Paul Newman News Archive

Cruise pays tribute to Newman

Tom Cruise has poured his heart into a farewell message to his pal and Color of Money co-star Paul Newman, who lost his cancer battle on Friday.

The movie star has written an essay about Newman, which will appear in the upcoming issue of America's People magazine.

In the heartfelt message, Cruise explains his former co-star taught him all about life.

He writes, "He was bigger than life to me. But he always had a way of putting us all at ease.

"He called me 'Cruiser' or sometimes 'Kid'. We would grab time to hang out whenever we could find it."

Cruise closes his touching essay by writing, "His life will forever inspire me. The world has lost an icon; I have lost an idol."

Newman given private funeral

Paul Newman was cremated after a private funeral service near his home in Westport, Connecticut on Monday.

The late actor's close friends and family congregated in the town to mourn and celebrate the movie legend's life, before heading to a reception at The Dressing Room, the Westport restaurant Newman owned.

Newman lost his battle with cancer on Friday, at the age of 83.

'Cars' role vintage Paul Newman

As heartfelt tributes to the richly lived life and brilliant career of the late, great Paul Newman continue to pour in, much has been written about the actor's most memorable movies, such as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Cool Hand Luke and Hud.

Referring to the latter two, in which he deliberately played against his ridiculously good looks to take on a couple of real bad boys, Newman once said in a Playboy magazine interview, "To think that after Hud and Cool Hand Luke and all the other parts I've dug into, I come off as the guy women would most like to go to bed with -- it's frightening."

Folks are also recalling his frighteningly accomplished performances in The Hustler, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Verdict, but you don't seem to hear a lot about his last performance, in which he, himself, was heard but not seen.

We're talking about Cars, the 2006 Disney/Pixar film in which Newman played the part of Doc Hudson, the gruff, deep blue (naturally) mayor, judge and chief physician of the sleepy town of Radiator Springs who led a past life as the multiple Piston Cup-winning Hudson Hornet, before he was unceremoniously put out to pasture well before his prime.

Upon multiple viewings of the movie -- and that's easily accomplished when you've got a three-year-old at home -- you really get a sense of just how terrific a performance Newman delivered. It was a complex combination of wistful regret and a hardened bitterness.

He lent the computer-generated character an "I still coulda' been a contender" gravitas that went above and beyond the call of duty for an animated movie.

We mention it because Disney has just announced plans to release the Cars 2 sequel in summer 2011 and it will be hard to imagine it without the avid race-car driver's world-weary rumble.

Cars Motors On: It's certainly easy to understand Cars' endurance.

While critics were respectful if not completely knocked out by the Pixar production, and the film revved up $462 million in worldwide ticket sales, it's in the area of merchandising that Cars continues to go the distance for Disney, as any current toy store display would indicate.

In addition to that sequel, which sees its arrival date moved up a year to coincide with the opening of CarsLand, a 12-acre attraction at Disney's California Adventure, the studio is also planning to produce a number of short films starring the Mater tow-truck character (voiced by Larry the Cable Guy) as well as other Cars personalities.

They'll be similar to the seven-minute Mater and the Ghostlight short included on the Cars DVD release, to which Newman had also lent his voice, and will run on Disney Channel as well as in front of other Disney theatrical movies.

That will naturally make a lot of kids very happy, but somehow without Newman's own voice growling, "We are BACK in business!" it's just not going to be the same Doc Hudson.

Tom Hanks Pays Tribute to Paul Newman

Tom Hanks released a statement Tuesday remembering his Road to Perdition costar Paul Newman, who died at age 83:

"Paul Newman told me his hotel in Chicago was a room at the YMCA, which was not hard to imagine. He considered himself just another member of the acting company, who would call his wife during breaks and confess to feeling self-conscious on the first day of shooting. But he was Paul Newman, and could not mask the fact he was simply – yet elegantly – an extraordinary artist and man. How lucky we all have been."

Redford: Newman "Really Meant Something"

The Sundance Kid remembers his old partner as a man who "lived a life that really meant something."

In an interview with ABC News this morning, Robert Redford spoke candidly about his longtime costar and pal Paul Newman, incluing their decades-long battle for prank one-upmanship.

And while Redford praised his close pal's acting chops, he said he really admired the rarely seen private side of Newman, the generosity and loyalty.

"The fact is we can all be really sad here," he said. "And I am sad. I've lost a really good friend...but the fact is that the person he was—the person he is, 'cause he's going to be lasting—has got to do with the way he lived his life, the commitments he made and what he put back."

It is with that inspiration that colleagues are now attempting to carry on in the actor's absence. A veritible who's who of A-list Hollywood will come together next month for a reading of Ernest Hemingway's The World of Nick Adams, proceeds from which will benefit the Painted Turtle, one of the 11 free camps Newman's Hole in the Wall Camps opened for children suffering from life-threatening illnesses.

The philanthropic event, which was planned prior to Newman's death Friday, includes a performance by the San Francisco Symphony and takes place Oct. 27 at the city's Davies Symphony Hall.

It was announced earlier today that Casey Affleck is the latest thesp coming aboard the endeavor, joining Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Edward James Olmos, Sean Penn, Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis.

Meanwhile, in related news, Turner Classic Movies has announced plans for a 24-hour marathon of the Oscar-winner's big-screen work, including Hud, Exodus and Cool Hand Luke.

The daylong TCM event takes place Oct. 12.

Stars flocking to Newman tribute

Julia Roberts and Tom Hanks will be among the A-list stars who will pay tribute to movie legend Paul Newman at a benefit gala for the late actor's California kids camp The Painted Turtle.

Sean Penn, Jack Nicholson, Bruce Willis, Danny Devito, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening and Billy Crystal will also take the stage at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, California on October 27.

The stars will perform a stage reading of The World of Nick Adams, an adaptation of a number of Ernest Hemingway's autobiographical stories, written by Newman's longtime pal A.E. Hotchner.

Paul Newman's Brother Honors Him

As fans continue to mourn the death of revered icon Paul Newman, one of the people closest to him – his older brother Arthur – is paying tribute to him.

"Beyond his place as a world famous 'super star,' his reputation as a top international racecar driver and rightful recognition as a most generous global philanthropist, Paul was my loyal and supportive brother for the past 83 years," Arthur said in a statement.

Since the actor's death last Friday, several stars and family members have offered condolences and recalled their fondest memories of the legendary actor.

Certainly none knew him longer than Arthur, who added, "Although he was a year younger, from the time we were boys, I always considered him my role model and mentor. His love for Joanne, his daughters, and all in our family, will provide us strength in times to come. He was just about the best human being I have ever known."

Newman's business partner A.E. Hotchner told Page Six the family held a private funeral service and cremated the body. "It's all over," he said. Their food business, Newman's Own, has already raised $250 million for charity, and is set to donate $26 million in October.

Hotchner said he remembered the good times about Paul the best. "The great fun we had – the mischief. Everything we did was a lark."

MISSING FUN-GUY NEWMAN

PAUL Newman's cancer-stricken body was cremated, and a private funeral service was held by his family, his friend and business partner A.E. Hotchner told The Post. "It's all over," he said. Hotchner said their food business, Newman's Own, has given away $150 million and will give away $26 million more to "a wide variety of charities" in October. Asked what he remembered most about Newman, Hotchner said, "The great fun we had - the mischief. Everything we did was a lark." Newman was fondly remembered by Shane Barbi, the wife of Ken Wahl, who co-starred with Newman in "Fort Apache, The Bronx" (1981). "Because he had just lost his son Scott, Paul took Ken under his wing like a son," the Playboy pin-up told us. "Ken told Paul he never wanted to be an actor, and instead wanted to play for the White Sox. So Paul wrote a letter asking owner Bill Veeck to let Ken try out. In the letter, Paul says, "My boy would rather play baseball even though I think he is a natural at acting."

Andretti, Newman: Fast friends

The first time Mario Andretti met Paul Newman he was in awe, then quickly made the actor a fast friend for life.

"We were at Bridgehampton in 1967 for the Can-Am race and Paul's name was on the front of this car I drove called The Honker," recalls Andretti. "Quite honestly, it was the worst car I ever had my hands on but that's another story.

"Anyway, I was pretty impressed Newman was there and I wondered if he would talk to me and, of course, he did and then started asking questions non-stop. So I gave him a ride in the pace car, it was a Shelby Cobra.

"Bridgehampton is a pretty interesting place, with a lot of blind corners, and I'd like to think that ride captured his imagination. He was holding on pretty tight. And I like to think that got him hooked because it wasn't long after that he made Winning."

The fact the 1969 Indy 500 winner would then forge a partnership with Newman 16 years later that would take Mario to the end of his career is almost a Hollywood-like story.

"I remember it clearly," continued the 1978 Formula One champion with a chuckle. "We were in Monte Carlo at a gala the night before the race and Paul was cursing Carl (Haas) up and down about selling him a heavy Can-Am car. Paul had wanted me to drive for him but I could never commit to a full season and right after that Can-Am tanked.

"I was looking for something new and I had developed a relationship with Carl because Michael was driving his Formula Ford and I had driven one Can-Am race for him in place of Patrick Tambay. So I suggested that Carl start a team in CART. Then I suggested getting Paul as a partner. Carl said do you think he'd do it? And I said, call him and find out."

Haas adds: "Paul didn't want to have anything to do with an Indy car team until I mentioned Mario would be the driver. That's all it took."

So in 1983, Newman/Haas Racing debuted at Atlanta with a fifth place. By the sixth race at Elkhart Lake, Mario was in victory lane -- the first of his 18 wins. He captured the CART title in 1984 with six wins in his Budweiser Lola.

"That was a great time because Paul was so into it, always calling and talking about how we did this, how I made that pass and it was just so enjoyable," said Andretti. "That guy really understood racing and it became his passion."

In 1989, Michael Andretti joined his famous father and two seasons later gave Newman/Haas its second CART crown.

A few years ago, Newman was asked about that pairing, "It was so impressive, watching Michael become this dominant driver under Mario's wing and the way they communicated off the track. That was a special time for Carl and I."

When young Andretti headed for F1 in '93, Haas pulled off the shocker of the century and signed world champion Nigel Mansell to take Michael's place. Mansell rewarded Newman/Haas with the '93 championship and took CART to new heights in attendance and media coverage.

But one of Newman's all-time thrills came that same season when Mario scored his 52nd and final Indy-car win at age 54.

"Hot damn," yelled Newman (his favorite expression) in victory lane. "That old man is amazing."

It was uphill for Newman/Haas in the mid to late '90s because they remained loyal to the wrong tire company, although Michael managed to overcome his handicap with 10 wins.

Cristiano da Matta secured the fourth CART championship for Newman/Haas in 2002 before Sebastien Bourdais ran off four consecutive Champ Car titles from 2004-2007.

"It meant a lot to me to drive for Paul because he was so enthusiastic and such a great guy," said Bourdais, now making his living in F1. "Seeing him smiling in victory lane really made me feel good."

Last winter, when Tony George and Kevin Kalkhoven were working out the arrangements to unify open-wheel racing, Newman was on the phone daily trying to get some good news. Although he only made to one day of qualifying at Indy this year, it was obvious Newman was glad to be back. Mario and Michael each finished second for him but the big one always escaped this great team at Indianapolis.

"It's still the greatest race in the world and I'm thrilled we're all back here together," he said. "We're gonna win this sucker some day, I just might not be around for it but we will win it."

PLN's his last appearance was at Milwaukee in June, where he watched young Rahal qualifiy on the outside of the front row. Newman gave him a hug and cursed the fact he had to miss the race the next day because of a prior commitment for a fund raiser.

Justin Wilson took the last checkered flag for Newman/Haas, as we know it, at Detroit a month ago and dedicated his win to his gravely-ill owner.

"I talked to him a lot over the summer and he was still enthused about Justin and Graham," said Andretti. "The last time we talked about a week ago he was happy for Bourdais' performance at Spa the week before. You know, he was so honestly supportive of myself and all the guys who drove for him. That was so meaningful to me, personally, that this icon in another life was so involved and dedicated to our sport.

"But he was a racer and he loved racing, he truly did."

Newman's Sense of Humor to Be Missed, Says Mario Andretti

Friends for 41 years, legendary race-car driver Mario Andretti says one of the things he'll miss most about Paul Newman is his pal's sense of humor. The two were known to cook up bets and competitions just to amuse each other.

"We would have a bet of a dollar and seventy-three cents for the Super Bowl, because of course the amount wasn't important; we just wanted to win," Andretti says. "And he'd send me the check by FedEx, and it would cost him nine bucks to send the check. We'd just pull out a stupid number and stick with it.

"He was just a fun person to be around," he continues. "It was always the lighter side that made it so neat. He was game for anything."

Andretti, 68, had last spoken to Newman five days ago, by phone.

"He was trying," Andretti says. "We just talked about other things, not himself. He was following one of his drivers, the French driver [Sébastien Bourdais] who used to race for him who is now a Formula One driver, he had a great race in Belgium a few weeks ago, and we talked about that.

"He always made you feel so welcome when you called," Andretti adds. "He'd say, 'Hot damn, it's so nice to hear from you.' "

He also says he had many conversations with Woodward in later years about the fact that Newman himself was still racing. "She kept saying, 'Boys will be boys. What am I gonna do? I can't cure him, so I'll just go along with it.'"

Even Newman's daughters would often join him at the racetrack. "Family was very important to him, and his family was very close," Andretti says. As for Woodward, he says, "It was so evident that they were madly in love with each other forever."

The racer, dubbed the Driver of the Century, says he's glad to have been a part of the screen legend's life.

"He's so incredibly well known and adored all over the world," says Andretti. "But at the end of the day, when all of the flare settles down, he will be remembered as one of the most decent men alive because he was so unselfish. There's a lot to be said for that."

Newman planned for charitable legacy after death

A friend of the late Paul Newman says the actor made plans for his charity work to continue after his death.

Robert Forrester is vice chairman of the Newman's Own Foundation. He said Sunday that the actor began planning several years ago to make sure profits from his food company would always benefit charities worldwide.

The charities include camps for children suffering from life-threatening diseases. Newman and his company gave away more than $250 million.

Newman died Friday at age 83.

Hendrick remembers times spent with friend Newman

Champion NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick called Paul Newman a friend.

And Saturday at Kansas Speedway, Hendrick, who perhaps more than anyone at his level in NASCAR has experienced more triumph and tragedy in the last two decades of his life than any five people combined, remembered Newman on many levels.

Newman, 83, passed away at his home in Westport, Conn., on Friday after a battle with lung cancer -- a fight that Hendrick successfully shared as a leukemia survivor.

And Hendrick, who appreciated his late friend as a decorated actor before he met and grew closer to him thanks to their mutual passion for motorsports, could only smile when asked his best recollections of the man known in racing circles as "PLN."

"We were friends for a long time," Hendrick said. "He was just a terrific guy. He was an unbelievable talent on the screen but he was a neat human being and he did so much for kids and [other] people. And he never changed.

"He was just a super individual and a heck of a racecar driver. A lot of people don't realize how good he really was. If he had started at a younger age and really put his mind to it -- I think when he was 78 or 79 he ran like a 30-flat [average speed of 180 mph] at Charlotte in the heat one day in one of our cars and about blew me away."

That also impressed Hendrick's current champion, Jimmie Johnson.

"I've been out on numerous days where he has driven Cup cars," Johnson said. "Normally, Rick has a play day and puts a restrictor plate on the car and lets guys go out and drive around with half the horsepower. Numerous times, Paul [went] out on sticker tires, the plate off and run really quick laps. I was always so impressed with his driving ability and who he was as a person.

"You could see that spark in his eye. He had a true passion for motorsports in general -- I would say more IndyCar and road racing, because that is what he came from. He was a great friend of Rick's and knew a lot more than people probably realize about NASCAR racing."

"He was just a great guy and we're going to miss him," Hendrick said. "I tried to call him [a week or two ago] and he was just too sick. He's a guy that to be as famous as he was in the movies and to be as down to earth as he was with all human beings -- he was a pretty special person."

Hendrick wrinkled his face when asked for his best Newman story, smiling again and saying "Golly, I'll have to think a minute. All of 'em are good.

"He was always real serious about everything, so I think that the story I'll always remember is I called him one day and asked him for something for my charity auction. He sent it, and it was the cue stick he used in The Color of Money.

"And like a dummy, I put it up for auction. I didn't want to bid on it myself. I think it brought, like, $2,000 -- and I'd give anything to have that back. But he used to tell me some funny stories on Tom Cruise when Tom was real young and they were hanging together."

In addition to their racing passion, Newman and Hendrick shared a philanthropic bent, with Newman founding the Hole in the Wall family of camps for critically ill children, which includes the Petty family's Victory Junction Gang Camps.

"When you think about him," Hendrick said. "I think about all the functions at Victory Junction and all the great things he did -- just a great guy."

Hendrick's triumphs and tragedies have been well enough chronicled that there's no need to revisit them, but when he mentioned meeting Newman the tragic irony was that it was through a mutual friend, the racing actor's teammate, Jim Fitzgerald, who was killed at an SCCA Trans-Am race in St. Petersburg, Fla., in 1987.

"Yeah -- I was in awe of him [before I met him]," Hendrick recalled. "I remember Jim Fitzgerald was a friend of mine up in Greensboro [N.C.], who drove Nissans, and he and Paul were big buddies, and that's how I met Paul.

"And [Newman] drove my [Corvette] GTP car down at Road Atlanta and [I noticed] just how quiet and humble he was -- just like an everyday guy. And he always had time for his friends. I was in awe of him until I met him, and about three days into our friendship, he was just like a normal guy.

"He invited me to go fishing and my first trip flats fishing was with him. We've done a lot of really neat things together but what would amaze me is he'd have friends around that were from all walks of life, and he never really hung with that Hollywood crowd much.

"He and [wife] Joanne [Woodward] were always just such a family group. If there was a real role model in this country for someone that gained a lot of popularity and did some pretty amazing things that could be as grounded as he was -- I've never seen it. He was just special."

As much as Hendrick's eyes were opened by Newman's human side, his competitive side, particularly in racing, was even more of a revelation.

They definitely shared an affinity for competition, and going fast. And while Newman reportedly drove a racecar at speed for the last time a scant month before his passing, Hendrick's time behind the wheel, including a couple Winston Cup races, ended about 13 years ago with his lone career Craftsman Truck Series start, at Heartland Park Topeka.

But in the process, he and Newman shared a good bit of seat time.

"We actually drove together back in, golly, I think it was '86, '87, '88," Hendrick said of time spent in IMSA Firestone Firehawk and SCCA Showroom Stock cars. "You know, I knew he raced, but until he got in some cars that I was familiar with -- I mean, he drove some [IMSA] GTO cars and he drove that GTP car that we had, and that Corvette in its day [beginning in 1985] was an awesome piece to have to handle -- and he could drive it, at Road Atlanta, where we all loved to play.

"And then when he got into a [stock] car for the first time, when we were at Daytona and then at Charlotte, I was amazed at the feedback and the car control. Really, he had an awesome amount of talent. You gotta remember; when I met him and we started driving, in 1985 he would have been 60 then -- so all of a sudden 59 or 60, doesn't feel that old."

Early in their friendship Newman was breaking his acting buddy Cruise into the racing scene after they'd collaborated on The Color of Money. Hendrick invited the pair to stop by Daytona International Speedway, where his No. 15 Busch Series car -- which won the 1987 Goody's 300 and finished second twice and fifth in the other three Daytona season openers between 1986 and 1989, driven by Geoffrey Bodine -- was being tested.

For someone who spent the greater portion of his life in front of the curtain, so to speak, many of Newman's racing exploits were spent behind the scenes, and so it was on this day when Newman and Cruise quietly arrived at the superspeedway, and proceeded to share stints behind the wheel at speeds in the mid-180 mph range, at a time when the Goody's 300 pole speed was a little over 190 mph.

Hendrick, who also took some laps, was chuckling by the time he finished that tale.

"To run faster than he did, I had to put on a 750 [CFM] carburetor and not tell him about it," Hendrick said of the piece with bigger throttle bores than normal. "I remember it was kind of hard to go out and eat dinner with Paul Newman and Tom Cruise, and not get noticed, you know [chuckling]?

"I did that a lot of times, in Daytona and in Atlanta and at lots of places that we ran SCCA Showroom Stock. But people always respected him. And about that time was when Cruise was so popular with Top Gun and everything. And then they did the movie [The Color of Money] together -- and right after that was when we drove some; so it was at the height of their popularity together."

Not surprisingly, Hendrick said Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid was probably his favorite Newman flick, but in a virtual dead heat.

"And I think The Color of Money because of he and Tom both being in it," Hendrick said. "We went up to Teterboro [N.J., Airport]to drop, I think it was Tom off -- but it may have been Paul -- and there was a pool table in the FBO [Fixed Base Operation] so it was on, then -- because those two guys were very competitive [laughing].

"But it's a lot of fun memories, there. I've got a picture of when we were in Daytona together, and we stayed in touch. He loved to fish and I love to fish. We promised ourselves that we were gonna do more of it. And we'd come to something at Victory Junction or Boggy Creek or one of those deals and we'd [talk about it].

"But you get so busy in life that you don't do some of the things that you really enjoy."

Hendrick said he'd last seen Newman "about six months ago. He was a real private person in his personal life, but he was a really good man."

What they're saying

"It has been a very upsetting 24 hours for the team and my family. Paul has been a huge part of both my success as well as my father's and he will be greatly missed. He was a tremendous man, one that everyone should model their lives after. My sincere condolences go out to the Newman family."-- Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing driver Graham Rahal

World mourns "king of cool" Paul Newman

Images of actor Paul Newman, who died late on Friday, adorned newspaper front pages around the world on Sunday, his piercing blue eyes vying for attention alongside headlines of the global financial crisis.

Underlining Newman's international appeal, Britain's Independent on Sunday featured his photograph across the whole of page one, relegating the latest news of the country's banking woes to the inside pages.

"Paul Newman: Death of King Cool" ran the caption headline in the Sunday Times above a portrait of the heartthrob and philanthropist, who died of cancer aged 83.

The Observer weekly devoted a two-page spread under the words: "An Actor of True Genius and a Man of Great Decency," focusing on Newman's philanthropy and devotion to his family, as well as on his big screen roles.

In France, politicians lined up to praise Newman, with President Nicolas Sarkozy hailing him as a "Hollywood legend."

"Actor, author, screenwriter, director, producer and philanthropist, he was also a great friend of France and fans of motor racing will remember his successive appearances at the Le Mans 24-hour race," Sarkozy said in a statement.

"The death of a good guy," France's main Sunday newspaper, Le Journal du Dimanche, said in a headline, giving over most of its front page to a photo of the U.S. actor.

Even conservative Muslim Iran, which would not usually concern itself with reporting on a Western film star, marked his death. Two pro-reform newspapers displayed the actor on their front pages while Iran's state media also reported his death.

The Etemad newspaper, published Newman's picture, saying "Fading away the last classic star" and the Kargozaran daily said "End of the blue-eyed boy."

In Germany as elsewhere, news television channels have been showing clips from his films.

"Paul Newman - the Last Hero is Dead" ran a headline on the back page of the mass-selling Bild am Sonntag. A strapline in the same newspaper read: "This damn cancer. Now it has killed the bluest eyes in the world!"

Several obituaries repeated comments he made about his famous good looks.

"I picture my epitaph," he was quoted as saying. "Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown."

"WHAT PAIN!" SAYS LOREN

The New York Times called him a "magnetic Hollywood titan," and in Italy actress Sophia Loren, who appeared in the film "Lady L" with Newman, called the news "a blow."

"When such important personalities die, one despairs and thinks that, little by little, all the greats are disappearing," she told the Il Messaggero daily.

Israeli actor Haim Topol, who Newman helped to set up camps for children with incurable diseases, called him a "dear human being."

"He busied himself with the professional rather than with PR," Topol told Israel Radio. "His main motto was, 'If you do not exploit your success in order to improve things in the world, then you are really wasting it'."

Paul Leonard Newman, known as "PL" to friends, appeared in more than 50 movies, including "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting."

He earned nine Oscar nominations for acting and won the best actor award for 1986's "The Color of Money."

A director and race car driver as well as an actor, Newman was also known for his extensive philanthropy. He created Newman's Own food products, which funneled more than $250 million in profits to thousands of charities worldwide.

Newman said his deepest satisfaction came from philanthropy.

Particularly close to his heart were his Hole-in-the-Wall Camps for seriously ill children. Today, there are 11 around the world that have helped over 135,000 kids, all free of charge.

Newman is survived by his wife of 50 years Joanne Woodward, five daughters, two grandsons, and his older brother, Arthur. Newman also had a son Scott, who died in 1978.

Appreciation: Newman was among rare breed of star

Paul Newman couldn't have existed today — at least, not the way we came to know him.

Sure, the talent would have been there, the classic good looks, the magnetism, the easy charm. But the privacy he demanded (and won), which helped establish and solidify his mystique as a bona fide movie star, never would have been afforded him in our tabloid-driven, celebrity-obsessed culture.

Sad but true. Part of why we were fascinated with Newman, who died Friday at 83 of cancer, was because we didn't know every gory detail of his life, even though he'd reached the zenith of fame and popularity. He left us craving more — and that he lived and died far from Hollywood's glare in the small town of Westport, Conn., in the converted farmhouse he shared with his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, speaks volumes not only about who he was but who he didn't want to be.

It's hard to think of an actor today who compares in that regard: someone who's blazingly confident on-screen but maintains some mystery about who he really is off of it, someone who would make even hardened, cynical journalists go weak in the knees upon meeting face-to-face. Newman's longtime friend and co-star, Robert Redford, certainly qualifies. But of the current generation of stars? We know too much about Tom Cruise. Will Smith? Leonardo DiCaprio? Johnny Depp, maybe — though he's carved out a path of quirky character roles, despite his leading-man looks.

George Clooney springs to mind, but even he has fought public battles with the paparazzi over the need to respect celebrities' privacy. Clooney himself seemed to recognize the legacy Newman left in reacting to his death Saturday morning: "He set the bar too high for the rest of us ... not just actors, but all of us. He will be greatly missed," he said — through his publicist.

Larger than life? Sure. But looking back at Newman's career, which encompassed nearly 60 feature films over the past half-century, it's the range that leaves an impression. You never forgot you were watching Paul Newman. He was a superstar, after all. He was the draw. But he could fit into a wide variety of parts — unlike some other actors with longevity and stature, who shall remain nameless for these purposes, who have devolved into caricatures of themselves as they've aged.

In just a sampling, Newman played:

• A washed-up football player in Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" (1958).

• Pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson in "The Hustler" (1961), the role he would reprise in "The Color of Money" (1986), which, surprisingly, earned him his only Academy Award in 10 nominations.

• A bad-boy cowboy in "Hud" (1963).

• A rebellious prisoner in "Cool Hand Luke" (1967).

• A train robber alongside Redford, iconically, in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (1969).

• The player-coach of a small-town hockey team in the comedy cult favorite "Slap Shot" (1977).

• A wrongly accused suspect in a rare film that gets journalism right, "Absence of Malice" (1981).

• A cantankerous grandfather in "Nobody's Fool" (1994).

• A formidable mob boss in "Road to Perdition" (2002).

Newman came up in the Method-acting tradition, a la Brando, but there was never anything obviously studied about him; he made the swagger look natural. And his evolution over the years — from young and dangerous to middle-aged and struggling to older and wiser — constantly carried with it the aura of dignity.

"His powerful eloquence, his consummate sense of craft, so consummate that you didn't see any sense of effort up there on the screen, set a new standard," said Martin Scorsese, who directed him in "The Color of Money."

Newman himself didn't enjoy talking about acting, and could come off as a bit distant in interviews when asked about it. He did offer some insight to his motivation, however, in 2002:

"I used to make three pictures a year, and now I make a picture every three years. Things change. There have been a lot of good things out there, but they weren't the kind of pictures that I wanted to make. I didn't want to do pictures about explosions. I don't want to do pictures about shattered glass and broken bodies and blood. That just doesn't interest me."

Of course, we came to understand what interested him through his off-camera pursuits later in life. His passion came shining through in his love of, and talent for, auto racing. But it's through his philanthropy — the Newman's Own Foundation, which has raised more than $250 million for charities worldwide, and the Hole in the Wall Camps for children with life-threatening diseases — that he showed his true heart.

Maybe Paul Newman wasn't so hard to figure out after all.

In Hometown, Newman Remembered As 'Regular Guy'

In Hollywood, Paul Newman was royalty. But in Westport, Conn., where he lived with his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward, he was just "a regular guy," says AJ Izzo, part owner of Crossroads Hardware on Main Street, where Newman had been a customer for more than 20 years.

"He'd walk in and say, 'How are you, AJ?' And I'd say, 'Hey, Paul.' He probably gave more than he took in life, and you don't find many people like that."

Newman, who will be remembered in town as upbeat, generous, and down-to-earth, often popped into the store to buy supplies to fix common household problems.

"He was a gadget guy in many ways,"" says Izzo. "He'd buy light bulbs or a new screw for a hinge just like an average guy would do."

Izzo says he last saw Newman about two months ago when he came in alone to buy some masking tape. "He looked really thin," recalls Izzo, adding that Newman did not discuss his illness. "He was the kind of person who liked his privacy."

A Beer Man

However, Izzo says he saw one of Newman's friends less than a week ago, and when he asked how Newman was doing the friend replied, "Good. He's having a beer and glass of milk because he needs to gain weight."

About a month ago, Newman treated himself to a cold beer during dinner with Woodward at Pane Vino Restaurant, says owner Marty Levine. The couple sat at their usual corner table, and though Newman appeared frail and had a smaller appetite, he remained his usual cheerful self. "His personality was about the same," Levine recalls. "He was always upbeat. He didn't seem dour or depressed."

As a customer, Levine says Newman was "honorable and courteous. I never felt like he gave off the aura of a big celebrity."

Bryan Malcarney, chef/owner of Blue Lemon Restaurant, another favorite spot, agrees: "He'd joke a little with the staff. He was never a pompous Hollywood kind of person-neither is Joanne-and that was nice."

Newman-who often ordered Dover sole-came in to eat about three weeks ago. "We're really sad to see him go," says Malcarney.

'A Loss for the Whole Town'

Newman supported the town's small business, including Oscar's Deli, where he had been a loyal customer for the past 40 years, says owner Lee Papageorge.

"It's a loss for the whole town," Papageorge explains. "He was very generous, nice to have around, always approachable and very friendly."

In addition to his humility and his kindness, Ramze Zakka, owner of Acqua restaurant, remembers the actor for another of his best features: "His baby blue eyes were brilliant across the dining room."

Albert DeAngelis, Acqua's executive chef, added: "He's just one of the finest human beings I've ever been around."

Elias Vlandis, owner of Coffee and Donut shop, says the whole community is affected by the loss. "There are a lot of regular people coming in today who are really sad about it," he says.

But Newman will never be forgotten in Westport.

"We have a picture on the wall here," says Vlandis. "We're not taking it down. We're proud to have it."

Newman's legend will live on

What other actor besides Paul Newman could convincingly play a character so likable, he could steal your girl and remain your best friend?

That was the magic Newman had on the big screen.

The legendary, Academy-Award winning actor with the riveting blue eyes died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn. Family and close friends were at his side. He was 83.

This is one of those deaths when seemingly everyone, in and out of Hollywood, gasps upon hearing the news. We think back to how he affected our own life experiences.

The first time I remember being aware of Paul Newman was when I was 11 in Winnipeg. My friend Andre and I took two girls in our class to see Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid. Newman as Butch was a revelation -- a blue-eyed man's man who seldom resorted to violence, who solved everything (or tried to) with a wink and a wisecrack.

In the movie's most famous scene -- the bicycle ride with Etta (Katherine Ross) -- Ross' character had actually spent the previous night with Sundance (Robert Redford), when Newman's Butch shows up with a newfangled two-wheeler. Cue the soundtrack tune, Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head.

