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Ever since Jorja Fox hung up her CSI glove, producers have been looking for a replacement that will fill in the void of the forensic drama. With the casting search underway, many rumors have surged regarding actresses who may possibly join the cast, including Battlestar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff, who was recently junked for the opening.
Now, the search is over. CSI has tapped Lauren Lee Smith, actress known for her recurring role on The L Word, to join the cast as a series regular. According to a CBS spokesperson, the Canadian actress is expected to play the character Bryce Adams, a "flirtatious, witty and strong-willed non-conformist" that is enlisted to join the Las Vegas graveyard shift led by Grissom (William Petersen). Other members of the forensic crew include Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger), Nicholas "Nick" Stokes (George Eads), David Hodges (Wallace Langham), Det. Capt. James "Jim" Brass (Paul Guilfoyle), Gregory "Greg" Sanders (Eric Szmanda) and Dr. Albert "Al" Robbins (Robert David Hall).
WonderJew said: Nice addition to the show. Though I wonder how much longer CSI Las Vegas will run for. Any guesses?
Aside from playing Sous-chef Lara Perkins on The L Word, Smith has also been featured on the television series Intelligence. She has also appeared in Christy: Return to Cutter Gap, Christy: A Change of Seasons and Christy: A New Beginning.Her other TV credits include Mutant X, where she played the character Emma DeLauro, and The Dead Zone, in which she guest starred in an episode of the third season.
In the silver screen, she has been cast in the drama Normal, Daryl Cloran’s Late Fragment, and the most recent horror thriller Pathology, in which she played Juliette Bath and worked alongside Milo Ventimiglia of Heroes fame.
No word yet on when Smith will make her debut on CSI. Meanwhile, fans can also catch the actress in several upcoming projects including the TV feature Anatomy of Hope and the movie Helen, which are both in post-production stages. Smith also stars in Trick ‘r Treat and Can Openers, which are both slated for release in 2009.

buddytv.com

Late last week, TV Guide’s Michael Ausiello reported that Khandi Alexander is leaving CSI: Miami at the end of the season. Alexander is know for her fierce but tender Medical Examiner alter ego Alexx Woods. There is no word yet about how the character will depart, but Ausiello hints strongly that the reason for the departure is some issues Alexander has with an aspect of the show.
Who knows? Cast members are leaving CSI, too (first Jorga Fox and now Gary Dourdan), so maybe there is just a limit to how long you can do this kind of show (intense, lots of blood and gore, often depressing). I haven’t followed the plots on CSI: Miami, so I don’t know what kinds of issues Alexander would have with the show.
She is a terrific actress; one of the standout episodes for me was her grief over working on the body of a child, and how she combined tears with professionalism during the episode. She will have no trouble finding other work out there.
Reportedly, there is a search for a new medical examiner, and this one will be male.
I knew Khandi many years ago before she switched from musical theater to straight acting. She blew me away in “The Corner” (HBO miniseries, in some ways a prequel to “The Wire”). Every time I’ve seen her on CSI: Kabuki, the same thought has occurred: They must be paying her an awful lot of money, or else why in the world is she staying in this role? It surely couldn’t be for the one meaty scene they’d write for her every second year.
All the best to you, my dear, from the piano player across the hall in Boston.
“Aw sugar, why’d she have to leave the show so young..”
Finally! Maybe I’ll start watching again–I couldn’t stand her character and that stupid “Aw sugar” stuff at every dead body. I was so happy years ago when they said a character was going to die–but once I saw it was Speedle, I deleted my TiVo season pass.

tvsquad.com