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Show (5/4 UuJL* . LAWS, reacures CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION- Wednesday, April 6,2005 cCSI': thejignposl SIMPSON ORDFR F ORDER •"** Page*5 Criminalists discuss reality TV, fiction By LON HATCH correspondent | The Signpost The stench inside the dark bathroom is atrocious. The smell of old death. Balancing a set of tweezers with his snowwhite latex covered hands, officer Gil Grissom picks at a maggot infesting the slowly decomposing body until he gently picks it off. "Pupas, stage three," Grissom says to the other officer in the room. "It's the third stage of larva metamorphous. This guy's been dead for seven days." Looking the body over, Grissom discovers something clenched in the body's cold hands: a tape recorder. "I think we've found our suicide note," Grissom says. Later that night, Mrs. Harm an jerks in her seat as she hears the gun fire and the dull thud of her son's body hitting the floor, all courtesy of her son's taped suicide note. "We're so sorry about this, Mrs. Harman," Grissom says with a sincere tone of sympathy. "You don't understand," she retorts with a tone of panic. "That is his picture, but that's not my son's voice." It has been nearly five years since that scene was on TV screens in October of 2000, the first episode of what would become a money-making phenomenon. Grissom and his "CSI" team quickly began bringing in major bucks for host network CBS as a steadiJy growing fan base insured its continued success. "It is really cool to see how they go about solving cases," said Heather Sewalson, a junior at Weber State University and WSU junior Lori Kuczmanski, along with the help of Dr. Brent Horn, demonstrate the correct way to delect fingerprints using a blue alternate light source (ALS) light. The sheet of plastic filters out the blue light, allowing the fingerprint - which was dusted with florescent fingerprint powder - to show through. Unlike on "CSI," the blue ALS light is used in total darkness. fan of "CSI" for over a year. "I had no idea all trie little technologies, like people's hair leaving DNA evidence and stuff like that." By the end of 2003, a second incarnation of "CSI" found its way into living rooms when CBS aired the first episode of "CSI: Miami." Then, only a year iater, CBS started yet another incarnation of the popular show, "CSI: New York," bringing the "CSI" family to a total of three. "I think having three is a bit of a stretch," said David Swan, a senior at WSU who admits he has never seen a full episode. "CBS has taken a great thing and stretched it out too much." Whether stretching OUL Celebrities influence students By MIKAELA BAILEY correspondent | The Signpost The world is filled with celebrities. With their glamour, expensive houses and fancy cars, they are at the center of American entertainment. Some of the biggest types of entertainment in the world are television and movies. Weber State University students go to the movies on the weekends, subscribe to magazines and watch the latest celebrity gossip on television. America is filled with celebrity gossip, and many gain guilty pleasure from hearing about what is going on in the lives of popular celebrities. Emylie Woods, WSU junior, likes to follow the celebrity gossip. "I totally am interested in the celebrity world," Woods said. "I just think it's fun to be current on all of the gossip and who is "/ totally am interested in the celebrity world I just think it's fun to be current on all of the gossip and who is dating who/' - Emylie Woods, WSU junior dating who." Cassie McFarland, WSU sophomore, however, said that she doesn't really care about what is going on in celebrity life. "I like to see what clothes celebrities wear," McFarland said. There are many magazines that people subscribe to. Almost all magazines have information on a celebrity. Magazines frequently have a popular celebrity on the cover to draw attention to the magazine. Leah Jacobsen, WSU junior, subscribes to Cosmopolitan and also reads other magazines such as People. ,. • "I think it is interesting to read about what goes on in the lives of celebrities," Jacobsen said. "They are rich and famous; many of the things they do are the same as normal people, except they do everything in the spotlight." Many TV shows get attention because they feature popular actors and actresses. Many people have a favorite actor they enjoy watching. There are shows dedicated to celebrity gossip, such as "E! True Hollywood See Celebrities page 6 success or simply giving an audience what it demands, CBS has given audiences a triple dose of "CSI" and the fans simply love it. "I like it because it reminds me of the classes I've taken in science," said WSU alumnus Keith Swenson. "It seems to refresh my memory on some of the stuff I've learned." Although the "CSI" shows claim to base its crime-fighting adventures on real scientific principles, real-life crime scene investigators are quick to point out the flaws in their science. "They have good technical writers and technical advisers, See CSI page 7 Reality TV: Not real enough for students By SYDNEY HOWELL correspondent | The Signpost In recent years, reality television has become very popular. These television shows are a win-win situation for stations, competitors and fans. The shows are generally cheap to produce when compared to sitcoms. Everyday people get to compete against each other to win money. The viewers get to watch everyday people compete, get shot down or watch others' dreams come true. Some have called "American Idol" America's guilty pleasure. The reality shows vary from competitions to just watching people live their lives: "Fear Factor," "The Contender," "Las Vegas Garden of Love," "The Apprentice" and "Trading Spaces" are just a few of the shows that are out there.an4 popular. Two well-known reality shows are "American Idol" and "Survivor." Since many people have seen or at least heard about either "American Idol" or "Survivor," these were the two choices in a survey taken by students on campus. Weber State University students were asked which they preferred to watch "American Idol," "Survivor" or neither. Forty percent chose "American Idol," compared with the 7 percent who chose "Survivor." Fifty-three percent seid that they weren't interested in these two options. Some WSU students, like Amie Howell, have favorites. "I like 'American Idol,'" Howell said. "I'm not obsessed with it like maybe some other people are, but if I'm home I'll watch it." |