Even though Fox may have axed shows like Alcatraz and The Finder, they are at least going to be in the Seth MacFarlane business for a while longer. That’s right, the network has renewed Family Guy and American Dad for another season. Both will be getting 22 episode orders.

As for MacFarlane’s other show on Fox, The Cleveland Show, no word yet on if it will be getting another season, which would be its fifth. This is reportedly not because of the network’s lack of confidence in the show but rather because it already has quite a few episodes of it ready and the show is still in production.

The network is apparently waiting to see how next year’s schedule comes together before making a decision. Of course, that could just be a nice way of saying the show is going to be canceled but they just don’t want to tell anyone yet.

In other Fox animated news, The Simpsons already has a two-year renewal, Bob’s Burgers‘ third season pickup was announced in January, Allen Gregory has been canceled, and Napoleon Dynamite is still,as they say, “on the bubble.”

That’s okay, we’re just glad Family Guy is coming back. It’s a funny show that just seems to get better and better.

A while back, it was reported that Family Guy and American Dad! creator Seth MacFarlane is one of the highest paid writers in Hollywood. With two massive franchises under his belt, what’s the man going to do next, you may ask? How about a raunchy comedy about a grown man and his talking teddy bear who smokes pot, swears and lightning, and objectifies white trash ladies.

It’s called Ted, and that’s exactly what you’re going to get with the very first red band trailer that hit today. In typical Family Guy fashion, you can expect to see MacFarlane (who also voices Ted in a Peter Griffin manor) push the envelope to what’s allowed in an R-rated comedy with his writing and directorial debut. Here’s the synopsis, as if you needed one.

In the live action/CG-animated comedy, MacFarlane tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish… and has refused to leave his side ever since.

For the guys who need more than a laugh, you’ll also get the easy-on-the-eyes Mila Kunis joining alongside Wahlberg. Take a look at the trailer after the jump and catch the film in theaters on July 13th.

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Channing Tatum and Mila Kunis have been offered the lead roles in the Lana and Andy Wachowki directed Jupiter Ascending. The Warner Bros project’s plot has been kept under tight wraps.

This is the first major science fiction film franchise that the Wachowkis have been involved in since The Matrix. Just like The Matrix trilogy, Jupiter Ascending is an original creation by the duo.

Channing Tatum is becoming a formidable leading man, particularly with his back-to-back box office successes The Vow and 21 Jump Street. Mila Kunis is also a strong draw as she is coming off of Black Swan and Friends With Benefits. She is also set to star in two much anticipated films in the Seth MacFarlane directed comedy Ted and  the Sam Raimi directed Oz: The Great And Powerful.

The Wachowskis have just finished production of the film Cloud Atlas. The Wachowskis hadn’t directed a film since the craptastic 2008 film Speed Racer. The duo were trying to find financiers for a different film script last spring. It was for a hard-R drama they wanted to direct about a gay relationship between a U.S. soldier and an Iraqi. Unfortunately for them, they had no luck finding the funding. There is speculation that the Wachowskis are doing this project for the purpose of funding this other project.

The Wachowskis are using the billions of dollars that the Matrix trilogy pulled in to get Warner Bros excited about this new project . The film is on track to start production later this year.

Welcome to another edition of On the Radar where we delve into all corners of the entertainment, tech and geek Internets for news, views and whatnot that may have escaped our regular coverage during the week. Let is know if we missed something interesting.

Let’s get started!

• Want to learn how to have the body of Spider-Man and the creepiness of a grown man in tights hanging out with kids? This instructional workout video hosted by Spider-Man himself should help!

• Homemade puppets aren’t usually a collection that one brags about, but this homemade Wheatley puppet from Portal 2 is definitely one to show all of your friends as they drool with envy.

• The very first episode of Adult Swim’s Black Dynamite animated series has made it online before it hits TV. Bring on the animated exploitation!

