Criminal Minds

No, not Criminal Minds! On the bubble means a show is facing cancellation; the California Chronicle has an article today about two CBS shows, Without a Trace and Cold Case. Both of these shows have solid ratings - about 12 million viewers a week. Other networks are lucky to scrape up half that much for their big shows. So why would they be in danger of cancellation? Because the current wisdom is that it’s better to end a year early than a year late - both shows have lost millions of viewers over the years. Without a Trace topped out at 18 million, and Cold Case pulled in over 15 in its glory days.

This “audience erosion” coupled with the expense of making these shows - about $2.5 to 3 million per show - means CBS is looking for cheaper options that might pull in more viewers. Industry analyst Brad Adgate says, “It’s always good to bring in new shows and new hits.”

According to the article, canceling these shows would free up air time for new shows, such as the NCIS spin-off and a new medical drama called Miami Trauma.

It’s a chance the networks seems willing to make, even if it alienates fans. Adgate says, “Networks do it all the time. Sure, there’s a big risk involved and you’ve got potential backlash from viewers who are loyal to these shows, but no TV shows last forever.”

I just thought I’d bring this up because some of you may be fans of other crime shows - and to point out again that no word has been put out about axing a CM actor. CBS is facing budget issues with these shows and is looking for a way to cut costs - but there is no mention of that affecting CM.

Update: Also, here’s a look at the Nielsen Top 20 shows for April 13-19 from the AP.

Listings include the week’s ranking, with viewership for the week and season-to-date rankings in parentheses. An “X” in parentheses denotes a one-time-only presentation.

20. (28) “Amazing Race 14,” CBS, 10.3 million viewers.

As a child, Joe Mantegna spent five months at La Rabida Children’s Hospital. Mantegna, who is part of a Patient Alumni program at the children’s hospital says, “I remember La Rabida as very special place — just for kids — where my happiness mattered as much as my health.” La Rabida has launched a new website with a nautical theme and features Joe Mantegna and other alumni. This hospital provides care for children who have chronic illnesses, lifelong medical conditions, developmental disabilities, or who have suffered from abuse. It has been in operation for over 110 years.

This is yet another example of how Joe Mantegna is giving back and using his name for great causes. You can check out the great work this hospital does - and see Joe Mantegna - at LaRabida.org.

Alex O’Laughlin in “Big Wheel.” Looks awesome!! This episode is set to air on April 29. In it, Alex plays a killer who sends the BAU a video recounting one of his murders. He also asks them for help stopping. Take a look at this video - and Wednesday, don’t forget to watch “A Shade of Gray.”

Today is Shemar Moore’s birthday. I hope he has a good one. Also, we only have a few more days until a brand new episode of CM.

(AJ Cook/JJ) We get a bonus on Wednesday, April 22. At nine, “The Crossing” will reair. In this episode, the team is investigating a stalker who has crossed state lines for the woman he is obsessed over. Meanwhile, Hotch and Rossi are helping with a murder investigation. They are called in to determine if the woman who killed her husband did indeed suffer from battered woman’s syndrome.

Next, at ten, is “A Shade of Gray.” In this new episode, a serial killer who preys on children is apprehended. But it turns out one of the murders may not be his handiwork. This looks pretty intense (there’s a youtube promo a few posts down).

Also, there is a bit of info on May 13’s new episode, “Amplification.” This is the last new one before the finale! Here’s a blurb from TV.com:

The BAU responds quickly after a serial killer releases a new strain of a deadly virus that threatens the public, which puts a member of the team at risk.

Good God, not Hotch! I love them all, but I love him most of all We’ll have to wait and see…and the finale is a cliffhanger, so we’ll have to wait and wait and wait and see. Until then enjoy the double feature on Wednesday!

Poll: Last week, I asked who you would want to come over with chicken soup and watch tv with you while you were sick (or read to you! That was even better): We chose: Reid. Everyone got at least a vote, but overwhelmingly, we wanted Reid to help us feel better.

This week:

(Photo from TVGuide)
This is why you never ever spank anyone else’s child - it turns him into a serial killer obsessed with cleaning products. “52 Pickup” reaired last night, and some of our team members got to go out and hit the clubs. (For a very thorough recap, click here.).

