Just last week, I got received a copy of the new Bogart biography from my buddy, Nick Childs. Nick and I share a lot of the same interests in noir, crime, and indie film. Check out his short film The Shovel starring David Strathairn.(The film took home top honors at the Tribeca Film Fest a few years ago.)

As you'll read in this recent piece in the L.A. Times, Bogart was product of tough times -- the Depression and two world wars. Nick was saying to me, perhaps -- look at the headlines -- there is another Bogart out there waiting to be discovered. I'm not so sure. But Nick made a great case for it. I'm only a few chapters into the bio but there was no one like Bogart. Hell, he was Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe!

Not to mention Bogart was married to the best looking woman of all time. Speaking of Lauren Bacall, check out the recent profile of her in Vanity Fair. She still has the stuff in her 80s!

After a week of vacation, I'm back on the blog. This morning I came across this gem on one of my favorite movies of all time -- Smokey and the Bandit. Here's an excerpt on how director Hal Needham got the idea for the Southern classic. His new book sounds like a terrific read and can't wait to get a copy. Speaking of Smokey and the Bandit, it's come up for debate here in Oxford about the makings of a Diablo sandwich. Fans of the film will know the scene where Buford T. walks into a barbecue restaurant and orders a Diablo and a Dr. Pepper. Yet no one seems to know what makes one. For the last several years I've been trying to get my buddy Randy Yates to add one to the menu at the Ajax Diner here in town. I'm pretty sure it's just a barbecue sandwich with hot sauce and jalapenos. Hope he'll bring it back soon. Check out the famous scene here.