey's gone and I'm going to miss her. I'm giving this episode 3.5 out of 5 NYPD badges, Fin 5 out of 5 NYPD badges, and Casey/Diane all of my love and support. Now I should stop because this review has gone long enough.

show: CSI

episode: Two and a Half Deaths

The Bottom Line: "Mediocre"

I have no idea what to make of this episode. At first I thought it was cool that the two shows were exchanging writers for one episode and I was really curious of how things would turn out but now that I've seen it...I don't know.

Let's do my pros and the cons, shall we?

Pros:

1. The "beautiful people doing high tech police work" comment.

2. Wendy teasing Hodges about the tampons.

3. That scene where Warrick asked Gil and Cath what they could see in the blood-soaked carpet.

Cons:

1. Most of the puns were bad.

2. The "extra" segment. The host never changes her dress. If you listen to her second update, she said "just one day after", meaning a day had gone by after her first report. Maybe I'm just nitpicking.

3. Bud.

4. The ending, with Bud stupidly cutting his jugular.

5. That conversation with Megan near the end was dragging. She was talking way too much.

There. There were some entertaining moments, but if you ask me, I don't think I'm going to watch this episode again.

By the way, I saw the Two And A Half Men episode the CSI writers did. It was funny.