How did you like this episode? I enjoyed rewatching it - though they didn’t spend much time on why the unsub was like he was. They flashed back to Vanessa’s mom hitting him because she found him with her daughter, undressed. But why he was always weird was a mystery…unless it was his mother. She pops up at the end, on dialysis. Did she do something to him? When she got sick, that became the secondary trigger for the unsub, launching his attacks on these women. Anyway, I could’ve used a bit more background on him - but that’s my personal preference.

Something else I noticed about this episode that kind of bothered me: I noticed it with both Morgan and Rossi. When they were interviewing people (Morgan was interviewing Vanessa’s sister, and Rossi and Hotch were interviewing a former prostitute who had given the unsub his scar after almost becoming his first victim). Anyway, they would ask questions and then supply answers before the witnesses could. I don’t think they really do this. They want the witnesses impressions and answers without trying to sway them or put words in their mouths. Right? Rossi was especially bad with the ex-prostitute: my God, man, let her tell her story! That was just a little thing that bugged me!

Anyway, on to the good stuff. I really liked the scene with Morgan and Reid. Morgan advises him NOT to talk about statistics to the ladies at the club. Good advice. Anyway, it was cute big brotherly. And Reid used magic to give his number to the bartender. She ends up needing it later on. And at the end of the episode, she mails him back the card with a lipstick kiss. I wonder if she’ll pop up again - does Reid need a girlfriend?

Another thing I liked was when Hotch was on the phone with Garcia. She was asking him if the “women like to be hunted” thing was true (the guy who gave the advice was a bit on the cheesy creepy side, wasn’t he?). Hotch said Garcia was the exception. She smiled and returned the compliment. My fiance - who is ever eloquent - said, “That’s funny. He’s usually such a hardass with everyone, except for her.” True.

Overall, I enjoyed this episode. It’s not my favorite of the season, but it’s definitely one I’d watch again. I’m sick with DVDs…I’ll watch an entire season in a day if I can. What did you think?

And next week’s episode looks good. I am torn with ones that involve children. On one hand, there is no better way to create suspense, tension, and edge-of-your-seat action. On the other, I have two small children and these kinds of shows make me want to lock them up with me forever (which is a good way to make them into crazy people). Here’s a promo for next week’s show. We only have a few new episodes until the finale on May 20!

The lovely Matthew Gray Gubler.

Tonight, CBS reairs “52 Pickup.” In this episode, “Emily Prentiss and Jordan Todd go undercover in Atlanta to profile a serial killer who has perfected his skill as a pick-up artist and uses his masculine prowess to lure his next victims.” That’s a blurb from TV.com, though I think the word, “undercover,” is a misnomer. As I recall, they say they’re with the FBI - not really a good cover story! But all the same, this episode is worth rewatching, and if you’ve never seen it before, tune in at nine.

And for your viewing pleasure, Reid hits on a woman! With magic! How cute is that? This is a youtube clip with the scene - Morgan is giving Spencer some tips. Very cute all around. Enjoy - and tune in at nine!!

Another cliffhanger… (photo from Eclipse Magazine)

It’s almost time for the CM finale, and TV Guide has a preview. This link has a video you can see if you want a bit of info on the two-hour finale. If you don’t like spoilers, stay away!

http://www.seattlepi.com/tvguide/405110_tvgif13.html

I thought I was just being computer illiterate - the video at this link won’t load for some people. I tried it on two different computers with different media programs. I can’t get it. On the comment section at the TV Guide site, you can see that it didn’t work for many. If you can get it to work, good for you! For the rest of us, I’ll try to find some info somewhere else. Sorry

Update: Got it! If you have Firefox, you can see the video. I had to download Adobe Flash to see it, but I finally did. And didn’t get much in return! All the video says is that the finale will be two hours long and will air on May 20 (my father’s birthday, btw). The case the BAU will be working is “huge” and “grueling.” And once again, we will have to bear another cliffhanger. Last season’s finale showed an SUV being blown up and we had to wait all summer to see what happened. I don’t know what the finale will hold this time, but I hate wondering for months and months!

This is from an article at LookToTheStars.org:

Celebrities & Special Olympics Bocce Athletes joined together for the Southern California’s inaugural Celebrity Bocce Tournament held on the lawn at the historic Culver Studios, where all proceeds benefited the Special Olympics Southern California, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year.