"Meet the future," Newman says to her cheerfully, and she is out the door to join him. It's a beautifully choreographed scene -- one of the most chastely romantic in modern film history -- that ends with Sundance discovering them together and, after a moment, shrugging and saying, "Take her."

Who else but Newman as Butch would make that scene believable?

After that, I started watching Newman's career in reverse order on late-night movies. His performance as the ultimate bad-boy in Hud was to be savoured, leading his nephew (the tragic Brandon DeWilde) astray until his eyes open. Watching him spit in the eye of authority as Cool Hand Luke was mesmerizing.

Going back to his Actors' Studio days, I even saw a kinescope on PBS of his performance in the teleplay of Bang The Drum Slowly, in which he played pitcher Henry Wiggins, hiding the truth about his catcher Bruce's (Albert Salmi) terminal illness.

Of course, there was The Hustler. Newman's scenes with Jackie Gleason as Minnesota Fats are etched in everyone's mind.

There were very few actors who could hold up in a scene with him. (I never really thought Redford was his equal, despite their popularity as a screen team). It's interesting that three who could were oversized fellows, the other two besides Gleason being Burl Ives (as Big Daddy opposite Newman as Brick in Cat On A Hot Tin Roof), and Orson Welles as Will Varner, a town baron who contrives to marry his spinster daughter (Joanne Woodward) off to drifter Ben Quick (Newman) in The Long Hot Summer. (It was during this movie that Newman divorced his first wife for Woodward, to whom he'd be married the rest of his life.)

It's generally conceded that the Best Actor Oscar Newman eventually won for the tepid 1986 Hustler sequel, The Color Of Money, was a make-good, but that sole trophy didn't even begin to make good for ... Harper, Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid, The Sting, Absence Of Malice, The Verdict, et al.

And he should have been awarded honorary Canadian citizenship just for the way he took to skates and did our national sport proud in the grimy and uproarious Slap Shot.

Newman was a rebel in winter by the time I interviewed him for the first time in 1990, for Mr. And Mrs. Bridge. (I'd get to pose questions to him again twice more, in 1994 for Nobody's Fool and in 2006 for his voicework in Disney-Pixar's Cars.) He turned out to be an uncomfortable interview, but one whose single-sentence answers could be practically poetic in their pithiness. Asked to describe his wife, he paused and pronounced quietly, "Tough ... cantankerous, delicious, lusty, disagreeable, fun."

"It's a pleasant spectrum to go back home to," he added with a smile.

"There is a lot of Paul in Mr. Bridge," Woodward said about the ram-rod stiff, hidebound lawyer from the novels of Evan Connell. "Paul is reticent, it's not easy for him to communicate his feelings. In one way it's why he's such a wonderful character actor, because his own feelings don't intrude on his performances.

"It's why he cooks and I make the public statements," she said. "He's a wonderful cook! Not a great public speaker."

For his part, Newman claimed to be channelling his own father in Mr. Bridge -- Arthur Newman, a Cleveland sporting goods store owner who died in 1950. "There's this old quote," Newman told us, "I will never be beyond the whisper of my father's voice."

Certainly, while his father was alive, Newman listened to that whisper of respectability. He joined the navy in the Second World War (he was rejected as a pilot because of colour blindness), got married (to first wife Jackie Witte), had children and even agreed to inherit the store when his father's health failed.

But Newman's days as a shopkeeper were short-lived, and it wasn't long before he and his young family moved on -- to Connecticut, where he studied drama at Yale, and in New York, where he debuted on Broadway as an understudy in William Inge's Picnic, alongside future wife Woodward.

Newman and Woodward's 50-year marriage was a freakish anomaly in Hollywood, one that rode out good times and bad (the worst of the latter being the overdose death of Newman's son, Scott, in 1978). He directed her to a best-actress Oscar nomination in Rachel, Rachel (adapted from Margaret Laurence's A Jest Of God). He would direct five more movies -- all but one of them (his adaptation of Ken Kesey's Sometimes A Great Notion) featuring his wife.

But Newman, who according to pal Redford had "the attention span of a bolt of lightning," gave up directing in the 1980s, just about the time his acting career was kicking in again. Then he won his Oscar.

As per Dylan Thomas, Newman did "not go gentle into that good night." Look no further than his offscreen career as a racecar driver -- one that actually alarmed some race officials as he approached age 80.

When I talked to him in 1994, on the eve of the release of his Oscar-nominated turn in Nobody's Fool, he had crashed in his past three races and swore that the next would be his last.

A few months later, Newman and his Newman/Haas team won that race, at Daytona, setting a Guinness Book record for the oldest driver to win a professionally sanctioned race.

So all bets were off, and he carried on his racing career.

"I'm a very competitive person, and I always have been," he said at the Cars press conference. "And it's hard to be competitive about something as amorphous as acting. But you can be competitive in racing because the rules are very simple, and the declaration of a winner is very concise."

His last race was in 2005, in a Fabcar Porsche Daytona prototype that Disney-Pixar sponsored at the Rolex 24 At Daytona for the team of Newman, Michael Brockman, and Champ Car champions Sebastien Bourdais and Cristiano da Matta. The team suffered mechanical problems and finished 51st.

But "finished" was not a word Newman ever used. He vowed in 2006 to race again, "with the blessing of my patient wife, and I will continue until at some point I embarrass myself."

But good sense -- or his wife -- prevailed, and Newman never raced again (except in a go-kart on Jay Leno's Tonight Show).

Newman was, after all, Nobody's Fool.

What they're saying

"I am extremely saddened to hear about Paul's passing. He was a great guy to be with around the track. He was one of a kind. Obviously I am just thinking of his family and wishing them well while they are trying to deal with this. It can't be easy. He's going to be missed, not just in the motor racing world but in every area that he participated in, in his life. He affected so many people in a positive way. I'm going to miss him and am fortunate to have known him."-- Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing driver Justin Wilson

"Paul Newman was a phenomenal individual who made a profound impact throughout his life. His acting skills are well-known, but equally impressive was his desire to give back and help those who just didn't get the same shake out of life that we did. "I got to know him through our time helping build Victory Junction Gang Camp and during my handful of races in the Rolex 24 Hours At Daytona. We connected as racers, but Paul's ideas of what we should do for charity is what really resonated with me the most."-- Tony Stewart

Hockey mourns Paul Newman

The death of actor Paul Newman on Friday at age 83 is being mourned worldwide, but it hits hockey particularly hard because Newman was the star of the best hockey movie ever made, “Slap Shot,” released in 1977.

Newman gained stardom in the 1950s and never lost the movie-star aura, appearing in such classic films as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Exodus," "The Hustler," "Cool Hand Luke," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Sting" and "The Verdict."

He finally won an Oscar in 1986 -- on his eighth try -- for "The Color of Money," a sequel to "The Hustler." He later received two more Oscar nominations. Among his other awards was the Motion Picture Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. But Newman was renowned in hockey circles for his portrayal of Reg Dunlop.

Steve Carlson, who played Steve Hanson in the film, knew for a long time that Newman was ill.

"We had a tribute to Slap Shot in Boston last year with the Bruins Alumni," Carlson said. "We had 'Dr. Hook,' Paul D'Amato; 'Hanrahan,' Christopher Murney; goalie Denis Lemieux,' Yvon Barrette; and 'Johnny Upton,' Allan F. Nichols. We tried to get Paul Newman to come up, but he wasn't feeling well even then and had to decline. It was great to see the boys again. What a cast that movie had."

Carlson was one of several real hockey players used in the movie. He grew up in Minnesota's Iron Range and played for the Johnstown Jets from 1974-76. He was the leading scorer in 1975-76. He then played two seasons for the Minnesota Fighting Saints in the WHA and then the New England Whalers and Edmonton Oilers of the WHA. Carlson broke into the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings in 1979-80 and played 52 games. He ended his playing career in 1987 after playing four seasons with the AHL Baltimore Skipjacks.

Carlson took advantage of his “Slap Shot” role and appeared with the other "Hanson Brothers," his brother, Jeff Carlson and Dave Hanson, in charity fundraisers over the years. He's got his shtick down pat:

"I made Newman what he is," Carlson exclaimed. "He was just a young pup trying to make his way in the movie business and we put him over the top. Remember, he won his first Academy Award after Slap Shot.

"Truthfully, I'm very saddened. Paul Newman was a great, great man. A great man. You know, we weren't actors. We were hockey players and he took us under his wing and guided us to what we had to do. With him there, we had a fabulous time doing it. He was one of the world's best actors but with us, he was just one of the boys. We laughed and had fun and worked when we had to work. We had a really good time doing that movie."

Carlson had some difficulty with the memories, so he retreated again to the safety and comfort of humor.

"After all we did for him, he goes and steals our family recipes for salad dressing and popcorn," Carlson cracked. "Then he got into race-car driving because he knew we were after him and couldn't catch him in those cars of his.

"I always thought it was the main characters, Paul Newman and Strother Martin, that made that movie. We were a big part of it but they really made that movie a classic. What a cast.”

Carlson's humor touched on a sore point. Newman was one of the greatest actors of his era, if not the best. He was nominated six times for Best Actor In A Leading Role Oscar for “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof,” “The Hustler,” “Hud,” “Cool Hand Luke,” “Absence of Malice” and “The Verdict” before winning in 1986 with “The Color of Money.” He was nominated again in 1995 for “Nobody's Fool,” but again didn't win.

Carlson said he has stayed in touch with a lot of the characters in Slap Shot but hadn't seen Brad Sullivan in a long time. Sullivan, "Mo" in “Slap Shot,” was in two movies with Newman. He was also the sleazy, incompetent hit man, "Cole," in “The Sting,” another movie directed by the late George Roy Hill.

"This is terrible news, what, he must be about 81 now," Sullivan said. "I've had so many friends getting very sick in recent months. We were in ‘The Sting’ together, but I didn't get to know him then as well as when we did ‘Slap Shot.’ He was a good person and this upsets me."

"My first recollection of Paul Newman is the day he knocked on my door in Johnstown," said Hanson, who played three seasons with the Jets. "This was prior to making the movie and I was taking a nap. I open the door and there's Paul Newman! Put his hand out and said, 'I'm Paul Newman, sorry to bother you. Can I bring these guys in and show them what a hockey player's apartment looks like?' I'm like, ‘No way, it's a dump,’ but he asks if I have a beer, grabs one from the fridge and sits down and starts watching a race on the television.

"That's the kind of guy he was. Our relationship just grew from that, and believe me, my stories about that time with him can go on and on. He was a terrific guy and a man's man, the kind of guy you wanted to be buddies with.

"For the three months that we were filming, he'd pull us into his RV, crack open beers, listen to classical music and tell dirty jokes. He would sneak off with us to find quiet bars until the word got out and people started recognizing him. He didn't like doing autographs because he didn't need the ego boost and it made him feel uncomfortable to be on a pedestal.

"We were young hockey players then and Steve and his brothers pulled a lot of pranks on people," Hanson continued. "Paul joined in and wound up giving as good as he got. That made everyone feel at ease. I was fortunate to be able to keep in touch with him over the years and went to a few races with him.

"He was just a great guy and his legacy will be that you look at the millions and millions of dollars he generated and what he did with it, all the philanthropy. He was a guy who could put on a tux, but he'd rather be in loafers, jeans and a T-shirt and be with regular guys. It said a lot about him.

"As far as his talent, he took to heart the acting lessons we gave him and went on to fame while we toiled for another 25 years before getting a best supporting actor award for a DVD premiere, Slap Shot II. Tell the truth, I don't know if anyone's acting ability rubbed off onto anyone else.

"Paul canceled a couple of things a while back, saying he had back problems, but I guess things were getting worse. I've got a book coming out in November and Paul was going to write the forward but I got a call recently that he was going to be laid up for awhile."

“Slap Shot” was based on a book written by Nancy Dowd, whose brother, Ned, was a member of the 1975-76 Johnstown Jets. He told his sister the team was for sale and when she asked who owned it, Ned Dowd replied he didn't know. That and stories her brother told her convinced Nancy Dowd to move to Johnstown and write her fictional account of a desperate hockey season. Jets' players were used in the movie, which was released in 1977.

Newman played Reg Dunlop, a washed-up player who hangs on by accepting the job of player-coach of the Charlestown Chiefs of the Federal League. The team is playing poorly when General Manager Joe McGrath, played by Strother Martin, signs the immature but brutally physical Hanson Brothers, a trio of muscular, long-haired, turtle-shell-glasses wearing nose breakers who play with a train set they brought with them. Dunlop turns the team around by adopting the Hanson Brothers "Old Time Hockey" approach and by lying to his players that there's a buyer in Florida for the team.

Newman was married to actress Joanne Woodward for 50 years and they had three daughters. He had two children from a previous marriage to Jackie Witte.

Bourdais Pays Tribute to Paul Newman

An emotional Sebastien Bourdais paid tribute to his former team boss Paul Newman in the Singapore paddock after the conclusion of this evening’s qualifying session.

Bourdais, who won 31 races and 4 Champ Car titles with the Academy Award winner’s team, admitted that the news was on his mind throughout today’s session, when he failed to make it beyond Q1 for the first time in eight races.

“My engineer sent me an e-mail this morning” said the Frenchman, “so when I woke up it was not starting to be a good day straight away. But then I am sure that he is better off where he is right now than being in pain and suffering, (we should) not be selfish about it.”

The Toro Rosso driver cast his mind back to the first time he met Newman, soon after moving to Champ Car in 2003. “I watched a few of his films, and he was a great actor, although it wasn’t my era” said Bourdais. “I remember that first movie of his that I saw was Cool Hand Luke, and it was weird when I first met him because I had that image of him in my head.”

“The first time we met was very brief. I was testing at Sebring prior to my first race with the team, and I had just set the fastest lap of the day. He thought, ‘that kid must be fast!’ The next time we met was just after I had taken my first pole position in Champ Car at St. Petersburg in 2003, and myself and Claire (Sebastien’s wife) had dinner with him, and we spent the evening talking about France and the Le Mans 24 Hours.

“You could see the passion in his eyes and you could tell how much he enjoyed what he was doing. We shared great moments with him and then I raced with him in the Baja 1000 and the 24 Hours of Daytona.”

Having moved back to Europe to prepare for the F1 season, Bourdais added that although he had not seen Newman recently, they still maintained contact. “Obviously I had not seen him since Mexico City and the banquet and the end of last season, but we kept in touch,” he said. “I think I was talking to him every 2-3 weeks maximum. He didn’t tell me (about his illness), he didn’t want to talk about it, but then I got the news that he was terminal. From that point he tried to stay close to his family, and I felt that it was not my place anymore.”

When asked to sum up what Newman brought to his enormously successful Champ Car team along with long-time partner Carl Haas, Bourdais said, “it’s very difficult to quantify, but he gave a spirit to the team that was very much his image. Between Carl and him, the mix was very impassioned, and trying as hard as they could – it perspired through the whole team.”

In closing, Bourdais added that Newman was “a guy who has spent a lot of time to try and do a lot of good things around him, especially for kids with the Hole In The Wall camps. I know he will be dearly missed and I am thinking about the guys at Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing right now.”

Statement released by Newman's Own Foundation

Statement released Saturday by Robert Forrester, vice-chairman of Newman's Own Foundation:

Paul Newman's craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all.

"Paul had an abiding belief in the role that luck plays in one's life, and its randomness. He was quick to acknowledge the good fortune he had in his own life, beginning with being born in America, and was acutely aware of how unlucky so many others were. True to his character, he quietly devoted himself to helping offset this imbalance.

An exceptional example is the legacy of Newman's Own. What started as something of a joke in the basement of his home, turned into a highly-respected, multi-million-dollar-a-year food company. And true to form, he shared this good fortune by donating all the profits and royalties he earned to thousands of charities around the world, a total which now exceeds $250 million.

While his philanthropic interests and donations were wide-ranging, he was especially committed to the thousands of children with life-threatening conditions served by the Hole in the Wall Camps, which he helped start over 20 years ago. He saw the Camps as places where kids could escape the fear, pain and isolation of their conditions, kick back and raise a little hell. Today, there are 11 Camps around the world, with additional programs in Africa and Vietnam. Through the Camps, well over 135,000 children have had the chance to experience what childhood was meant to be.

In Paul's words: "I wanted to acknowledge luck; the chance and benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, who might not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it."

Paul took advantage of what life offered him, and while personally reluctant to acknowledge that he was doing anything special, he forever changed the lives of many with his generosity, humor, and humanness. His legacy lives on in the charities he supported and the Hole in the Wall Camps, for which he cared so much.

We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person.

Robert Redford 'Beyond Words' over Newman's Death

Paul Newman’s lasting impact in Hollywood was more than evident Saturday, a day after the Oscar winner succumbed to cancer, as stars and pals alike expressed their sadness over his death.

"There is a point where feelings go beyond words," two-time costar Robert Redford said in a statement. "I have lost a real friend. My life – and this country – is better for his being in it."

The pair, who shared heartthrob status in their heyday, starred together in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in 1969 and again in The Sting, in 1973. A testament to their easygoing friendship: Redford famously gave Newman a dented, engine-less Porsche as a joke for his birthday one year. Newman repaid the favor by having the car crushed and sent back to the actor.

Hollywood in Mourning

Newman's Absence of Malice costar Sally Field echoed the sentiment of fondness for the Oscar winner. "I was blessed to have known him," she said in a statement. "The world is better because of him. Sometimes God makes perfect people and Paul Newman was one of them."

Victoria Principal, who worked alongside Newman in the 1972 film The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean, referred to the actor as "my first leading man" in a statement. She added that he "set the bar impossibly high for everyone after that. His generosity was real and inspirational to everyone who knew him and the world was a better place while he was here."

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger saluted Newman for both his “cool” screen persona and his even greater sense of the world around him. “Paul Newman was the ultimate cool guy, who men wanted to be like and women adored," he said. "He was an American icon, a brilliant actor, a Renaissance man and a generous but modest philanthropist."

He continued, “He entertained millions in some of Hollywood’s most memorable roles ever, and he brightened the lives of many more, especially seriously ill children, through his charitable works. Paul was one of a kind. The beloved film star will be missed by a world of fans and admirers. Maria and I send our thoughts and prayers to his wife, Joanne Woodward, his entire family and his many friends.”

Sen. Hillary Clinton and former President Clinton also acknowledged Newman's good deeds in a statement: “Paul was an American icon, philanthropist and champion for children. We will miss our dear friend, whose continued support always meant the world to us. Our prayers and thoughts are with Joanne and the Newman family and the many people who Paul impacted through his endless kindness and generosity.”

ACTOR, RACE ENTHUSIAST PAUL NEWMAN DEAD AT 83

Legendary actor and racing enthusiast Paul Newman has died. He was 83.

Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.

Newman first took an interest in auto racing while filming the 1968 motion picture "Winning", in which he played the role Frank Capua, an Indy 500 driver. While he continued to act, enjoying an illustrious Oscar-winning career, he never gotten the racing bug out of his system.

His first win was in 1972 at Thompson, Connecticut, in a Lotus Elan. While developing his skills as a sports-car driver, he also competed in a modified stock car at Daytona. In 1977, he finished fifth in the 24 Hours of Daytona and two years later co-drove a Porsche 935 to second place in the 24 Hours of LeMans. His last major triumph came in 1995 at the age of 70 when he co-drove to victory in the IMSA GTS class at the 24 Hours of Daytona.

Newman earned his first of four SCCA National driving titles in 1976 in the D-Production category. He also won titles in the 1979 C-Production class and was the GT-1 champion in both 1985 and 1986.

His first professional Trans-Am victory came at Brainerd, Minnesota, in 1982, and he followed that with another win at Lime Rock in 1986. Before joining Carl Haas as co-owner of Newman/Haas Racing in 1983, he fielded the likes of Danny Sullivan, Bobby Rahal, Al Unser, Teo Fabi, Keke Rosberg and Elliott Forbes-Robinson in the Can Am series. In 2002, he was still winning races in SCCA-sanctioned events and he competed most recently as a professional in the 2005 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona.

In 1982, Newman and his long time Can Am Series rival Carl Haas joined forces to form Newman/Haas Racing. The following year, the duo entered the Champ Car series with Mario Andretti as the team's driver.

Since then, the team has won 107 IndyCar/Champ Car races and eight series championships with five different drivers - Mario Andretti (1984), Michael Andretti (1991), Nigel Mansell (1993), Cristiano da Matta (2002) and Sebastien Bourdais (2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007). Mike Lanigan joined the ownership group in 2007, marking the team's 25th year of competition.

In 2008, the team was one of several Champ Car entries who elected to join the Indy Racing League following the merger of the two open-wheel organizations. Despite a difficult transition year, Newman/Haas/Lanigan claimed two wins with Graham Rahal in St. Petersburg and Justin Wilson in Detroit.

"On behalf of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, my wife Bernadette and myself, I want to express our most sincere condolences to Joanne and the entire Newman family on the loss of a great human being," said co-owner and longtime friend Carl Haas. "Paul and I have been partners for 26 years and I have come to know his passion, humor and above all, his generosity. Not just economic generosity, but generosity of spirit. His support of the team's drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary.

"His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him. We will truly miss him."

Former Newman/Haas driver Bobby Rahal also recalled Newman as more than just someone who liked the sport of racing.

"I had the pleasure of driving for Mr. Newman in 1981 and I was richer for the experience," Rahal said. "He was a man of class and he was also deservedly very highly regarded for his driving skills. The world is a poorer place today for his passing."

Over his distinguished movie career, Newman was featured in several sports films. Two of his of his most memorable were pool shark 'Fast' Eddie Felson ('The Hustler' - 1961 and 'The Colour of Money' - 1986) and aging pro hockey player Reg Dunlop ('Slap Shot' - 1977). He also provided the voice for race car Doc Hudson in the 2005 animated feature 'Cars.'

Newman took home the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Felson in 'The Colour of Money' and has attained cult hero status with hockey fans for his role as Dunlop.

Hollywood icon Paul Newman dead at 83

Hollywood legend Paul Newman, who won accolades for his roles in films such as "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Sting," has died at age 83.

Newman, who had been battling cancer, passed away at his home near Westport, Conn., on Friday with family and friends by his side.

Newman's movie career began in the 1950s and spanned six decades, making him one of the industry's best-known stars. He often played rebellious mavericks and cultivated an enduring image of masculine cool that transcended his films and made him a cultural icon.

Alongside his wildly-successful motion picture career, Newman was a business man and race car driver who placed in the top five at some of the most competitive races in the U.S. during the 1970s.

The 10-time Oscar nominee was also an acclaimed director and a philanthropist who donated millions of dollars to charity.

Canadian actor Christopher Plummer, who first met Newman in the 1950s, said the blue-eyed thespian was a selfless anomaly in Hollywood.

"I miss him like mad," Plummer told CTV Newsnet Saturday afternoon.

"He was modest, he shunned fame - he was an actual real person for a change," he said, adding that Newman was a modest, generous man who lived modestly despite his international fame.

"He was totally un-actorish," said Plummer.

In the early 1980s, Newman started up the "Newman's Own" brand as a way to sell his homemade salad dressing. The company, which also made popcorn, spaghetti sauce and other products, has turned into a multi-million dollar business which has donated $175 million to charities.

Even in his 60s and 70s, Newman kept up an impressive production pace with such films as "The Road to Perdition" and "Message in a Bottle." However, the star pulled out of a plan to remake the play "Of Mice and Men" last spring because of health problems.

Even some of Hollywood's biggest names were star struck by Newman.

"He'd slug me if I was to call him an icon that I was intimidated by," said actor Tom Hanks in 2002 after the pair worked together on "The Road to Perdition."

"But he's much more than anything you'd expect. He's much more relaxed, unassuming. He gets it. He understands that the biggest job of being an actor, the hardest thing to do is to really capture 45 seconds of truth on film in the course of a long day."

Newman won three Oscars in his career, including two honourary trophies and a win for his turn in the pool-shark flick "The Color of Money," which teamed him with Tom Cruise.

"There is a kind of empathy he has shown throughout his career for this kind of underdog," said director Robert Benton of Newman in 1994.

"He just feels what they're going through from the inside, just feels them. He loves the way people just barely get by."

Newman, who married in 1958, also worked with his wife Joanne Woodward in films such as "Rachel, Rachel."

Despite Newman's heartthrob image and his bad boy onscreen persona, the couple's long marriage was an anomaly in Hollywood.

When asked by Playboy if he was ever tempted to cheat on his wife, Newman replied, "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?"

Though Newman got a relatively late start in the acting game, within a few years of his film debut in 1955's "The Silver Chalice," the actor was a major force on the big screen.

In 1958, Newman starred alongside Elizabeth Taylor in the celluloid version of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

Three years later, Newman was cast as a pool shark in "The Hustler," which would become one of the actor's best-loved roles.

In 1967, "Cool Hand Luke" was released to critical and commercial acclaim, with Newman playing a rebellious convict bucking against authority. The character struck a chord with audiences and seized on the era's anti-establishment mood.

Though other commercial and critical successes followed in the 1970s and 1980s, it wasn't until Newman reprised his pool hustler role with "The Color of Money" in 1986 that he won his first contemporaneous Oscar.

With his famous blue eyes and handsome features, Newman was the typical Hollywood heartthrob, film critic Richard Crouse told CTV Newsnet on Saturday.

"He really set the template for the modern movie star," he said, pointing to today's stars like Brad Pitt and George Clooney who split their time between film work and philanthropy.

Newman also blazed a trail for younger actors by picking tough underdog roles, such as his turn as a convict in "Cool Hand Luke."

"There's so many iconic images that are associated with him," added Crouse, pointing to his buddy roles with Robert Redford in the massive films "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting."

"He went beyond just being an attractive screen stud and became a really interesting actor, who brought something unique to every role he did."

An actor's passion for auto racing

Paul Newman wanted to be a great athlete—he just never found a sport in which he could excel. Then, while filming the movie “Winning” in 1969 at age 43, he discovered auto racing.

“I was never a very graceful person. The only time I ever really feel coordinated is when I dance with Joanne,” he once told The Associated Press, referring to his wife, Joanne Woodward. “And that’s not my doing. But when I’m behind the wheel of race car, I feel competent and in charge. It’s something I really enjoy.”

Newman, an Oscar-winning actor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and race car driver, died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn., publicist Jeff Sanderson said.

Tony George, the chief executive officer of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and founder of the Indy Racing League, said: “To all his fans worldwide and those close to him in our racing community, we share a deep sense of loss, but cherish the many fond memories we will forever carry with us.”

Newman spoke of his passion for racing during a 1995 interview with the AP shortly after he was part of the winning team in the Daytona 24-Hours sports car endurance race. He was 70 years old at the time. No one remotely close to that age had ever won in that event.

Newman could be terse and distant in his rare interviews, but he would light up when he talked about his favorite sport.

“I don’t like talking about acting because that’s business and pretty boring,” Newman told the AP another time. “And politics can get you in trouble. But I’ll always talk about racing because the people are interesting and fun, the sport is a lot more exciting than anything else I do, and nobody cares that I’m an actor. I wish I could spend all my time at the racetrack.”

When Newman decided to get into racing, it was more than just being in the cockpit that interested him. He became a car owner in the Can-Am Series, campaigning cars for a number of top drivers, including Indianapolis 500 winners Al Unser, Danny Sullivan and Bobby Rahal, as well as Formula One champion Keke Rosberg.

After competing against team owner Carl Haas in Can-Am, Newman formed a partnership with the Chicago businessman, starting Newman/Haas Racing in 1983 and joining the CART series.

With Mario Andretti hired as its first driver, the team was an instant success. Throughout the last 26 years, the team—now known as Newman/Haas/Lanigan and part of the IndyCar Series—has won 107 races and eight series championships with drivers like Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Cristiano da Matta, Paul Tracy and Sebastien Bourdais.

“He was a great man and he will be dearly missed,” Bourdais said from Singapore, site of this weekend’s Formula One race.

Despite a heavy schedule, Newman came to the track as often as possible. He tried without much success to keep a low profile as he roamed pit lane on his motor scooter or sat at the team’s pit box, his baseball cap pulled low over those famous blue eyes, a pair of reading glasses—used for reading the timing and scoring monitor—dangling from a string around his neck.

“Paul and I have been partners for 26 years and I have come to know his passion, humor and, above all, his generosity,” Haas said in a statement after learning of Newman’s death. “Not just economic generosity, but generosity of spirit. His support of the team’s drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary. His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him.”

Newman’s many charitable works extended to racing. Kyle Petty and his wife founded a camp for chronically ill children in North Carolina, modeled on Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang camps.

“He was dedicated to giving back to those less fortunate and with each child we see, we honor his spirit and vision,” Petty said.

Two-time Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart competed against Newman in several sports car races.

“We connected as racers, but Paul’s ideas of what we should do for charity is what really resonated with me the most,” Stewart said.

After playing the role of an Indy 500 driver in “Winning,” Newman found he couldn’t get the driving bug out of his system. And he found he had a real talent for the sport.

Newman began racing sports cars in amateur divisions and won his first race in 1972 at Thompson, Conn., in a Lotus Elan. He earned the first of four SCCA National title in 1976 in the D-Production class and also won championships in the 1979 C-Production category, as well as taking the GT-1 championship in 1985 and 1986.

His first professional victory came in the rain at an SCCA trans-Am race at Brainerd, Minn., in 1982.

When Newman arrived in the media center at Brainerd for the winner’s interview, a bottle of champagne in hand and a huge smile on his face, he found just two writers waiting for him.

“Where is everybody? I guess I’ll have to win something a little bigger than this to get any attention,” he said.

Newman added another Trans-Am win at his home track in Lime Rock, Conn., in 1986.

He often said one of the things that attracted him most to racing was the camaraderie in the pits and paddock. And Newman loved a good practical joke, even when it was played on him.

During a race at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wis., several drivers conspired to pull a fast one on him. They hired a bus and sent it to a home for the aged, telling the residents that actor Paul Newman had invited them for lunch and a day at the track. About 40 women jumped at the offer.

Newman was at the track when a crewman came in and said, “Paul, there’s a bunch of people out here who say they’re supposed to have lunch with you.” Newman came out of his motor coach smiling and played the role of gracious host at a hastily arranged lunch for the adoring ladies.

When the Indy Racing League was formed, Newman/Haas stuck with CART and Newman tried numerous times during the 12-year split to broker a deal to get the rival organizations back under one banner.

Once, when a deal appeared close in the late 1990s, Newman summoned a writer to his motor coach at Portland, Ore., and demanded: “Write about this now and we’ll put some pressure on these people to get this done,” he said, with a profanity tossed in to underline his point.

It finally did get done, but not until this past February.

Newman was thrilled by the unification, even though it was the IRL’s IndyCar Series that wound up the winner of the internecine warfare.

“It’s about time,” Newman said. “Now, we can tell potential sponsors we have a future and mean it, and we can develop great, young drivers that will attract new fans to the sport. The future looks much brighter now.”

As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand. He managed to combine acting with racing by providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, “Cars.”

Newman drove his last race as a professional in the 2005 Daytona 24-Hours and even ran some hot laps around his beloved Lime Rock Park in August.

As the years went on, people kept asking him when he was going to quit racing. His reply was standard.

“That’s what Joanne keeps asking me,” he said.

How the Newmans made Westport their own

When I was a kid, I never understood why my older sister got so giddy whenever we saw this middle-aged guy in tight jeans and a white T-shirt zipping around town on a bright blue motorcycle.

It was only Paul Newman. So what?

Only later did I realize that not every small town has a bona fide movie star so tightly woven into the fabric of daily life. It's almost impossible to imagine this small Connecticut town on the Long Island Sound now that he is gone.

