The History Channel has gained the nickname "The Hitler Channel" among some I know for its constant airing of World War II specials (many of featuring, well, Hitler). Perhaps they were thinking of that reputation when they put together their new slate of specials, which, according to Broadcasting & Cable, includes specials hosted by Jon Stewart and Lewis Black of The Daily Show.

Stewart will be given two hours with which to target the immigration issue in a special called The Naturalized. Considering the current economic implications of immigration and its role in last year's presidential campaign, there should be plenty for Stewart to work with to keep the special current. Stewart has already begun work on it, according to B&C. The special will follow eight people on the track to becoming U.S. citizens. the special will air in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The cable network History -- formerly known as the History Channel (it'll always be the History Channel to me) -- has a couple of projects in the works, one of which will likely fuel both sides of the political debate as election time nears.

"102 Minutes That Changed the World" is a piece on 9/11, culling footage from pros and amateurs, including two terrified New York University seniors in a high-rise dorm just blocks from the World Trade Center. They started shooting the smoking North Tower after it was hit by the first plane, then captured the second plane hitting the South Tower.

The 102-minute piece will premiere without commercials at 9 p.m. on Sept. 11. Done in "real time" format, it'll feature footage from more than 100 sources, pieced together in chronological order, without narration, to provide what History is calling a "seamless historical record of that day."

(S05E15) After better than a month off, finally a new episode of Family Guy. I'm not sure I understand the thinking behind the scheduling of the show this year, but the list of behaviors from the networks that I don't understand is a long one. So, we'll take what we can get. Whatever the reasoning, it was nice to have the Griffins back with a fresh adventure.

I think I probably came into this one with my expectations set a little high. Those previews that revealed the family packing up and taking a trip put the thought in the back of my mind that this could be one of those classic episodes. It called to mind the season three episode "To Love and Die in Dixie." Unfortunately, now having seen it, it wasn't a classic.

Christie's auction house wrapped up the first auction of official Star Trek memorabilia on Saturday. To say it was a success would be a huge understatement. Almost all of the items sold for more than their pre-sale estimates, and the final take of $7,107,040 was more than double what was expected.

Models and miniatures were the big winners. A model of the Enterprise that was used in the Next Generation series and the Generations movie went for an astounding $576,000. It was estimated to sell for $15,000 to $25,000. Eight other items in the models and miniatures category also managed to sell for more than $100,000. The top costume was a space suit worn by Dr. McCoy in the original series episode "The Tholian Web", going for $144,000.

The History Channel streamed the auction live on their website, but if you missed it, they also filmed everything for a future documentary. You can find more info about other items that sold in the Washington Post article.

[ thanks Evadne ]

I've got an odd confession to make -- I'm a former Parrothead. Yes, I used to dig Buffett music too much, go to his concerts wearing stupid shit on my head and usually had a blender of something cold and boozy in my hand. But what I dug most about the whole scene was the notion of the ocean, the life of pirates of past, and of vast wooden ships skipping the Caribbean islands, all with nary a care in the world. So, when I got my hands on an early copy of History Channel's True Caribbean Pirates, I almost felt like a Parrothead again. Almost.