The Coolest Hand

Paul Newman, age 83, passed away Friday after a long battle with cancer.

He was one of my favorite old movie stars--talented and a class act, never one to believe in his own hype. Married to Joanne Woodward (another great actor) for over fifty years, he didn't get caught up in Hollywood drama. You'd be more likely to know him for his charity work--I have a bottle of his salad dressing in the refrigerator right now--than for any scandal. More people, not just celebrities, should be like him.

Some great Newman quotes:

On adultery: "Why fool around with hamburger when you have steak at home?"

"When I realized I was going to have to be a whore, to put my face on the label, I decided that the only way I could do it was to give away all the money we make. Over the years, that ethical stance has given us a 30 per cent boost. One in three customers buys my products because all the profits go to good causes and the rest buy the stuff because it is good."

"Every time I get a script it's a matter of trying to know what I could do with it. I see colors, imagery. It has to have a smell. It's like falling in love. You can't give a reason why."

Good thoughts to the Newman family.