"He was always at ease in the town, not pretentious," said Westport News columnist and high school soccer coach Dan Woog. "He stayed in the town for 50 years and became part of the community without imposing himself or being overwhelming. When he'd speak to school classes, it was as a father, not as Butch Cassidy."

Newman died at his home Friday surrounded by his family and close friends, his publicist said.

We used to see the actor buying apple cider at the farm stands in the fall. He came to our high school, at the height of the psychedelic era, to lecture us on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse, a cause he embraced even before the traumatic loss of his only son to an accidental overdose.

As he aged and stepped back from the demands of making film after film, he and his wife, the actress Joanne Woodward, helped revitalize the endangered Westport Country Playhouse and also aided with the construction of a new library, a treasured town resource.

They loaned their star power to local causes large and small, with Newman often vending popcorn at charity events. In exchange, they received something quite precious — near total privacy, far from the glaring lights of Hollywood and New York.

"People were very proud that he was here, but they really respected his personal life," said Mollie Donovan, a Westport Historical Society leader who worked with Newman and Woodward on a variety of projects. "We never got in his face. Even if they hadn't been stars, you would have been happy to have them as friends — such warm people."

She said Newman and Woodward showed their affection for Westport in a variety of ways, from helping establish a permanent art collection for the town schools to donating land to preserve open spaces here. Newman also acted in and directed local dramas and sometimes read stories to children at the library.

"That tells you how he felt about Westport," she said.

Donovan remembers an occasion several years back when Newman and Woodward opened the renovated barn where they lived to the public for a charity fundraiser. The house was just like any other in town — except for the Emmys and Oscars on discreet display on a little shelf with other family knick-knacks.

"I'll never forget that," Donovan said.

Rumors about Newman's fading health swirled throughout Westport this summer, but Donovan and others said they shied away from asking Woodward about her husband's fight against cancer because she didn't want to violate their privacy. Those who had seen Newman said he appeared painfully thin and frail.

Everyone in town knew where Newman and Woodward lived in the woods near Coleytown school, but no security perimeter was established because none was needed. No one ventured in without an invitation.

The only exception, Woodward told me when we had a working lunch two years ago to discuss her work at the Playhouse, came during what she jokingly referred to as her husband's "international sex symbol phase."

Those were the high-profile days when Newman was central to several smash hits, including his partnerships with pal Robert Redford for "The Sting" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

Back then, Woodward said, curious female fans would sometimes cruise up to the house hoping to catch a glimpse of the star, only to be chased away by the couple's children and their false-fierce Irish wolfhound.

I only interviewed Newman once. He was distant until I asked about the way the town had changed, how the precious old orchards had been bulldozed to make way for condos and car dealerships.

Then the famous blue eyes flashed with anger.

Woodward told me they moved to Westport — spending $96,000 in 1960 for a house and two barns that are worth millions today — for the same reason that drew so many to the suburbs during the Eisenhower and Kennedy eras: they were looking for a quiet place to raise their kids.

They avoided the flashy and the opulent, settling in a peaceful, bucolic part of town deep in the forest rather than buying one of the Gold Coast estates favored by corporate chieftains and entertainment moguls.

When Newman and Woodward moved in, Westport was still known as something of a writers and artists retreat. During his lifetime it would become a wealthy town popular with investment bankers and financiers — a transformation symbolized by the changing face of Main Street, where Bill's Smoke Shop shut down and Tiffany & Co. opened up.

Newman and Woodward chose to live far from Hollywood, where their scintillating romance had generated far more coverage than they wanted, especially since Newman was married to another woman when they met.

Since then, the gossip ceased because there was nothing to gossip about — no boozy confrontations, no reports of secret lovers, no financial scandals. Just a conventional, rock-solid marriage.

Woodward even supported, a bit reluctantly, Newman's late-in-life embrace of auto racing, though she did suggest he slow down, literally, when he passed 80.

In a town that is now marked by conspicuous consumption — matching his-and-her Mercedes are common — Newman and Woodward chose to downplay their financial success, although he did sometimes fly home by helicopter, landing in the open school grounds near his house before flight regulations made that more difficult.

Woodward told me she was appalled by the huge houses sprouting throughout the town as cookie-cutter "McMansions" replaced the aging, colonial-style homes she treasured. She said she wanted to buy up a nearby house several years ago to prevent it from being demolished, but was overruled by her husband, who felt it was too pricey.

"I think like everybody else they remembered the town as it was, the mom-and-pop stores that are gone now, and they recognized it wasn't the same," said Woog. "But even as it changed something kept them here, they still thought it was a special place."

Paul Newman's sly sense of humor was on a roll

My managing editor at the Westport (Conn.) News in the summer of 1979 had but one goal — talking to Paul Newman — but when the time came, she was woefully unprepared.

Westport's most famous resident had called the office to suggest a story idea. She answered and was convinced it was a crank.

"Sure, you're Paul Newman," she said, angrily crashing the phone back into its cradle.

But after making a few checks, we determined it really WAS Newman. A handyman who renovated an old barn on Newman's property into a projection room had become seriously ill. Newman wanted to throw a party to show off his work.

The local paper was welcome to send a reporter and a photographer, with one condition: We were to do our work without the guest of honor learning who we were, so the story could be a surprise when the paper was delivered next week.

After some deliberation, I was given the assignment. About to be a junior in college, I had worked hard that summer for meager wages. This was a reward.

So I drove my beat-up Dodge Dart onto the long driveway approaching Newman's home. A woman walked down to meet me. The hired help? Not quite. It was Joanne Woodward.

Newman and I stood outside of the projection room for a few minutes talking about his handyman. Newman swore a lot. I was a college student; I thought that was cool.

During the party, I mingled and did my work surreptitiously, asking the man's friends stories about him to fill out the story with personal details.

When the first person told me to go into the bathroom and check out the toilet paper, I found it a little odd. When the second person said it, I was intrigued. By the time it was mentioned a third time, I knew my next destination.

The roll of tissue by the toilet paper was emblazoned with a famous actor's face. Every sheet of it.

"Greetings from Robert Redford!" it said.

I ripped off a few sheets and stuffed them into my pocket, a summer's favorite souvenir.

Quotations by Paul Newman

Quotations from Paul Newman from The Associated Press archives:

"The light that you think you emanate is not necessarily the light that other people see. You think of yourself as a shy, retiring whatever it is, and some other people will see you in an entirely different way. ... You have to constantly learn. Obviously, you have to start with some kind of gift, but people don't understand that. ... I don't have a gift for anything. I've only had a gift of pursuit." — 1990.

"I remember a speech I did at a graduation. I was saying how you spend your whole life trying to get 'it' and you never know what the 'it' is. You want to connect somehow, to be in touch, and this business is terrible because it encourages you to create that protective wall. Otherwise, you get eaten alive." — 1994.

"There aren't many jobs you do where you do your work and people criticize you in print and on television about it. 'He's really off. He shouldn't do that.' ... They praise me, too, but that can be just as bad." — 1994.

"I didn't seek out those (anti-hero) roles. They're probably written better. ... Maybe it's because the writers, good writers try to choose people who are loners or are anti-heroes for characters. You can probably find some good connection between that and their own writing talent." — 1994.

"I've been trying to quit almost everything I do for the last 10 years, and I've managed to quit absolutely nothing. ... I was going to give up my race team, I was going to quit racing. I was going to quit films. I was going to turn the salad-dressing business over to somebody else. And get out of politics. And unfortunately, I'm busier now than before." 2002.

"I used to make three pictures a year, and now I make a picture every three years. Things change. There have been a lot of good things out there, but they weren't the kind of pictures that I wanted to make. I didn't want to do pictures about explosions. I don't want to do pictures about shattered glass and broken bodies and blood. That just doesn't interest me." 2002.

On his longevity: "Luck. ... Genetics is luck. Appearance is luck ... being born in the United States." — 1999.

On working with Robert Redford on "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting": "We were lucky. We did two almost perfect films together. And to try to maintain that special quality is pretty tough." — 1999.

On continuing acting or not: "There's a lot of stuff floating around, but I don't like to talk about it until it's in cement. I think I'd like to make one more film and then take a powder. It's time Joanne and I spent quality time together." — 2005.

On his Newman's Own food business: "I got into the theater because I was running away from the sporting goods business. I could never understand the romance of it — I mean, of any (retail) business. ... Now that I'm in this business, I understand the allure of market share, and killing the opposition. ... Yes, I'm very competitive." — 1999.

On auto racing: "Young (drivers) think about winning. I think about whether I'm going to have a pulse. ... When you get older and older, you start slowing down. Everything is off one-50th of 1 percent. Your eyes are a little off, your reflexes, touch — everything. You multiply that by just a factor of 1 percent, that's two or three seconds a lap." — 1990.

"I don't regret anything. It came at the right time. I was getting bored acting. ...You become passionate about one thing, it leads back into something else. If you can gain a sense of passion and commitment in your life in one arena, it's bound to bleed back into other arenas. ... In all the things I started to attack — football, tennis — I had no gift for it at all. I had no gift for racing, either. It's just something that I really wanted to do." — 1990.

"I'm thrilled. I'm on a roll now, and maybe now I can get a job." — Joking after winning his first best-actor Oscar in 1997.

Quotes about Paul Newman

Reaction to the death of actor Paul Newman:

"There is a point where feelings go beyond words. I have lost a real friend. My life — and this country — is better for his being in it." — Robert Redford.

"I was blessed to have know him. The world is better because of him. Sometimes God makes perfect people and Paul Newman was one of them." — Sally Field.

"Paul Newman's craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all. — Robert Forrester, vice chairman of Newman's Own Foundation.

"Paul was a very fine actor and a really good race driver. But mostly, he personified humanity — always taking care of those who were less fortunate. For me, this will be his legacy." — David Letterman.

"Paul and I have been partners for 26 years and I have come to know his passion, humor and, above all, his generosity. Not just economic generosity, but generosity of spirit. His support of the team's drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary. His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him." — Carl Haas, Newman's racing-team partner.

"Yes, his eyes were that blue and beautiful. ... His legacy as a humanitarian for children around the world is unmatchable. My heartfelt sympathy goes out to Joanne and the family." — Eva Marie Saint.

"Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special. Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity." — Newman's five daughters.

"Paul Newman was the ultimate cool guy who men wanted to be like and women adored. He was an American icon, a brilliant actor, a Renaissance man and a generous but modest philanthropist. He entertained millions in some of Hollywood's most memorable roles ever, and he brightened the lives of many more, especially seriously ill children, through his charitable works. — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"We mourn not only the passing of a screen legend, an actor of great depth and charisma who touched generations of fans, but we have lost a true Connecticut treasure in Paul Newman. We were blessed to have him as a friend and neighbor in Connecticut for nearly a half-century." — Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell.

"Paul was an American icon, philanthropist and champion for children. We will miss our dear friend, whose continued support always meant the world to us. Our prayers and thoughts are with Joanne and the Newman family and the many people who Paul impacted through his endless kindness and generosity." — U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and former President Bill Clinton.

Friends, Family, Colleagues Remember Paul Newman

With his passing on Friday, Paul Newman leaves behind an inspirational, 83-year legacy of talent, love and compassion. This morning family, friends and colleagues are paying tribute to the prolific film star, racecar aficionado and passionate philanthropist.

"He set the bar too high for the rest of us. Not just actors, but all of us." - George Clooney

"He was my hero." - Julia Roberts

“Paul Newman played many unforgettable roles. But the ones for which he was proudest never had top billing on the marquee. Devoted husband. Loving father. Adoring grandfather. Dedicated philanthropist... Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune. In his own words: 'It’s been a privilege to be here.' He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves us with extraordinary inspiration to draw upon. During this difficult time, we ask for privacy for our family.” - Statement from Newman's three daughters Elinor, Melissa and Claire, whose mother is Oscar-winning actress Joanne Woodward

"He was a master of his craft — an artist respected and emulated by his peers and beloved by movie fans around the world." - Dan Glickman, the chairman of the Motion Picture Association of America

“Paul Newman’s craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all." - Robert Forrester, vice-chairman of Newman’s Own Foundation, which has donated more than $250 million charities worldwide.

"All who knew him, worked with him and who have been touched by his kindness and generosity are extremely fortunate. It was Paul's dream that the camps continue to thrive and provide laughter to children who need it most, and we will keep that dream alive." - Statement from the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, which Newman founded in 1988 for children with serious medical needs.

Paul Newman: An Appreciation

Thank you, Paul Newman.

Thank you for loving Joanne Woodward as you did, not just because lifelong love is a treasure unto itself, but because the example of your relationship was a charm against cynicism about the frivolity of Hollywood love. You two were also awfully darn cute.

Thank you for thoroughly enjoying your presence on Nixon's enemies list—pretty sure that's in the highest traditions of the American spirit.

Thank you for the condiments, and the supermarket glee we all got out of "Paul Newman! He has salad dressing! Can you believe it! What? And now he's sellin' microwave popcorn, too? Will wonders never cease..." The sauce was delicious, and the mission of the charity receiving the brand's revenues was heroic. (Psst...readers. Want to bypass the grocery store and go straight to the source? Hit up Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang charity online.)

And the movies...thank you, Paul Newman, for the movies.

Thank you for being the desert miscreant of Hud—that movie was Larry McMurtry's big entrée into Westerns, and we can't help but think that Heath Ledger was doing a little bit of Hud when he made Brokeback Mountain.

Thank you for Cool Hand Luke, because we all love muttering, "What we've got here is failure to communicate" (even if it wasn't even your line), and because by god, you were cool and somehow you made the rest of us feel cool, too. Also, nice abs, dude. No shame in memorializing them here, because it seems like you just arrived in this world looking that beautiful, and yet you were still not the least bit vain.

Thank you for Somebody Up There Likes Me, for Butch and Sundance, and The Hustler and The Sting, Young Philadelphians and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Thank you.

Thank you for burning your tuxedo on your 75th birthday. We all missed seeing you at the flashy Hollywood ceremonies, but we surely salute the independence.

Thank you for sharing yourself with us for over 50 years. Five would have been an honor. Fifty is a treasure we could not measure if we tried.

Thank you for working into the last year of your life, because you had so much to offer.

Thank you for those blue eyes, and sharing them with us, and for never once losing your sense of humor about the whole thing. Did you really once say that your epitaph would be, "Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown"?

Not a chance, cowboy.

Thank you for being a great man, a great movie star and a great American. You did us all so very proud.

Julia Roberts: Paul Newman 'Was My Hero'

As Hollywood mourns the loss of a screen legend, Oscar winner Julia Roberts remembered Paul Newman as more than just an actor.

"He was my hero," Roberts tells PEOPLE.

The actress was on the board of Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang, which funds camp programs for children with serious illnesses, and had recently attended an event for the charity with his wife, actress Joanne Woodward.

Dad Paul Newman Was a 'Rare Symbol of Selfless Humility'

His characters onscreen were monumental, but it was Paul Newman’s role at home that may leave the biggest void.

"Paul Newman played many unforgettable roles. But the ones for which he was proudest never had top billing on the marquee," his daughters said in a statement following their father's death.

Calling Newman a "devoted husband,” “loving father," "adoring grandfather” and a “dedicated philanthropist," the women paid tribute to the head of their family.

The statement continued, "Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special. Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity."

Newman leaves behind five adult children: Stephanie and Susan with his first wife, Jacqueline Witte, and Clea, Nell, and Lissy with his wife of 50 years, Joanne Woodward. Nell runs Newman's Own Organics, a spinoff of her father's Newman's Own products. A son, Scott, died of a drug overdose in 1978.

"Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune," they said. "In his own words: 'It's been a privilege to be here.’ "

They concluded, "He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves us with extraordinary inspiration to draw upon.

"During this difficult time, we ask for privacy for our family."

Paul Newman Mourned by NASCAR Community

Most people knew who Paul Newman was, but few people really knew Paul Newman the way Stanton Barrett knew him.

Barrett’s father, Stan, was Newman’s stunt double, and Stanton Barrett was Newman’s godson.

Barrett was one of many in the NASCAR community mourning the famous actor and part-time racer, who died Friday at age 83.

"He was a very family [oriented] man and very close to his friends,” Barrett said Saturday. “You’d never see much of him. He never was in the limelight, didn’t want to be in the limelight, didn’t really want to publicize anything that he did, which is admirable but also a shame ... because he was such of an amazing character, it was real important for people to see what kind of person he was.”

Newman had a profound impact on Barrett’s racing and stunt career.

“Indirectly, he had influence on my stunt career as my dad stunt doubled him, and my dad had a great reputation in the movie business. It made it easy for my brother and I to build our reputation there,” Barrett said. “But he was a huge influence on my racing career.

“Only a few guys helped me throughout my career and in a very limited comparison to the way he’s done. He was always somebody that if I really needed to, I could go to and he would do anything for me. I was very careful with how I used that, as our friendship meant much more. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be in racing. If it wasn’t for [stuntman] Hal Needham, my dad and Paul, I wouldn’t be in the movie business or racing.”

Not only an IndyCar Series owner, Newman competed in several forms of racing. He drove for Jack Roush in sports cars and won his class in the 24 Hours At Daytona in 1995 with Mark Martin as one of his teammates.

"Paul Newman - a real American hero, an inspiration to me in much that I have attempted in my adult life,” Roush said in a statement, “not so much for the parts he played but for the man that he was.

“He was one of Hollywood's greatest. He could not only talk the talk on film but more importantly could walk the walk as a private citizen. As a young man he was an American hero who served his country in one of the U.S. Army Air Corps' most dangerous assignments in western Europe. Additionally, his charitable enterprises have generated tens of millions for the benefit of hundreds of thousands of underprivileged Americans. He will be never forgotten.”

Newman’s charitable enterprises include the Hole in the Wall Camps, one of which is the Victory Junction Gang Camp.

He also contributed $500,000 to Victory Junction, Pattie Petty said.

“He’s a timeless person, not only for his acting but for the other great things he was involved in,” said Pattie Petty, who founded the Victory Junction Gang Camp along with husband, Kyle. “He really cared about people.”

She said the Pettys arranged for Newman, who was very active in driving – particularly in sports car racing – in the second half of his life, to drive a Richard Petty Driving Experience car at Caraway Speedway near the Victory Junction site when Newman visited for the camp's opening.

“He had asked if Kyle’s race car was going to be at the grand opening, so we did it one better and took him over to the track,” she said. “He was very excited about it. Then it started raining, and he was really disappointed. Kyle told him to go on out and just drive it until he lost it. So he ran a couple of laps, and he did [lose it]. We figured it was probably best to bring him in after that.

“He was always great with us. He loved Kyle. When he visited with you, he was there for you. It was like there was nothing else going on in his life.”

Newman loved racing because of his competitiveness, Barrett said.

“He started racing later in his life,” Barrett said. “He’s a fierce competitor, whether it’s pool, ping-pong or racing or whatever he did, he tried to be the best he could be at it and nobody could argue that he was an exceptional racer.”

One of those people who saw that competitiveness was Jimmie Johnson, who saw Newman in a car during a “play day” when he got to run a Cup car with a restricted engine.

Newman was at Lowe’s Motor Speedway two years ago for the premiere of the movie “Cars.” He took some laps around the track then.

“I remember at the [making of the movie] ‘Cars,’ they put that Fabulous Hudson Hornet body on a stock-car frame and we’re doing the stuff leading into the movie debut,” Johnson said. “The only guy on pit road with a stopwatch was Paul Newman. I was running, other guys were running, then he got in that car where he had no business, with that body especially, and he was trying to beat the lap times that we were running with the [driving school] cars.

“[He] knew a lot more about NASCAR racing than a lot of people realized.”

Legendary Actor Paul Newman dies at 83

Paul Newman, the legendary movie star and irreverent cultural icon who created a model philanthropy fueled by profits from a salad dressing that became nearly as famous as he was, has died. He was 83.

Newman died Friday at his home near Westport, Conn., after a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said.

Stunningly handsome, Newman maintained his superstar status while protecting himself from its corrupting influences through nearly 100 Broadway, television and movie roles. As an actor and director, he evolved into Hollywood's elder statesman, admired as much offscreen for his quiet generosity, unconventional business sense, race car daring, political activism and enduring marriage to actress Joanne Woodward.

Annoyed by the public's fascination with his resemblance to a Roman statue, particularly his Windex-blue eyes, Newman often chose offbeat character roles. In the 1950s and '60s, he helped define the American anti-hero and became identified with the charming misfits, cads and con men in film classics such as "The Hustler," "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and " Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

Newman's poker-game look in "The Sting" -- cunning, watchful, removed, amused, confident, alert -- summed up his power as a person and actor, said Stewart Stern, a screenwriter and longtime friend.

"You never see the whole deck, there's always some card somewhere he may or may not play," Stern said. "Maybe he doesn't even have it."

Newman claimed his success came less from natural talent than from hard work, luck and the tenacity of a terrier.

"Acting," he once said, "is really nothing but exploring certain facets of your own personality trying to become someone else." In early films, he said he tried to make himself fit the character but later aimed "to make the character come to me."

The actor was most proud, friends say, of his later, Oscar-nominated roles in "Absence of Malice," "The Verdict" and "Nobody's Fool," in which he dug deep into the complex emotions of ordinary men struggling for dignity, justice or a sense of connection. In 2003, he was nominated for an Oscar for his last feature film appearance, as a conflicted mob boss in "Road to Perdition." Two years later, at 80, he won an Emmy for playing a meddlesome father in "Empire Falls."

"He's a majestic figure in the world of acting," said director Arthur Penn, who worked with him in his early career. "He did everything and did it well."

Part of a generation of edgy, naturalistic New York actors who changed Hollywood in the '50s and '60s, Newman was often compared with fellow Method actors Marlon Brando and James Dean. Film critic David Ansen once observed that if the trim actor lacked the others' physical or psychic presence, he was more approachable, even when he played a heel.

"Newman," Ansen wrote, "is our great middleweight movie star."

Nominated eight times for Academy Awards in the best-actor category, Newman won only once, for "The Color of Money" (1986), in which he reprised the role of "Fast" Eddie Felson that he originated in 1961's "The Hustler." He also took home honorary Oscars in 1985 for career achievement and in 1993 for his humanitarian efforts. In later years, however, he boycotted awards shows despite continuing Oscar, Emmy and Tony nominations. He claimed he no longer owned a tuxedo.

In real life, Newman was "the quintessence of class, courtly without being old-fashioned," said Victor Navasky, former editor of the Nation, a liberal magazine in which Newman invested and wrote occasional columns. Private and complex, Newman was also a beer-loving, mischievous prankster and an idealist who took to the streets to protest the war in Vietnam.

He was thrilled, friends said, when he heard that he had made President Nixon's enemies list.

Married since 1958 to Woodward, his second wife, Newman cultivated a distinctly un-Hollywood lifestyle, shuttling between a homey New York apartment and a renovated farmhouse in woodsy Westport, Conn., from which he pursued passions including cooking and auto racing.

Highly competitive, Newman was drawn to the track, he told reporters, because in racing, unlike acting, the definition of "good" is not a murky matter of opinion. Although he began to race at 47, he was ranked among the sport's top 25% of drivers, his team placing second in the prestigious Le Mans endurance contest in 1979. At 70, he became the oldest driver to place in a professionally sanctioned auto race when his team took third in the 24-hour race at Daytona, Fla.

Still racing into his 80s, Newman escaped uninjured from a car fire in 2005 and entered another race a month later.

Since the 1980s, Newman had devoted more time to Newman's Own, a food products company he founded as a lark that grew into one of the nation's largest charitable organizations. The company, which produces all-natural salad dressing, popcorn, sauces and lemonade, has turned over more than $250 million in after-tax profits to hundreds of groups, including his own Hole in the Wall Gang camps (named after the outlaw gang in "Butch Cassidy").

Friends said Newman abhorred what he called "noisy philanthropy." He felt the awards and honors offered him were excessive and once declined a national medal in a letter to President Clinton, calling such recognition "honorrhea."

When people would say, " 'What a mensch you are,' he would always denigrate himself," said friend Alice Trillin. To friends, Newman was open, if vague, about not always having lived an exemplary life. Exceptionally tolerant of others' foibles, he explained, "I used to be a fool myself."

A late bloomer

Friends and neighbors in the Cleveland suburb of Shaker Heights might not have foreseen a future as a sex symbol for Paul Leonard Newman, the late-blooming second son of a sporting goods store owner.

Born Jan. 26, 1925, Newman was too short and scrawny to play football or baseball and once said he regularly had "the bejesus kicked out" of him in school. He was encouraged in the arts by an uncle who wrote poetry and by his mother, who taught him to appreciate music and books and shared details of theater shows she had seen.

Though he acted in elementary and high school plays to the delight of his family, he said his father, a strict, hard-working former journalist, considered him a lightweight and often treated him as if he were disappointed in him.

"I desperately wanted to show him that somehow, somewhere along the line I could cut the mustard," Newman told Time magazine in 1982. One of the great agonies of his life, he said, was that his father died in 1950 without seeing his success.

At 18, he enlisted in the Navy hoping to become a pilot in World War II but was rejected for being color blind. He spent three years as a third-class radio operator aboard bombers in the South Pacific.

Afterward, he enrolled as a 21-year-old freshman at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he spent some of his happiest days, playing second-string football, drinking beer and getting in trouble. After a barroom brawl landed him in jail, he was kicked off the team and he turned to acting.

"I was probably one of the worst college actors at the time," Newman said years later. "I learned my lines by rote and simply said them without spontaneity, without knowing what it meant to act and react."

However, novelist E.L. Doctorow, a Kenyon freshman at the time, recalled that "there was no question about his talent." He said Newman was popular for being the leading actor on campus and for the laundry concession he operated.

"He was always entrepreneurial," Doctorow said.

After graduating with a degree in English, Newman acted in summer and winter stock productions in Wisconsin and Illinois, thinking he might eventually teach speech or drama. By then, he had married Jacqueline Witte, a fellow actor, with whom he would have three children: Scott, Susan and Stephanie. Scott died in 1978 of an overdose of drugs and alcohol.

When his father died in 1950, Newman moved home to run the sporting goods store. A year later, the store was sold and he fled to New Haven, Conn., where he briefly studied drama at Yale University, specializing in directing, before trying his luck in New York.

"I was prepared to try it for a year, and, if I got nowhere, to go back to Yale and get my degree," he told Lillian and Helen Ross in the book "The Player: A Profile of an Art." "I had no intention of waiting around till I was old and bruised and bitter."

In New York, then the center of live television and the home of the famed Actors Studio, Newman picked up lessons in Method acting, a technique that stressed naturalism, while he auditioned for parts and sold encyclopedias to support his family. He later attributed everything he knew about acting to the creative community of actors, writers and directors at the studio. At one point, he was president and, though it was never made public, personally financed the institution's operations for seven years when it fell on hard times.

Described as "gorgeous and intense," the young Newman quickly found small parts in television shows such as "You Are There," as well as a role as a rich college graduate in the Broadway production of "Picnic," in which he and Woodward were understudies. When he asked to play the lead, a sexy braggart, director Joshua Logan said the actor was unsuitable because he lacked any "sexual threat" -- a challenge Newman met by embarking on a lifelong routine of vigorous workouts to stay in shape.

His marriage deteriorated as he began to attract work and positive reviews while his wife's priorities shifted to the children, according to friends. Newman then fell into a period of turmoil in which he and Woodward began an affair.

Once he was arrested for running a red light, driving into a bush and leaving the scene of an accident. The breakup of his marriage was long and drawn out, Stern said, because Newman was so concerned about being fair to his wife and children. His first wife obtained a divorce in Mexico in 1957. A year later, Newman and Woodward married, a lasting match that Newman attributed to "correct amounts of lust and respect." The couple had three children.

Despite later rumors that not all was well in their marriage, Stern said the couple were committed and honored each other's choices in life. Although Woodward once quipped that "a mind is a terrible thing to waste on a Trans Am," Stern said, "They had real reverence for each other's talents and pursuits and idiosyncrasies."

Together they appeared in 11 films, including "The Long Hot Summer," "From the Terrace" and "Mr. and Mrs. Bridge." Newman also directed her in four other movies, including the highly respected "Rachel, Rachel," about a schoolteacher whose fears keep her trapped in a small town.

Stern, author of that film's screenplay, said he sometimes observed Newman watching his wife do something that moved him.

"It was the most exposed face of love I've ever looked at," he said. "You couldn't look at it long. It was like opening the wrong door."

Hollywood studios recruited Newman in 1954, at a time when the film industry, threatened by live television, hired many of New York's most creative actors, directors and writers. According to Penn, Newman "was emblematic of what was coming, the demand for independence that the next generation brought."

At first, however, Newman, the serious actor, could not avoid beefcake roles because his looks were so devastating. When people saw him, Penn said, they "just fell away."

Newman was particularly humiliated by his first film, "The Silver Chalice," in which he was cast as a toga-clad Greek sculptor with stilted lines. When the film aired for a week in 1963 on television, he took out a black-bordered ad in the Los Angeles Times that said, "Paul Newman apologizes every night this week."

Determined not to be just a pretty-boy player for the studio, Newman was among the first actors to buy out his contract with Warner Bros. and later formed his own production companies with colleagues. Newman's penchant for playing a variety of roles reflected "his imagination and his willingness to take a flier," filmmaker John Huston wrote in his memoir, "An Open Book."

The price was a career checkered with miscasting and forgettable roles, such as a jazz musician in "Paris Blues," a turn-of-the-century anarchist in "Lady L" and a double agent in "Torn Curtain."

Critics and audiences loved him, however, when he played moody Southerners in films based on Tennessee Williams' plays "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof" and "Sweet Bird of Youth." Newman's scheming pool shark in "The Hustler" began a streak of roles that film historians have hailed as capturing the essence of the postwar American man -- cool, cynical and confident while the known world of traditional values crumbles around him.

Newman became so popular that he complained later that audiences and critics missed the point in "Hud," a film in which he portrayed the amoral, insolent son of an embattled rancher. Instead of seeing Hud as tragically flawed character who cared only for himself, audiences adored him. He became an anti-hero, especially among teenagers. Newman struck another nerve in 1967 with "Cool Hand Luke," in which he played a defiant prisoner on a chain gang harassed by sadistic guards. A memorable scene in which Luke wins a bet by eating 50 hard-boiled eggs triggered egg-eating contests at colleges and among soldiers in Vietnam.

In 1969, when he was Hollywood's most popular leading actor, Newman teamed with Robert Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a movie about two affable bandits who had outlived their time. The highest-grossing Western in motion picture history, the film highlighted the handsome duo's comic timing. Fans loved the pair's jump off a cliff and still associate the song, "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" with Newman's bicycle stunts.

Redford said it was the most fun on a film he had ever had, one that cemented a lifelong friendship between the two actors.

Away from Beverly Hills

If Newman hadn't moved his family away from the glamour and materialism of Beverly Hills to Westport in 1962, he told biographer Eric Lax, he might never have taken up the other things that made his life exciting: politics, car racing and a home-grown business.

"It is only when you're away from California that you cannot take yourself seriously" as a movie star, he said.

Throughout the '60s, Newman took high-profile stands against the war in Vietnam. In 1968, he campaigned for antiwar candidate Sen. Eugene McCarthy and served as a Connecticut delegate to the Democratic National Convention. The following year, he and Woodward joined an antiwar demonstration in front of the American Embassy in London.

Newman knew his actions were not always popular, and told the New York Times Magazine in 1966, "A person without character has no enemies." Friends said he was delighted in 1973 when he was listed as No. 19 on Nixon's enemies list, claiming it elevated him in the eyes of his children. Newman argued politics genially, friends said, and openly admired certain conservatives. In 1994, he helped his brother Arthur, a staunch Republican, wage a successful campaign for a City Council seat in Rancho Mirage.

In the late '70s, bored with acting, Newman fell into a slump that paved the way for what has been called one of the most successful career transitions in movie history.

