I’m going to make spaghetti and meatballs. Not traditional Super Bowl fare but it’ll do the trick.

In the meantime, here’s the theme of the day:

[Photo Credit: The Kitchn]

Good Mornin’ from the Boogie Down.

From Serious Eats, here’s a simple pleasure to keep you warm on another cold night:

There’s a new biography of Humphrey Bogart. From the write up in the New York Times Book Review:

Experience had engraved itself on his face. By the time his film breakthrough came, he was 42 and already wearing the vestiges of betrayal, loss and resignation that would bring the shadow of a back story to every role he played. Photographs of Bogart in the 1920s, when he was in his 20s, show a bright-eyed, smooth-cheeked actor whose features haven’t set yet. The transformation took place before we made his acquaintance. The Bogart we came to know on the screen was mature when he arrived, with compressed emotions, an economy of gesture and a compact grace in movements that were wary and self-contained, as if all the world were not a stage but a minefield. Kanfer’s book takes its title from Raymond Chandler, who approved of the decision to cast Bogart in “The Big Sleep” as Philip Marlowe, the hard-boiled detective he had created, because Bogart could be “tough without a gun.”

…Bogart’s appeal was and remains completely adult — so adult that it’s hard to believe he was ever young. If men who take responsibility are hard to come by in films these days, it’s because they’re hard to come by, period, in an era when being a kid for life is the ultimate achievement, and “adult” as it pertains to film is just a euphemism for pornography.

One of the reasons I like Benicio Del Toro is because he’s got a face with some character. So many of the leading men today are hopelessly pretty, and when it comes to playing tough, they just don’t cut it.

Bowie Friday:

This one is for you hip hop junkies, a killer interview with Premier revisiting Gang Starr’s “Step in the Arena.”

The Andy Pettitte goodbye gala will stretch into tomorrow. Seems that fans are both nostalgic for the past, reflecting on Pettitte’s fine career, and concerned about what his retirement means for the 2011 team.

He was an easy guy to watch, especially these past few years, and we’ll always remember the Pettitte “look,” cap drawn low, eyes focused in on the catcher’s sign. As Ralph Kramden used to say, “Ohh, yer a good one.”

Say goodnight, Andy:

I don’t thank you guys enough, the regulars who come by to add their two cents. But yesterday’s food post about greasy spoons made me proud that I run this blog. I love it when a topic engages you guys. Sometimes, it’s about the Yankees and baseball, or life in the city, or a movie, or food.  

I learned new things reading through the comments yesterday and relished the banter. Made me stop and appreciate the moment.

Thanks for helping make this site what it is.

Nothing like a good greasy spoon diner, eh? Do they call them greasy spoons outside of the city? I haven’t traveled enough around the country, so let me ask a question: Can you find a good diner just about anywhere?

Also, what do you eat when you go to one? I usally stick to a burger or a grilled cheese or breakfast. Occasionally a BLT.  But I’ve never had a salad at a diner, for instance. Just never seemed worth being adventurous at those joints.

From the terrific documentary, “Visions of Light,” here is Gordon Willis, “The Prince of Darkness,” talking about his work on the Godfather movies.

Did you know that the late Joe Strummer loved him some Bruce Springsteen?

It’s the emmis, man.

Like our man Phife, the 5-foot assassin after the Sundance screening of the new Quest documentary.

Here is the official website for the movie.

What is your go-to sandwich for lunch? I got back-and-forth between salami and ham with assorted fixings…

R.I.P. John Barry.

According to reports, the Yanks have signed Freddy Garcia to a minor league deal.

Yo, check out this slideshow of Thomas McKean’s inventive Metrocard mosiacs over at Huffington Post.

Shake it, folks.