Participating celebrities who would like you to think twice before the using the ‘Word” included: Joe Mantegna, John Ratzenberger, Kristy Swanson, Matthew Gray Gubler, Victor Alfieri, Yvette Nicole Brown, Maureen McCormick, Jeremy Ratchford, Brandon Molale, Jimmy Jean Louis, Sunny Mabrey, Jason Dolley, Ethan Embry, AJ Michalka, Anthony Anderson, Jillian Claire, Marta McGonagle, Danielle Petty, Nancy LaScala, DB Freeman, Andrea Freedman, Lloyd Eisler and Anya Monzikova.

More good works from the CM cast.

I was referring to my health, not the subject matter of CM, just to clarify. My daughter is actually the sick one now - getting the flu that her father and I had. If the baby gets it next, I may have to hire a nanny and hide in a cave until everyone is well. But it made me think of a good poll question.

(James Van Der Beek played Tobias Hankel in “The Big Game” and “Revelations”)

I like doing this blog in part because I learn so many interesting things. Last night’s episode dealt with dissociative identity disorder, which is also called multiple personality disorder. This is something that has always fascinated me because I am interested in how people become who and what they are. It’s so extreme, and I can never work the logistics out in my head. It is hard for me to understand how two or more very distinct people can inhabit one body. So it was good when I stumbled across a blog called “The People Behind My Eyes” at sundrip.com. The author is a woman who is a survivor of DID and she had turned Criminal Minds on last night out of boredom. She usually stays away from it because it is too triggering for her, but she flicked it on and watched some. Here are her thoughts on the episode:

Although tonight’s show was turned off before it finished I’ll give the producers this much: they didn’t show the most extreme forms of child abuse as the cause of his DID. I think this could be helpful to multiple’s who think their abuse doesn’t stack up to the abuse of others. This child who developed different personalities wasn’t a victim of Satanic Ritual Abuse, the sex trade or victim of an extreme for of Christianity. No, he was a kid beaten at a critical time in his development, period. That is all it takes to change a child’s life. I think they did well to not make his story dramatic.

Reactions to Jackson Rathbone’s portrayal of Adam ranged from “meh,” to “He should get an Emmy.” I am in the middle, leaning towards the latter. It’s interesting to get the perspective of someone who actually lives with this, to see if they “got it right.” She also discusses in another post the episodes “The Big Game” and “Revelations.” These were about Tobias Hankel, who later kidnapped and tortured Reid. I just thought I’d share this with you so we could see a real person behind the things we see on TV. You can find the Tobias post here.

By the way, ratings for last night’s nine o’clock time slot were pretty much the usual. American Idol, followed by Criminal Minds, followed by Lost, followed by Life.

The first scene in “Conflicted” has a doctor speaking to a “woman” smoking a cigarette. I put woman in quotations because I knew it wasn’t. Did anyone else know this? Was it supposed to be a big surprise? Dr. Reid is there and tells the patient that he is looking for Adam, that she needs to do the right thing and help him find Adam. And boom, you know Adam is the other personality that is lost inside this one.

The action shifts to a spring break scene in South Padre. A young man finds out that his girlfriend will be delayed, so of course he finds the first substitute he can - a “woman” by the elevator. More quotation marks! But it very purposefully does not show her face. The camera makes a point to show only her back - and heads up to his room. Then we see him tied to the bed, face down, with a plastic bag over his head.

And then there’s Adam, who works at the hotel. He is sent to clean the room, which he does, oblivious to the dead body in the closet. He opens it to clean it, noticing that clothes are still in it (do college students on spring break hang their clothes in a closet and fold them in the dresser this neatly?), and finds the body. Turns out there was another from the same hotel found in the same position. Later, Reid and Morgan question Adam about this - he come upon him smoking pot, which he says is for his migraines. He asks Reid how long it will take before he can close his eyes without seeing the bad things. He’s clearly affected by what he’s seen.

The team discusses the case and we find that the victims were sexually assaulted. They’re wondering if maybe the victims were gay and that’s how/why they met the unsub. Through their investigation, they discard this theory and develop one in which the unsub is working with a partner. A woman lures the men in and then the man ties them up and rapes them.

At this point in the show, I remember thinking, “Was it supposed to be this obvious? Was it not supposed to be a big ‘aha’?” Anyway, another victim is found at another hotel. The team thinks that the unsubs work at the first hotel and saw them investigating, which is why they switched. So they focus on the hotel in which Adam works. As the team is thinking that a pair of killers is at work, we see Julie. We see her relationship with Adam, and this seems to point us in the direction of her as the woman half of the killing team. We also find out that one of the victims had accosted another employee and Adam had stepped in. This causes the team to look more closely at him.

