We know of two Mike Reisses who improve our quality of life on an almost daily basis. Mike Reiss No. 1 covers the Patriots for the Globe; Mike Reiss No. 2 is a founding writer of "The Simpsons." You can see the second Reiss tonight during " 'The Simpsons' Backstage Tour" at Harvard, where he'll talk about how he became involved with the show and screen rare clips. 7 p.m. Free. Rosovsky Hall, 52 Mt. Auburn St., Cambridge. 617-495-8676. fas.harvard.edu/ofa
Also tonight, the Coolidge Corner Theatre screens the area premiere of "Commit to the Line," a film by Rachelle Dermer, who began mountain biking after a battle with uterine cancer. After the screening, Dermer will be joined by bike and cancer experts for a Q&A. 7 p.m. $9. Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline. 617-734-2500. coolidge.org.
And at the Middle East Upstairs, there's a show to ease the pain of people who didn't get tickets to the sold-out Clutch show downstairs. The upstairs lineup includes hard-rock bands Cherry S/T, Full Tilt Griffon, and Debris. 9 p.m. $10. Middle East Upstairs, 472 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge. 617-864-3278. mideastclub.com