Intrigued by racing after making the film "Winning" in 1969, Newman began planning film shoots around his racing schedule. His focus, athleticism and knowledge quickly won over skeptics who were used to dilettante actors hanging around the track, said champion driver Mario Andretti.

"If he would have started earlier, he would have been just as successful as his acting, no question," Andretti said. When Newman formed his own team, the Newman-Hass Indy Car, Andretti raced for him for 12 years.

Reinvigorated, Newman returned to acting, exploring character roles with new and unexpected depth. Critic Pauline Kael called Newman's portrayal of a washed-up ice hockey coach in "Slap Shot," a 1977 comedy, "casual American star-acting at its peak." In the 1980s, he became active in the Actors Studio in New York, contributing funds and serving as president of the board.

In 1981, Newman was nominated for an Oscar for his role in "Absence of Malice," as a businessman libeled by Sally Field's gung-ho young reporter, whose story leads to his friend's suicide.

Another nomination followed for his portrayal of an alcoholic lawyer redeemed by his pursuit of justice in 1982's "The Verdict."

When Newman finally won an Oscar in 1986 for "The Color of Money," it was neither his nor director Martin Scorsese's best effort and was seen by some observers as compensation for having been overlooked in "The Hustler."

Wanting to avoid another public defeat, Newman stayed home for the ceremony. Later, he said of the win: "It's like chasing a beautiful woman for 80 years. She finally relents and you say, 'I'm terribly sorry, I'm tired.' "

His real-life role as a model Hollywood philanthropist began just before Christmas 1980 when he and his friend Hotchner made a batch of salad dressing in a bathtub to bottle for friends.

Newman was as much a perfectionist about his cooking as his art, friends said. "He knew the exact amount of fat that goes into the perfect hamburger," Stern said. "In his salads he sliced the celery the exact width."

In restaurants, Newman was known to ask for olive oil, vinegar, chopped celery, salt, pepper and mustard to make his own dressing. On one occasion, when waiters at the legendary Beverly Hills restaurant Chasen's wouldn't comply, he took the salad into the men's room and washed their dressing off. "They brought the stuff he wanted, and he made the dressing," Stern said.

Newman told reporters he never imagined the dressing would be sold nationally, but after the Christmas leftovers were given to gourmet shops, the lark became a challenge.

When it became clear the dressing could make a profitable business, especially with his face on the label, Newman decided to give back some of what luck and the world had given him.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing -- 'Let's just do this and give it all away,' " his daughter Nell told the New York Times in 1998.

Newman and Hotchner wrote witty labels to go with the company's motto: "Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the common good," which later became the name of their book that describes their adventures in business.

The company grew to include a range of products including popcorn, salsas, pasta sauces, marinades and Woodward's "Old Fashioned Roadside Virgin Lemonade."

In 2006, he opened "Dressing Room: A Homegrown Restaurant" to benefit the Westport Country Playhouse, one of Newman and Woodward's favorite projects.

As a result of his business success, Newman donated more than $250 million to 1,000 groups -- including the Scott Newman Center devoted to anti-drug education and several Hole in the Wall Gang camps, designed for children with life-threatening diseases, with locations in France, Ireland and Israel as well as the U.S. Every summer, Newman stayed at the original camp in Ashford, Conn., where he told ghost stories and staged shows with other celebrities for children who knew him only as the face on the lemonade carton.

"If I leave a legacy," he said in 2006, "it will be the camps."

This year, he turned up at a meeting of parents and children at the first camp and reportedly said: "I wanted to acknowledge luck. The beneficence of it in many lives and the brutality of it in the lives of others, especially children, who might not have a lifetime to make up for it."

Rather than hiring grant officers, friends say Newman and Hotchner choose the charities themselves in a casual way. Newman once wrote a check on the spot for someone who knocked on his door saying the local fire department needed a new fire engine, said Navasky, the Nation magazine editor.

Despite his fears that actors risk corruption by placing a "premium on appearance," Newman valued keeping himself fit. He did push ups and ran up and down stairs until he was 80. He soaked his face in ice water or would swim in a cold lake when he could.

Newman played "sexy senior" roles into his 70s with films such as " Twilight" and moved on to cantankerous father parts in "Message in a Bottle" and "Empire Falls." He was nominated for a Tony as the stage manager in a Broadway revival of "Our Town," and an Emmy for a taped TV version.

After "Road to Perdition," he did voice work for the animated film "Cars" in 2006 and narrated the 2007 film "Dale" about the late NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt.

Newman didn't hide his disappointment that filmmaking had abandoned the "theater of the mind" for the "theater of the senses." He lamented that skyrocketing costs had increased the pressure on actors, writers and producers who could no longer afford to make mistakes and be part of a "growing-up process."

In 1997, he hinted he was struggling, explaining to National Public Radio's Daniel Zwerdling that "sometimes you begin to lose your center. . . . You become a collection of the successful mannerisms of the characters you play. . . . What you try to do is get rid of those successful mannerisms, get back to what you are at the core of your own personality."

In 2007, Newman announced his decision to retire, saying he'd lost confidence in his abilities, that acting was "pretty much a closed book for me."

Besides Doc Hudson, the animated Hornet voiced by Newman in the film "Cars," he called the role of Sully in 1994's "Nobody's Fool" the closest he had come to playing himself. Critics called Sully a "classic Newman type" -- an aging version of a witty loner who keeps friends and a family at a distance to protect himself. A bond with his fearful little grandson opens up the possibility of becoming more involved with an estranged son and the rest of the community.

"The most Paul moment," Stern said, "is when he sees the crazy lady down the street and offers his arm and walks her back home as if she were a queen. That's how I'll always remember Paul: dignifying other people."

In addition to his wife, Newman is survived by daughters Susan, Stephanie, Nell, Melissa and Clea; two grandchildren; and his brother Arthur.

His family suggests donations in his name to the Assn. of Hole in the Wall Camps. Information: www.holeinthewallcamps.org.

Newman's Passion for racing started at Indy

Paul Newman was introduced to motor racing in 1968 while filming a movie at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and that blossomed into a 40-year passion for the sport that included co-ownership of one of the most powerful teams in the Indianapolis 500 of the last 25 years and his own successful driving career.

Newman, an Academy Award-winning actor and world-renowned activist and humanitarian, died Sept 26 at his home in Westport, Conn. He was 83.

Between 1983 and 1995, cars entered by the partnership of Newman and Carl Haas established themselves as a major force in the Indianapolis 500. While never able to pull off a win, the team did score a pair of strong second-place finishes, with Mario Andretti in 1985 and with Michael Andretti in 1991, plus a third in the hands of defending Formula One World Champion Nigel Mansell in 1993.

Time and time again, it appeared that a Newman-Haas driver was destined to win the "500." In 1987, Mario Andretti led 170 of the first 177 laps from the pole, only to drop out late with an ignition problem. It was one of 13 occasions on which a Newman-Haas driver would lead the "500," and one of five in which their laps-led total would be greater than by any other driver in the race.

There are three separate instances, 1989, 1992 and 1995, in which Michael Andretti was forced out while leading. The most devastating loss came in 1992, when he was eliminated after having led 160 of the 189 laps he completed. Between 1984 and 1995, Mario and Michael Andretti combined for an amazing 773 laps in the lead, Mansell accounting for another 34.

In 2004, after several years' absence, the Newman-Haas team returned, former pole winner Bruno Junqueira extending that record by leading an additional 16 laps on his way to a fifth-place finish.

It seems quite remarkable that there should have been so little turnover on the Newman-Haas driver roster at Indianapolis, Paul Tracy in 1995 being the only driver other than Mansell and the Andrettis between 1983 and 1995. In more recent years, Junqueira, Sebastien Bourdais, Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal have added their names.

After a 12-year absence, Newman personally returned to the Indianapolis 500 in 2008 with his team after the reunification of American open-wheel racing.

"It's good to be back at Indianapolis," Newman said in May 2008. "It brings back a lot of fond memories. We've won eight championships and come in second twice at Indianapolis but never won the '500.' It's wonderful to be running against Roger (Penske) and (Bobby) Rahal, and Michael (Andretti) and all those guys. It's comfortable."

The Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2008 designated the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps as a charitable partner of both organizations. Hole in the Wall Camps was founded by Newman in 1988, expanding his dream of providing a recreational and therapeutic camping experience for children facing serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions. It was one of countless philanthropic efforts by Newman.

"There are a couple of things I have great affection for," Newman said in May 2008. "One of those, as you all know, is automobile racing. The other is to care in some ways for kids who have been less fortunate than I have. And to be able to have this coming together of two organizations working together to that purpose is a home run for me. An absolute home run."

So how did Paul Newman become involved with the Indianapolis 500?

An extremely private man, the Oscar-winning Newman quietly admitted that he had never paid any particular attention to motorsports until the summer of 1968, when he shot scenes at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the 1969 motion picture "Winning." It started out merely as the latest project in which he happened to be involved, but typically, he totally immersed himself in the role, and evidently something within it rubbed off.

An early indication came when he seemed to bond with Rodger Ward, the two-time "500" winner who served as the film's technical director and driver of the "camera car" for some of the on-track sequences. When Newman flew in for an exploratory visit during the spring, he stayed the night at Ward's home.

Once back for the three weeks or so of shooting immediately following the "500," there was more than one occasion on which Newman was a dinner guest at the Ward household.

While virtually all of the "staged" on-track sequences (intercut with actual 1968 "500" race footage) were performed by a half a dozen or so then-current "500" drivers, the Bob Bondurant Driving School-trained Newman elected to waive the use of a stunt double. In the footage used from the actual race, the fictitious "Frank Capua" is really Bobby Unser on his way to winning the "500." In the majority of the close-up cockpit shots, however, the helmeted figure is actually Newman, matching the speed of the camera car driven by Ward, his new friend and coach.

When shooting at the track wrapped up at the beginning of July, United States Auto Club (USAC) Director of Competition Henry Banks went over to present Newman and fellow actor Robert Wagner with honorary USAC Championship driver licenses. Upon returning to the USAC office, Banks revealed, with amusement, that at the conclusion of the brief trackside ceremony, Newman had discreetly sidled up to him to inquire, "What do I have to do to get a real one of these?" to which Henry replied, "Run a lot and get back to us."

It transpired that Newman's newfound interest was more than just a whim. It wasn't long before he began competing at Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) regional events, and doing so without fanfare as merely "P.L. Newman." He entered into a long-term relationship with a Connecticut neighbor, Bob Sharp, and he was to race Sharp-prepared cars for many years to come.

More than two decades later, when Sharp's son, Scott, qualified for his first "500" in 1994 and was being interviewed over the public address immediately thereafter, a delighted, but ever-private, Newman casually strolled into Scott's line of vision between the battery of photographers and gave the young driver a heartfelt thumbs-up. He had known Scott since he was a tot.

Newman had evidently already become somewhat of an insider by 1970. On the radio broadcast of the inaugural Ontario (California) 500 on Labor Day weekend, Newman surprised many by agreeing to a brief on-air interview. When asked if he was pulling for any particular driver to win, he replied, "Yes, Dan Gurney."

And why Gurney?

"Because I think he is going to retire soon," was PLN's surprising response.

Did he know something the rest of the world did not? He declined to elaborate, but only a matter of days later, Gurney confirmed Newman's prediction.

Newman's first SCCA victory as a driver came in 1972 with a Lotus Elan at Thompson, Conn., not far from his home. In 1976, he won his first of four SCCA championships, this one in D-Production. A title in C-Production followed in 1979, followed by a pair in the GT-1 category in 1985 and 1986. In 1982, he beat a stellar field of professionals to win the Trans-Am race at Brainerd, Minn., and he was to win a second Trans-Am event at Lime Rock, Conn., in 1986.

In 1977, Newman shared the fifth-place-finishing Ferrari 365 GTB4 with Elliot Forbes-Robinson and Milt Minter in the 24 Hours of Daytona, and in June 1979, he received considerable attention by teaming up with Dick Barbour and the German driver Rolf Stommelen to share the Porsche 935 which finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Less than one month later, the same trio scored another second-place finish in the Six Hours of Watkins Glen in upstate New York.

In 1980, Newman entered into a partnership with longtime Lola distributor Haas to field a team in the Can-Am series, and in 1983 Newman-Haas made its debut at Indianapolis.

But Newman already had been involved with an Indianapolis entry before that. In 1977, he was associated with a Bill Freeman entry for which the driver was to be "rookie" Forbes-Robinson, the very same "EFR" with whom Newman had shared the Ferrari at Daytona that January. The program, which had landed Caesars Palace as its sponsor, ran behind schedule, and Newman tried unsuccessfully to talk Dan Gurney into providing a car in which EFR could take his "rookie" test.

It was all academic. The hastily prepared Freeman car did not arrive at the track until shortly after lunchtime on the afternoon of the final qualifying day, and with Newman looking on, not even the legendary gold-helmeted "gunfighter" Bob Harkey had time to sort it out and get it up to qualifying speed.

There would be much better days ahead.

Paul Newman, 1925-2008

With the death of Paul Newman, the world has lost an Academy Award-winning and beloved actor and philanthropist. The motorsports community has lost an ardent supporter and enthusiast.

Newman, who raced sports cars since 1972 and co-owned an open-wheel racing team since 1983 with the cigar-chomping Car Haas, died at his Connecticut home Sept. 26. He was 83.

As co-owner of Newman/Haas Racing (currently Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing), the team had unprecedented success under CART and Champ Car sanctioning. The two-car team joined the IndyCar Series this season after the unification of North American open-wheel racing, and recorded two victories -- one each by Graham Rahal (St. Petersburg) and Justin Wilson (Belle Isle).

"On behalf of my mother, Mari Hulman George, and the entire Hulman-George family at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series, our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and loved ones of Paul Newman," said Tony George, CEO of the sanctioning Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

"To all his fans world-wide and those close to him in our racing community, we share a deep sense of loss, but cherish the many fond memories we will forever carry with us."

Newman was nominated for 10 Oscars, and in addition to his Academy Award victory for "The Color of Money" he received an honorary Oscar in 1986. In a situation of life imitating art, Newman prepared for his role in the feature film "Winning" by attending the Bob Bondurant Racing School with co-star Robert Wagner.

Newman's character, Frank Capua, was a journeyman race car driver who turned around his career by winning the Indianapolis 500. Much of the film, in which Newman drove in most racing scenes, was shot at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He was hooked on racing.

Newman began competing Sports Car Club of America races three years after the release of the film, and the last race he entered was the 2006 Rolex 24 At Daytona. Newman joined with Haas, the distributor of Lola automobile racing cars in the United States, to form an open-wheel racing team. Their first driver was Mario Andretti, and the Lincolnshire, Ill.-based team has been as successful as it has been enduring - compiling 107 victories and eight series titles.

"On behalf of Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing, my wife Bernadette and myself, I want to express our most sincere condolences to (wife) Joanne (Woodward) and the entire Newman family on the loss of a great human being," Haas said. "Paul and I have been partners for 26 years and I have come to know his passion, humor and above all, his generosity. Not just economic generosity, but generosity of spirit. His support of the team's drivers, crew and the racing industry is legendary. His pure joy at winning a pole position or winning a race exemplified the spirit he brought to his life and to all those that knew him. We will truly miss him."

Newman also was the founder of the Hole in the Wall Camps, which he supported through sale of Newman's Own line of food products. According to Newman's Own Foundation federal tax filing for 2006, the actor personally gave away $8,746,500 to a variety of groups that support children, hurricane relief efforts in the Gulf Coast, education and the arts.

The Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May designated the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps as a charitable partner of both organizations. Hole in the Wall Camps expanded his dream of providing a recreational and therapeutic camping experience for children facing serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions.

"Most of us knew him as Butch or Fast Eddie from the theater or from our living rooms at home," team co-owner Mike Lanigan said. "He was much more than a great actor. His legacy will be his five children, his wife, Joanne, and all the sick children around the world who desperately needed his help.

"Paul was a man of character who cared about the world and the people who lived in it. Putting a smile on a young person's face and helping people in need was a virtue he excelled at. Little did anyone realize a child born of such humble beginnings could affect our lives in so many positive ways. We should all learn to live by his example. We will miss him dearly but will never forget him."

What they're saying

What IndyCar Series team owners and others are saying about Paul Newman, who died Sept. 26 at age 83:

"It's certainly a sad day for all of us that knew Paul. He was just a great guy and truly loved everything about racing. He and I shared a true passion for motorsports in general, but specifically IndyCar racing. Some of the fondest memories I have of my career are from the time I spent at Newman/Haas and I'll never forget those. Paul was one of a kind and he will be missed, for sure."-- Michael Andretti, who won the 1991 CART title with Newman/Haas Racing

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Newman. He was a man of great courage, determination and integrity and gave a lot not only to the world of auto racing, but to the world around us. His generosity knew no bounds and his work with helping children as well as what he achieved with aiding the environment will prove to help people for many years to come."

"I had the pleasure of driving for Mr. Newman in 1981 and I was richer for the experience. He was a man of class and he was also deservedly very highly regarded for his driving skills. The world is a poorer place today for his passing."-- Bobby Rahal

"On behalf of my mother, Mari Hulman George, and the entire Hulman-George family at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and IndyCar Series, our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends and loved ones of Paul Newman. o all his fans world-wide and those close to him in our racing community, we share a deep sense of loss, but cherish the many fond memories we will forever carry with us."-- Tony George

Paul Newman, actor who personified cool, dies

Paul Newman, the Oscar-winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" — followed by a second act as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83.

Newman died Friday at his farmhouse near Westport following a long battle with cancer, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.

In May, Newman dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men" at Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse, citing unspecified health issues. The following month, a friend disclosed that he was being treated for cancer and Martha Stewart, also a friend, posted photos on her Web site of Newman looking gaunt at a charity luncheon.

But true to his fiercely private nature, Newman remained cagey about his condition, reacting to reports that he had lung cancer with a statement saying only that he was "doing nicely."

As an actor, Newman got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Academy Awards 10 times, winning one Oscar and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."

Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."

He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer." Newman also directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."

With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. "I was always a character actor," he once said. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."

Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.

A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast Eddie" Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler."

In that film, Newman delivered a magnetic performance as the smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats — played by Jackie Gleason — and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel — directed by Scorsese — "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.

He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.

His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.)

As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars."

But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."

Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture, and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics Circle.

In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1969 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.

"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.

Newman later became a car owner and formed a partnership with Carl Haas, starting Newman/Haas Racing in 1983 and joining the CART series. Hiring Mario Andretti as its first driver, the team was an instant success, and throughout the last 26 years, the team — now known as Newman/Haas/Lanigan and part of the IndyCar Series — has won 107 races and eight series championships.

Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact, his acting becoming more subtle, nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator.

In 1995, he was nominated for an Oscar for his slyest, most understated work yet, the town curmudgeon and deadbeat in "Nobody's Fool." New York Times critic Caryn James found his acting "without cheap sentiment and self-pity," and observed, "It says everything about Mr. Newman's performance, the single best of this year and among the finest he has ever given, that you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."

Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive, according to one friend. He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.

"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said.

Off the screen, Newman had a taste for beer and was known for his practical jokes. He once had a Porsche installed in Redford's hallway — crushed and covered with ribbons.

"I think that my sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me sane," he told Newsweek magazine in a 1994 interview.

In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.

"We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person,"

Robert Forrester, vice chairman of Newman's Own Foundation, said in a statement.

Hotchner said Newman should have "everybody's admiration."

"For me it's the loss of an adventurous friendship over the past 50 years and it's the loss of a great American citizen," Hotchner said.

In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.

He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea.

"Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special," his daughters said in a written statement. "Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity."

Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte. Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children.

Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman.

He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged him to pursue his interest in the arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist.

Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions.

He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to work in theater and television in New York, where his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio included Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden.

Newman's breakthrough was enabled by tragedy: Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer.

Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer."

In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age.

"I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said.

Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.

Paul Newman Passes Away at Age 83

Legendary actor, racer and team owner Paul Newman has died last night at the age of 83, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Newman, who was co-owner of the Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing IndyCar team and raced himself throughout the 1970s and 1980s, died peacefully at his home in Westport, Connecticut, with his wife Joanne Woodward and his five daughters at his side.

In a statement issued today by the Newman Foundation, the charity organization mourned its founder saying he will be missed by all who surrounded him.

"Paul Newman's craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all.

"Paul had an abiding belief in the role that luck plays in one's life, and its randomness. He was quick to acknowledge the good fortune he had in his own life, beginning with being born in America, and was acutely aware of how unlucky so many others were. True to his character, he quietly devoted himself to helping offset this imbalance.

"An exceptional example is the legacy of Newman's Own. What started as something of a joke in the basement of his home, turned into a highly-respected, multi-million dollar a year food company. And true to form, he shared this good fortune by donating all the profits and royalties he earned to thousands of charities around the world, a total which now exceeds $250 million.

"While his philanthropic interests and donations were wide-ranging, he was especially committed to the thousands of children with life-threatening conditions served by the Hole in the Wall Camps, which he helped start over 20 years ago.

"He saw the Camps as places where kids could escape the fear, pain and isolation of their conditions, kick back, and raise a little hell. Today, there are 11 Camps around the world, with additional programs in Africa and Vietnam. Through the Camps, well over 135,000 children have had the chance to experience what childhood was meant to be.

"In Paul's words: ‘I wanted to acknowledge luck; the chance and benevolence of it in my life, and the brutality of it in the lives of others, who might not be allowed the good fortune of a lifetime to correct it.’

"Paul took advantage of what life offered him, and while personally reluctant to acknowledge that he was doing anything special, he forever changed the lives of many with his generosity, humor, and humanness.

"His legacy lives on in the charities he supported and the Hole in the Wall Camps, for which he cared so much.

"We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person."

Actor Paul Newman dies at 83

Mention Paul Newman, and a rush of unforgettable film scenes come to mind.

Such as when his prison-camp rebel gorges on those 50 hard-boiled eggs after being challenged in Cool Hand Luke.

Or that early morning bike ride, where his grinning bandit charms Katherine Ross out of Robert Redford's bed as if he were a bowler-hatted knight on a rickety steed in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Or when his enraged alcoholic lawyer in The Verdict slugs his cold-hearted lover Charlotte Rampling after learning of her deceit — an act only someone like Newman could commit and be cheered for by audiences.

Now this rare breed of handsome rascal who connected with audiences across five decades is gone. The screen legend died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn., publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was 83. The actor was surrounded by his family and close friends, including his wife of 50 years, actress Joanne Woodward.

Not even a Brad Pitt or a George Clooney could take Newman's place. You would have to mix the DNA of both Clint Eastwood (the steely toughness) and Robert Redford (the manly allure) to come close to duplicating him.

As Clooney himself told Men's Journal in 2000, "Nobody gets to be famous as long as Paul Newman. You can't take your eyes off of him. He's always interested in the scene, as opposed to trying to be interesting."

The blue-eyed devil, a onetime chain smoker who died at age 83 after suffering from lung cancer, considered himself more lucky than talented to have the career he achieved.

Especially since the Cleveland native ran off to Yale Drama School after his father died, mainly to avoid taking over the family's sporting-goods store.

"I had no natural gift to be anything, not an athlete, not an actor, not a writer, not a director, a painter of garden porches, not anything," the actor said in 1991. "So I've worked really hard, because nothing ever came easily to me."

What Newman did have a knack for was being one of a kind.

He was a ladies' man and a guy's guy. Someone who was able to make the act of charity taste as good as it felt. A speed addict who kept on revving his racing engine well into his golden years. A proud anti-celebrity who regularly threatened to retire but waited until 2007 to truly call it quits.

Early on, the media tried to pin the label "the next Brando" or "the next James Dean" on him, especially after he took over two movie leads meant for Dean when the younger actor died in a 1955 car crash — Rocky Graziano in the 1956 boxing-bio Somebody Up There Likes Me and Billy the Kid in 1958's The Left Handed Gun.

But by cornering the market on lovable rakes, rogues and rapscallions in films like his stellar '60s lineup of Hud, Harper and Hombre, the actor was able to make such roles truly, in the words of his line of charity-supporting food products, Newman's Own.

His streak lasted until 2006, when he lent his gravelly voice and crusty attitude to a look-alike 1951 Hudson Hornet named Doc in Pixar's animated Cars.

Somehow even his most villainous creations earned admiration as anti-heroes. His callous and cruel Hud ("The Man With the Barbed Wire Soul") became a popular pinup in the '60s. The poster even had a cameo in 1969's Midnight Cowboy. Somehow, audiences fell for the hateful no-account son of Melvyn Douglas' aged rancher.

That's because a magnetic Newman lurked underneath.

"Hud Bannon was a despicable character — mean, nasty, narcissistic — and Newman played him perfectly, and yet people still loved him," says writer Eric Lax, author of Paul Newman: A Celebration.

Newman's niche, especially later in life: The matinee idol who was a ham at heart. Check out 1989's Blaze, in which Newman plays the lusty Louisiana Gov. Earl K. Long. His passionate affair with a famous stripper causes him to act as if his pants were on fire. "I was always a character actor," he confessed. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."

Typically, the lifelong liberal and activist prided himself more on making the cut on Richard Nixon's so-called enemies list than on any acting honors that came his way. Limelight unsettled him. Or as he once put it, "I am not comfortable with a certain kind of attention." He refused to sign autographs and preferred to relax at his peaceful 200-year-old Connecticut farmhouse than to seek out the Hollywood nightlife.

The nine-time nominee for an acting Oscar didn't turn up at the awards ceremony in 1986 when the academy tossed an honorary statuette his way. Instead, Newman mock-observed via satellite how grateful he was that the trophy didn't come "wrapped as a gift certificate to Forest Lawn." Then he protested that his "best work is down the pike in front of me."

Turns out, he was right. Not only did Newman win best actor the very next year for reprising his Hustler role as pool shark Fast Eddie Felson in The Color of Money, he also would be nominated two more times: for his aging blue-collar scallywag in 1994's Nobody's Fool and as an Irish crime boss in 2002's Road to Perdition.

He said of finally claiming the gold on his seventh try, "It's like chasing a beautiful woman for 80 years. Finally, she relents, and you say, 'I'm terribly sorry. I'm tired.' "

In a 2000 interview to promote the little-seen Where the Money Is, the 75-year-old declared he was looking for the right film to "bow out on."

"It's a young person's business," he gruffly observed. "It's very dry out there for us older antiques." He had burned his tuxedo on his birthday earlier that year, a protest against formality, he said.

But even gray-haired and bespectacled, Newman seemed forever young.

And he was one hunky old coot to boot. As Linda Fiorentino, his then-fortysomething co-star in Where the Money Is, observed, "He's about the only man I could think of that I would have sex with — if he weren't married — even if he were in his 90s."

You could summon any number of observations about the actor, director, philanthropist, race-track enthusiast and all-around cool customer that would help pin down just what caused this down-to-earth legend to be one of the most popular stars who ever lit up the silver screen.

But here's one attribute that served him particularly well: Newman got his biggest mistakes out of the way early.

There was his first marriage. He divorced actress Jacqueline Witte in 1958 after three kids and less than a decade together.

That left plenty of time for his inspirational union with Woodward, mother of his three other children and soul mate. They just marked their 50th anniversary. That's an eternity and a half in Hollywood years.

Their private relationship easily melded their professional life. Newman directed Woodward five times, including her Oscar-nominated performance in 1968's Rachel, Rachel. And they shared the screen in 10 feature films and last co-starred in HBO's Empire Falls in 2005. About why the pair collaborated so well, he once quipped, "You should see us when we get back to the bedroom."

Woodward also moved Newman to utter probably his best-known quote. When asked why he remained so faithful to his wife, he replied, "Why fool around with hamburger when you have steak at home?"

If anyone could keep him on the straight and narrow, she could. Without her, the actor told USA TODAY in 1994, he probably would have met an early end. "We're an interesting series of contrasts and that has really helped us keep our sanity. It's very hard to be excessive when your partner can't join in."

His other major error: 1954's The Silver Chalice, his big-screen debut after making a splash on Broadway in Picnic— where he first met Woodward.

Prancing about in a knee-baring toga and Caesar haircut as a Greek artisan named Basil is no way to make a first impression. "That I survived that picture is a testament to something," he once told New York magazine. "All I had in that movie was those short cocktail dresses. My legs aren't exactly my best feature."

In his usual forthright fashion, he took out a full-page ad in the trade paper Variety when Chalice aired on TV in 1966, apologizing for his performance and requesting that people not tune in. Instead, his plea just served to attract high ratings for the broadcast of what has been sometimes derisively referred to as Paul Newman and the Holy Gr

Newman hasn't had to apologize for much of his résumé since, although a few folks might take exception to his dip into disaster flicks, such as 1974's The Towering Inferno. Still, any career stumbles that followed were minor by comparison.

He did like to defy expectations. Newman might have wooed a stunning array of actresses on-screen, from a slip-draped Elizabeth Taylor in 1958's Cat on a Hot Tin Roof to a breast-flashing Melanie Griffith in Nobody's Fool. But the relationship that produced the most potent chemistry was with Robert Redford, his cohort in crime in both 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and 1973's The Sting.

Butch and Sundance had what nowadays would be characterized as a "bromance," an affectionate relationship between two straight males. "I don't think people realize what that picture was all about," the actor himself once observed. "It's a love affair between two men. The girl is incidental."

At the age of 52 after a post-Sting lull, Newman put on ice any sense of decorum he might have had as a pretty-boy movie star. Instead, he cursed, caroused and shocked moviegoers as the hard-drinking reprobate coach and player for a ragtag hockey team in 1977's Slap Shot, one of the rowdiest, crudest, funniest and most scathingly honest sports comedies ever.

Newman told USA TODAY in 2003 that after seeing the script, which he declared the filthiest he had ever read, "You couldn't have kept me out of that film."

Being the profane Reggie Dunlop apparently got under his skin. "Ever since Slap Shot, I've been swearing more," he admitted. "I knew I had a problem one day when I turned to my daughter and said, 'Would you please pass the (expletive) salt?"

He credited his prankish side with keeping him young, fond as he was for pulling practical jokes on his co-stars and directors. He once secretly placed a Porsche, demolished and wrapped, inside Redford's house. Robert Altman, his director on 1976's Buffalo Bill and the Indians and 1979's Quintet, exploded popcorn 9 feet deep in Newman's dressing room — payback for having suffered through such gags as finding 200 live chickens in his trailer.

"You can't be as old as I am without waking up with a surprised look on your face every morning: 'Holy Christ, whaddya know, I'm still around!' " Newman once proclaimed. "It's absolutely amazing that I survived all the booze and smoking and the cars and the career."

He took up racing ("the first thing that I ever found I had any grace in") when he was in his 40s and training for the 1969's Winning. At 70, he became the oldest driver to be part of a triumphant team in a major sanctioned race, the 24 Hours of Daytona, in 1995.

Newman continued to race into his 80s, but most of his time around the track came as a team owner. He founded a racing team with Chicago businessman Carl Haas in 1983, nabbing the legendary Mario Andretti as the team's first driver. Newman/Haas/Lannigan Racing, as the IndyCar Series team is known now, has captured eight series titles and 107 wins to date.

"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the 'rubbish' of Hollywood," he told People in 1979.

When it came to causes, he was world-class. He turned the tragic loss of his only son, Scott, from an accidental drug overdose in 1978 into a positive by creating the Scott Newman Center for Drug Abuse Prevention. He built a network of Hole in the Wall Gang summer camps for kids with serious illnesses.

And what started out as a kind of a joke that grew from his giving out his homemade vinaigrette salad dressing as Christmas presents turned into a hugely successful food empire, offering everything from steak sauce to popcorn. In 26 years of operation, Newman's Own has donated $200 million to his camps and 400 other charities around the world.

"How to account for this massive success? Pure luck? Transcendental meditation? Machiavellian manipulation? Aerodynamics? High colonics? We haven't the slightest idea," it says on the company website (newmansown.com). Sounds like pure Newman — wry, self-effacing, grounded.

