BOGART'S 2K: The local rock scene has sort of simmered down of late, with the eternal scramble to become "the next Bogart's" yielding nothing that comes terribly close, other than, on a good, good night, diPiazza's Restaurant on PCH at Anaheim Street. Longtime singer-songwriter Peter Fahey, who has played probably a dozen or more venues in Long Beach, is impressed enough with diPiazza's to term the place "The Bogart's of the new millennium … even though there's an Italian restaurant breathing down your back."

Yeah, but it's a good Italian restaurant. There are those among us who subsisted on a basket of garlic bread at the old diPiazza's on Second Street back in the '60s and '70s. Throw in an excellent rock showcase, and it's the best things are going to get until someone steps up to the plate and throws some serious money into a club able to draw nationally touring acts.

Meanwhile, one does what one can, and the best show of the new year might be Fahey's appearance Monday night at 9 at diPiazza's, 5205 E. Pacific Coast Highway, in Long Beach.

Fahey, who always assembles a cool backing group, this time will be accompanied by a pair of local hot shots, Steven Hodges and Smokey Hormel, who've performed, together or separately, with Johnny Cash, Tom Waits, Smashing Pumpkins and Beck, among others.

Kern Richards, freshly home from Chicago, will open the Monday show, which will also include performances by Tom Roemer and Leldon. Tickets are just $3.

IT'S LIKE HE NEVER LEFT: Musician Mike Martt, who we've taken to calling a former Long Beacher in recent columns, dropped us a line to let us know that he still lives in Long Beach, in the East Village, and, further, that his Christmas show (with John Doe, Peter Case, D.D. Wood and others) at (do we even have to say it?) diPiazza's bagged a couple thousand dollars for the Wooten Center for underprivileged kids. BEAR FACTS: Our mistakes run the broad range from disastrous (and we'll offer no examples here today) to merely wrong. Reader Dave Rizor phoned to tell us that in our Wednesday column we made a reference to "Smokey the Bear.' "His name,' says Rizor, "is Smokey Bear, not Smokey THE Bear.'

Rizor added: "I have nothing better to do today.'

Nor do we. We smoked out some sites on the Web and learned that the confusion comes from the 1952 song, "Smokey the Bear,' by Steve Nelson and Jack Rollins, who added the "the' to preserve the song's rhythm.

We regret the inconvenience.

KEEP SHOOTIN': The Seal Beach Historical & Cultural Society, perhaps recognizing that many folks might've been given cameras for Christmas, has extended the deadline for its annual amateur photo contest, "Visions of Seal Beach,' to Jan. 31.

Various photo-related prizes will be given to the winning snapshooters. Entry blanks with rules for the contest are available at two Seal Beach stores: PC 30-Min Photo System , 1198 Pacific Coast Highway, and Seal Beach Camera, 1065 Pacific Coast Highway.

More info: (562) 683-1874.

BRUSHES WITH FAME, CHAPTER IV: How'd we miss this one? We're at an opening for Joni Mitchell's paintings, and we sashay up to the original Lady of the Canyon and ask her to sign a copy of the art catalog to our then newborn daughter Hannah. Joni goes, "I've got a new niece named Hannah!' Oh, the times we've had!

We're still looking for your own brush(es) with greatness for an upcoming magazine, Who, coming in March. All that's required of you is to send us the details by e-mail (grobaty@earthlink.net) ) or regular mail (Tim Grobaty, Who Magazine, Press-Telegram, 604 Pine Ave., Long Beach, CA 90844 ). Photos (returnable) would also be nice, as would your name, address and daytime phone number.

Your deadline is Jan. 15.