• The folks at Sesame Street feel like enough is enough and have decided to come forward with an official statement about whether Bert & Ernie are actually gay or not.

• What do Kanye West, Jay-Z, Aziz Ansari and Spike Jonze all have in common? They all came together to bring us the official music video for “Otis” and it’s pretty awesome.

• Hot off of his Oscar win for the Social Network score, get your first taste of what Trent Reznor is bringing to the table in the score for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

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Before you flip your collective lids, the Family Guy creator isn’t taking on another live action venture into the residents of Bedrock. Instead, Macfarlane is working with Fox on a brand new animated series based on the modern Stone Age family.

While Macfarlane’s still fighting the PTC on whether or not his show should still be on the air, it looks like he’s getting the full support of Fox to work on a weekly animated Flintstones show. From THR:

Much will remain the same about the cartoon that aired in primetime on ABC from 1960-66, but the creator of Family Guy and The Cleveland Show says some updates will be necessary: “What’s the animal version of the iPod?” he said. “That’s the kind of thing we have to think about.”

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Just in time for awards season, it looks like celebs and fans will get one more night to celebrate the business of show, as Comedy Central and MTV Networks are putting together the first annual Comedy Awards, set to air this April.

The awards will be as unbiased as other established ceremonies such as The Academy Awards and The Emmys, and given to both big names and up-and-coming workers in the genre of comedy. Here’s the official press release.

A night for comedy of all kinds, “The Comedy Awards” will be taped at New York City’s Hammerstein Ballroom on Saturday, March 26 and will premiere on Sunday, April 10, 2011, simultaneously across MTV Networks’ COMEDY CENTRAL, Spike TV, TV Land, VH1 and Nick At Nite.

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You know we’re getting towards the end of the year because of two main reasons: There’s an upcoming Family Guy Star Wars special and an upcoming Robot Chicken Star Wars special. Seth McFarlane’s Family Guy special is making its way to DVD and digital download on the 21st. But before that, we’re getting Seth Green’s third installment of the Robot Chicken: Star Wars specials.

Here’s the official release:

In the hour-long special, four very different characters–Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Gary the Stormtrooper–reveal untold stories that weave and interconnect throughout all six Star Wars films.  Robot Chicken: Star wars Episode III also features Zac Efron as Anakin Skywalker, Anthony Daniels (from the original Star Wars films) as C3PO, Mike Henry (The Cleveland Show) and Donald Glover (Community), all making their first appearance in RCSW.

Also returning from the previous specials are Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrissian and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks along with returning favorites Green, Senreich, Breckin Meyer, Seth MacFarlane, Dan Milano, Abe Benrubi, Donald Faison, Rachael Leigh Cook, Adrianne Pallicki, Eden Espinosa, Hugh Davidson, Bob Bergen, Keith Ferguson, Tom Kane and Zeb Wells.

We’ve got some great new pictures from the special that you can check out after the jump. Be sure to catch Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III on Adult Swim Sunday, December 19th at 11:30 PM E/P.

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Just when you thought it couldn’t get any funnier, Seth McFarlane and his band of miscreants are at it again, as they round out their Star Wars trilogy with Family Guy: It’s A Trap!

Taking on the events of Return of the Jedi, here’s the full rundown from Apple:

Clear some space for the third chapter of the funniest freakin’ trilogy in the galaxy! Once again, the Family Guy alliance travels far, far beyond the beyond the boundaries of good taste to bring you an outrageous sci-fi spoof filled with hilarious humor, adequate animation and a happy ending (giggity). So get ready to experience the lighter side of the Dark side with Peter Solo, Chris Skywalker, Princess Lois, Stewie Vader… and some surprising new faces. May the laughs be with you!

Let’s hope that this is a large enough success for the team to take on the new Star Wars trilogy next, as we all know how much those are ripe for satire. Check out the trailer after the jump and catch It’s A Trap on Blu-Ray, DVD, and digital download on December 21st.