One of his most prized fan letters hung over a toilet in his New York office bathroom. After complimenting his spaghetti sauce, it went on to say, "My girlfriend mentioned that you were a movie star and I would be interested to know what you have made. If you act as well as you cook, your movies should be worth watching."

There was a downside to his edible output. The entrepreneur threatened to upstage the thespian. "The embarrassing thing," he enjoyed pointing out in his later years, "is that my salad dressing is out-grossing my films."

Newman sounded especially serious when he appeared on ABC's Good Morning America in 2007. He talked of retiring from acting again, but this time it seemed as though he really meant it. This wasn't mere grousing about a lack of meaty parts.

"I'm not able to work anymore at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me. I've been doing it for 50 years. That's enough."

And so he finally did leave acting behind, though he didn't slow down all that much. He was sometimes seen at the track, his thinning frame causing fan concern. He appeared frail at Hole in the Wall Gang event in June, and reports of lung cancer surfaced.

The actor's only comment on the matter? That he was "doing nicely."

He did leave behind some instructions on what to avoid upon his death. One was nixing these epitaphs: "Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown" and "Here lies the old man who wasn't part of his time."

But of course those baby blues twinkled till the end. And Newman not only remained relevant in his time, he was a legend for all time.

Screen and Real-Life Hero Paul Newman Dies at 83

Paul Newman, a screen hero for more than half a century and the head of a philanthropic food empire for the past 25 years, has died, it was announced Saturday. He was 83.

Surrounded by his family and close friends at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn., Newman succumbed Friday after a long battle with cancer, according to a statement from publicist Jeff Sanderson.

Famed for his intense blue eyes, his love of car racing and one of the coolest demeanors ever to heat up the silver screen, Newman was nominated for Oscars ten times.

But perhaps his proudest accomplishment, besides his 50-year marriage to actress Joanne Woodward, was starting Newman's Own, which since 1982 has made popcorn, spaghetti sauce, lemonade and salad dressing and has donated more than $250 million to charities selected by Newman himself.

Career Highs

With more than 80 films and TV productions to his credit, Newman's career spanned generations. His first Oscar nomination was in 1959 for Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, and his most recent was in 2003 for Road to Perdition.

The son of a sporting goods storeowner, the Ohio native enrolled in Ohio's Kenyon College after his 1946 discharge from the Navy. He married for the first time in 1949, then moved wife Jackie and their young son Scott east, where Newman attended the Yale Drama School and, later, the New York Actors Studio.

Dramatic TV roles came his way, but it was his Broadway debut in 1953, as the sexy stranger in Picnic, that led to a Warner Bros. Hollywood contract and his first movie – the 1954 toga epic The Silver Chalice, which even he considered one of the worst movies ever made.

Still, the looker more than redeemed himself in two screen adaptations of Tennessee Williams dramas, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof costarring Elizabeth Taylor, and Sweet Bird of Youth, with a highly charged Geraldine Page.

In 1957, Newman and Jackie, with whom he also had two daughters, divorced. The next year, he married Woodward, with whom he eventually had another three daughters.

By the '60s Newman had hit his stride with such career-defining roles as the leads in The Hustler, Hud and Cool Hand Luke. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, followed by The Sting, made him and screen partner Robert Redford the hottest male stars of the '70s.

Newman won an Oscar for The Color of Money, in 1987. Exactly 20 years later, he announced his retirement from acting, saying, "I'm not able to work anymore ... at the level that I would want to. You start to lose your memory, you start to lose your confidence, you start to lose your invention."

Among his final roles was the voice of Doc Hudson in the 2006 animated movie Cars.

Charitable Investments

In 1988, Newman and Woodward established the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, named for the outlaws in Butch Cassidy. The camp permits seriously ill youngsters to enjoy the great outdoors – at no cost to the kids or their families.

"I'm a cynical S.O. B.," Newman said when the camp opened, in Ashford, Conn. "But I have a sense of wonder here."

After his retirement from acting, Newman, who was based in Westport, Conn., remained active in his charity work (in 2007, he donated $10 million to Kenyon College) and his food business, and even started theater directing for the first time.

Besides Woodward, Newman's five daughters and several grandchildren survive him. His son, Scott Newman, died following an accidental drug overdose in 1978. In his memory, Paul Newman instituted the Scott Newman Center for drug abuse prevention.

Legendary actor Paul Newman dies at age 83

Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "The Color of Money" — and as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario — has died. He was 83.

Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends.

In May, Newman had dropped plans to direct a fall production of "Of Mice and Men," citing unspecified health issues.

He got his start in theater and on television during the 1950s, and went on to become one of the world's most enduring and popular film stars, a legend held in awe by his peers. He was nominated for Oscars 10 times, winning one regular award and two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."

Newman worked with some of the greatest directors of the past half century, from Alfred Hitchcock and John Huston to Robert Altman, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers. His co-stars included Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall, Tom Cruise, Tom Hanks and, most famously, Robert Redford, his sidekick in "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting."

He sometimes teamed with his wife and fellow Oscar winner, Joanne Woodward, with whom he had one of Hollywood's rare long-term marriages. "I have steak at home, why go out for hamburger?" Newman told Playboy magazine when asked if he was tempted to stray. They wed in 1958, around the same time they both appeared in "The Long Hot Summer," and Newman directed her in several films, including "Rachel, Rachel" and "The Glass Menagerie."

With his strong, classically handsome face and piercing blue eyes, Newman was a heartthrob just as likely to play against his looks, becoming a favorite with critics for his convincing portrayals of rebels, tough guys and losers. "I was always a character actor," he once said. "I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."

Newman had a soft spot for underdogs in real life, giving tens of millions to charities through his food company and setting up camps for severely ill children. Passionately opposed to the Vietnam War, and in favor of civil rights, he was so famously liberal that he ended up on President Nixon's "enemies list," one of the actor's proudest achievements, he liked to say.

A screen legend by his mid-40s, he waited a long time for his first competitive Oscar, winning in 1987 for "The Color of Money," a reprise of the role of pool shark "Fast" Eddie Felson, whom Newman portrayed in the 1961 film "The Hustler."

Newman delivered a magnetic performance in "The Hustler," playing a smooth-talking, whiskey-chugging pool shark who takes on Minnesota Fats — played by Jackie Gleason — and becomes entangled with a gambler played by George C. Scott. In the sequel — directed by Scorsese — "Fast Eddie" is no longer the high-stakes hustler he once was, but rather an aging liquor salesman who takes a young pool player (Cruise) under his wing before making a comeback.

He won an honorary Oscar in 1986 "in recognition of his many and memorable compelling screen performances and for his personal integrity and dedication to his craft." In 1994, he won a third Oscar, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, for his charitable work.

His most recent academy nod was a supporting actor nomination for the 2002 film "Road to Perdition." One of Newman's nominations was as a producer; the other nine were in acting categories. (Jack Nicholson holds the record among actors for Oscar nominations, with 12; actress Meryl Streep has had 14.)

As he passed his 80th birthday, he remained in demand, winning an Emmy and a Golden Globe for the 2005 HBO drama "Empire Falls" and providing the voice of a crusty 1951 car in the 2006 Disney-Pixar hit, "Cars."

But in May 2007, he told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had given up acting, though he intended to remain active in charity projects. "I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," he said. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."

He received his first Oscar nomination for playing a bitter, alcoholic former star athlete in the 1958 film "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Elizabeth Taylor played his unhappy wife and Burl Ives his wealthy, domineering father in Tennessee Williams' harrowing drama, which was given an upbeat ending for the screen.

In "Cool Hand Luke," he was nominated for his gritty role as a rebellious inmate in a brutal Southern prison. The movie was one of the biggest hits of 1967 and included a tagline, delivered one time by Newman and one time by prison warden Strother Martin, that helped define the generation gap, "What we've got here is (a) failure to communicate."

Newman's hair was graying, but he was as gourgeous as ever and on the verge of his greatest popular success. In 1969, Newman teamed with Redford for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," a comic Western about two outlaws running out of time. Newman paired with Redford again in 1973 in "The Sting," a comedy about two Depression-era con men. Both were multiple Oscar winners and huge hits, irreverent, unforgettable pairings of two of the best-looking actors of their time.

Newman also turned to producing and directing. In 1968, he directed "Rachel, Rachel," a film about a lonely spinster's rebirth. The movie received four Oscar nominations, including Newman, for producer of a best motion picture, and Woodward, for best actress. The film earned Newman the best director award from the New York Film Critics.

In the 1970s, Newman, admittedly bored with acting, became fascinated with auto racing, a sport he studied when he starred in the 1972 film, "Winning." After turning professional in 1977, Newman and his driving team made strong showings in several major races, including fifth place in Daytona in 1977 and second place in the Le Mans in 1979.

"Racing is the best way I know to get away from all the rubbish of Hollywood," he told People magazine in 1979.

Despite his love of race cars, Newman continued to make movies and continued to pile up Oscar nominations, his looks remarkably intact, his acting becoming more subtle, nothing like the mannered method performances of his early years, when he was sometimes dismissed as a Brando imitator. "It takes a long time for an actor to develop the assurance that the trim, silver-haired Paul Newman has acquired," Pauline Kael wrote of him in the early 1980s.

In 1982, he got his Oscar fifth nomination for his portrayal of an honest businessman persecuted by an irresponsible reporter in "Absence of Malice." The following year, he got his sixth for playing a down-and-out alcoholic attorney in "The Verdict."

In 1995, he was nominated for his slyest, most understated work yet, the town curmudgeon and deadbeat in "Nobody's Fool." New York Times critic Caryn James found his acting "without cheap sentiment and self-pity," and observed, "It says everything about Mr. Newman's performance, the single best of this year and among the finest he has ever given, that you never stop to wonder how a guy as good-looking as Paul Newman ended up this way."

Newman, who shunned Hollywood life, was reluctant to give interviews and usually refused to sign autographs because he found the majesty of the act offensive, according to one friend.

He also claimed that he never read reviews of his movies.

"If they're good you get a fat head and if they're bad you're depressed for three weeks," he said.

Off the screen, Newman had a taste for beer and was known for his practical jokes. He once had a Porsche installed in Redford's hallway — crushed and covered with ribbons.

"I think that my sense of humor is the only thing that keeps me sane," he told Newsweek magazine in a 1994 interview.

In 1982, Newman and his Westport neighbor, writer A.E. Hotchner, started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All of the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.

"We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person," Robert Forrester, vice chairman of Newman's Own Foundation, said in a statement.

Hotchner said Newman should have "everybody's admiration."

"For me it's the loss of an adventurous freindship over the past 50 years and it's the loss of a great American citizen," Hotchner told The Associated Press.

In 1988, Newman founded a camp in northeastern Connecticut for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. He went on to establish similar camps in several other states and in Europe.

He and Woodward bought an 18th century farmhouse in Westport, where they raised their three daughters, Elinor "Nell," Melissa and Clea.

Newman had two daughters, Susan and Stephanie, and a son, Scott, from a previous marriage to Jacqueline Witte.

Scott died in 1978 of an accidental overdose of alcohol and Valium. After his only son's death, Newman established the Scott Newman Foundation to finance the production of anti-drug films for children.

Newman was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the second of two boys of Arthur S. Newman, a partner in a sporting goods store, and Theresa Fetzer Newman.

He was raised in the affluent suburb of Shaker Heights, where he was encouraged him to pursue his interest in the arts by his mother and his uncle Joseph Newman, a well-known Ohio poet and journalist.

Following World War II service in the Navy, he enrolled at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, where he got a degree in English and was active in student productions.

He later studied at Yale University's School of Drama, then headed to New York to work in theater and television, his classmates at the famed Actor's Studio including Brando, James Dean and Karl Malden. His breakthrough was enabled by tragedy: Dean, scheduled to star as the disfigured boxer in a television adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's "The Battler," died in a car crash in 1955. His role was taken by Newman, then a little-known performer.

Newman started in movies the year before, in "The Silver Chalice," a costume film he so despised that he took out an ad in Variety to apologize. By 1958, he had won the best actor award at the Cannes Film Festival for the shiftless Ben Quick in "The Long Hot Summer."

In December 1994, about a month before his 70th birthday, he told Newsweek magazine he had changed little with age.

"I'm not mellower, I'm not less angry, I'm not less self-critical, I'm not less tenacious," he said. "Maybe the best part is that your liver can't handle those beers at noon anymore," he said.

Newman is survived by his wife, five children, two grandsons and his older brother Arthur.

Paul Newman Dies at 83

Butch Cassidy, Hud Bannon, icon. Paul Newman excelled in all those roles, and more.

Newman, the Academy Award-winning leading man who specialized in iconoclasts and outsiders, but whose aqua-blue eyes and box-office prowess made him one of Hollywood's biggest stars, and whose eclectic interests saw him pursue car racing and salad dressing with equal vigor, died Friday of cancer. He was 83.

Newman succumbed to the disease at his farmhouse near Westport, Conn., publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and dear friends.

Survivors include actress Joanne Woodward, his wife of 50 years, and his professional collaborator for nearly as many.

In a 52-year screen year, Newman earned the 1986 Best Actor Academy Award for The Color of Money, and pulled in 10 overall nominations—nine for acting, and one for producing 1968 Best Picture contender Rachel, Rachel, which starred Woodward, and which he directed.

Additionally, he received two honorary Oscars, in 1986 and 1994, won one Emmy, for 2005's Empire Falls, and rated one Tony nomination, for a 2002-03 Broadway revival of Our Town.

Paul Newman 1925-2008

Paul Newman, the film star, racing driver, team owner and humanitarian entrepreneur has died at the age of 83. Newman was the parrt-owner of the Newman Haas Lanigan Racing team in the Indy Racing League.

Born in Shaker Heights, a suburb of Cleveland, Ohio, the son of the owner of a sporting goods store. He briefly attended Ohio University before joining the US Navy, wanting to become a flier. He subsequently served as a radio operator and gunner in torpedo bombers in the Pacific War. After the war he returned to college and graduated in 1949 before moving on to study acting at Yale and then with Lee Strasberg's Actors' Studio in New York City. He made his debut on Broadway and had his first movie in 1954. He played boxer Rocky Graziano in Somebody Up There Likes Me and followed up with Cat on a Hot Tin Roof with Elizabeth Taylor. It was not until the 1960s that he became a superstar with The Hustler (1961), Hud (1963), Harper (1966) and Cool Hand Luke (1967). He teamed up with fellow actor Robert Redford for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) and The Sting (1973). In addition to his acting career he directed four films, all of them featuring his wife Joanne Woodward. He has won numerous awards, including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cannes Film Festival Award, and an Emmy award, along with many honorary awards. His most recent role in film was as the voice of Doc Hudson in the Pixar animation "Cars".

He discovered racing in 1969 while working on the movie "Winning" and made his first professional start in 1972. he raced at Le Mans in 1979 and finished second and spent much of his time driving a Nissan for Bob Sharp. He has close links with Nissan in the 1980s, appearing in adverts for the company. He continued to race until he was into his seventies.

Newman co-founded Newman Haas Lanigan Racing in 1983 and the team has since won almost 100 CART and IRL races and championships with drivers Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Cristiano da Matta and most recently with Sebastien Bourdais.

In 1982 he established Newman's Own, a line of food products, beginning with salad dressing but later expanding into a wide range of products. The procceds of the business, which have exceeded $250m, are all donated to charity. He was also a major supporter of the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a residential summer camp for seriously ill children, which he co-founded in 1988. It is named after the gang in his film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The camp serves 13,000 children every year, free of charge.

Newman was diagnosed with lung cancer in the course of 2007. He was twice married, the first marriage to Jackie Witte lasted between 1949 to 1958 and had a son and two daughters. The son Scott died of a drug overdose in 1978, which resulted in Newman opening the Scott Newman Center for drug abuse prevention.

In 1958 he married actress Woodward and they had three daughters together.

The news was announced by Newman's Own Foundation, which issued the following statement: "Paul Newman's craft was acting. His passion was racing. His love was his family and friends. And his heart and soul were dedicated to helping make the world a better place for all. Paul had an abiding belief in the role that luck plays in one's life, and its randomness. He was quick to acknowledge the good fortune he had in his own life, beginning with being born in America, and was acutely aware of how unlucky so many others were. True to his character, he quietly devoted himself to helping offset this imbalance. An exceptional example is the legacy of Newman's Own. What started as something of a joke in the basement of his home, turned into a highly-respected, multi-million dollar a year food company. And true to form, he shared this good fortune by donating all the profits and royalties he earned to thousands of charities around the world, a total which now exceeds $250 million. While his philanthropic interests and donations were wide-ranging, he was especially committed to the thousands of children with life-threatening conditions served by the Hole in the Wall Camps, which he helped start over 20 years ago. He saw the Camps as places where kids could escape the fear, pain and isolation of their conditions, kick back, and raise a little hell. Today, there are 11 Camps around the world, with additional programs in Africa and Vietnam. Through the Camps, well over 135,000 children have had the chance to experience what childhood was meant to be.

"We will miss our friend Paul Newman, but are lucky ourselves to have known such a remarkable person."

Gibson Among Most Generous Stars

She's been named as the highest-paid TV celebrity and one of the world's most powerful women, but American talk-show host Oprah Winfrey is also a big giver, topping a list of the 30 most generous celebrities for the second year running.

The second annual list, compiled by The Giving Back Fund, a group that seeks to encourage philanthropy, put Oprah in the top slot with The Oprah Winfrey Foundation and Oprah's Angel Network spending $50.2 million in 2007 on education, health care, and advocacy for women and children worldwide.

Winfrey is a former Bob Hope Humanitarian Award winner, but her girls' academy in South Africa made headlines last year after a former dormitory matron was charged with abusing students.

Second place on the list, published in the latest edition of Parade magazine, went to trumpeter and A&M records co-founder Herb Alpert with The Herb Alpert Foundation spending $13 million on education, including the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

Singer-actress Barbra Streisand came third in the list that was based on public records of donations made in 2007, with $11 million donated by The Streisand Foundation to the environment, women's issues, civil rights, AIDS research, and advocacy.

Fourth place went to Paul Newman who gave $10 million to the Scholarship for Kenyon College, his alma mater in Gambier, Ohio, while Mel Gibson was in the fifth slot, giving $9.9 million to the Holy Family Church in Malibu, California.

Charity event to benefit Hole in the Wall Gang Camp

Dear Friend:

On Oct. 27, 2008, at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco, a most esteemed group of film actors will take to the theatrical stage to benefit the Painted Turtle, one of Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camps. Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Billy Crystal, Danny DeVito, Danny Glover, Tom Hanks, Jack Nicholson, Edward James Olmos, Sean Penn, Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis will perform The World of Nick Adams stories by Ernest Hemingway dramatized by A.E. Hotchner with an original score by Aaron Copland, performed by the San Francisco Symphony.

Since opening in 2004, the Painted Turtle has provided children throughout California who suffer from chronic and life-threatening illnesses the opportunity to rediscover the ordinary joys or being a child through year-round camp and hospital outreach programs. No child or family pays to attend. The Painted Turtle has no billing department.

In order to deliver around-the-clock medical care in our recreational camp setting, we rely on California's top pediatricians, specialists and nurses. Our Northern California Founding Hospitals and Medical Advisory Board includes: Dr. Anthony Phillips, UC Davis Children's Hospital; Dr. Vipul Mankad, Children's Hospital and Recreation Center at Oakland; Drs. Sam Hawgood and Amy Houtrow, UC San Francisco Children's Hospital; Drs. Lorry Frankel and Alan Gianotti, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

You are among the first people we are inviting to join us on October 27, at Davies Symphony Hall, for this one-night-only live performance of The World of Nick Adams.

The link outlines the various levels of participation available and highlights a few of the many benefits.

We will be following up on this letter very shortly. However, if you have questions or require any additional information, please feel free to call Harvin Rogas at 5B Events. She can be reached at (415) 839-5338. Many thanks for your consideration. We look forward to seeing you at this magical evening.

Sincerely,

Page Adler and Lou Adler
Painted Turtle Founders

Love For Paul

MARTY Richards is heartbroken over Paul Newman's declining health. The "Chicago" producer told Page Six he sent Newman a letter telling him he loves him. The duo worked together on "Fort Apache: The Bronx" in 1981, and Richards said he found Newman "standoffish" at first. "Then I quickly grew to love him," Richards told us. "I brought him back with that movie, but he also brought my career back. I think about 20,000 people have sent him letters wishing him well." Richards told us his latest project is working with Woody Allen on bringing "Bullets Over Broadway" to the Great White Way.

Screen legend Paul Newman prepares to die at home

PAUL Newman has finished chemotherapy and has told his family he wants to die at home.

The Oscar-winning actor was pictured being pushed from a New York cancer hospital in a wheelchair.

Yesterday, it was reported in America that Newman, 83, had only weeks to live and had returned home to his wife, Joanne Woodward.

"Paul didn't want to die in the hospital," a source said. "Joanne and his daughters are beside themselves with grief."

The source, described as a close family friend, said that the star had spent the past few weeks getting his affairs in order.

It was claimed that some of Newman's actions had caused tension among of his children.

"He gave a prized car - a Ferrari with his racing number, 82, on it - to a long-time pal," the friend said.

"The sudden move angered his children. It's especially hard for them to come to grips with what's going on.

"The word they've been given is that he has only a few weeks to live."

Newman married Woodward in 1958 and the couple have three daughters.

It was reported last month that he had been readying their oldest child, Nell, to take over his Newman's Own salad dressings company, the profits of which are given to a charitable foundation.

He also has two daughters from his first marriage to Jackie Witte.

Newman has so far declined to comment on his condition, apart from saying he is "doing nicely".

Rumours about his health surfaced in January. Three months ago, he withdrew from directing a production of Of Mice and Men in his home town of Westport, Connecticut.

Longtime friend: Paul Newman has cancer

Paul Newman, who has recently appeared gaunt in photos and dropped plans to direct a play in his Connecticut hometown, is battling cancer, his longtime neighbor and business partner said Wednesday.

Writer A.E. Hotchner, who partnered with Newman to start Newman's Own salad dressing company in the 1980s, said the 83-year-old actor told him about the disease about 18 months ago. He doesn't say what kind of cancer, but said Newman is in active treatment.

"I know that it's a form of cancer," Hotchner told The Associated Press. "It's a form of cancer and he's dealing with it."

Newman issued a statement late Tuesday that he's "doing nicely" but didn't specifically address questions about cancer. A call was placed to his spokesman Wednesday seeking comment.

The Oscar winner appeared to have lost weight when he was photographed at the Indianapolis 500 auto race last month. Martha Stewart, in an entry dated June 6, posted a photo on her blog of herself with the actor, who looked thin, at a luncheon to benefit the Hole in the Wall Gang camps for critically ill children. (The Hole in the Wall Gang was led by Newman's affable outlaw character, Butch, in the 1969 film "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.")

Newman won an Oscar for his leading role in 1986's "The Color of Money." His screen credits also include "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke," "The Verdict" and "Road to Perdition."

Hotchner said Newman had an operation a few years ago. "It was certainly somewhere in the area of the lung," he said.

"He's battling," Hotchner said. "He's doing all the right stuff. Paul is a fighter. He seems to be going through a good period right now."

Asked about his prognosis, Hotchner said, "Everybody is hopeful. That's all we know."

In 1982, Hotchner and Newman started a company to market Newman's original oil-and-vinegar dressing. Newman's Own, which began as a joke, grew into a multimillion-dollar business selling popcorn, salad dressing, spaghetti sauce and other foods. All the company's profits are donated to charities. By 2007, the company had donated more than $175 million, according to its Web site.

Last month, officials at Connecticut's Westport Country Playhouse cited unspecified health issues when they announced that Newman would not direct "Of Mice and Men" this fall.

Newman lives in Westport with his wife, Joanne Woodward.

Two friends said Tuesday that Newman appeared to be doing well.

"I think he's feeling quite well," said actor James Naughton, who spoke to Newman on Monday night. "As far as I can tell he's doing very well."

Newman had an infection over the winter, but seems to have that under control, Naughton said. He was lively at this month's Hole in the Wall Gang camp fundraiser, he said.

Michael Brockman, Newman's racing team partner, said Newman told him recently that he wants to get back into his race car for a test run and possibly another competition. His last race was last fall, he said.

"I think he's doing better than he was," Brockman said, noting that Newman had regained most of the weight he had lost.

"I think he looks great," said Brockman, who saw Newman last weekend. "I wish I looked that good."

Brockman called Newman "one of the best guys I ever met."

"He's just a regular guy," Brockman said. "He's humble."

Paul Newman responds cryptically to cancer reports

Oscar-winning actor Paul Newman, responding to a flurry of unconfirmed reports he is gravely ill with cancer, issued a terse, cryptic statement on Tuesday that shed little light on his actual condition.

"Newman says he's doing nicely," his spokesman, Jeff Sanderson, said in a message e-mailed to Reuters and other media outlets in answer to queries about the cancer reports.

Reached by telephone in his Los Angeles office, Sanderson declined to elaborate or give further details.

"This is what I got from him. He says he's doing nicely, and this is the statement I wanted to share with you, and that's what I have," Sanderson said. "I spoke to his office. ... this is the statement that came directly from him."

According to numerous media accounts circulating on TV and the Internet since Monday, Newman, 83, has been diagnosed with lung cancer and was undergoing out-patient treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

A spokeswoman for Sloan-Kettering said she had no information about whether Newman was a patient there.

Newman announced just over a year ago he was essentially retiring from a half-century career in acting because of his age.

Last month, he stepped down as director of a stage production of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" at the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut, citing unspecified health issues.

Newman's wife of more than 50 years, actress Joanne Woodward, is a co-artistic director of the playhouse.

Newman, who appeared in some 60 movies, made his name portraying brooding characters in films like "Cat On a Hot Tin Roof," "The Hustler" and "Hud" -- roles that all won him Oscar nominations.

The blue-eyed performer enhanced his superstar status later by playing winking rogues and anti-heroes -- such as the title character in "Cool Hand Luke," an outlaw in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and a suave con man in "The Sting."

He earned nine Academy Award nominations in all, but his only Oscar win was for best actor in the 1986 film "The Color of Money," portraying the same pool shark, Fast Eddie Felson, he had played when he was nominated in 1961 for "The Hustler."

Newman also enjoyed successful side endeavors as an auto racing driver and the creator of a line of food products, Newman's Own, that bore his name and face on their labels and donated all its earnings to charity.

His last two Oscar nominations came late in his career for wizened elder roles in the 1994 film "Nobody's Fool" and in 2002 for "Road to Perdition."

He won an Emmy Award as best actor in a television movie for his role as the meddling, elder father in the HBO's 2005 ensemble drama "Empire Falls," which also co-starred Woodward. His last big-screen acting role was as the voice of Doc Hudson, a talking antique automobile in the 2006 animated film "Cars."

Rep Shoots Down Paul Newman Cancer Reports

Paul Newman is not at death's door, thank you very much.

The Hollywood icon's agent, Toni Howard, tells E! News a slew of gossip reports claiming Newman was terminally ill with lung cancer are "not true."

The reports began in earnest late last month, when Newman backed out as director of Our Town at the playhouse in his hometown of Westport, Conn., citing an unspecified illness.

Several tabloids pounced on the news as evidence of a dire condition. Subsequent photos of a seemingly gaunt-looking Newman at a recent charity event, posted last Friday on Martha Stewart's blog, has added fuel to the speculation, which was even picked up by the Los Angeles Times' gossip blog.

The 83-year-old Oscar winner announced last year that he was ending his acting career after 50 years.

Racing becomes trendy option for celebs

Patrick Dempsey, Paul Newman and Jason Priestley are regulars on the red-carpet circuit.

They’re just as comfortable strolling through Gasoline Alley.

While Newman, David Letterman and Joe Gibbs have long had ties to racing, more and more American celebrities are getting involved in the sport. Everyone from actors to Hall-of-Fame athletes to world champion boxers is joining the ranks.

“I like it because there are no critics, no lawyers, no agents,” said Priestley, a heartthrob on “Beverly Hills 90210” and now a co-owner of Rubicon Race Team. “You go out and compete, it’s black and white.”

In a sport where names mean everything, the addition of outside “stars” has created a different look for racing.

Gibbs, the former Washington Redskins coach, and former Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman each won three Super Bowls and are now listed among NASCAR team owners. Letterman, Dempsey, Newman, Priestley and former heavyweight champion George Foreman are all listed as co-owners of IndyCar teams, and the allure is as varied as their day jobs.

Newman competed for years in the Can Am Series, while Priestley started driving in 1991 and made it to the Indy Racing League’s developmental series before a serious accident in August 2002 ended his aspirations of running the more powerful cars.

Others grew up around the sport. Aikman’s father, a welder by trade, moonlighted as a part-time driver. So after earning millions in the NFL, Aikman, now a broadcaster on Fox’s NFL telecasts, found it more economical to own a race team than spend hundreds of millions to buy a franchise in one America’s other professional leagues.

“I always thought it was a pretty exciting sport that was growing,” he said. “It was strictly a business thing because the last thing I needed was something that required more of my time. Others probably got involved for the same reason.”

For years, the sport’s popularity revolved around famous drivers like Andretti, Earnhardt, Foyt and Petty, whose children and grandchildren kept the family legacies alive.

Now the big names are coming from a wider spectrum.

Foreman and Stanford football coach Jim Harbaugh are co-owners with Panther Racing. Dempsey, better known as Dr. McDreamy on ABC’s hit series “Grey’s Anatomy,” owns part of Tony George’s Vision Racing team.

Letterman, the award-winning late-night talk show host, has been working with former Indy winner Bobby Rahal for years, while Newman and Carl Haas formed their first IndyCar team in 1982 and began competing in 1983.

Those who have been around racing for decades, such as Roger Penske, believe it’s a good thing for the sport.

“If they’re really hard-core fans, I think it’s great,” said Penske, whose 14 Indy 500 wins are a record. “It’s good to get them in, and they certainly can be an asset when looking for sponsors. I think it’s a huge benefit. It’s almost like having Tiger Woods as a partner if you’re building a golf course.”

But fame away from the track hasn’t always translated to success on it.

Priestley’s team, which is co-owned by Jim Freudenberg and former IRL driver Sam Schmidt, failed to qualify for last weekend’s Indy 500 and is now re-evaluating its future. Aikman’s team, Hall of Fame Racing, which he co-owns with two Arizona Diamondbacks executives, has yet to post a top-20 finish this season with driver J.J. Yeley.

There are exceptions.

Rahal, the 1986 Indy winner, and Letterman owned Buddy Rice’s Indy-winning car in 2004. Panther Racing catapulted Sam Hornish Jr.’s career with back-to-back series titles in 2001 and 2002, and now employs Vitor Meira, who was runner-up to Scott Dixon in Sunday’s race.

Gibbs has won three Cup titles—Bobby Labonte in 2000, and Tony Stewart in 2002 and 2005—and has this year’s points leader, Kyle Busch, in his three-car lineup.

And over the past 25 years, Newman’s team has won 105 IndyCar races, 106 poles and eight points titles, including the last three in Champ Car. The team has also had some of the world’s best-known drivers—Mario and Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell, Paul Tracy and Sebastien Bourdais—under its banner.

After the split between the IRL and CART, Newman stayed away from Indy until this month. Fans embraced his return.

“We’ve won eight championships and come in second twice at Indianapolis but never won the 500,” Newman said on the first day of qualifying. “It’s wonderful to be running against Roger, Rahal, Michael and all those guys. It’s comfortable.”

The celebs have also added their cast of friends to race week festivities.

Two-time Indy winner and “Dancing With the Stars” champion Helio Castroneves spent race week hosting a group of former competitors from the television show including Wayne Newton and Castroneves’ partner, Julianne Hough. Priestley invited former co-star, Luke Perry, and had Colts tight end Dallas Clark lined up to work on the team’s pit crew.

