TV

Fresh out of Southern Methodist University, I moved to Anchorage in January 1975 (darn right, it was cold) and lasted until July 1976. For those of us who consider ourselves proud Alaskan alumni, Men in Trees has been a kick. ABC, its network home, recently canceled the series (bad move, it was truly a guilty pleasure) but agreed to let it finish its story arc by showing the last few episodes left in the vault. The first airs tonight at 9 (on Channel 8), when Marin (played by Anne Heche) helps Jack prepare for his first lecture as a college professor. Cynics say the show is silly and shallow (and how does that make it different from most American television?), but what ex-Alaskans love about it is how it captures the state's eccentricity, its zany individuals, who are like no others. We liked Northern Exposure for the same reason (and yes, that was a better series).

Photo: Anne Heche, who plays Marin on Men in Trees

For devotees of Lost -- and we are many -- Thursday night is a very big night. The two-hour season finale begins at 8 on Channel 8, where Highland Park's own Elizabeth Mitchell, a graduate of the Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, will be among the cast members who attempt to survive the island and those villainous "rescuers." Please, take it in slowly. New episodes of Lost won't reappear until early 2009. And for those who feel the need to catch up, please read the Lost blog entries of my esteemed colleague, Joyce Saenz Harris. Ms. Mitchell, by the way, is the oldest of three daughters, whose parents are real estate and tax attorneys. Joe and Josephine Mitchell live in the same house where their now-famous child grew up. Ms. Mitchell has been acting for 30 years, having made her debut as a 7-year-old at the Dallas Theater Center.

Photo by Associated Press