In the days preceding the Academy Awards, there are always loads of Oscar retrospectives on cable, with best picture winners from years past trotted out alongside failed contenders.
With movies like “Little Children” and “Letters from Iwo Jima,” two of last year’s favorites, airing tonight on AMC and HBO Signature, respectively, it would be easy to overlook ABC Family’s “The Incredibles” at 8:30 p.m.
But “Incredibles,” unlike those other two highly acclaimed films, did win a best picture Oscar, the 2004 award for best animated feature. And there are those who believe the Pixar movie deserved to win the main prize, too, for its creative conceit, smart dialogue and surprisingly robust character development, considering it was just a cartoon.
“Incredibles” follows the exploits of Bob and Helen Parr, two former superheroes forced underground by a super-backlash. They struggled to balance raising a family and integration into normal society until a nasty enemy from Bob’s past draws them back into heroing.
Brad Bird, the writer and director of “Incredibles,” is up for another best animated feature Oscar this Sunday, for the similarly sophisticated “Ratatouille.” Unlike most of the other Oscar categories, this one looks like a virtual lock for Bird, whose two pictures have combined for a $467 million domestic gross.
ABC Family movies tend to earn decent ratings, since they draw across several different demographics. With only a few family friendly shows on broadcast tonight, Fox’s reality lineup and CBS’s “Survivor: Micronesia,” “Incredibles” should post solid numbers.
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A look at this week’s top TV draws
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 21
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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8 p.m.
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Fox
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“American Idol” (R)
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Two men and two women are eliminated, leaving 20 behind.
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8 p.m.
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Univision
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“Premio Lo Nuestro 2008” (A)
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The annual awards show usually draws strong ratings.
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9 p.m.
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NBC
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“Celebrity Apprentice” (R)
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The teams have to produce 10-minute segments for a home shopping network.
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9 p.m.
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ABC
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“Lost” (D)
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Kate continues to try and pry information from the hostage.
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10 p.m.
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ABC
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“Eli Stone” (D)
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Eli has trouble dealing with the end of his engagement to Taylor.
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10 p.m.
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NBC
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“Lipstick Jungle” (D)
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Wendy tries to appear more family-friendly after a scathing book suggests she’s not.
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10 p.m.
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Bravo
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“Make Me a Supermodel” (R)
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The models pose in the woods, then do a runway show alongside wild animals.
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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 22
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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7 a.m.
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NBC
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“Today” (N)
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Singer Enrique Iglesias performs live from Miami.
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8 p.m.
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CBS
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“The Price is Right” (G)
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Drew Carey brings the daytime game show to primetime.
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8 p.m.
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E!
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“Heath Ledger: A Tragic End” (N)
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A tribute to the late actor.
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9 p.m.
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NBC
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“Amne$ia” (G)
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Series premiere. Dennis Miller hosts this new quiz show.
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9 p.m.
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USA
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“Monk” (D)
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Season finale. Monk, initially presumed dead, tries to clear his name of murder charges.
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10 p.m.
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Sci Fi Channel
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“Stargate Atlantis” (D)
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First of a two-parter introduces a plague that affects humans in the Pegasus galaxy.
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SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 23
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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2 p.m.
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NBC
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“PGA Golf” (S)
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Semifinal play from the WGC Match Play Championship.
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3:30 p.m.
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ABC
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“College Basketball” (S)
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Either Oklahoma-Texas or Oregon-UCLA.
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8 p.m.
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Fox
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“Cops” (R)
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Cops in Kansas City track down a murder suspect.
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9 p.m.
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NBC
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“Knight Rider” (M)
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If you missed the initial airing last Sunday and – gasp – don’t have a DVR, NBC has you covered.
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9 p.m.
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ESPN
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“College Basketball” (S)
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Tennessee
could be the last regular-season test for undefeated Memphis.
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9:30 p.m.
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HBO
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“Boxing” (S)
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Wladimir Klitschko takes on Sultan Ibragimov at Madison Square Garden to unify two heavyweight titles.
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SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 24
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Time
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Network
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Program
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Description
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2 p.m.
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NBC
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“PGA Golf” (S)
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Final match in the WGC Match Play Championship, won last year by Henrik Stenson.
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2:30 p.m.
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ABC
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“NBA Basketball” (S)
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The Pistons travel to Phoenix to take on Shaq and the new-look Suns.
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3:30 p.m.
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Fox
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“NASCAR Racing” (S)
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The Auto Club 500, won last year by Matt Kenseth.
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7 p.m.
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ABC
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“Barbara Walters Special” (A)
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The venerable newswoman interviews the hottest stars of now.
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8 p.m.
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CBS
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“Big Brother” (R)
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Two of the houseguests are nominated for eviction.
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8:30 p.m.
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ABC
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“80th Academy Awards” (A)
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Jon Stewart makes his second hosting appearance. How will ratings fare?
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10 p.m.
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E!
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“Girls Next Door” (R)
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The girls prepare for Bridget’s birthday party.
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A = awards show or special, C = comedy, D = drama, DD = daytime drama, G = game show, K = kids, M = movie, N = news/documentary, R = reality, S = sports, T = talk/variety show.
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