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Some of our favorite shows happen to be on the Fox Network. Sure, Fox is also the network that, shall we say “mis-handled” both Firefly and Dollhouse, but that doesn’t stop them from also having some shows we really like.

With that in mind, we bring you the announcement of Fox’s premiere dates for most of its upcoming Fall shows. Some of the ones we are most interested in include the return of House on September 20th, the return of Glee on September 21st, the return of Fringe on September 23rd and the return of Human Target on September 24th.

Also, Family Guy is back on October 3rd with a one-hour special which will, most likely, feature a couple musical numbers. Click through for the full schedule of new and returning Fox shows along with their premiere dates.

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Hard to believe it’s not even a month before San Diego Comic-Con, the annual pilgrimage to the city by the sea for all lovers of comics, movies, TV and everything in between. We’re going to be covering the show in a big way this year and have already started giving you some good information about it.

To continue that trend, we’ve got information about Fox TV’s plans for the event. The network will have a big presence at the Con bringing eleven shows and many of the stars stars from those shows for panels and press events.

Some of their talent scheduled to attend include David Boreanaz, Matt Groening, Seth MacFarlane, Molly Shannon, Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, Patton Oswalt, Seth Green, Stars of Glee, Terra Nova, Futurama, Cleveland Show, American Dad, Bob’s Burgers and Neighbors From Hell. A pretty impressive list indeed.

Click through for the full press release detailing Fox TV’s schedule. Comic-Con in San Diego runs from July 22-26.

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It looks like the Family Guy special which was suppose to promote Windows 7 has found a new sponsor since Microsoft backed out late last week. Warner Bros. Pictures stepped up and took the opportunity to pitch director Guy Ritchie’s upcoming Sherlock Holmes film starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law.  It would have been way funnier if Apple took the spot but this should be pretty cool too.

Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex’s Almost Live Comedy Show is still set to air on November 8 with sneak peeks of the Sherlock Holmes film set to come out Christmas Day. The original concept for the show was to feature Windows 7 promotion spots instead of commercials. However, there’s been no word on how tightly integrated the Holmes content will be by comparison. Hopefully Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane will somehow tie-in the new material for the show itself as originally intended.

Here’s hoping Warner Bros. has watched Family Guy and understands what they’re in for. I’m all for covering stories but the last think anyone needs is yet another update about this special episode. I would hazard a guess and say at this stage this is a done deal. Oh no, I didn’t just jinx myself by saying that did I?

When you have shows like The Simpsons well into twenty years on television, a sixth season renewal for any show doesn’t seem so grand. However, I’m excited about American Dad coming back because it’s easily my favorite animated show on TV right now. You read that right, American Dad is the best in my opinion.

Fortunately, I’m not alone. American Dad “rates among the season’s top 10 shows with men 18-49 and adults 18-34″ and was recently nominated for outstanding animated program.  Well deserved I might add. This season six renewal, along with the second season pickup of The Cleveland Show, means creator Seth MacFarlane maintains his lock on Fox‘s Sunday night “animation domination” lineup.  Not bad for a guy who had his original series, Family Guy, canceled only to return after record-breaking DVD sales.

As to the reason why I prefer American Dad, it’s quite simple. The Simpsons has completely lost it’s edge in my opinion. For anyone who watched the last Halloween special you’ll know what I mean (boring!). Family Guy is still funny but like The Simpsons all too often builds off absurd circumstances which drives the characters and can get old really fast. Same goes for The Cleveland Show.

American Dad, on the other hand, affords the characters themselves the opportunity to get into, and out of, trouble on their own accord. In particular, Stan Smith’s unabated self-assurance and political ideology is spectacular to watch when it seems the world is out to prove him wrong. American Dad stands out because it lets the characters lead the story instead of  the story leading them. Not a lot of animated shows do that these days which makes American Dad so enjoyable.

Check out American Dad Sunday’s on Fox along with The Simpsons, Family Guy and The Cleveland Show.