Indiana men’s basketball coach Tom Crean, whose wife, Joani, is the brother of Jim and John Harbaugh, the Baltimore Ravens coach, watched the race from the Panther Racing suite. NBA star Baron Davis, NFL Hall of Famer Marcus Allen and Olympic skier Bode Miller were all race-day guests of Jay Penske’s Luczo Dragon team. Penske is the son of Roger Penske.

“I know a couple of players who have gotten involved, like Carmelo Anthony,” Davis said. “I think there’s just an appreciation among athletes for the speed, precision and great teamwork it takes in auto racing.”

But the one common theme that keeps celebrities involved in racing is their zeal for the sport—not the red carpet introductions.

“I think celebrities like racing for different things. George (Foreman) has a huge car collection, the biggest I’ve ever seen, so I think that he was bitten by the motorsports bug,” Panther co-owner John Barnes said. “That’s what drives them and brings them into sports of all forms.

“I think the sport has tremendous openness, too, especially IndyCar racing. Jim (Harbaugh) used to say that if he made it to the Super Bowl, his dad couldn’t come in the locker room before the game. In IndyCars, you have breakfast with the drivers on race day, and I think that’s part of the attraction, too.”

Hollywood press agent Warren Cowan dies at 87

Legendary Hollywood press agent Warren Cowan, who represented such stars as Elizabeth Taylor, Paul Newman and Frank Sinatra, has died. He was 87.

Warren Cowan & Associates spokeswoman Jazmine Vicenty confirmed early Thursday that Cowan had died. She declined to give other details.

The trade paper Daily Variety reported Cowan died Wednesday night of heart failure and cancer at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.

The jovial Cowan, known for working the press lines at awards shows and other events, was still actively promoting clients this year.

Cowan and his mentor Henry C. Rogers founded Rogers & Cowan in 1950 and saw it become one of the world's biggest entertainment public relations firms. Among its stable of celebrity clients were Danny Kaye, Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Shirley MacLaine, Roberto Benigni and Elton John.

In 1988, Rogers & Cowan was sold to the British conglomerate Shandwick PLC. Cowan set up his new company, Warren Cowan & Associates, six years later.

Rogers died in 1995 at age 82.

Charity partnership

Paul Newman watched from pit lane as Graham Rahal made his first Indianapolis 500 qualifying attempt in the No. 06 Hole in the Hole in the Wall Camps car for Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing. An hour earlier, the multiple Academy Award winner spoke about another of his passions.

The Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway announced that they have designated the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, founded by Newman in 1988, as a "Charitable Partner" of both organizations.

"There are a couple of things I have great affection for. One of those is automobile racing. The other is to care in some ways for kids who have been less fortunate than I have," Newman said. "And to be able to have this coming together of two organizations working together to that purpose is a home run for me. That Tony (George) has chosen to bring his organization is just stunning to me. It's an amalgamation on two fronts now."

Hole in the Wall Camps is the world's largest family of camps, serving children's camps as well as camps in development around the world. Each camp is a separate entity, expanding Newman's dream of providing a recreational and therapeutic camping experience for children facing serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions.

Children with cancer, sickle cell anemia, HIV/AIDS, and many other conditions go to various Hole in the Wall Camps to experience the simple joys of childhood, without compromising any of their medical needs thanks to the association's high-quality medical care. All children attend the camps free of charge. In 2007, more than 11,100 children with serious medical conditions enjoyed the camps experience.

"I have admired Paul Newman's commitment to charities for years, especially his dedication to the Hole in the Wall Camps," said George, founder/CEO of the sanctioning Indy Racing League and CEO of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "We are pleased to partner with the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps and hope to help more children with serious illnesses get the chance to just be kids."

The Association includes 11 camps and two provisional camps around the world as well as a new initiative in Africa.

"The Hole in the Wall Camps are delighted to embark on this partnership with the Indy Racing League and Indianapolis Motor Speedway," said Ray Empson, president and CEO of the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps. "Camp, like motorsports, is about teamwork and it is a great privilege to be part of the Indy team. We look forward to a mutually rewarding, enduring relationship."

Newman's own

The bustling garage grew more crowded after Paul Newman stealthily entered to have a look-see and greet drivers Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal before the second day of testing at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

The Academy Award-winning actor, race car driver and the "N" in Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing visited the racetrack to watch the drivers complete their initial preparation for the season-opening GAINSCO Auto Insurance Indy 300. Of course, he drew a crowd of long-time friends, associates and well-wishers.

"Lots of cars," Newman said of the 11 on pit lane, which will be augmented by 15 for the 200-lap race under the lights March 29.

Newman recently signed a letter (along with fellow IndyCar Series team owner Roger Penske) that has been mailed to former Indianapolis 500 ticket holders, asking them to join him at the 92nd running May 25. It will be the first time since 1978 that the 500-Mile Race will be contested under a unified sanctioning body.

"I'm privileged to have three great owners who are racers at heart," said Wilson, who joined the team for 2008 after a three-year stint with RuSport in the Champ Car World Series. "They've been very supportive and made me feel welcome, which is quite an important part when you join a new team."

Doc Visits For Paul

WE reported that Paul Newman was absent from his Hole in the Wall Gang charity party on Monday night because, according to his rep, "he's been having trouble with his back." Newman has quipped he's being "treated for athlete's foot and hair loss." But sadly, the legendary star's health problems might be more serious. For the past seven months he's been seeing an Upper East Side oncologist whose confi-dentiality we are protecting. "He's been there a lot, he's even worked out in the waiting room, doing squat thrusts. Last time, he was in there he had a long beard," said our spy. "Joanne Woodward is there waiting for him and being very sweet with the assistants."

Back Keeps Newman Home

PAUL Newman, 83, was conspicuously absent Monday night at the 20th anniversary of his Hole in the Wall Gang charity, which runs summer camps for ill children. And some in the audience at City Center were worried, especially in light of tabloid reports that the beloved actor had secret cancer surgery in January. Newman quipped through his spokesman, Warren Cowan, at the time: "I'm being treated for athlete's foot and hair loss . . . maybe the doctors know something that I don't." Cowan told Page Six this week that Newman planned to attend the Hole in the Wall event with Renée Zellweger, Julia Roberts, Harry Belafonte, Bernadette Peters and Carole King. "But he's been having trouble with his back," Cowan said. "The doctors told him to stay off his feet." Newman was at the racetrack in Lime Rock, Conn., last week being filmed by Barbara Walters for an ABC special on longevity.

Garth Brooks, Paul Newman on Oregon ballot

On the ballot this month in Yamhill County are questions such as whether the United States should purchase the Louisiana Territory or whether Paul Newman or Garth Brooks ought to be the national director of entertainment.

Just kidding! The western Oregon county is spending $10,000 for a dry run of a new voting system. It is mailing mock ballots to voters for the March 11 ballot, hoping to work out any kinks in the system before an election May 20 in which the results will be real.

Oregon holds elections in March, but nobody submitted any questions for the ballot in Yamhill County. Rather than skip the election, the county decided to use it as a test of a new scanning system, as training for elections workers and as a warm-up for voters who will cast ballots in a real primary election in May.

‘‘We’re hoping it will be a little easier for people,’’ county Clerk Jan Coleman told the county commissioners earlier this year. ‘‘But it is a change.’’

The counting software replaces a 20-year-old system relying on a trio of optical scanners. The old system required voters to draw, with a pencil, a line completing an arrow on the right side of the candidate they chose.

The new ballots require them to shade in a box to the left of the candidate’s name with a blue or black pen. Ballots will be fed into a machine capable of scanning them digitally rather than optically.

Paul Newman takes on Steinbeck at revamped theater

Now that Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe are back in charge at the Westport Country Playhouse -- both had taken a sabbatical -- things are looking up again for the 78th season of the venerable Connecticut venue.

Besides Woodward's 83-year-old husband Paul Newman directing a fall production of John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men" scheduled for October 7-25, the 2008 slate also will include Timothy Busfield ("The West Wing") in Morris Panych's new play, "Vigil," directed by Stephen DiMenna, which will open the Westport season February 19-March 15.

That will be followed by a production of Alan Ayckbourn's comedy "Time of My Life," with Paxton Whitehead and directed by John Tillinger (April 1-26); then Craig Wright's play "The Pavilion," directed by Chad Rabinovitz (May 13-31); the musical revue "Hot 'n' Cole: A Cole Porter Celebration," devised by David Armstrong, Mark Waldrop and Bruce W. Coule (June 10-28); David Wiltse's comedy "Scramble!" directed by Tracey Brigden (July 8-28); and Karoline Leach's thriller "Tryst," with Mark Shanahan and directed by Joe Brancato (August 5-23), with other plays to be announced.

This famous theater was launched in 1931 by the Theatre Guild's Lawrence Langner and his wife, Armina Marshall, using a site that had been built in the 1830s as a cow barn and has since become one of the East Coast's most famous summer theaters. Spearheaded by Woodward and Keefe, it underwent a multimillion-dollar renovation three years ago and is now not only state-of-the-art, gleaming, infinitely more comfortable and certainly more ambitious but also has switched to a policy making it open year-round.

This is the week Oscar invades New York big time: On Friday, 50 shiny new Academy Award statuettes will go on display for public oohhing and aahhing at ABC's Times Square Studios, part of a free exhibition that runs through February 23.

A similar event was held last year at the same site and enjoyed massive success; equally big crowds are expected this time around. Besides the sight of those four dozen-plus golden boys all standing together, visitors also will be able to have a look at the Oscar awarded to Gary Cooper for 1941's "Sergeant York" (presented by Jimmy Stewart to Cooper in early 1942 while America, and Hollywood, was still reeling from its recent entry into World War II), as well as the one awarded just last year to Thelma Schoonmaker for her editing on Martin Scorsese's "The Departed."

Cooper's Oscar is courtesy of his daughter, Maria Cooper Janis, who also is the niece of the man who created the original Oscar statuette design back in 1927, legendary art director Cedric Gibbons. (For the record, there is a similar "Meet the Oscars" display going on in Hollywood in the Kodak Theatre; the 50 Oscars there are the ones that will presented on February 24.)

Just Too Old

MOVIE fans counting on the long-awaited screen reunion of Robert Redford and Paul Newman can forget it. The dynamic duo of "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting" were set to do one last buddy flick, "A Walk in the Woods," but age caught up with them. Redford, 71, tells Playboy, "It's not happening, sadly. I got the rights to it four years ago, and we couldn't decide if we were too old to do it. Then we decided, let's go for it. But time passed, and Paul's been getting older fast. I think things deteriorated for him. Finally, two months ago, he called and said, 'I gotta retire.' The picture was written and everything. It breaks my heart."

Hole in the Wall Camps Help Internationally

Hole in the Wall Camps, a charity founded and funded by Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing co-owner Paul Newman continues to bring hope to people around the world.

Newman's dream to provide a recreational and therapeutic camping experience for children facing serious illnesses and life-threatening conditions is being lived out around the world. While at camp, these children discover the joys of childhood often missed during extended medical treatment. All children attend the camps free of charge as a result of generous contributions from individuals, corporations, foundations and other organizations.

As seen in a Fox News article (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,295587,00.html), Newman's camps also travel to impoverished areas to give back. Not many of the people helped by Newman in these areas know of his famous Salad Dressings, or even of his famous roles, they only know him for his humanitarian efforts.

The Hole in the Wall Camps also play a role in the Champ Car World Series as a title sponsor of the Lap Leader Award, a donation in the name of the driver who leads the most laps is made to the camps every year. This year fans can also join in on the giving, by pledging money for every lap their favorites driver leads, right here on www.champcar.ws

"Price of Sugar" a worthy look at slave labor

A number of documentaries during the past few years have taken aim at the bad behavior of American government and business. Many of these focus on Iraq, but "The Price of Sugar" travels to another part of the world, where American policies have not always fostered decency or compassion.

Bill Haney's disturbing film is set in the Dominican Republic, where most American sugar imports are produced. The film exposes the slave labor on which the country's sugar industry is built. But what keeps it from being just another angry screed is its portrayal of a most unusual hero, a Catholic priest named Father Christopher Hartley, who has set out to improve the lot of the sugar cane workers in that country.

In Latin America, priests often have been political activists, fighting for their parishioners in more than just an abstract spiritual sense. Hartley has an unusual background: He was born in Europe, and his father was a British industrialist, while his mother came from an aristocratic family in Spain. He found his vocation when he went to work with Mother Teresa in India, then traveled to the Dominican Republic, where he has rankled the country's rulers.

The situation of the sugar cane workers is unique and tragic. They are primarily Haitian immigrants who enter the country illegally and are then stripped of their identity cards and kept in primitive conditions on the country's vast sugar plantations. They are scorned by the citizens of the Dominican Republic, as one person in the film suggests, because they are "poorer and blacker" than the country's natives. Yet the owners of the plantations exploit their desperation to hire them as little more than indentured servants. One cannot help seeing parallels to the situation of illegal immigrants in the U.S., who are courted by employers seeking cheap labor but despised by much of the rest of the population.

While the political implications of the film are provocative, "Sugar" also happens to be an impressive cinematic achievement. This picture has a visual sweep that many documentary films lack; the plantations and nearby towns are vividly evoked. A scene in the plantation's desolate cemetery is especially haunting. Peter Rhodes' editing strikes just the right balance of the personal and the political, and Paul Newman's heartfelt narration lends considerable dignity to the film.

Unlike some other political documentaries, this one boasts a guarded sense of optimism. Hartley, along with Peace Corps volunteers and doctors whom he brought from the U.S., has made an appreciable difference in the lives of the workers. Although the priest has been threatened with expulsion from the country, he has managed to win some slight but measurable improvements in the working conditions on the plantations. Yet the film still makes us think about our own responsibility for the lives of people whose products we eagerly consume while remaining blithely ignorant about the social conditions under which those goods were manufactured. The filmmakers deserve credit for opening our eyes.

Narrator: Paul Newman.

Director: Bill Haney; Writers: Bill Haney, Peter Rhodes; Producers: Eric Grunebaum, Bill Haney; Executive producer: Tim Disney; Directors of photography: Eric Cochran, Jerry Risius; Music: Claudio Ragazzi; Co-executive producers: Abby Disney, Kees Kasander, Marie Langlois; Editor: Peter Rhodes.

Newman remembers that 'Winning' feeling

Paul Newman used to feel at home at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

He was the star of the movie "Winning" which was filmed during the 1968 Indianapolis 500 and featured Newman as the winning driver, Frank Capua.

He would later return to the Speedway as a CART team owner with such drivers as Mario and Michael Andretti and Nigel Mansell as his drivers.

But when the rival Indy Racing League was created in 1995 with the Indianapolis 500 becoming part of that series in 1996, Newman vowed he would never return to the hallowed grounds until both CART and the IRL were unified.

CART has since gone out of business with its assets purchased and revived as the Champ Car Series. And while team co-owner Carl Haas has returned to the Indianapolis 500 since then with Sebastian Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira as the drivers.

Newman remained true to his word in those years, choosing instead to let Haas spend time at the Speedway with the team.

Newman returned to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Friday when a partnership between Robert Yates Racing and the Newman-Haas-Lanigan Champ Car team was announced. Both sides will share engineering expertise with each other in an effort to improve their overall programs.

But for Newman, it was a bittersweet return to the track that spawned his interest in auto racing.

"This is the first time I've been back since 1995 and it's very much the same except for that Formula One track in the middle of it," Newman said. "It's wonderful to be back. Why shouldn't it be? This announcement in any way doesn't diminish any feeling I have in open-wheel racing. We have the departments and wanted to stretch our wings a little bit.

"We're very fortunate to have found a formidable partner. We have always been an engineering driven team. We think we have something special to add to the benefit of both."

The only thing missing from Newman's return would have been Jim Nabors signing, Back Home Again in Indiana. But that song is reserved for the Indianapolis 500 and Newman isn't ready to return to that event as he remains loyal to Champ Car.

Off the second turn is the Brickyard Crossing Inn and Resort, which was formerly the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Motel. It was part of the movie "Winning" where Newman's rival, Lou Erding, was played by Robert Wagner and his real-life wife, Joanne Woodward, played his wife in the film only to have an adulterous affair with Wagner's character.

"When we first got some sponsors here after we had been racing here with Mario, I always used to take a golf cart and drive the sponsors to the back of the Speedway Motel and I would stop for a minute and point to a room and say, 'And that's where my wife shacked up with Robert Wagner,'" Newman recalled. "I'd let that comment sit there and deep silence and embarrassment would fall over everybody."

Then 10 minutes later I'd say, 'Oh, in the movie I meant.'"

Newman even drove a stock car at the old Riverside Speedway during the 1968 filming of winning and drives a car off the track where it rolls over.

"I was very slow," Newman said. "In later years, I went back to Daytona and got in a stock car and was flat-footed on the second lap. The ascendancy of NASCAR has been extraordinary. I take my hate off to them. They've done nothing wrong."

Newman narrated the documentary, "Dale", which tells the story of the late Dale Earnhardt.

"I really enjoyed that," Newman said. "It was quite an honor."

The split between the two factions of open-wheel racing have distanced Newman from IndyCar team owner Michael Andretti, although he remains close to Mario, Michael's father.

And with a third-generation Andretti, Marco, competing in IndyCar, Newman has watched him from afar.

"I've known Marco since he was a kid and he's got a great future," Newman said.

Newman's presence at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the NASCAR announcement brought back memories when his star power was part of the Indy 500.

Would he ever consider returning for the Indianapolis 500?

"Well, let's see how things go," Newman said.

Does he miss it?

"Yes," he said. "Who wouldn't?"

Paul Newman donates $5,000 to drama club

Ypsilanti High School drama teacher Michelle Peet checked her mailbox Monday and discovered the color of money.

Paul Newman, once a budding actor himself, had donated $5,000 to the school's drama club as part of its ongoing fundraising effort.

Inside an envelope delivered from Westport, Conn., was a check that will help defray costs associated with the drama club's upcoming trip to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland. Club members are scheduled to perform a 90-minute show there.

A brief note accompanied Newman's check: "The enclosed contribution is sent with every good wish for continued success in your worthy endeavors."

"I'm so excited," Peet told The Ann Arbor News for a Tuesday story.

Since January, the club has been soliciting donations via a mass letter-writing campaign that included Newman and other celebrities.

To date, the club has raised $75,000. Peet said the money will cover travel, housing at the University of Edinburgh and two daily meals. She said Newman's donation will cut in half the club's need to raise $10,000 for the show's production costs and another daily meal.

Newman's many acting honors include an Academy Award in 1986 for "The Color of Money," a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2005 for the movie "Empire Falls," and a Golden Globe in 2006.

Paul Newman, John Wayne movies out on DVD

Paul Newman has been around so long and is so extended as a personality -- we see him most frequently on salad-dressing labels -- that there's a danger of forgetting his genius.

Comes now the news that he's out of the acting game at age 82. Ponder this: If there's anyone close to being a new Paul Newman, he's probably in the cast of "Ocean's Thirteen." Yikes.

Anyone in need of a refresher should cue up for Fox's double-disc rerelease of "The Hustler" (retail $19.98). This was Newman's breakthrough film, a startling piece of lowlife lit built around the fictional pool-shooting punk Fast Eddy Felson. George C. Scott, Jackie Gleason and Piper Laurie turned this 1961 drama into an actors showcase. Every other line found its way into the nation's pool halls and stayed there for decades.

Robert Rossen directed with style, daring and street smarts, in striking black and white.

This DVD appears to have the same video and audio as the last Fox release, in 2002. No big deal -- there is almost no apparent wear, and the widescreen images look handsome overall, a little pale here or murky there. The DVD also ports over the extras from '02, including a group commentary in which Newman participates.

New to the set are three featurettes about the movie, actors and pool shots. Newman is interviewed on camera, sharp but hunched over and hoarsely whispering a lot. The heavy lifting is done by Laurie, who has excellent recall of the New York production. (Newman and Laurie both were in their mid-30s. Rossen called them "kids.")

Newman pays tribute to Gleason, who played Minnesota Fats: "He was on time, he knew what he was doing. Jackie Gleason is about as good as it gets." The TV comic already was an ace pool player. Newman claimed he'd never held a stick but was coached up in no time by billiards legend Willie Mosconi, who often provided the hands and the trick shots for the actor.

Two decades later, of course, Newman won the Oscar for reprising the role of Fast Eddie in "The Color of Money." Score that one a career makegood, in large part for this brash, run-the-rack performance.

Fox deserves credit for upgrading the title at a fair price, but owners of the previous disc probably should wait for rerack on the A/V. There is a fair amount of repetition in the shotgun marriage of old and new extras.

Fox also brings to market a similar treatment of "The Verdict" (1982).

Newman gives $10M to Ohio alma mater

Paul Newman is donating $10 million to Kenyon College to help start a scholarship fund, the private liberal arts school said. Newman, 82, graduated from the central Ohio college in 1949 with a degree in drama and economics.

"My days there were among the happiest and most formative of my life," Newman said in a statement from Kenyon on Friday. "I believe strongly that we should be doing whatever we can to make all higher education opportunities available to deserving students. I hope others will support Kenyon in this manner."

The donation will fund partial and full scholarships for 15 to 20 students a year, college spokesman Shawn Presley said. The first Newman's Own scholars will be announced this summer.

Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, have donated privately to Kenyon in the past. The couple went public at the college's request because Kenyon hopes the contribution will spur donations from other alumni, Forrester said.

Newman has given more than $175 million to charities from the profits earned by his Newman's Own brand of dressings, pasta sauces, popcorn and salsa.

Newman, star of films including "Cool Hand Luke," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Color of Money," said last week that he's retiring from acting after more than 50 years.

Paul Newman says he's too old for acting

Paul Newman says he's given up acting.

"I'm not able to work anymore as an actor at the level I would want to," Newman, 82, told ABC's "Good Morning America" on Thursday. "You start to lose your memory, your confidence, your invention. So that's pretty much a closed book for me."

Newman, star of films such as "Hud," "Cool Hand Luke" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," added: "I've been doing it for 50 years. That's enough."

He has other plates spinning. Newman plans to focus on the Dressing Room, his new organic restaurant in Westport, Conn., and his Hole in the Wall Gang camps for critically ill children.

His Newman's Own brand of dressings, pasta sauces, popcorn and salsa has raised more than $200 million for charities.

Newman, who won an Oscar for his leading role in 1986's "The Color of Money," was last seen — or heard, rather — as the voice of Doc Hudson in the 2006 animated feature "Cars."

Paul Newman endorses NY nuclear plant

Call him Cool Hand Nuke. Paul Newman weighed in Wednesday on the Indian Point nuclear power facility in the New York suburbs, pronouncing it safer than military bases he had visited.

Seriously.

The actor and salad dressing salesman visited the Buchanan, N.Y., facility on Monday, according to Jim Steets, a spokesman for Entergy Nuclear, the company that owns Indian Point.

Newman, the star of such films as "Cool Hand Luke," "Slap Shot" and "Nobody's Fool," praised the nuclear power facility as an important part of the region's energy future because it doesn't produce greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming.

Through a statement issued by an industry group, Newman said he was impressed with the safety measures in place at Indian Point — a key worry point for local residents, some of whom want the plant, 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan, shut down as a potential target of terrorism.

In stark contrast to his "Cool Hand Luke" character, who was always trying to break out of prison, Newman was apparently given a security card to enter the highly sensitive area.

"What I saw exceeded my expectations," Newman said in the statement. "No Army or Navy base I've ever visited has been more armored, and I couldn't walk 30 feet inside the plant without swiping my key card to go through another security checkpoint."

Newman called the plant an important source of electricity for millions of New Yorkers.

Sightings

PAUL Newman and his wife of more than 40 years, Joanne Woodward, holding hands throughout the New York Pops concert at Carnegie Hall.

`Dog bones' signed by celebs for charity

More than 40 celebrities, including Reese Witherspoon and Orlando Bloom, have signed wooden "dog bones" for an online auction to benefit the Mississippi Animal Rescue League.

The auction is being held on the Charity Folks Web site through April 12. More signed bones will be added for a two-week period as they are returned by celebs, the organization said.

Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, Donald Trump, Alec Baldwin, B.B. King, Tim McGraw, Morgan Freeman, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ryan Gosling and Betty White are also among the celebs who have signed bones.

Trump, host of NBC's "The Apprentice," autographed his bone in gold ink with the words, "You're Fired!"

White's bone has a hand-drawn photo of a dog with "Many thanks for helping" written in pink. The actress is a longtime animal-rights activist.

Last September, MARL auctioned 40 celebrity-signed bones, including those from Oprah Winfrey and Jake Gyllenhaal, at its second annual Fur Ball. The bones netted $40,000 for the construction of a new animal shelter, said board member Allison Nutt, chairman of the Fur Ball event committee.

Nutt said the online auction will give more people an opportunity to participate.

"We had people from all over the country call and want to know how to bid on the bones," she said.

MARL hopes to raise $50,000 from this year's auction, Nutt said.

Proceeds from the auction and this year's Fur Ball, to be held Aug. 16 in Jackson, will go to the new shelter's operating expenses.

MARL cares for 17,000 animals a year and services animals in a seven-county area in central Mississippi, said MARL Director Debra Boswell.

"We will be able to give more animals a chance to find a home," Boswell said.

'Cool Hand Luke' director Rosenberg dies

Stuart Rosenberg, a prolific director of series television and theatrical films who partnered with Paul Newman on the widely popular prison drama "Cool Hand Luke" and several other movies, has died at 79.

Rosenberg, who also directed "The Amityville Horror," died of a heart attack Thursday at his home in Beverly Hills, according to his son, Benjamin.

Rosenberg's first film was "Cool Hand Luke," the 1967 drama starring Newman as an inmate on a chain gang who becomes an unlikely hero.

"He was as good as anybody I ever worked with," Newman said in a statement.

"Cool Hand Luke" was nominated for four Academy Awards, with George Kennedy taking home a statute for best supporting actor. The film also spawned the famous line delivered by Strother Martin as a guard captain: "What we've got here is failure to communicate."

Rosenberg was nominated for a Directors' Guild Award for the film, but lost to Mike Nichols, who made "The Graduate" the same year.

After "Cool Hand Luke," Rosenberg directed Jack Lemmon and French actress Catherine Deneuve in "The April Fools." He worked with Newman again on "WUSA," "Pocket Money," and "The Drowning Pool."

Rosenberg also directed Robert Redford in the 1980 prison film "Brubaker" and Mickey Rourke in 1984's "The Pope of Greenwich Village." "Amityville Horror" in 1979 was probably his most financially successful film; it has inspired seven sequels to date.

His last film was "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" in 1991.

Rosenberg had started out by directing episodes of television series in the 1950s, starting with "Decoy," which starred Beverly Garland as a New York City policewoman.

He collected more than 300 TV directing credits for such dramatic series' as "The Untouchables," "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" and "The Twilight Zone," and won an Emmy Award in 1963 for an episode of "The Defenders."

Rosenberg is survived by his wife, Margot, and son Benjamin, an assistant editor who worked with his father on many of his later films.

"Cars" takes the flag at Annie Awards

Pixar's "Cars" was named best animated feature at the 34th annual Annie Awards, handed out Sunday at the Alex Theater in Glendale.

But ASIFA-Hollywood, the Burbank-based chapter of the International Animated Film Society, presented "Flushed Away," from DreamWorks Animation and Aardman Animations, with more trophies than any other film.

A tale of London sewer dwellers, "Flushed" earned honors in five categories: Scott Cegielski took the prize for animated effects; Gabe Hordos, feature character animation; Pierre-Olivier Vincent, feature production design; Ian McKellen, feature voice acting for the character of Toad; and Dick Clement, Ian La Frenais, Christopher Lloyd, Joe Keenan and Will Davies, feature writing. In addition, "Flushed Away the Game," from D3 Publisher of America, was named best animated video game.

DreamWorks' "Over the Hedge," in which woodland creatures clash with suburbia, picked up three awards, including feature directing laurels for Tim Johnson (news, bio, voting record) and Karey Kirkpatrick. They also earned trophies for Nicolas Marlet for feature character design and Gary Graham for feature storyboarding.

In addition to being named best animated feature, "Cars" won the prize for best feature music for Randy Newman's score.

DreamWorks, with eight wins, dominated the feature awards, while Cartoon Network, with four nods, led the TV pack.

The award for best animated TV production went to the Cartoon Network's "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends." "Bambi II," from DisneyToon Studios, was named best home entertainment production. A United Airlines commercial titled "Dragon," from Duck Studios, was honored as best animated TV commercial. Blue Sky Studios' "No Time for Nuts," which also is nominated for an Academy Award, was the winner in the best animated short subject contest.

Other winners in the TV categories were character animation, Yu Jae Myung, "Avatar," Nickelodeon; character design, Mike Kunkel, "The Life & Times of Juniper Lee," Cartoon Network; directing, Giancarlo Volpe, "Avatar," Nickelodeon; music, James L. Venable and Jennifer Kes Remington, "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"; production design, Martin Ansolabehere, "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"; storyboarding, Li Hong, "The X," Nickelodeon; voice acting, Eartha Kitt, "The Emperor's New School," Walt Disney Television Animation; and writing, Ian Maxtone-Graham, "The Simpsons," Gracie Films/Fox.

Winsor McCay Awards, recognizing career achievements, were presented to Bill Plympton, Genndy Tartakovsky and Andreas Deja. Stephen Worth received the June Foray Award for benevolent contributions to the art and industry of animation.

Burst pipe damages Newman's restaurant

Frigid weather most likely caused a pipe to burst in Paul Newman's new restaurant, damaging part of the dining room and forcing the restaurant to close for repairs, fire officials said.

A cracked sprinkler pipe damaged the rear dining room early Monday. Firefighters were called to the 128-seat restaurant about 1 a.m. and found water flowing from the ceiling.

"Obviously we're a little irritated and frustrated," said co-owner and chef Michel Nischan. "We were really on a nice little roll there."

Nischan said the water caused mostly cosmetic damage, but the restaurant could be closed for up to a week.

Fire Chief Christopher Ackley said the crack in the pipe was probably caused by the cold weather.

The Dressing Room restaurant, open since October, is housed in two former barns. It is co-owned by Newman, 82, star of films including "The Color of Money," "Cool Hand Luke," "Hud" and "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof."

2007 Oscar nominations

Animated Feature Film: "Cars," "Happy Feet," "Monster House."

2007 Golden Globe Nominations

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

CARS
HAPPY FEET
MONSTER HOUSE

'Cars' Races Off with Annie Nominations

Pixar's "Cars" scored nine nominations for the International Animated Film Society's 24th annual Annie Awards, topping the field.

While the Pixar's automotive comedy will face off with "Happy Feet," "Monster House" and "Open Season" in the best animated film category, DreamWorks Animation ruled the studio roost with 17 nominations, led by "Over the Hedge" and "Flushed Away."

The Annie Awards will be presented on Feb. 11, 2007 at a ceremony in Glendale.

While neither "Over the Hedge" nor "Flushed Away" was able to pick up best animated picture nominations, the films scored vocal nods for Wanda Sykes and Sir Ian McKellan. Joining those two stars in the voice acting race were Maggie Gyllenhaal, Spencer Locke and Sam Lerner from "Monster House."

The directors of both DreamWorks pics -- David Bowers and Sam Fell for "Flushed" and Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick for "Hedge" -- were nominated for best director with Gil Kenan for "Monster," John Lasseter for "Cars" and Carlos Saldanha for "Ice Age: The Meltdown."

While the Oscars have only a limited history in the animated category, thus far the Academy winner for best animated feature has mirrored the Annie's choice each year.

Bourdais says Newman 'humble' icon

Sebastien Bourdais thinks its pretty "awesome" to have actor-driver Paul Newman in the pits with him.

Bourdais recently won his third straight Champ Car title for the team co-owned by Newman and Chicago businessman Carl Haas.

