TV FunHouse

The Hollywood Reporter says GSN has ordered 40 installments of How Much is Enough?, a new primetime game show hosted by actor CORBIN BERNSEN. The show features four contestants competing against a "money clock" to win the most cash without being the greediest. This is Bernsen's first role as a game show host. He says, quote, "I have always been a big fan of game shows and I have been tuning in to GSN for years. How Much is Enough? premieres January 8th...

ELIZABETH BERKLEY is joining the cast of the CBS-TV crime drama CSI: Miami in a recurring role. She'll portray CSI chief investigator Horatio Caine's ex-wife, Julia Winston, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Berkley previously guest-starred on the original CSI series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation in 2003...Oscar-winner WILLIAM FRIEDKIN, director of The French Connection and The Exorcist, will direct the December 6th episode of CSI, according to TV Guide. Friedkin is credited with launching the career of the show's star, WILLIAM PETERSEN by giving him the lead role in 1985's To Live and Die In L.A. Peterson invited Friedkin to direct the episode...

PAULINA PORIZKOVA is joining America's Next Top Model as a judge for Cycle 10. She will be replacing TWIGGY, who is leaving due to scheduling conflicts. Twiggy had been with ANTM since Cycle Five, when she replaced JANICE DICKINSON...

NBC has picked up the rookie dramas Life and Chuck for another season, or nine more episodes each, according to TV Guide. Life stars DAMIAN LEWIS as a cop who spent 15 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. Chuck stars ZACHARY LEVI as a retail tech-support clerk who accidentally downloads a top-secret government database into his brain...

Should she stay or should she go?

Tonight on CSI, Sara Sidle says good-bye. Actress JORJA FOX is leaving the hit series after being with it from the beginning over seven years ago. She says she needed to take a step back after starring in seven-plus seasons of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Fox says, quote, "I think if the show was only going to go for another year or two, I would have definitely stayed the course, but I think it could go on another decade and I was like, "Whoa, I gotta breathe for a minute."

Fox has had a stormy tenure on CSI -- for example, she was fired in 2004 during contract negotiations, only to be rehired later on. In tonight's episode, airing at 9 p.m. Eastern time on CBS, Sidle comes across a suspect from her past.

Neilsen Ratings

The writers' strike may be in full swing, but it hasn't had much of an effect on the Nielsen ratings just yet. New episodes of shows continued to air last week to the usual numbers, with CSI the week's top-rated show, drawing 21.9 million viewers.

Then again, it may be best to let some shows die when the writers return. Last week's episode of Carpoolers pulled up in 83rd place and Cavemen slumped to 88th. NBC's Bionic Woman also looked pretty rusty -- last week's episode earned its lowest ratings to date, six-and-a-half million viewers for a dismal 65th-place showing.

NBC's Heroes could also use some help. Last week's episode pulled in 9.9 million people and took 33rd place, the worst numbers the critically-acclaimed series has ever scored.One positive note from last week's ratings came from ABC's coverage of the Country Music Awards. It finished in tenth place, thanks to the nearly 16 million people who tuned in.

ABC was the top-ranked network for the week, followed by CBS, Fox, NBC, Univision, the CW, My Network TV, Telemundo and ION Television.

Here's a look at the top 10 primetime shows for the week of Monday, November 5th-Sunday, November 11th.

1. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CBS, 21.9 million viewers.
2. Without a Trace, CBS, 21.7 million viewers.
3. Dancing with the Stars (Monday), ABC, 20.5 million viewers.
4. Grey's Anatomy, ABC, 19.5 million viewers.
5. Desperate Housewives, ABC, 18.6 million viewers.
6. House, Fox, 18.2 million viewers.
7. NCIS, CBS, 18.1 million viewers.
8. NBC Sunday Night Football, NBC, 17.3 million viewers.
9. Dancing with the Stars (Tuesday), ABC, 17.1 million viewers.
10. CMA Awards, ABC, 15.95 million viewers.

The People's Choice for TV Blogs is....

MATT DAMON's The Bourne Ultimatum has received several nominations for the 2008 People's Choice Awards. Other celebrities to earn multiple nominations include JOHNNY DEPP and JESSICA ALBA. The 34th annual People's Choice Awards will air on CBS on January 8th. You can review the full list of nominees and cast your vote at pcavote.com. Here are some of the TV categories:

Favorite TV Drama
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
House
Law and Order: SVU

Favorite TV Comedy
The King of Queens
My Name is Earl
Two and a Half Men
Favorite Competition/Reality Show

American Idol
Dancing with the Stars
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition

Favorite Female TV Star
Sally Field
Katherine Heigl
Jennifer Love Hewitt

Favorite Male TV Star
Patrick Dempsey
Charlie Sheen
Kiefer Sutherland