Author: Sheila Busteed and Christina Davies / TV Media

Brian Griffin on "Family Guy"

HONOR THY 'FAMILY': Ten years have gone by and their animators haven't aged them a bit. But where they lack wrinkles, they make it up with laugh lines.

On Sunday, May 2, Fox will be celebrating a decade of "Family Guy" hilarity when the network airs the show's landmark 150th episode. Over the years, the series has become wildly popular -- and often a bit controversial -- because of its cheeky and rude style of humor, impressive musical numbers and outlandish cutaway gags.

Things haven't always gone smoothly for the animated series. In fact, Fox actually cancelled the show after its third season. But droves of die-hard fans who kept buying its DVD collections helped make it the largest-selling TV series ever. Fox acknowledged the overwhelming fan support and brought the series back three years later, and it has since proven to be a powerful ratings contender.

The show's writers took the opportunity of this milestone to again prove that nothing's beyond their mockery -- not even their own success.

"150 episodes, and yet I haven't aged," said Stewie Griffin, the family's youngest member, in a Fox release. "Is there something wrong with me? Do I have that Emmanuel Lewis thing?"

Stewie, a flamboyant, evil genius who's determined to rule the world despite still being in diapers, has become one of the show's breakout characters among fans, along with Brian, the family's alcoholic talking dog.

Both characters will be honored in this special episode, titled "Brian and Stewie," in which they will be trapped in a bank vault together. The two must work together to escape, but struggle through the whole ordeal because they're without their usual vices.

Stewie and Brian are voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane, who also voices blundering patriarch Peter Griffin. The other characters are voiced by Alex Borstein ("MADtv"), Seth Green (the "Austin Powers" trilogy) and Mila Kunis ("That '70s Show").

END OF AN ERA: So much for retiring at 65. Renowned broadcast journalist Barbara Walters has been a part of the American TV landscape since the early '60s, anchoring such news programs as NBC's "Today," ABC's "20/20" and "ABC Evening News," as well as various popular specials.

However, the 80-year-old Walters recently announced during a broadcast of her daytime talk show "The View" that the Oscar-night edition of "The Barbara Walters Special" will sing its swan song on Sunday, March 7.

Fans of the special, which has been a popular extension of ABC's Academy Awards coverage since 1981, can look forward to the series going out with a bang. Walters will interview best-actress nominee Sandra Bullock and best-supporting-actress nominee Mo'Nique, as well as reflect on the history of the special and its part in Oscar culture.

Bullock amazed moviegoers this year with her portrayal of Leigh Anne Tuohy in the biopic "The Blind Side." Mo'Nique, who is best known for her role in the comedy series "The Parkers," shocked viewers with her performance as abusive mother Mary in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

Evidently, the decision to discontinue the Oscar special came not from the network but from Walters herself.

"ABC has asked me to keep doing these specials as they have been so successful," she said in a release. "But to be honest, I feel like I've 'been there, done that.'

"This special has been a labor of love for 29 years," she continued. "I will always remember when Hugh Jackman gave me a private lap dance, or sitting down with the legendary Bette Davis, or being taught to tango by Al Pacino."

Over the years, the special has featured interviews with Brooke Shields, Sarah Jessica Parker, John Travolta, Ringo Starr, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Michael Douglas, Anthony Hopkins, and many, many more.

SALUTING A SAMURAI: One hundred years ago this March, a filmmaking legend was born in the suburbs of Toyko, Japan.

Akira Kurosawa would grow to be one of the world's most influential film directors, and Turner Classic Movies is holding a birthday celebration not to be missed: a month-long collection of more than 25 movies made by -- and a couple that were inspired by -- the illustrious movie man.

"There are many reasons the name Akira Kurosawa means so much in the world of moviemaking, and we're going to be showing 26 of those reasons this month on Turner Classic Movies," said TCM host Robert Osborne in a press release.

"It's the largest gathering of Kurosawa films we've ever shown in a retrospective of his work and we couldn't be more excited."

The celebration will peak on Tuesday, March 23 -- Kurosawa's birthday -- with a 24-hour marathon.

The total retrospective will include such Kurosawa classics as "Seven Samurai" (1954), "The Hidden Fortress" (1958) and "Throne of Blood" (1957), the latter being the director's adaptation of Shakespeare's "Macbeth."

Kurosawa was familiar with adapting classics for his movies. As well as "Throne of Blood," he adapted "King Lear" for film audiences in the form of "Ran" (1985), and Hamlet became "The Bad Sleep Well" (1960).

But more often, it was Kurosawa's own films that were being adapted by western directors. "The Hidden Fortress" was, by George Lucas's admission, his inspiration for the first "Star Wars" film. "Seven Samurai" and "Rashomon" (1950) became westerns, "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) and "The Outrage" (1964), and are also part of the showcase on TCM this month.