TVSquad

Described as a kind of companion piece to their 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers, producers Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's new HBO series, The Pacific, will begin filming this summer.

The Pacific focuses on three marines stationed in the Pacific: Robert Leckie, John Basilone and Eugene Sledge. The miniseries is based on the books With the Old Breed and Helmet for My Pillow, written by Sledge and Leckie, respectively. Hugh Ambrose, the brother of the late Band of Brothers author Stephen E. Ambrose, is also serving as a consultant on the new miniseries, and, along with Hanks and Spielberg, interviewed the men on which this new miniseries, a fictionalized account of their time as soldiers, is based.

No matter what I do to make my Oscar viewing experience bearable (parties, alcohol, hookers) I always end up wanting to put a gun in my mouth by hour two.

First, let me say that Ellen DeGeneres was very funny and did a great job hosting. Also the song by Will Ferrell, Jack Black and John C Reilly was the funniest thing I've seen in a while.

Now let me ask you this...how stupid were those dancers?

• At 8, CBS has a new Big Brother: All-Stars, followed by a new Rock Star: Supernova.
• NBC has a new Fear Factor at 8, followed by a new Last Comic Standing.
• AMC has Jaws at 8.
• Also at 8: ESPN has two new episodes of The 2006 World Series of Poker (circuit championships, from Atlantic City and Las Vegas).
• At 9, ABC has a new ep of The One.
• Discovery has a new Dirty Jobs at 9.
• TLC has a new Overhaulin' at 9, followed by a new Miami Ink.
• There's a new episode of Work Out on Bravo at 9.
• Also at 9: Sci-Fi Channel has a new Eureka.

Family Dog is one of those shows that has remained a question mark in my mind ever since it aired, for one season, back in the early '90s. I was in high school, and had been a huge fan of both Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton for many years before that, so when I heard they were both involved with a new animated sitcom, I couldn't wait to see it. However, I was incredibly disappointed in the show, and found it arduous and bland. As the years have gone by and I hear occasional praise for the show, I wonder if maybe it was actually better than I thought. Something tells me Present Day Adam may have enjoyed Family Dog much more than High School Adam. Of course, if they'd release the damn show on DVD, I'd be able to know for sure. In the meantime however, we can all thank this YouTube user for posting the original "Family Dog" short which first appeared on Spielberg's Amazing Stories. The series was created by Brad Bird (The Simpsons), and I have to say, I like what I saw on YouTube. According to this, though, Bird was not involved with the actual series that spawned from his original creation.

[via Cartoon Brew]

• ABC has Tom Cruise in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report at 8.
• CBS has repeats of Without A Trace and Criminal Minds, and then a new 48 Hours Mystery.
• Over on NBC, a repeat of Dateline at 8, followed by repeats of Conviction and Law and Order: CI.
• FOX has a repeat Cops, a new Cops,  then a new America's Most Wanted.
• TNT is showing Saving Private Ryan at 8.
• Also at 8: FX has S.W.A.T., with Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, and Michelle Rodriguez.
• On Lifetime at 9, Shannen Doherty travels through time to save her husband in Another Day.
• Also at 9: TLC has a new Trading Spaces, followed by a new Tuckerville and two new eps of Little People, Big World.
• At 10, IFC has a new ep of The Henry Rollins Show, followed by a new Samurai 7.
• On a new Mad TV: Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, and John Leguizamo. It's on FOX at 11.
• At 11:30, NBC has a new Saturday Night Live, with Antonio Banderas and Mary J. Blige.