Esteemed actor and playwright Stephen Lang admits his experience playing Mary McCormack's father on "In Plain Sight" was "bittersweet. It was kind of a poignant thing to do, in a way. Here they are, having forged their stamp on the show for five seasons, and now they're coming to the end of it. And I walked right into the myth. My character is not in any way an ancillary character. He's central to the show. So I was part of the family without ever having been part of the family, and then it was over."

The "Avatar" actor came aboard the USA Network show — which has its final two episodes tonight (4/27) and next Friday (5/4) — right on the heels of doing Fox's "Terra Nova." That Steven Spielberg production debuted with high hopes and ambitions, but soon wound up succumbing to the cancellation dragon. "There's no question that I had similar hopes for my own show to have a long life, and that we were in the process of creating a family there as well," says Lang. "So, yes, on 'In Plain Sight,' I got to see an example of what might have been."

MacCormack told Lang that the question of who would play her estranged, long-on-the-lam dad "had been under discussion for a long, long time. The fact they wanted me to play it went a long way toward helping me, I think. But I'm used to playing characters who bring a lot of baggage with them," notes Lang, whose gallery of characters includes Babe Ruth, Stonewall Jackson and gunslinger Ike Clanton.

Right now, Lang is in Kentucky, playing a high school coach in the indie feature "23 Blast." As for what he'd like to do next in a perfect world, he comments, "I enjoyed my last stint in network television. I love the idea of creating a character over a long period of time. But I'm a superstitious cat; I don't like to talk too much about what's next. I'm always looking for good projects, and I generate work for myself." He laughs, then adds, "If they'd only give me a sitcom. That's the best job in television."

NORTHERN LIGHTS: IMAX moviegoers who see Greg and Shaun MacGillivray's spectacular new "To the Arctic 3D" not only have breathtaking visual treats in store, but some musical ones as well. Paul McCartney songs are used in the movie, and according to producer Shaun, "He really came through for us. This is the first time that he ever sent out his original recordings, done on 48 tracks, to have them mixed in a way that he doesn't control completely. Our composer was able to get those tracks and mix them beautifully for the six-channel IMAX system. Of course, when McCartney mixed them, they were all for two-channel. He saw the wisdom of remixing for the magnificent sound in IMAX theaters."

Considering McCartney's well-known love of critters and ecology-mindedness, it's not surprising that he'd do his bit for the MacGillivrays. Greg is the two-time Oscar nominee whose films include "Everest," "The Living Sea" and "Dolphins." Shaun's credits include "Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk." And their history of supporting nature extends to educational outreach and much more.

The "Arctic 3D" film's central focus is an extraordinarily cooperative polar bear mother and her cubs, but the movie also shows what's happening as the ice melts up North. MacGillivray Sr. insists there is hope to restore the Arctic. "Of course, I have to admit that I'm an optimist, always, and I think when people are given the choice between two options, they'll choose the one that is better for humanity. In the case of the Arctic, obviously the choices that we can make that will help are in the area of conserving energy — at home, by turning off the lights, and at the pump, by driving more fuel efficient cars. Conserving energy in all ways. People will save money by doing so as well, so it's a double win for everyone. You can always make things change," he continues. "There are wonderful success stories — the anti-littering campaigns, the ozone layer — all kinds of conservation efforts that have changed the world."

TAKING OFF: The "Blue Bloods" team has scattered all directions, with the CBS series having wrapped production for the season last week. Winnipeg native Len Cariou tells us he's spending a week in Los Angeles. And after that, "The wife and I are going to Europe for a week, then Canada for a couple of visits." The Tony-winning actor notes that there are still "some good surprises — a couple of good twists" in the last couple of shows this season — which has its finale May 11. That last episode involves Tom Selleck's police commissioner character learning of a biological threat to New York City — and worse than that, he can't tell his family about it.

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.