The call came to my cell phone at a particularly early hour from some guy who claimed to be from Esquire magazine.

Was it news that my hip, 5,000-word short story about the bitter struggle of a comic book-loving geek and his devotion to Battlestar Galactica was about to be published? Sadly, no.

It was, however, the next best thing. One of the legions who assembles the magazine's legendary Answer Fella column wanted my take on a particularly thorny TV question: Why is CSI: Miami star David Caruso still on television?

Because I was in Los Angeles on assignment, my mind wasn't quick as my pal Andy Dehnart, the creator of the Reality Blurred Web site,  who said: "I think it's because he's so terrifically bad that he's really awesome to watch. He is so absurdly bad that you can't possibly believe he's on television — that he's on a top-rated show. It's just all the more train-wrecky."

Andy gives good quote, which is why I tap his expertise so often. but my own take is a little different. I think Caruso has a charisma that plays well on the small screen. For some reason, this carrot-topped guy who flips his sunglasses around like a switchblade is completely watchable as the Earnest Cop Guy in a way he never really mastered in movies.

So CBS's older audience flocks to his shows, while stinkers like Jade and Proof of Life die the messy death their mediocrity deserves.

But enough of what I think, what do YOU think? David Caruso -- talented or terrifying?

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