We find out about his past - his mother had been severely abuse by her husband. After her “sudden death,” Adam was left with his stepfather, who began beating him. This was ongoing, and Adam was sent to the hospital multiple times. The victims mirror his “alpha male” stepfather. The connection between Adam and Julies is one of sympathy. Julie has helped Adam, providing him with money and work, because she was raped and understands his pain. This is supposed to lead us into thinking that in fact Julie and Adam are working as a team to kill these men. I almost changed my mind and thought that maybe that was the case, especially when Adam was in custody and we see the same set up at a club. Julie is dancing and a man approaches her. She’s about to leave with him when Rossi and Hotch come for her.

The scene flashes forward to Reid and the “woman.” She says that Adam is in a better place. Again, we flashback to Reid’s interrogation of Adam. He doesn’t remember the fight, but then says he does. He does and he doesn’t. Both he and Julie were given polygraphs, which they passed. One thing that I noticed was that they were asking them questions that required answers other than yes or no. I didn’t think they did this, and the only question Adam flubbed up on was one involving a geometrical equation. Both are let go, and Adam makes eye contact with Reid for the first time. Reid watches the video of the fight and realizes that Adam wasn’t really Adam then, nor was he when he made eye contact or answered the geometry question. Reid thinks that when Morgan asked the question, Adam’s alter personality stepped in - she knew the answer but realized that Adam would not, so she lied.

The next scene has Julie finding Adam’s stash of woman’s clothes. She confronts him on the roof where he is in terrible pain. All of a sudden, it’s Amanda. The voice changes and the look changes. Jackson Rathbone was a great choice because his look is so versatile. He is a beautiful person, but not an alpha male, to borrow that term from the show. He can look very different. Anyway, Julie is attacked, and Amanda runs away.

The team finds Amanda at the home of Adam’s stepfather. Amanda is holding him with a plastic bag over his head and a knife to his throat. She says she has to protect Adam. Finally, she lets him go, but Adam is gone. Amanda has taken over.

Reid’s affected by this because he feels like he should’ve been able to save Adam, to keep him from being subsumed into Amanda. He feels like the good person is in there somewhere - like Tobias. (From season two - still my favorite episode.) At the end, Reid is visiting Amanda and says he’ll keep visiting until he finds Adam. Amanda says he’ll be waiting for a very long time.

I didn’t like the music that was playing at the end; it was a bit on the cheesy side. But I did love the quote. Stephen King: “…Monsters are real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win.” I like how they aren’t afraid to not have a happy ending or one that is neatly tied up.

Overall, I liked this episode. What I particularly liked was Jackson Rathbone - I thought he was the perfect choice. I am also fascinated with dissociative identity disorder, or multiple personality disorder. It affects from .01 to 1 percent of the general population and most often occurs as the result of severe recurrent abuse, which is what Adam had experienced as a child.

What did you think of “Conflicted”?

Updated: The directing was mentioned in the comments (check it out and see what you think) - Jason Alexander, aka the freakshow from “Masterpiece,” aka George Costanza directed this episode of CM.

I have had a touch of the stomach flu the past few days (I know you all were desperately in need of that information), so I’m going to skip live blogging tonight. I’m going to sit on the couch with my gingerale and watch “Conflicted,” and then take Theraflu. Sounds like a full night! I’ll do live blogging next week (April 15) when “52 Pickup” reairs and the following week (April 22) when we get a new episode to watch, “Shades of Gray.”

But I still want your opinion. Let me know how you liked “Conflicted.” I’m really excited to see a new episode and hope it’s another great one. The Twilight community is stoked to see Jackson Rathbone. (I admit that I have neither read the books or seen the movie, but he looks like he’ll be great in the show.) Spring Break here we come! Enjoy.

Tomorrow, we have a new episode of CM to watch: “Conflicted” has the team going to South Padre Island to investigate a killer targeting students on spring break. Apparently, the unsub has multiple personalities. See this, kids? Stay home and watch CM instead of going on spring break…do you think that’ll work when my daughter is in college? This episode guest stars Jackson Rathbone of Twilight fame (pictured above). Roma Mafia - who has been in seventy-five million shows - will also guest as a detective.

This episode was written by Rick Dunkle. Dunkle is also, according to IMDb, the script coordinator for Washington Field, the new Ed Bernero drama.

