Michael Burks and Val Kilmer

Michael Burks (far right) with his son, Jason (far left) and Val Kilmer on the set of "Dragon Sword."

The title of this should be Sandra Okamoto and Val Kilmer. But no.

I have a friend named Michael Burks. I've known him for many years. Too many.

I had just started working here at the Ledger-Enquirer, and he just got out of the Air Force and was working at WRBL-TV 3. He likes to tell people that he would be my escort as I visited clubs around town late at night. It's true. There were some place that I didn't want to go alone. And I'd drag Michael out.

Then he started dating beautiful Star, whom he married, and he left Columbus after rejoining the Air Force.

I forgot all about him, until he came back to town. He had recently retired as a colonel and was the executive director of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra.

Then he left the symphony, went to work at Uptown Columbus. His job got eliminated and now he's doing part-time work for the LaGrange arts groups.

Anyway, in between the time he was in England (where he was stationed at the same base my nephew Scott was) and the time he got back to Columbus, he struck up a friendship with Tom Reeve, a British director and writer.

Michael started writing movie scripts and he's had two of them made into movies!

The first was called "Diggity: A Home at Last," which was partially filmed in Columbus. It starred Andrew McCarthy, Louise Lombard, Bill Treacher and Sonny Shroyer, who may be best known as Enos on "The Dukes of Hazzard." It's about a ne'er do well, played by McCarthy, who learns he's inherited an English estate. The estate is falling down, and he's followed by a young boy who thinks if he can help Raymond, McCarthy's character, he'll get his wings and go to heaven. It was released in 2000, and I went to the premiere here at Hollywood Connection.

I heard all about the filming of this one. How cold it was in England and all that stuff. I thought it was funny when Michael was complaining about sitting around waiting on the set. I think he thought movies were made like television shows. Kind of in one week and everything is done. Nope. Movies are all about sitting and waiting.

The second movie, "George and the Dragon," was the movie he didn't really talk a lot about. I don't know why. It had a much bigger budget and huge stars — James Purefoy, Piper Perabo, Patrick Swayze, Michael Clarke Duncan, Joan Plowright and Simon Callow. OK, so Purefoy and Perabo aren't huge stars. But the others are pretty big stars.

But the one he left out in my conversations with him? Val Kilmer. The bugger knew I love Val Kilmer. OK, maybe not as much as Russell Crowe, but he's right up there.

All he did was send me a picture.

The movie, renamed "Dragon Sword," is based on the story of St. George and the dragon. It can be seen at 5 p.m. Saturday and again at 3 p.m. Nov. 1 on the Sci-Fi Channel.

It was on that channel in 2006 and I watched it. I liked it. I don't know why it didn't get a theatrical release. I think Michael said it was out on DVD, but I haven't seen it in the stores. But then again, I haven't looked. I just might. I can get Michael to sign my copy for me!