"He's a very humble, down-to-earth icon," Bourdais said Thursday during a New York media blitz. "That's very surprising to people. He comes to every race. He's the No. 1 fan of our team, it's really awesome."

The Newman/Haas Racing team has won four of the last five series championships. The 81-year-old Newman, who still test drives cars, doesn't let success go to their heads.

"When we started to be very successful, it's very easy to forget the basics and start to be pretentious, that we don't need to work anymore," Bourdais said. "He's had a great influence. It's like a family mind-set."

The 27-year-old Bourdais become the first driver since Ted Horn in 1946-48 to win three straight American open-wheel titles.

Stars serve it up at Sundance gala

Claire Danes got canned.

The Sundance Institute marked its 25th anniversary with a lighthearted soiree Monday night at the Metropolitan Pavilion, where the stars who attended were asked to serve beverages.

Danes' night started out steady enough, as she effortlessly passed out drinks at a pre-dinner cocktail party. "So far, so good," she said with confidence. But Danes' luck wore out when she hit the press line with a tray full of libations, which went crashing to the carpet. "You're fired," yelled Stanley Tucci.

The night celebrated the work of independent artists who have been supported by the Sundance Institute and drew A-listers such as Paul Newman, a man of few words, who handed out beer from a bucket.

What brought out Newman for a rare outing? "Redford," he said simply, referring to the night's host, Robert Redford, who founded the institute in Utah.

The celebration was organized by Glenn Close, who arrived with a brace on her left foot. "I danced with Redford," she joked. Drink servers/party attendees also included Marcia Gay Harden, Lili Taylor and Uma Thurman, who was coping with laryngitis. Close said stars didn't need much coaxing. "I just asked," she said. "I asked my friends and thought it was a great idea for them to have something to do." For Danes, Close just had to ask once. "I'm here to support Sundance and my friend Glenn."

When the man himself arrived, Redford and Close posed for photographers. The party was all about "friends and supporters," Redford said. "I thought, 'Let's make it a loose evening, not formal, which is what Sundance is.' "

The institute's legacy, he said, is "the filmmakers." Still, getting independent films to the big screen is no easy task. "It's a rough environment all the way."

'Cars' Leads Animated Oscar Hopefuls

Has it seemed like every weekend this year has featured a different animated movie about talking animals?

It seems that way to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as well. On Friday (Nov. 3), the Academy announced that 16 films are tentatively eligible for the animated feature film category. If all of the candidates retain their eligibility, the animated feature category could include a full roster of five nominees for the first time since 2002.

With anything under 16 eligible films, the category would drop to the three-nominee level it's been at for several years. The tentative candidates are "Arthur and the Invisibles," "Happy Feet" and "Paprika," which haven't yet received their required Los Angeles qualifying runs.

If the category were only about financial returns, "Ice Age: The Meltdown" would be unbeatable, with nearly $650 million in worldwide returns. Pixar's "Cars" would also be in the hunt, with its $450-plus million in worldwide box office, as would "Over the Hedge," with its $320-plus million worldwide take.

The category's other candidates are "The Ant Bully," "Barnyard," "Curious George," "Everyone's Hero," "Flushed Away," "Monster House," "Open Season," "Renaissance," "A Scanner Darkly" and "The Wild."

The nominations for the 79th Academy Awards won't be announced until Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007. The Oscar ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007.

Paul Newman weighs in for Joseph Lieberman's Senate challenger

Just days away from the congressional elections, Democrat Ned Lamont may be trailing in the polls but he has got one of America's biggest celebrities going to bat for him: Paul Newman.

The actor appears in a new 30-second TV spot Lamont, the candidate's campaign announced Thursday. Lamont is challenging Senator Joe Lieberman, in next Tuesday's elections.

"It's tough times out there, and Connecticut needs someone who is young, fresh and spunky," Newman, a longtime resident of Westport, Connecticut, urges voters. Lamont is 52 while Lieberman is 64.

Lieberman, the 2004 Democratic vice presidential candidate, is running as an independent after losing the August Democratic primary in Connecticut.

Lieberman's seat is one of 33 at stake in the 100-seat Senate during the Nov. 7 elections, in which all 435 of the House of Representatives' seats are on the line.

In the ad, Newman recalls Lieberman's campaign in 1988 when he unseated Sen. Lowell Weicker.

"Eighteen years ago, when Joe Lieberman was running against Lowell Weicker, Joe's battle cry was, '18 years is enough,"' Newman says. "I suppose Joe said that because he knew that after 18 years the good old boys' club trumped good government. Voters should take your advice Joe, 18 years is enough. Vote for Ned Lamont."

Newman, in a radio ad for Lamont, also takes aim at Lieberman's decision to run as an independent — a bid that has rankled many Democrats.

"When the voters in the primary chose Ned Lamont over Joe Lieberman, they were sending a message," Newman says. "But Mr. Lieberman wasn't listening. He turned his back on the very party that had supported him for 18 years. Entitlement — that's what 18 years in the Senate does to you."

Lieberman's spokeswoman said voters would make their decisions based on the senator's "strong record" and "commitment to put people ahead of partisan politics."

"Paul Newman has every right to speak his mind and voice his opinions but with all due respect, he's just plain wrong," said Lieberman spokeswoman Tammy Sun.

Clarkson, Anthony singing at Tony Bennett bash

Kelly Clarkson, Marc Anthony, Rascal Flatts and Madeleine Peyroux will join Tony Bennett for a November 9 concert at Los Angeles' Kodak Theater, in celebration of Bennett's 80th birthday. Proceeds from the concert will benefit the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps, founded by Paul Newman, who is co-hosting the evening with George Clooney, Billy Crystal, Jack Nicholson and Bruce Willis. Bennett, who turned 80 in August, on Wednesday scored the highest-charting album of his career, thanks to the No. 3 debut of "Duets: An American Classic" on The Billboard 200.

Newman plans 9th 'Hole-in-Wall' camp

Paul Newman's idea in the 1980s to start a camp in Connecticut for critically ill children has grown into an international phenomenon with a ninth "Hole in the Wall" camp opening soon. The camps will host thousands of children, for free, well after the 81-year-old actor speaks his last line before a camera.

"If I leave a legacy, it will be the camps," Newman says.

At the Double H camp, in the woods of the southern Adirondacks, campers climb ropes among tall trees, paint faces, ride horses, swim and play soccer. It's typical summer camp stuff, though campers' diagnoses range from cancer to muscular dystrophy.

Double H (stands for health and happiness) opened in 1993 after the late amusement park developer Charles Wood proposed to Newman that they convert an old dude ranch into a second Hole in the Wall camp.

The camp's success cleared the way for affiliated camps in Florida, California, France and elsewhere, said Newman's Own Foundation board member Bob Forrester. The ninth camp, in Israel, is to open next year and more are in the process of being accredited.

Newman gives the camps some financial support and visits when he can, but they must make their own way. Only about 15 percent of the money that Newman's Own Foundation gives out goes to the camps.

Newman's visits to the camps have become more difficult as the camps multiply and he gets older. At 81, Newman has the same wiry build he had circa "Cool Hand Luke," but he walked with a shuffle during a recent dinner for Double H supporters at Saratoga Springs.

"It's getting harder and harder," he told The Associated Press before the dinner. "I came up a couple of times last year, once this year. We traveled over to Hungary, Italy, next year we'll probably be going over to the opening in Israel."

Despite the call on his time, Newman clearly loves the camps.

"I had no idea they would sprout like mushrooms," he said.

Animated film 'Cars' rolls to 2nd straight box office win with $31.2 million

Animated autos retained the pole position as Cars came in No. 1 at the U.S. box office for a second weekend with $31.2 million US, holding off the wrestling comedy Nacho Libre and another car tale, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.

Cars, from Disney and Pixar, beat a rush of new movies, lifting its 10-day domestic total to $114.5 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

Paramount's Nacho Libre, starring Jack Black as a cook at a Mexican orphanage who takes up wrestling to buy better food for the kids, debuted in second place with $27.5 million.

The third in the Fast and the Furious racing franchise, Universal's Tokyo Drift opened at No. 3 with $24.1 million. The movie stars Lucas Black as a speed freak who gets caught up in Japan's illegal racing scene.

Speed co-stars Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock reunited for the Warner Bros. romantic drama The Lake House, which took in $13.7 million to place fourth. The time-bending tale casts Reeves and Bullock as pen pals corresponding with each other two years apart.

The weekend's other new wide release, 20th Century Fox's Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, opened weakly with $7.2 million, coming in sixth. The live-action and animated sequel features the voice of Bill Murray as the comic-strip fat cat.

Garfield had been competing for the same family audience as Cars, whose voice cast includes Owen Wilson and Paul Newman in a comedy about a race car that learns the value of slowing down.

"I guess the family audience picked their favourite and decided that this is what it was going to be," said Chuck Viane, head of distribution at Disney, which recently bought its animation partner Pixar, the maker of Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and the Toy Story movies.

The week's two sequels came in well below their predecessors. The Fast and the Furious, with Vin Diesel and Paul Walker, opened with $40.1 million in 2001, and Walker's 2003 followup 2 Fast 2 Furious debuted with $50.5 million.

Garfield: The Movie took in $21.7 million over opening weekend in 2004.

In limited release, the IFC Films crossword-puzzle documentary Wordplay opened solidly with $34,959 at two New York City theatres. The film, featuring interviews with such crossword enthusiasts as former U.S. president Bill Clinton, comic Jon Stewart and the musical duo the Indigo Girls, expands to more theatres Friday.

Hollywood's overall business rose for the fifth-straight weekend. The top 12 movies took in $139.1 million, up seven per cent from the same weekend last year, when Batman Begins opened with $48.7 million.

Estimated ticket sales were for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. Cars, $31.2 million.
2. Nacho Libre, $27.5 million.
3. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, $24.1 million.
4. The Lake House, $13.7 million.
5. The Break-Up, $9.5 million.
6. Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties, $7.2 million.
7. X-Men: The Last Stand, $7.15 million.
8. The Omen, $5.35 million.
9. The Da Vinci Code, $5 million.
10. Over the Hedge, $4.05 million.

Newman prepares to wind down film career

Paul Newman is considering his final scene. "I will probably have one film left in me," the 81-year-old actor told The Associated Press on Thursday. "The last hurrah."

Newman's latest role is playing a cantankerous 1951 Hudson Hornet in Pixar's new animated film, Cars.

His film career stretches back to the 1950s and includes The Sting,Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

"It's time. When it's time to get out, it's time to get out," Newman said.

Newman said he had a project in mind, but would not provide further details.

He was visiting this upstate resort town as part of a fundraising campaign for the Double H Ranch, an Adirondack camp he co-founded for children with cancer, AIDS and other illnesses.

The camp is one of eight affiliated with the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in Connecticut, the first camp Newman created for gravely ill children.

"When we started the camp we had no idea of the profound impact these camps would have on these kids," Newman said at a news conference.

The Double H Ranch, co-founded by Newman and the late amusement park developer Charles Wood in 1992, is raising money for a $15 million fund. Camp operators say the fund will help them provide services to the roughly 1,000 summer campers and 500 skiers visiting annually.

Pixar's "Cars" should take flag in second lap

While four wide releases hit theaters on Friday, the weekend movie scene is shaping up as one for car enthusiasts of all ages with two racing-themed films likely parked among the top box-office slots when the dust settles.

Disney's "Cars" takes its second lap at the North American cineplex circuit this weekend, and if the performance of its past three Pixar-made films is any indication, the G-rated computer-animated comedy should hold up in the top spot.

The average second-weekend dropoff in ticket receipts for its three Pixar predecessors -- "The Incredibles," "Finding Nemo" and Monsters, Inc.," -- was just 30 percent.

"Cars" debuted at No. 1 last week with a gross of $60.1 million, a solid opening by nearly any standard but only the fourth best for Pixar. Among all animated releases, however, it was the seventh biggest on record.

The John Lasseter-directed "Cars," featuring the voices of Owen Wilson, Paul Newman and Bonnie Hunt, has collected about $84 million heading into the weekend.

The cinematic tale of a talking race car named Lightning McQueen garnered mostly positive reviews and generated exceptional scores in exit polls, so word-of-mouth should be favorable.

The most direct competition to "Cars" is the CG-animated "Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties" from 20th Century Fox.

The other auto-centric feature debuting this weekend is Universal Pictures' "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift." The hot-rod adventure is the third film in the franchise and hits the streets relying mostly on the concept as there are no name stars in the PG-13 picture. "Tokyo" will be burning rubber in 3,026 theaters.

The first "Fast" movie starred Vin Diesel and was a surprise hit at the box office, opening with $40.1 million and finishing with $144.5 million domestically.

The second, "2 Fast 2 Furious," starred Paul Walker and Tyrese Gibson -- it bowed with $50.5 million and left theaters with $127.1 million. According to pre-release tracking, the third film does not look to finish anywhere near the first two installments and should land in the second or third spot.

The "Fast and Furious" franchise, which has demonstrated robust returns from ancillary markets, is tracking strongest with young males. Justin Lin directed "Tokyo," which stars Lucas Black, Brian Tee and Sung Kang.

Paramount Pictures' "Nacho Libre" also is going after a young audience and will be racing "Tokyo" for the second spot. "Nacho" is a PG-rated comedy starring Jack Black and directed by Jared Hess, who also helmed Fox Searchlight's "Napoleon Dynamite," the little indie film that grossed a big $44.5 million. "Nacho" will arrive in an ultrawide 3,070 theaters.

Nickelodeon Movies produced the film, about a monk in Mexico who finds he has a gift for wrestling and dons a disguise as a Mexican luchador to try to raise money to feed the orphans in his care.

Black's last film in a starring role was "School of Rock," which debuted with $19.6 million.

"Garfield" will play at 2,945 locations in its debut weekend and should curl up in the fourth slot at the box office. The PG-rated family comedy, which features the voice of Bill Murray in the title role, was directed by Tim Hill. Davis Entertainment produced the sequel, a take on "The Prince and the Pauper," with Garfield traveling to London.

The first "Garfield" film opened in 2004 with $21.7 million and went on to gross $75.4 million. But with "Cars" in the marketplace, the sequel about the orange furball may have a difficult time opening at that level.

Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Lake House" is the weekend's only other wide release, with 2,645 locales, and looks headed for fifth place.

The film is a PG-rated romantic drama starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Alejandro Agresti directs "House," a remake of a Korean film about a young man and woman who share a house but at different times, and who exchange notes and attempt to meet.

NASCAR, CMT revving up Earnhardt documentary

NASCAR Images and CMT Films are teaming up to produce "Dale," the first authorized documentary about the late racing icon Dale Earnhardt, to be released theatrically early next year.

Narrated by Paul Newman, the film will enjoy a unique rollout, opening in select cities on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series circuit beginning in February, which coincides with the start of the 2007 Nextel Cup season.

"Dale" will then air on cable channel Country Music Television in the third quarter of 2007 and will be released on DVD following the CMT premiere.

The film will include archival race footage, rare outtakes, never-before-seen home videos and interviews with Earnhardt's friends, family, competitors and fans.

"This film provides an incredible opportunity to reach the very audience that Dale's life and legacy mean so much to," said Jeff Yapp, executive vice president for program enterprises at CMT parent MTV Networks. "We'll create large event screenings in Nextel Cup Series markets preceding a race weekend, with the goal of creating an event atmosphere more like a live concert than a traditional movie screening."

"Dale" marks the second film produced under the CMT Films banner. The first, Toby Keith's "Broken Bridges," will debut in theaters in the fall, with a fourth-quarter release on CMT and DVD.

"When NASCAR Images set out to create the definitive film about Dale Earnhardt's life and racing history, we knew it was crucial to be the first to have the explicit approval of the Earnhardt family," NASCAR Images president and CEO Jay Abraham said. " 'Dale' will be the first film of its kind to tell the real story of Dale Earnhardt through his own words and images."

Earnhardt won seven NASCAR championships and nearly every major NASCAR event. He died in a crash on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500.

Cars cruises to big box-office finish with $62.8 million in weekend release

The animated comedy Cars raced to first place at the weekend box office with a $62.8-million US debut, maintaining the Disney-Pixar cartoon brand's undefeated record with a seventh straight hit.

If the numbers hold when final figures come out Monday, Cars would have the third-best opening in the Disney-Pixar cartoon series, just ahead of Monsters, Inc. but behind The Incredibles and Finding Nemo, which both debuted at about $70 million US at theatres in Canada and the United States.

Still, it was the first time since the partnership began with 1995's Toy Story that a Disney-Pixar film did not gross more than its predecessor in an opening weekend.

"I look at $62 million as being an accomplishment of great proportion," said Chuck Viane, Disney's head of distribution. "I think to use the baseball analogy, a home run is a home run in anybody's ballpark, whether it's 398 feet (121 metres) or 460 feet (140 metres)."

The movie features the voices of Owen Wilson and Paul Newman in a story of a hotshot race car that gets a lesson on the value of slowing down when he's sidetracked in a sleepy burgh.

The weekend's other new wide release, 20th Century Fox's horror remake The Omen, was No. 4 with $15.45 million. Starring Julia Stiles and Liev Schreiber in the tale of a demon child, The Omen has grossed $35.7 million since opening on Tuesday to take advantage of the date - 6-6-06 - a play on the number signifying the anti-Christ.

In narrower release, Robert Altman's A Prairie Home Companion, premiered solidly at No. 7 with $4.7 million. Playing in 760 cinemas, the film averaged $6,147 a theatre, compared with $15,759 in 3,985 theatres for Cars and $5,674 in 2,723 cinemas for The Omen.

Released by Picturehouse, A Prairie Home Companion features Garrison Keillor in a fictionalized behind-the-scenes portrait of his venerable radio program. The ensemble cast includes Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, Tommy Lee Jones, Lily Tomlin, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly and Virginia Madsen.

The top-12 movies took in $148.8 million, up eight per cent from the same weekend last year, when Mr. and Mrs. Smith debuted with $50.2 million.

Cars was the first movie directed by Pixar creative mastermind John Lasseter since 1999's Toy Story 2. Lasseter also directed the original Toy Story and A Bug's Life.

The six prior Disney-Pixar films all opened at No. 1 and have grossed a total of $3.2 billion worldwide.

"They are the closest thing to a sure thing in Hollywood," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of box-office tracker Exhibitor Relations.

The previous weekend's top movie, Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn's romantic comedy The Break-Up, slipped to second place with $20.5 million. The Universal Pictures' film raised its 10-day total to $74.1 million.

X-Men: The Last Stand, from 20th Century Fox, became the year's first movie to top $200 million domestically. The superhero saga was No. 3 with $15.55 million, lifting its three-week total to $201.7 million.

Close behind X-Men is Sony's The Da Vinci Code, which came in sixth with $10.3 million, bringing its domestic haul to $189 million. Worldwide, The Da Vinci Code has taken in $642 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theatres, according to Exhibitor Relations Co. Inc. Final figures will be released Monday:

1. Cars, $62.8 million.
2. The Break-Up, $20.5 million.
3. X-Men: The Last Stand, $15.55 million.
4. The Omen, $15.45 million.
5. Over the Hedge, $10.301 million
6. The Da Vinci Code, $10.3 million.
7. A Prairie Home Companion, $4.7 million.
8. Mission: Impossible III, $3 million.
9. RV, $2 million.
10. Poseidon, $1.8 million.

"Cars" to box office also-rans: Eat my dust

"Cars" is racing into theaters Friday and is expected to take the checkered flag at the weekend box office.

The seventh film from Walt Disney Co. and its newly acquired Pixar Animation Studios partner revolves around a talking race car named Lightning McQueen (voiced by Owen Wilson), who learns some valuable life lessons during an enforced pit stop in a sleepy town.

Also lending their voices to the colorful cast of computer-animated vehicles are Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin and racing great Richard Petty. The G-rated tale is directed by John Lasseter, who last took the helm for 1999's "Toy Story 2," which opened with $57 million and went on to gross $246 million.

The debut of "Cars" in 3,985 venues marks the first release from Disney and Pixar in more than a year and a half, so there is some pent-up demand for the film. Their last collaboration, "The Incredibles," opened in November 2004 with $70 million and finished with $261 million.

Since their first film together, 1995's "Toy Story," Disney and Pixar have generated quite a box office track record, racking up nearly $1.5 billion in gross domestic receipts alone. The company's biggest-grossing film is "Finding Nemo." The undersea adventure bowed with $70 million in 2003 and left North American theaters with $340 million.

The wheels are turning in "Cars' " favor as far as the critics go -- getting the thumbs up from the vast majority of reviewers nationwide, according to http://www.RottenTomatoes.com.

Reigning champ "The Break-Up," which surpassed expectations with a $39.1 million bow last weekend, and Tuesday release "The Omen" are tracking to converge on the No. 2 spot this weekend. "Omen" debuted with a record single-day gross for a Tuesday with $12.6 million, thanks largely to its 6/6/06 marketing campaign. The horror remake, about the rise of the Antichrist in the form of a young boy named Damien, has collected more than $20 million heading into the weekend.

In a moderate-release counter programming strategy, indie distributor Picturehouse's "A Prairie Home Companion" will debut in 760 locations. The PG-13 comedy-drama is a fictional story based on the nationally syndicated and long-running radio show from Garrison Keillor, who wrote the screenplay and also stars in the film.

Robert Altman directed "Companion," which boasts a familiar ensemble cast including Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Meryl Streep and Lily Tomlin.

"Companion" unfolds on the final night of the show. The film is targeting adult, upscale moviegoers.

At 81, Paul Newman stars in animated movie

He's won Oscars, raced cars, been on President Richard Nixon's enemies list, helped found the famed Actor's Studio and established a food company to fund charities.

So what is the 81-year-old Paul Newman doing playing a crusty old auto with blue eyes for headlights in the animated film "Cars," a cartoon set in the world of race cars.

"I wanted to be the first animated character on screen to demonstrate method acting," the trim silver-haired actor said with a playful shrug as he readied for the premiere of the latest film from the lucrative Disney/Pixar partnership, makers of such hits "Finding Nemo" and "Toy Story."

The premiere was held last week at the Lowe's Motor Speedway, a center for NASCAR racing outside Charlotte, and attracted some 30,000 people -- more than a few making the trip just to see Newman.

The movie, which features a rookie race car driven to succeed and a mysterious old timer, played by Newman, opens in general release on Friday.

Newman said, "Making an animated film was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I didn't have to go on location for a long period of time. I didn't have to deal with temperamental

actors or wait a long time for the lights to be set up.

"I just drove from my New England home to New York City and recorded my dialogue in four days. ... Joanne (Woodward, his wife of 48 years,) thinks I'm coming back as a race car in my next life so she says this is one role that I shouldn't overact!"

At a "Cars" news conference where he answered questions for an hour and in a private follow-up, Newman touched on a broad range of subjects, including the secret of why his show business marriage has lasted so long.

He made it sound simple: "I never ask my wife about my flaws. Instead I try to get her to ignore them and concentrate on my sense of humor. You don't want any woman to look under the carpet guys because there's lots of flaws underneath. Joanne believes my character in a film we did together, 'Mr. and Mrs. Bridge' comes closest to who I really am.

"I personally don't think there's one character who comes close ... but I learned a long time ago not to disagree on things that I don't have a solid opinion about."

It's hard to believe Newman lacks an opinion on anything. Newman marched for civil rights and in anti-Vietnam war demonstrations and used his star power to make a reluctant media cover those events.

HAPPY ON ENEMIES LIST

"Being on President Nixon's enemies list was the highest single honor I've ever received," Newman said with a smile and added, "Who knows who's listening to me now and what government list I'm on?"

Later in an isolated hallway, he gave some advice to aspiring actors: "Study your craft and know who you are and what's special about you. Find out what everyone does on a film set, ask questions and listen. Make sure you live life, which means don't do things where you court celebrity, and give something positive back to our society."

As for his credo on how to live life, Newman says, "It's useless to put on the brakes when you're upside down!""I think we did a good enough job with the first one. Someone at the press conference asked about me about doing a sequel to 'Butch Cassidy.' Doesn't he know we died at the end of the picture? I was waiting for someone to ask if we'd do a prequel so I could tell them to go rent the DVD ("Butch and Sundance:The Early Years) ..."

Newman said he is working with Robert Redford on a project but refused to give details. "Let's just say we better make the movie soon before Redford gets too old," he said, grinning.

But if Newman doesn't make another movie again, one gets the impression he won't mind.

"I started my career giving a clinic in bad acting in the film 'The Silver Chalice' and now I'm playing a crusty old man who's an animated automobile. That's a creative arc for you isn't it?'

Pixar's "Cars" is one sweet ride

It might not be way up there in "The Incredibles"/"Finding Nemo"/"Toy Story" stratosphere, but the charming "Cars" is nevertheless a thoroughly pleasant trip.

While the other guys are still hawking talking animals, the folks at Pixar Animation continue to up the anthropomorphic ante with terrific characters and crowd-pleasing storytelling that are as much a part of the company's much-deserved success as all that state-of-the-art technology.

Although the latest model -- concerning a hotshot hot rod who takes an unanticipated detour from life in the fast lane -- takes a little while to achieve traction, it ultimately hits all the key emotional and comedic checkpoints.

Given a fan base that spans virtually all demographics, "Cars" will handily take first place in its opening weekend and is destined to emerge as one of the season's biggest performers.

After spending the past seven years in an executive producer capacity, John Lasseter logs his first directing credit since 1999's "Toy Story 2" with this soulful road picture about a cocky rookie race car (voiced by Owen Wilson) who is en route to the Piston Cup Championship in California when an unfortunate chain of events lands him smack dab in the sleepy Route 66 town of Radiator Springs.

To make matters worse, Lightning McQueen has quickly succeeded in raising the ire of the local judge, Doc Hudson (Paul Newman), who won't allow him to leave until he makes amends for tearing up the town's main street.

But before the repairs are done, he finds himself drawn to Radiator Springs' once-thriving past and its colorful denizens, particularly the knowing Sally Carrera (Bonnie Hunt), a sporty 2002 Porsche and former Los Angeles lawyer who drove off one day in search of a more meaningful life; and the sweet-natured Mater (Larry the Cable Guy), a good ol' boy, bucktoothed tow truck.

By the time McQueen gets back on track, he finds his priorities have been seriously realigned.

Maybe it has something to do with that sleepy rural vibe, or a running time that creeps up on the two-hour mark, but whatever the reason, the picture's pacing hits some potholes during its extended sojourn in Radiator Springs.

For those accustomed to smoother Pixar rides, the shifts in rhythm might be a tad too noticeable, but Lasseter, who also penned the script along with Dan Fogelman, the late Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray & Phil Lorin and Jorgen Klubien, still manages to cross the finish line in style.

You can't miss with that dream team of a voice cast, which, in addition to Wilson, Newman, Hunt and an irresistible turn by comedian Larry the Cable Guy that turns scene stealing into grand theft, includes George Carlin as Fillmore, a hippie dippy VW bus, Tony Shalhoub as Luigi, an emotional '59 Fiat and Michael Keaton as Chick Hicks, McQueen's ruthless competitor.

Then there's the eye-popping technology which once again outdoes itself, breaking fresh ground with extensive ray tracing that provides photo-realistic reflections in all that polished metal and chrome, not to mention those striking, dusty Route 66 vistas.

Those who stay until the end of the credits will be rewarded with a hilarious tribute to Pixar lucky charm John Ratzenberger (who marks his seventh collaboration here as a not-so-trusty transport truck) as well as a touching one to Pixar animator Ranft, who passed away in August.

Settling the score, meanwhile, is Randy Newman, whose fourth Pixar collaboration ambles along agreeably, accompanied by drivin' tunes performed by Rascal Flatts, Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley that are perfect for coasting along those alternate routes.

Voice cast:
Lightning McQueen: Owen Wilson
Doc Hudson; Paul Newman
Sally Carrera: Bonnie Hunt
Mater: Larry The Cable Guy
Ramone: Cheech Marin
Luigi: Tony Shalhoub
Guido: Guido Quaroni
Flo: Jenifer Lewis
Sarge: Paul Dooley
The Sheriff: Michael Wallis
Fillmore: George Carlin
Lizzie: Katherine Helmond
Mack: John Ratzenberger
Chick Hicks: Michael Keaton
The King: Richard Petty

Director: John Lasseter; Co-director: Joe Ranft; Producer: Darla K. Anderson; Screenwriters: Dan Fogelman, John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Kiel Murray & Phil Lorin, Jorgen Klubien; Story: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft, Jorgen Klubien; Editor: Ken Schretzmann; Music: Randy Newman.

Disney revs up for animated movie Cars premiere

The checkered flag met the red carpet. The roar of car engines moved from the black asphalt to the silver screen. And Lowe's Motor Speedway was the unlikely host Friday for the world premiere of "Cars," whose producers hope the animated movie will become a summer blockbuster.

In a fuel-injected match made in hype heaven, the public relations magic of Disney met the marketing muscle of NASCAR to create a Hollywood premiere like no other.

"Well, Disney knows how to do it, and this is a fitting way to open a movie like this," said Bob Iger, president and CEO of the Walt Disney Co. "We're at a speedway, first of all, and it's just grand form. Grand form."

The Turn 2 grandstands at Lowe's were turned into an open-air theatre with seating for 30,000. The seats faced four custom-built outdoor screens, measuring five stories high and 15 stories wide. DLP Cinema technology placed 12 projectors in the grandstands, with three focusing on each screen. A single projector produces 35 trillion different colors.

Before the premiere, the movie's stars - including Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt and NASCAR great Richard Petty - walked the red carpet outside the speedway. Fans craned for views, cheering at each celebrity, but the biggest ovation went to NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr., who has a small role in the film.

Earnhardt was one of the last celebrities to arrive - and walked the red carpet with the largest entourage, with about 20 family members accompanying him. Although it was a movie premiere, he felt right at home.

"There sure are a lot of people yelling 'Junior,' " he joked. "I just hope I have good seats."

Set in a world populated entirely by motor vehicles, "Cars" tells the story of Lightning McQueen (voiced by Wilson), a top rookie racer on the prestigious Piston Cup circuit. On his way to California for a crucial season-ending race, McQueen gets detoured off the interstate and into the forgotten Route 66 town of Radiator Springs, where he meets a cute 2002 Porsche 911 named Sally Carrera (Hunt), a crusty 1951 Hudson Hornet with a secret (Newman) and a loyal, broken-down tow truck (Larry the Cable Guy).

"Cars" is expected to be another hit for Pixar, the studio that pioneered 3-D computer animation in hits such as "Toy Story," "Monsters Inc." and "Finding Nemo." Its June 9 release will mark the first film for the company since it was bought by former partner Disney for $7.4 billion US in January.

"We certainly have high hopes for the movie," said Dick Cook, chairman of Walt Disney Studios. "But it really appeals to everyone from 3 to 103, so we think people are really going to like it."

It is also the first directorial effort for Pixar head John Lasseter since 1999's "Toy Story 2." Lasseter, a self-professed car geek and son of a parts manager at a Chevy dealership, has said the film is a love letter to vehicles of all cylinder configurations and to Route 66, the famous road that runs from Chicago to Los Angeles.

"I knew I wanted to make a movie about cars. I love racing. I love this whole world," Lasseter said this week. "And I was really inspired by what happened on Route 66 ... the story of these old towns that were bypassed and their lifeblood was taken from them by the modern interstate."

Disney pulled out all the synergistic stops for the "Cars" premiere. The Disney-owned "Live With Regis and Kelly" talk show broadcast from the speedway on Friday morning, and "Cars" was being extensively promoted on NASCAR's heavily trafficked Web site.

Ticket proceeds benefited Speedway Children's Charities, and Disney donated $500,000 to Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang camps for chronically ill children.

Despite the starring role for Newman, who dabbles in sports car racing and owns a Champ Car team, the film's Piston Cup is a thinly veiled version of NASCAR.