Here’s a Youtube of the “Conflicted” promo:

And a word about casting changes or cuts: just to reassure you for the moment, there has been no word or report about one of the actors being cut from Criminal Minds. All we’ve heard is that some actors may be asked to forgo their yearly raises on some CBS dramas. There hasn’t been mention of any of the cast members being cut. This doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen - anything could - but I’m going to hold off on my reaction until I know for sure that something is changing. I really hope that everyone stays - it is an ensemble cast that works off each character.

Lots of news here. First, what is on most of our minds is whether or not Criminal Minds will have a significant casting change. Five writers were laid off or chose to leave, and many believe a star will be the next cut to be made. Nothing is concrete. There are some articles that may shed some light on things or at least point us in the direction of an educated theory about what may happen.

First, this article on EW.com discusses flat salaries for stars of CBS biggies, the CSIs, Numb3rs, NCIS, and others of that type. But, it also says, that shows produced by other studios (CM is produced by ABC studios) won’t be affected by pay issues. Here’s an excerpt from this article:

[W]hat happens if a star balks at the idea of maintaining the status quo? “Some [of these TV] leads won’t accept a freeze,” says a showrunner at a rival network, who adds that while the studio can’t fire them outright, they can decide not to pick up their contract option at the end of the season. The likelier scenario, however, is that a cut will be made somewhere else on the show. “The leverage they will use is ‘Freeze your already ludicrously high salary, or watch a bunch of your coworkers lose their jobs.’”

In fact, one exec producer at a CBS Paramount drama is already preparing for such a worst-case scenario. “If our lead doesn’t accept the freeze, we will have no choice but to let one of our supporting actors go,” says the exec. “There’s no question that it’s the second-tier actors who are most vulnerable.”

This article from Variety talks about layoffs at CBS. From the article:

Top execs exiting include CBS Par exec VP Maria Crenna, as well as the studio’s comedy senior VP Brian Banks, both of whom are departing after 11 years at the Eye.

As for CBS, it’s believed that Monday’s cuts are the extent of it — for now.

I don’t know what will happen - again, nothing is certain as far as more cuts or the possibility of losing an actor. Some are convinced that this is going to happen in the very near future and we’ll be shy one agent for next season. I honestly don’t know; what we can do is just stay informed and see what happens.

I tend to hope for the best and believe the best in people: I hope that if a casting change is made that it is made as a last resort and because nothing short of such drastic action would keep the show on the air. I hope that it is not due to any other consideration and is made with all the consideration due. I am not taking it for granted that this will happen - I still have hope that it will not.

Update: A few more articles for you to peruse, both discussing the financial strain CBS is under.

This one, from the LA Times, discusses CBS’s poor financial reports, which are due out today. An excerpt:

But all [high ratings among top shows] that isn’t of much help right now for CBS, which is uniquely vulnerable to the recession because nearly 70% of its revenue comes from advertising. TV and radio stations have been battered as mainstay advertisers such as automakers, financial firms and retailers have slashed spending. Unlike media rivals Time Warner Inc., Walt Disney Co. and News Corp., CBS doesn’t have a broad stable of cable channels pouring in subscriber revenue to offset advertising declines.

So ratings here don’t equate with big bucks because advertisers are cutting their budgets dramatically and CBS depends heavily on this revenue. In addition, CBS recently spent 1.8 billion dollars on acquiring technology news operation CNet Networks Inc., which is considered way too much and at the exact worst possible time. Cash is the most important asset for any business now, and CBS is running low. Another excerpt:

Bernstein analyst Nathanson predicted that TV revenue for CBS could decline 10% in the fourth quarter “as the weak local advertising market will more than offset the benefit of broadcast station political advertising.” He also estimated that revenue to the stations could fall as much as 17%.

Another article on Bloomberg.com discusses Les Moonves’s salary. Moonves is the President and CEO of CBS Corporation and earns 3.2 times as much as Viacom’s CEO. According to the article, Moonves received a total compensation package of $71 million. Philippe Dauman of Viacom received $22 million. A substantial portion of both packages comes from stock options. Anyway, Moonves is the fourth most overpaid CEO - and lower/middle level employees are getting laid off. Will Moonves forgo his own pay raise?

I have no doubt that the economy is forcing some tough decisions, but it also infuriates me that those do not extend to the people at the very top. How many salaries could be paid with a portion of $71 million? It’s absurd.