Rubbernecking

Here's my confession: I have a morbid fascination with death. I'm not into the gore and guts, but I find myself wondering about a person's last moments, the afterlife and most importantly, who's going to find my private journals after I'm gone. (Jeff, you know what to do!)

I work for a newspaper and we get hundreds of stories everyday that are full of tragic tales like Anne Pressly and Jasmine Fiore. But what we don't always get is the human side - the pain of those family members who have lost a loved one. That's why shows like this are a must see for me. It's the chance for mothers and fathers, friends and lovers to share their stories.

"TV Murders: Jasmine Fiore and Anne Pressly" (TLC, Sun., 9:00) recounts the details of the brutal murders or two blond beauties. Both of these stories have local connections for me. Anne Pressly was a popular TV anchorwoman in Little Rock, Arkansas, the capital city of my home state. I grew up about 30 minutes outside of Little Rock and my whole family still lives there. Jasmine Fiore's killer triggered a manhunt across Washington state. I live in Seattle and was working in the newsroom the night they thought they had Jasmine's killer cornered at the Canadian border in Blaine.

Jasmine was a 28-year-old bikini model whose whirlwind romance with a reality TV contestant may have cost her her life. Jasmine's body was found stuffed in a suitcase in a garbage bin with her fingertips and teeth removed. Police identified her by the serial number on her breast implants. Rewind: This is called the "CSI effect". People were so surprised when police said that's how they learned her identity, but they've been doing that on "CSI" for years. After learning that Jasmine was last seen with her estranged husband, Ryan Jenkins, police immediately turned their attention to finding him.

Ryan had just wrapped up a stint on the VH1 reality show, "Megan Wants a Millionaire" where he earned the nickname "Smooth Operator". He took meticulous steps to cover up Jasmine's murder (as if removing her fingers and teeth weren't enough). He then escapes to Canada after eluding the police, but later commits suicide by hanging himself in a motel closet. VH1 underwent much scrutiny about its background checks for reality contestants after it was discovered that Ryan Jenkins already had a record that included assault charges.

Anne Pressly, 26, was savagely beaten, raped and left for dead in her own home. Word of her attack left Little Rock in a state of shock, especially when details of how she had been beaten beyond recognition began to spread around the city. I was home visiting family for the holidays when Curtis Vance was arrested for Anne's murder. At that point I had only heard about the story through the national wire at the paper. It was quite strange hearing all the conspiracy theories from the locals, but there were some details that I found very hard to believe. The day of his arrest, I caught myself calling all of my sisters telling them to watch the news, even though I knew nothing about Anne Pressly or the suspect.

As sad and impersonal as it is, I think most people were fascinated with this case because of how badly she was beaten - this beautiful, blue-eyed blond whose entire face was broken. The way her face was described was left up to your own interpretation. Some people speculated that Anne had died that first day, and police were telling people she was alive until they had a suspect. Everyone was clamoring for a glimpse of the medical examiner's report, and a number of doctors and nurses were either fired or reprimanded for looking at Anne Pressly's medical records.

I think there's that morbid curiosity in all of us. We all rubber-neck at car accidents. We all want to see Michael Jackson's autopsy report. We all want to know the cause of death when we read the obituary of a young person. I don't think there's anything wrong with that as long as we remember that we are intruding on someone else pain.

For those of you who want a second look, this show will air again on Jan. 26, on the ID channel. Check your local listings for times.

Mundane Monday

Not much on in terms of quality television tonight so take you pick on this buffet.

"I Want to Work For Diddy 2" (VH1, 10:00): Like all VH1 shows, Diddy isn't happy with his picks from last season so they give him a second chance. Pause it: Will we be getting a dose of reality game shows with previous candidates vying for cash prizes? I'm part of the 5% of the population who actually admires Sean "Diddy" Combs. The story of how he went from a street promoter to a multi-million dollar mogul should be an inspiration to anyone who's ever dreamed big. That being said, he's still a cocky, mouth-breather.

In the season opener he makes the assistants spend their first night camped out on the roof of a parking garage. Then he breaks out his acting skills, giving interviews that are harsh, rude and emotional, to see how the candidates would react. One of the interview questions was to state in 30 seconds why Diddy should hire them. Pageant queen Noelle's answer: "Everybody loves an Asian girl." Pause it: No, sweetie they don't. Just ask Kim Jong Il. Oh ... wait.

The assistants are divided into two teams - Uptown and Downtown. For their first task they each must go onto the streets of New York and collect video of people speaking in foreign languages promoting Diddy's new album. Turn that down: I hope that 'Last Train to Paris' is leaving soon cause he's been touting this album for a while now. Underdogs Downtown gather the most number of languages and take the first win. Losing team Uptown picks Noelle and team leader Ivory to go up for elimination. Ivory is going to be one of many women playing the "angry black woman" role this season. She's like an aggressive pit bull - a loud bark and a lot of bite. Noelle is given the boot and can't work for Diddy. I guess not everyone loves an Asian girl.

CHANNEL SURFING

What was up with "CSI: Miami" (CBS, 10:00) stealing the plot from box office hit "The Hangover"? The CSIs had to recreate a night of botched bachelor party in order to find the missing groom. The only thing missing was Mike Tyson and a baby. "Miami" is my least favorite of the "CSI" franchise because I can't stand David Caruso in his portrayal of Horatio Caine. I think Caruso thinks that viewers love his one-liner-with-sunglass-removal schtick. Sorry to tell you, buddy: You're not in on the joke, you are the joke. (Insert one liner here).

Gosselins, Gosselins go away. Your 15 is up so take your pay.

It was the same statement, different interviewer on "Kate: Her Story" (TLC, 9:00). She's becoming a really good cryer, but she needs a dictionary and a speech writer for all the words she makes up. I thought Jon was the inarticulate one. TLC is doing their best to bleed this turnip. Next week we get an hour of viewers favorite moments. I'm sure I can name them all, as we've seen this "special" twice already. Move on, Gosselins. Move on.

Oh, the horror!

I must be losing it because I forgot to set my recorder today. Imagine my horror when I returned home and saw it wasn't taping. Luckily most of the shows I watch on Mondays can be seen online. Gotta love technology ... sometimes.

"Trauma" (NBC, 9:00): It's Halloween in San Francisco and injuries abound! There's chemical burns on a teen prankster, a kid hit by a car while trick-or-treating, and a nightclub fire. Turn on the sirens!

Most of the show focused on Boone and Tyler. Pause it: I'm amazed at the way they carry on normal conversations as they are walking up to all that blood and guts. The EMTs are divided into districts for the Halloween debauchery and these two get sent to the gay district, Castro. Boone is obviously uncomfortable with all the drag queens and openly gay men, so I knew they had to be setting it up to reveal Tyler is gay. After three years of riding together Boone admits he suspected (it was the sideburns), but he never asked. I hope this doesn't completely ruin their camaraderie. They are my favorite set of EMTs so it would be a shame to see Boone ask for another partner over this.

The rest of the show was a little mundane considering the heavy topic between Boone and Tyler. Rabbit continues to surprise me with his soft nature around children. And I won't be surprised when he and intern Diana hit the sheets. Rabbit also taught me something interesting. Halloween may be the night of bizarre injuries but Christmas is the day of domestic violence calls.

Amidst all the chaos there were some funny lines:
Partygoer seeking help for an injured friend: "Help! Sarah Palin's all messed up!" Tyler: "You're preaching to the choir. I don't know how I'm going to fix Sarah Palin."
Marissa to Rabbit, after being assigned an ambulance with broken windows: "It looks like 'Pimp My Ride - The Chris Brown Edition.'"

"Jon & Kate Plus 8: You ask, Kate answers" (TLC, 9:00): Kate responds to viewer questions. We've heard it all before, but there were some surprises. Here is a sampling.

• On what happened to the dogs: She ask Jon to return them to the breeders because she admittedly couldn't meet their needs.
• On how much sleep she gets: Roughly 4 or 5 hours a night. I get the same amount of sleep as a woman with 8 children. Scary.
• Hired help: A full-time babysitter, a girl that helps at night, a house cleaner and a yard crew. It's all about keeping the kids safe, but I'm sure not having to do your own dishes is an added bonus.
• On remarrying: She doesn't want to get married again but doesn't want to be alone either. "Maybe when I'm 73 and a half," she says.
• Money for the kids: There is a healthy (and untouchable) amount set aside for their education.
• Career goals: She says she wants to be on television or be the voice of a cartoon character in a movie. How about you've already become a caricature of yourself, Mrs. Gosselin. For the love of all that's holy, wrap up your 15 minutes and head back to obscurity.

TLC obviously favors Kate or they wouldn't keep giving her these hour-long specials. Next week she sits down for an interview with an NBC reporter. Can I get some "Kate Plus 8 Minus Screen Time?"

Watch this, tape that - Friday

Fridays are special because it's the one day a week shows aren't jockeying for time slots. Let's watch them all!

8:00 pm
"Ghost Whisperer" (CBS). Deals with a deadly chain letter. Everyone should tune in if only to find out how to get revenge on the person who keeps sending you one. I love Jesus and I don't need to e-mail 10 people in the next 10 minutes to prove it.

9:00 pm
"Medium" (CBS). Ariel is possessed by a revenge-seeking stripper. Also check out "Say Yes to the Dress" (TLC). Michelle Duggar from "18 Kids and a Saggy Uterus" is looking for a dress for her vow-renewal ceremony. She'd better be careful! The last time a certain mother of multiples (Hi, Kate) went looking for a wedding dress they ended up divorced the next season.

10:00 pm
My usual fave "Psych" has the week off so check out "20/20" (ABC). Depending on the news of the week, they tend to have something interesting. If not, flip over to Comedy Central and watch "Katt Williams: It's Pimpin' Pimpin'". They'll censor the foul language, but it's still gut-busting comedy.

If all else fails, try reading a book.

Minus Jon

People magazine is reporting that Jon Gosselin has been dropped from "Jon & Kate Plus 8" (TLC, Mon., 9:00) and they are renaming the show "Kate Plus 8". Is anyone really surprised since Jon's recent decision to add 2 women to the equation? The new format begins Nov. 2.