"Darrell Cartrip" - the voice of retired racer and current broadcaster Darrell Waltrip - is in the broadcast booth for the film's racing scenes, while Petty, the seven-time champion and winningest NASCAR driver ever, is the voice for the race car known, of course, as "The King."

When Lasseter met Petty, he was so charmed by the driver's wife, Lynda, that he gave her a cameo in the film as a Petty-blue station wagon who lovingly refers to her husband as "Daddy Rabbit" - just like in real life.

Earnhardt was thrilled with his cameo role.

"The studio was amazing," he said. "Even though it's a small part, they really took it serious and they really wanted me to do a good job. So it felt good. I wish I'd had a lot more to do, and it would have been fun if I had a bigger part.

"Cars" is animated, but with its references to bump-drafting and realistic race sequences - down to the gritty bits of rubber that collect in the corners of the animated tracks - Petty said Lasseter gets NASCAR right in a way that Hollywood never has.

"He does a good job of just filling in, and if you are a racing fan and you know NASCAR history then you can really relate to the movie," he said. "If you're not a racing fan, you can just relate because there's a good story there."

Car owner Newman driving toward sunset

It's more than 100 degrees in the sun, maybe 90 atop the canopy-covered platform where Paul Newman sits before a bank of flat-panel screens that monitor the action and roar of cars swirling below and around him.

Of course, he appears not to be sweating.

What is an Oscar winner doing here in Mexico, at the vortex of an auto racing series attended by many but followed by few? Pursuing a passion for racing ignited by his role in the 1969 film Winning, a passion that has made him a championship-winning driver on amateur and pro circuits and the co-owner of a racing team that ended up winning the Tecate Grand Prix here, its third consecutive victory to start the season.

At 81, he also finds himself in a racing landscape in which his beloved open-wheel machines are caught in a grim battle between two rival circuits — and both are losing fans, TV viewers and sponsors to that marketing juggernaut, NASCAR.

This weekend Newman will be a participant in the latest demonstration of NASCAR's slingshot past open-wheel competition. Friday night, in the final countdown to Sunday afternoon's Indianapolis 500, Newman is scheduled to be in the heart of NASCAR country, at Lowe's Motor Speedway near Charlotte, site of Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600.

He and a sellout crowd of 30,000 will share the premiere of Cars, the Disney/Pixar animated film with a NASCAR motif and the voice of one Paul Newman.

"I have no quarrels with NASCAR," Newman says. "That would be silly. It's racing, and it's good racing. Why would I quarrel with it?"

Besides, says Humpy Wheeler, the president of Lowe's Motor Speedway, who better than Newman to voice "Doc Hudson," a curmudgeonly 1951 Hudson Hornet? Doc turns out to be a former racing champion and eventually mentors young hotshot "Lightning McQueen," voiced by Owen Wilson.

Newman's racing résumé includes being part of the winning four-driver GTS-1 class team in 1995 in the prestigious Rolex 24 at Daytona, a 24-hour endurance race. At 70 years, 10 days, Newman became the oldest driver to win the grueling event.

Wheeler says Newman as a wise, old car is "the perfect combination. You feel like (he) knows what he's talking about when he uses his mentoring voice."

Says Newman, "I figured (Doc) was Southern and he was old — I dove right in."

Newman says he never owned a Hudson, although he will ride in a replica of the car at Friday's premiere. His tastes off the track are more environmentally friendly — he owns both a hybrid car and a hybrid SUV, sharing his love for all causes environmental with his longtime friend Robert Redford.

So will Butch and Sundance get back together for one more? "We're working on it," Newman says.

Planning has never been a strong suit for Newman.

"As long as I keep things spontaneous, things work out better," Newman says. "That's the motto of the food company: If we ever have a plan, we're screwed."

That motto hangs in the offices of Newman's Own, the Connecticut-based brand of products ranging from salad dressing to lemonade to snack food that started in 1982 and now funds 1,400 charitable organizations. (The brand's official slogan: Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the common good.)

Driving overtakes acting

Newman has been true to his spirit of spontaneity when it comes to his driving career. (Just don't confuse his love of racing with some notion of his having great mechanical gifts. "Sometime next week," he says, "they are going to teach me how to get the messages off my cellphone that I've had for three years. I don't know if I'm going to make it.")

Newman played an open-wheel driver in Winning. Robert Wagner was his on- and off-track rival. Joanne Woodward played the wife who feared for Newman's welfare.

She hasn't stopped playing that role in real life. "She's been patient beyond almost anything," Newman says moments before showing a gift she gave him — a Rolex with the words "Drive slowly" inscribed on the back. "She's said she married an actor. She had no idea he'd spend his weekends at racetracks."

Last year, he says, Woodward had threatened to divorce him if he raced in 2006, but it appears to be a hollow threat. He plans to run his next sports car race in June at Lime Rock Park, a road course not too far from his home in Westport, Conn.

"I'm running out of steam," Newman says. "I'll keep driving as long as I'm competitive and as long as I don't embarrass myself. And so long I don't dissolve into a tub of sweat. Those cars get awful hot."

His racing career has slowed over the last decade, but not as much as his acting. "They were in parallel for a long time, and one just kind of disappeared," Newman says. Cars is his only movie in the pipeline.

Two series divided

Once the USA's most popular form of auto racing — highlighted by the Indy 500 — open-wheel competition used to be confined to one circuit, known as Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART).

That's what Newman and his partner, Chicago-based businessman Carl Haas, bought into in 1983 — a time when A.J. Foyt, Al and Bobby Unser, Mario Andretti and Rick Mears were motor sports' dominant stars, still overshadowing NASCAR's top names, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough.

But open-wheel racing endured an internal schism in the mid-'90s that divided its teams, diluted the 500 and opened a door through which NASCAR charged.

Open-wheel racing remains split into two circuits, each of which uses its own type of cars. To the casual observer, the machines look the same. But the engines, chassis and tires are different on each circuit. One holds most of its races on ovals; one holds most of its races on temporary city-street courses.

The Indy 500 is part of the oval-dominated Indy Racing League (IRL) IndyCar Series, so it's essentially off limits to the Newman-backed Champ Car World Series teams. (Champ Car teams have raced in, and even won, the Indy 500 since the split, but because they have to buy cars that meet the IRL series' specifications, most don't bother with it.)

Newman's adversary in the rivalry is Tony George, whose family bought Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1945 and brought the 500 to prominence. Upset about his lack of influence over CART's drift toward more street races and non-U.S. venues, George used the 500's prestige as a lever to create the IRL. There have been talks about a merger of the circuits since December. But nothing is imminent, and feelings remain raw on both sides.

Newman hasn't attended the Indy 500 since 1995, even though his team has been in it twice. With a smirk and his signature, gravelly deadpan, Newman explains, "I have a problem with the management."

Staying the Champ Car course

George, who remains Indianapolis Motor Speedway's CEO, gently counters that Newman "always has been a big fan of Champ Car and what Champ Car was. CART was a diversified series with top drivers and top teams. I'm clearly biased, but that's what the IndyCar Series represents and what a unified series would represent. I don't know why he would have a problem (with IndyCar or a merged series)."

As far as a merger goes, Newman sees George as a hindrance.

"Listen, I'm just like Fox News. I'm fair and balanced," he says, playfully mocking Rupert Murdoch's cable network. "But for this merger to occur, Tony must first think about what is fair and realistic. He can't load the gun, point it at us and expect us to make a deal. I know what the offer was, and it was neither fair, nor balanced."

Newman didn't go into detail, but he would be unhappy to see a merged circuit abandon newer street races in San Jose, Calif., and Edmonton. "Over a whole year we averaged 150,000 people per race weekend," he says. "I would challenge rivals to make any such statement without going straight to hell."

IRL spokesman Fred Nation and Champ Car co-owner Kevin Kalkhoven say no offer to merge has been made by either side.

Newman has been unwavering in his support of Champ Car, even as the series has lost some of its most prominent teams — including those owned by Bobby Rahal and David Letterman, Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi — to the IRL.

His loyalty has come at a cost to his and Haas' pocketbooks. Even for a famous actor with a team that has won six titles — including two Champ Car season titles in a row by Sebastien Bourdais — there is a financial burden. Only one of the team's two cars has full sponsorship. Newman and Haas cover the remaining operating costs.

Newman says everyone in open-wheel racing "is surviving," and he insists Champ Car is "getting stronger." He is quick to add, however, "it's not strong enough."

'Dedicated, passionate'

He's done his best to change that. Starting in late 2004, Newman went from car owner to the series' No. 1 advocate after telling reporters he'd been an "absentee landlord." He's traveled the nation in attempts to keep and put new races on Champ Car's schedule, even helping produce a DVD shown to prospective promoters in Asia.

Champ Car's co-owners, Kalkhoven and Gerald Forsythe, have spent millions to keep the series viable after seizing control in bankruptcy court in January 2004, but there probably wouldn't have been much to save had it not been for Newman's loyalty.

"He's a huge asset to the Champ Car World Series," Champ Car president Steve Johnson says. "He's the most dedicated, passionate person there is. We owe a large thanks to Paul Newman. All open-wheel racing does."

Newman could easily take his passion, his time, his resources to what has become the more lucrative NASCAR world he will visit this week. But that wouldn't be him.

"I have the highest esteem for anybody who gets into a race car," he says. "I don't care what it is. But it's OK for me to have a preference. My preference is really for road racing, open-wheel racing. I extend my loyalty to that preference rather than somewhere else because the money looks good."

Just don't count on him watching the Indy 500 on TV. "I don't know," he says. "If I have time, I will."

CANINE CANAPÉS

PAUL Newman better watch what he eats tomorrow at the Aldrich Contemporary Museum gala in Ridgefield, Conn., honoring designer Alexander Julian and his wife, Meagan. Julian, a Nutmeg State neighbor, watched Newman scarf up a can of Newman's Own dog food on the Jay Leno show. While in High Point, N.C., promoting his furniture line, the mischievous Julian told The Post's Lois Weiss he's planning to surprise Newman by dishing up the same doggie chow at the benefit. Others expected include Susan Sarandon, Robert Altman, Reed Krakoff, Lyle Lovett and Joe Pantoliano.

Kalkhoven, Newman, Legge Try Powerboating

Champ Car and team co-owners and rookie racer sample Powerboat P1 World Championship during a test session in Italy.

Driving through city streets at more than 150 miles per hour may be old hat for Champ Car team owners Paul Newman, Kevin Kalkhoven, and Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford rookie driver Katherine Legge, but this week they experienced the sensation of speed at a whole new level as they joined the Powerboat P1 World Championship during a test session in Italy.

The Champ Car crew hit the open seas traveling more than 100 miles per hour with Great Britain’s Legge, who recorded the highest finish by a woman in Champ Cars on her debut earlier this month, steering reigning champion Hannes Bohinc’s Wettpunkt boat and admitting, “It was very nerve-racking, but great!”

“I think all racers have a need for speed. It’s an adrenalin thing. It wasn’t easy, but I just did what I was told by Hannes and I had 100 percent faith in him because he’s the best at what he does. When we came back the last time the speed was unbelievable. You get much more of an impression of speed on water than you do on land.”

Austrian boat owner and throttleman Bohinc was similarly impressed with Legge, who finished eighth in the Long Beach race. He said, “it took her about five minutes to understand it and that didn’t surprise me because she is a racing driver and didn’t do stupid things. She was very good.”

Kalkhoven, who recruited 25-year-old Legge for his PKV Racing team, had a ride with Bohinc’s great Italian rival, Mario Invernizzi, in the Kerakoll boat and was so overwhelmed he may even explore the prospects of putting on a double-header show with P1 boss Nathan Knight.

“It’s completely insane, which makes it brilliant,” Kalkhoven enthused. “How those guys can race those things for an hour and a half I don’t know. I’d really love to do a race to feel what it’s like. The physical effort and mental concentration needed is just incredible.”

Newman/Haas co-owner Paul Newman, who still races at the age of 81, also jumped at the chance to ride with Invernizzi. Newman said, “That was great. I like anything to do with motors. I’ve never been on one of these before and really enjoyed it. I’d love to do it again”.

The trio will head back to the United States to prepare for Champ Car’s first ever night race on a temporary street circuit as the Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford heads to Houston, Texas for the Champ Car Grand Prix of Houston from May 11-13. Live coverage of the event begins at 9:00 p.m. ET on SPEED.

Paul Newman wants to transform Brooklyn airfield into a race track

Actor Paul Newman wants to bring auto racing to New York City.

He says it's a dream to bring his three passions together, charity, New York and motor sports, so he's pushing to bring auto racing to an old rundown airfield in Brooklyn.

Newman wants to transform the airfield into a Grand Prix race course, and his plans include having an annual race that would raise money for local charities and his network of camps for needy kids.

However, those who oppose the plan fear it will create traffic congestion and they say the field, which is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, is an inappropriate use of a national park.

Actors back Connecticut bill to protect their likenesses

Three familiar faces from Hollywood urged Connecticut legislators Friday to help protect their images.

Paul Newman, Canadian Christopher Plummer and Charles Grodin, all state residents, said they worry technology has made it possible to access their films, images and voices and use that material to produce another product they know nothing about.

"We are suddenly cloned into something we're not," Plummer said.

"We are robbed of our individuality and our life's work is tarnished."

A bill before the state legislature's judiciary committee would forbid use of another person's "right of publicity," such as their name, voice, signature, photo, image, likeness, distinctive appearance, gestures or mannerisms, for commercial purposes without proper consent.

The legislation would extend that right until 70 years after the person's death.

The Motion Picture Association of America, which represents the major film studios, opposes the bill in its current form. It fears the legislation could infringe on filmmakers' rights of expression and their ability to use old footage in their movies.

Stephen Nevas, a Westport, Conn., lawyer, said 19 states have enacted similar laws. There is a presumed right in Connecticut, he said, but legislators have never spelled out the details.

In addition, inexpensive computer technology makes it possible for someone to produce a new movie by re-editing the original, Newman told the legislative committee.

"They could make a whole movie that looked like me, talked like me, acted like me, sounded like me but wasn't me," he said.

Vans Stevenson, the motion picture association's senior vice-president for state government affairs, said copyright law already covers some of those concerns. Also, in 1983, the Connecticut Supreme Court determined the state's privacy laws address a person's name or likeness.

The bill could even prevent parody of famous people, he said.

"Our position basically is, common law covers this," Stevenson said.

"Cars" wows theater owners in first public screening

Movie theater owners gave an enthusiastic reception to Pixar Animation Studios Inc.'s film "Cars" at its first public screening at a Las Vegas trade show late on Tuesday.

Expectations are high for the movie since Pixar, which has agreed to be bought by Walt Disney Co., has an unbroken series of hits and makes films at the pace of about one a year.

The G-rated movie, set for release on June 9, tells the story of up-and-coming race car Lightning McQueen, who learns to savor life in the slow lane after becoming trapped in a once-thriving Route 66 town that the freeway bypassed and the world forgot.

"I thought it was a great movie," said Kevin MacLeod, executive vice president of Empire Co Ltd's Empire Theatres, a Nova Scotia-based chain with 380 screens. MacLeod said he believed the film would have the same broad appeal as Pixar's biggest hit "Finding Nemo."

Theater owners have a vested interest in the success of the movie, since their business is selling movie tickets, but Sanders Morris Harris financial analyst David Miller was in the audience and called it "outstanding."

"If there is any film you know is going to be a hit, it's this one," he said on Wednesday.

Another attendee, who asked not to be named, described the film's race-car-themed story line and folksy soundtrack, featuring songs by Sheryl Crow and Brad Paisley, as "the perfect antidote to (gay cowboy movie) 'Brokeback Mountain"' for more conservative red-state audiences.

Mark Walukevich, vice president of international films for National Amusements, which operates 1,425 screens in the United States, Britain, Latin America and Russia, said "Cars" was "fantastic."

"On a scale of one to 10, it was an 11," he said. "The digital presentation was excellent, the sound track was great. I think internationally it will be a huge hit."

"Cars" is the first film since 1999's "Toy Story 2" to be directed by Pixar's creative director John Lasseter, who described the film on Tuesday as "very personal."

Lasseter said he was on a cross-country trip with his wife and sons when he got the idea for "Cars," which features the voices of Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, John Ratzenberger and racer Richard Petty.

"I had been working nonstop through the '90s ... and my wife Nancy said, 'Be careful, your boys may go off to college and you will have missed it,"' Lasseter said.

The theme of "Cars" mirrors what Lasseter said he learned on his family road trip: "The journey in life is the reward ... and it's that much more special when you have somebody to share it with."

Lasseter said Pixar aimed to "over-deliver" on "Cars" by packaging the film for theaters with the studio's Oscar-nominated short film "One Man Band" and bonus material interleavened with the film's credits.

"Stay at the end of the credits," Lasseter told exhibitors on Tuesday before the show. "I pulled out the stops on the credits."

2006 Screen Actor Guild Award Winners

TELEVISION

Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Drama
Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer on "24"

Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Drama
Sandra Oh as Dr. Cristina Yang on "Grey's Anatomy"

Outstanding Performance by a Drama Ensemble
"Lost"
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Mr. Eko
Naveen Andrews as Sayid
Emilie de Ravin as Claire
Matthew Fox as Jack
Jorge Garcia as Hurley
Maggie Grace as Shannon
Josh Holloway as Sawyer
Malcolm David as Kelley Walt
Daniel Dae Kim as Jin
Yunjin Kim as Sun
Evangeline Lilly as Kate
Dominic Monaghan as Charlie
Terry O'Quinn as Locke
Harold Perrineau as Michael
Michelle Rodriguez as Ana Lucia
Ian Somerhalder as Boone
Cynthia Watros as Libby

Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Comedy
Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland on "Will & Grace"

Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Comedy
Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo on "Desperate Housewives"

Outstanding Performance by a Comedy Ensemble
"Desperate Housewives"
Roger Bart as George Williams
Andrea Bowen as Julie Mayer
Mehcad Brooks as Matthew Applewhite
Ricardo Antonio Chavira as Carlos Solis
Marcia Cross as Bree Van De Kamp
Steven Culp as Rex Van De Kamp
James Denton as Mike Delfino
Teri Hatcher as Susan Mayer
Felicity Huffman as Lynette Scavo
Brent Kinsman as Preston Scavo
Shane Kinsman as Porter Scavo
Eva Longoria as Gabrielle Solis
Mark Moses as Paul Young
Doug Savant as Tom Scavo
Nicollette Sheridan as Edie Britt
Brenda Strong as Mary Alice Young
Alfre Woodard as Betty Applewhite

Outstanding Performance by a Male in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Paul Newman as Max Roby in "Empire Falls"

Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Television Movie or Miniseries
S. Epatha Merkerson as Rachel "Nanny" Crosby in "Lackawanna Blues"

MOVIES

Outstanding Performance by a Lead Male
Philip Seymour Hoffman as Truman Capote in "Capote"

Outstanding Performance by a Lead Female
Reese Witherspoon as June Carter in "Walk the Line"

Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Male
Paul Giamatti as Joe Gould in "Cinderella Man"

Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Female
Rachel Weisz as Tessa Quayle in "The Constant Gardener"

Outstanding Cast Performance
"Crash"
Chris "Ludacris" Bridges as Anthony
Sandra Bullock as Jean Cabot
Don Cheadle as Graham
Matt Dillon as Officer Ryan
Jennifer Esposito as Ria
William Fichtner as Flanagan
Brendan Fraser as Rick Cabot
Terrence Howard as Cameron Thayer
Thandie Newton as Christine Thayer
Ryan Phillippe as Thomas Hansen
Larenz Tate as Peter

NASA's Mars rovers star in new IMAX film

Spirit and Opportunity, the spunky NASA rovers that have rolled around Mars for two years, are the unlikely stars of an IMAX movie, which opened on Friday, along with the astronomer who helped create them.

Millions of people have seen photos beamed down from Mars by the robotic rovers, on television or online, but the new film, "Roving Mars," puts together these images in a seamless moving picture and splashes it on a screen five stories high.

Steven Squyres, the rovers' principal scientific investigator and the movie's main narrator, said it gives an authentic feeling of actually being on the Red Planet.

"I've kind of had this picture of what Mars really looks like in my head for all this time, and for the first time on that IMAX screen, what I saw with my eyes matched my impressions of what it should really look like," Squyres said in a Reuters interview.

One reason it looks so real is that all the images in the film are based on pictures taken by the rovers' own cameras or from the scientific data they have collected.

"Every single scene you see is real data from the rover, it's just processed in different ways," Squyres said. "There is not a single fake shot of Mars."

A seemingly impossible shot -- the view of an airbag-covered rover landing on the planet -- was created by digital artist Dan Maas from data collected by the rovers as they bounced. Each bounce was just as it happened, just where it happened on the Martian surface.

Besides the rovers and Squyres, the other stars of the film are the thousands of people who worked on the project at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and elsewhere.

BEHIND THE SCENES ON MARS

Squyres, a professor of astronomy at Cornell University, came up with the plan for the rovers in 1987, but making it come to life took more than a decade, with tensions and technical challenges accumulating as the days and hours ticked down to a pair of launches in 2003.

This behind-the-scenes struggle, before and after the two spacecrafts bounced down onto opposite sides of Mars in 2004, is the central narrative of the film, which was written, produced and directed by George Butler.

Butler has made several documentaries but may be best known for the book and film "Pumping Iron," which introduced a bodybuilder named Arnold Schwarzenegger to mainstream audiences.

While Butler has made other IMAX movies, he is not an unquestioning fan of the format.

"I do not understand why so many bad IMAXes are made," Butler told Reuters. "Movies should tell a story, no matter what kind of movie it is. The big problem with IMAX films is they do not tell stories."

The idea to make a large-format film about Mars rovers came to Butler by what seems like sheer serendipity: an editor on his Antarctic film was Tim Squyres, the astronomer's brother, who mentioned that the rovers would have IMAX cameras aboard.

When Butler heard this, he said, "My mind sort of bumped, and I thought, that's a movie if ever there were one."

Paul Newman narrated the introduction -- "He sounds like the voice of God," Butler said -- and Philip Glass composed the otherworldly music.

The rovers were expected to work only three months, and their demise was originally supposed to be part of the film. But since they are still roaming and sending back data, the movie serves as a tribute to their endurance.

The Walt Disney Co.is the distributor, with major sponsorship by Lockheed-Martin.

Golden Globe Winners

The 63rd annual Golden Globes will air Monday, Jan. 16, 2006

Best Miniseries or Movie
"Empire Falls"- Winner
"Into the West"
"Lackawanna Blues"
"Sleeper Cell"
"Viva Blackpool"
"Warm Springs"

Best Actor - Miniseries or Movie
Kenneth Branagh, "Warm Springs"
Ed Harris, "Empire Falls"
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, "Elvis"- Winner
Bill Nighy, "The Girl in the Cafe"
Donald Sutherland, "Human Trafficking"

Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Movie
Naveen Andrews, "Lost"
Paul Newman, "Empire Falls"- Winner
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Randy Quaid, "Elvis"
Donald Sutherland, "Commander in Chief"

Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Movie
Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal"
Camryn Manheim, "Elvis"
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"- Winner
Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds"
Joanne Woodward, "Empire Falls"

Paul Newman taught Jake Gyllenhaal how not to drive!

Washington: Not everyone can boast of having been taught how to drive by a Hollywood legend, but superstar, Jake Gyllenhaal does not belong to that majority, as he claims that he was taught driving the hard way by film icon Paul Newman on a racetrack when he was just fifteen.

And the experience, he says, has left him all the more wiser on how not to drive.

Paul Newman taught me how to drive. When I was 15, my mum was writing a script with him and we went out to the racetrack.

He threw me in the passenger seat and started driving. We’re 100 ft from a wall going 60 miles an hour and he hits the brake and turns the wheel - and the car spins three times.

Then he turns to me and goes, ‘That was what you won’t do.’” Contactmusic quoted him, as saying.

Screen Actors Guild Awards

The 12th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will air Sunday, Jan. 29 on TNT and TBS.

Male Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for Television

Kenneth Branagh, "Warm Springs"
Ed Harris, "Empire Falls"
Paul Newman, "Empire Falls"
Ted Danson, "Knights of the South Bronx"
Christopher Plummer, "Our Fathers"

Best Actress - Miniseries or Movie

Tonantzin Carmelo, "Into the West"
Joanne Woodward, "Empire Falls"
Robin Wright Penn, "Empire Falls"
S. Epatha Merkerson, "Lackawanna Blues"
Cynthia Nixon, "Warm Springs"

Golden Globe Nominations

The 63rd annual Golden Globes will air Monday, Jan. 16 on NBC

Best Miniseries or Movie
"Empire Falls"
"Into the West"
"Lackawanna Blues"
"Sleeper Cell"
"Viva Blackpool"
"Warm Springs"

Best Actor - Miniseries or Movie
Kenneth Branagh, "Warm Springs"
Ed Harris, "Empire Falls"
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, "Elvis"
Bill Nighy, "The Girl in the Cafe"
Donald Sutherland, "Human Trafficking"

Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Movie
Naveen Andrews, "Lost"
Paul Newman, "Empire Falls"
Jeremy Piven, "Entourage"
Randy Quaid, "Elvis"
Donald Sutherland, "Commander in Chief"

Best Supporting Actress - Series, Miniseries or Movie
Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal"
Camryn Manheim, "Elvis"
Sandra Oh, "Grey's Anatomy"
Elizabeth Perkins, "Weeds"
Joanne Woodward, "Empire Falls"

LAUGHS & LOVE AT REEVE FETE

ONE of Hollywood's favorite charities, the Christopher Reeve Foundation, drew a star-studded crowd to its annual dinner at the Marriott Marquis in Times Square Thursday night. Luscious Uma Thurman presided as master of ceremonies, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas were honored, and Paul Newman made a spur-of-the-moment, $100,000 gift. Robin Williams entertained the crowd, including Diane Sawyer, Meryl Streep and Glenn Close, with gags about "intelligent design," noting, "It's just a theory. It usually comes from states where dental work is just a theory." However, the star of the night, which raised $2 million for the charity, was teenager Molly Farrell, who was paralyzed in a diving accident when she was 13. She walked onto the stage using pink crutches to a standing ovation from the crowd. Reeve's widow, Dana, also spoke of her own battle with lung cancer, saying, "The prognosis is good."

Sightings

DIRECTOR Sidney Lumet celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary at Patsy's with Lauren Bacall, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

Redford, Newman Reteam for Sundance Series

Robert Redford and Paul Newman are teaming up once more.

The two Oscar winners will reunite for an episode of "Iconoclasts," a six-episode interview series on Redford's Sundance Channel later this fall. Redford will interview his "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting" co-star and delve into Newman's career, philanthropy and life outside Hollywood.

"We couldn't be more pleased that the founder of our network, Robert Redford, who also executive produces this project, will be putting himself on the other side of the camera to interview his collaborator and on-screen partner Paul Newman," says Laura Michalchyshyn, head of programming and marketing for the Sundance Channel.

"Iconoclasts," which premieres in November, will celebrities interviewing and profiling someone they admire, while the subject of each hour offers insight into "what made these icons who they are today." In the first episode, Samuel L. Jackson visits and plays golf with basketball legend Bill Russell. Other pairings include designer Tom Ford interviewing artist Jeff Koons and Oscar winner Renee Zellweger talking with CNN correspondent Christiane Amanpour.

The Newman-Redford hour is scheduled to air Dec. 22.

Jon Kamen ("Metallica: Some Kind of Monster"), Michael Davies ("Who Wants to Be a Millionaire") and Greg Schultz are executive producing the series along with Redford.

Hanks revisits moon in 'Magnificent Desolation'

Producing, co-writing and narrating, Tom Hanks brings his passion for the Apollo program to this visually stunning but choppily structured film.

"Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D" promises to put viewers on the lunar surface, and through previously unreleased photos and footage from NASA's archives, along with CGI and re-enactments, it pulls off the illusion.

Making apt use of Imax 3-D's spectacular high resolution, the film is one more example of why the format is in the forefront of educational entertainment. The documentary, which hit Imax 3-D, Imax Dome and Imax theaters Friday in the widest IMAX release to date, will be a draw for space buffs and scads of school kids, at whom it aims a loose recruitment pitch. With NASA this week having unveiled plans to return humans to the moon by 2018, the timing is good for renewed interest in the Apollo missions, and "Desolation" looks poised for the muscular box office of Imax's higher achievers.

The documentary's premise is that time has diminished awareness of the dozen U.S. astronauts who went to the moon between 1969-72. As evidence, a series of kids offer what they know about the program. "Lance Armstrong?" one suggests as the first man on the moon.

The film's strength, besides the visuals, is that it goes beyond the obvious and iconic, beginning with its title, a quote by Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the second man to step foot on Earth's satellite. Embarking on "humankind's greatest road trip," the film puts viewers inside the cramped vessel and then outside as it touches down. Stills from the 32,000 photos Apollo astronauts took using large-format Hasselblad cameras create the awe-inspiring backdrop, whose stark beauty reminded Jim Irwin of Sun Valley.

There's no denying the boosterism of the film, which is sponsored by Lockheed Martin; the space program's problems receive no mention, and the documentary acknowledges the astronauts who lost their lives only at the end, in a dedication. Still, danger gets its due; director Mark Cowen, who also produced and co-scripted, includes an enactment of a hypothetical crisis.

Even within the brief running time, "Desolation" feels repetitive and lacks a cohesive flow from one segment to the next. But as a tribute to the aviators and engineers who became lunar explorers, it is one of a kind, especially in heart-stopping moments like the camera's plunge down the 1,000-foot-deep Hadley's Rille, the moon's Grand Canyon.

A cast of well-known actors, among them Morgan Freeman, John Travolta, Matt Damon, Paul Newman and Scott Glenn, lend their voices, with musical compositions by James Newton Howard and Blake Neely helping to stir up the drama.

A Playtone/Imax production.

Director: Mark Cowen; Screenwriters: Tom Hanks, Mark Cowan, Christopher G. Cowen; Producers: Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, Mark Cowen; Executive producers: Hugh Murray, Mark Herzog; Director of photography: Sean MacLeod Phillips; Production designer: Charles Lee; Music: James Newton Howard, Blake Neely; Editor: William Schinski. Narrator: Tom Hanks.

Newman/Haas Racing co-owner Paul Newman to be Featured on Friday's "Costas Now"

One of television's most accomplished broadcasters, Bob Costas, who joined HBO Sports in February 2001, is the host of "COSTAS NOW," a new monthly sports series which launched its premiere edition on Friday, May 13 in a prime-time timeslot. Costas attend the Molson Indy Montreal to discuss the award-winning actor's love affair with motorsports in general and Champ Car racing specifically. Legendary driver Mario Andretti and current Newman/Haas Racing driver and 2004 Champ Car Champion Sebastien Bourdais were also interviewed. For the past four years, Costas hosted "On The Record With Bob Costas," which established itself as one of network television's most respected programs for its compelling mix of interviews, commentary and opinion. In May of 2005, Costas was presented with the Sports Emmy® for Outstanding Studio Host, marking the fourth straight year that he has received that honor from the National Academy of Arts & Sciences. The award recognized his work on both HBO and NBC Sports. For re-air dates, log onto: http://www.hbo.com/costasnow/episode/episode.05.html

Celeb Voices Venture Into IMAX 'Desolation'

As you may already have known, Oscar winner Tom Hanks is really interested in the moon and he's bringing some of his celebrity buddies along for "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D."

Hanks is producing and narrating the IMAX film, which will hit the extra-big screen on Sept. 23, 2005.

The Playtone/IMAX Films production heads to the lunar surface to simulate the experience felt by the 12 men who have walked on the moon. The project relies heavily on CG-imaging, previously unreleased NASA footage and live-action representations of the moon's landscape and geography.

Voice transmissions from the original Apollo astronauts will be featured, along with Hanks' narration, but if that isn't enough, John Corbett, Bryan Cranston, Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Scott Glenn, Rick Gomez, Frank John Hughes, