HONORING UNCLE ... Next Saturday is the first annual Sen.Ted Stevens Day in Alaska, so declared by the Legislature (the fourth Saturday in July). In Anchorage, it's being folded into the Governor's Picnic with a booth on the Park Strip that day from noon to 3 p.m.

Among the friends who will be manning the booth is Barbara Mee, the senator's longtime aide, who will be signing her book about him, "Senator Ted and Mee," and collecting stories about Ted.

The senator was killed last August in a plane crash.

OH OH ... Former Assemblyman Mike Gutierrez might be in trouble. In sober moments between barbecues, earwigs will recall that Mike has promised to get a pastel unicorn tattooed on his butt if his softball team ends the season with a 10-2 record or better -- a most unlikely event based on past performance. Well, after a big win Tuesday, they're 9-2.

GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUN ... The best political Ear item this week was the exchange between Alaska Supreme Court Justice Morgan Christen and Minnesota Sen. Al Franken at Morgan's U.S. Senate hearing Wednesday. Alas, the news pages stole it so you'll have to check Lisa Demer's story at www.adn.com.

The justice has been nominated for a federal judgeship.

Second place goes to Sen. Lisa, who grilled the Department of Justice this week about sex trafficking affecting Alaska Natives, which included her asking them if they needed "clarification" about what constitutes Mann Act violations, according to earwigs with better computers than Ear. Find the really large video at http://bit.ly/nP5BR5.

OUT AND ABOUT ... Spotted having lunch together Wednesday at the Petroleum Club, zillionaire Bob Gillam and lefty columnist/radio-TV babe Shannyn Moore.

And speaking of Shannyn, did you know she has a "role" in the Sarabots' newest prayer to their goddess, the movie "Undefeated?" Not by choice, Ear suspects. The producers apparently lifted part of an old radio comment criticizing some of the sillier ethics complaints filed against Sarah for undermining the legit complaints.

"They pulled my radio clips to 'DEFEND' Palin," Shannyn wrote. "Good lord."

KUDOS ... to two Anchorage restaurants for winning impressive spreads in the July/August issue of chef Paula Deen's national magazine, Cooking with Paula.

"Fabulous Food Finds in Unusual Locations" (p. 94) features Kincaid Grill and Jens' -- a couple of pages of color photographs, including Kincaid Grill chef and owner Al Levinsohn serving Paula (prawns, white cheddar grits with wild mushrooms and tasso ham, red wine-poached pear salad and seafood fusion soup); Kincaid's chef de cuisine Drew Johnson (Alaska King Crab Merus); and Jens Hansen (sashimi Napoleon).

A QUESTION ... What's up with the board that runs Norton Sound Health Corp. that they can't keep a CEO? The latest, Carol Piscoya, is apparently gone, and she's about the eleventy-seventh. Could it have anything to do with there being 31 people on the board?

ON THE MOVE ... Earwigs from the City on the Edge of Nowhere are apparently following the career of former KATN-TV reporter Lucy Noland, who has moved, with much media heralding, from anchoring the news in Houston (Texas, that is) to a plum assignment as anchor at KNBC in Los Angeles. Lucy got her start at the UAF campus station.

OOPS ... Ear needs to reclaim the extra "r" that just magically appeared (yeah, right) in Miles Baker's name last week, in the item about him going to work for Sen. Murkowski. Ear heard from his mom, Mary Pignalberi. Sorry.

Compiled by Sheila Toomey. Message Sheila at ear@adn.com or 257-4341. Find Ear online at www.adn.com/ear.