Crime Scene Investigation

The Season 8 return of "American Idol" brought huge audiences back to Fox, but the network still couldn't get past CBS last week, which cruised to No. 1 with football and the goodbye episode for star William L. Petersen on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." Tuesday's two-hour premiere of "Idol" averaged 30.4 million viewers, down 9% compared with last year's opener, according to data published Wednesday by Nielsen Media Research. But CBS piled up 40.6 million viewers, the largest prime-time audience so far this season, for its Sunday telecast of the AFC Championship game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Perry is up for 9 VMAs Katy Perry's "Firework" had enough sparks to help her claim a leading nine MTV Video Music Award nominations, including video of the year. Perry — who hosted the network's Wednesday night special announcing the nominations — was also nominated for best female video for "Firework," and best pop video for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.). " Adele tied Kanye West with seven nominations. The bestselling Brit will compete with Perry for top video with "Rolling in the Deep.

The drab, cheap motel -- the type that rents rooms by the hour -- sits just a couple of blocks off the Strip. Compared with its upscale neighbors, with their towering hotels and neon-laden casinos, this place seems better suited for a lonely crossroads in the desert than for fabulous Las Vegas. In a dimly lighted alley behind the motel lies the body of a young woman. She is sprawled near a Dumpster, her right arm outstretched toward her faux-leather purse. Nearby are her cellphone and a publicity photo like the ones models and actresses use. The 8-by-10 glossy depicts the now-deceased woman.

When Court TV launched its "Forensic Files" series in 2000, there wasn't much competition when it came to programs about the science of police evidence examination. Nowadays it's hard to turn on the television without catching a glimpse of slickly produced dramas, such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Without a Trace" or "The Evidence," that cast forensics in a sexy veneer.

CBS may be struggling with a reporting scandal at "60 Minutes," but there's no controversy surrounding the network's prime-time ratings victory for the season's first week. As it so often does, CBS finished the week ending Sept. 26 with a clear lead among total viewers (13.6 million), easily beating NBC (10.6 million), ABC (10 million) and Fox (5.3 million), according to figures released Wednesday by Nielsen Media Research.

Chelsea Handler may not have a lot of viewers, but she gets paid a lot of dough for the ones she does have on "Chelsea Lately. " Jon Stewart is likewise laughing all the way to the bank. And it's time for CNN's Anderson Cooper to come out … as possibly overpaid. But not every TV star triumphed at the negotiating table with the network suits. Ashton Kutcher may have nabbed $17 million a year to replace Charlie Sheen on "Two and a Half Men," but that's not necessarily a king's ransom given that sitcom's popularity (it's also less than Sheen made)

'CSI: Crime Scene Investigation' Where: CBS When: 10 p.m. Wednesday Rating: TV-14-DV (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14 with advisories for suggestive dialogue and violence)

Click here to download TV listings for the week of Feb. 17 - 23, 2013 in PDF format This week's TV Movies     SERIES Whitney: Whitney's (Whitney Cummings) father gives her a gift of $5,000 in this new episode (8 p.m. NBC). Arrow: Oliver (Stephen Amell) asks Detective McKenna (Janina Gavankar) out, in this new episode (8 p.m. KTLA). American Idol:  The first 10 female singers perform in this new episode (8 p.m. Fox). Law & Order: Special Victims Unit: Lindsay Pulsipher guest stars in this new episode as Rollins' (Kelli Giddish)

The Thin Blue Line, an in-house Los Angeles Police Department newspaper, said the driver of a reported hit-and-run car accident was asked if she was injured. "No," came the reply, "but my dog is. His back hurts...." When the victim was asked what color her hair was, she responded, "Blond, but you can list it as golden." And the damaged area of her car? "There, that scratch, on the license plate frame."

The macabre curiosity that prompted Rebecca Leonard to scoop squashed frogs from roadways as a youngster had always baffled and disgusted her friends. "They always thought I was weird, you know," she said. "They didn't want to talk about it. I was always trying to justify it to them." Today, she doesn't have to; they're brimming with questions.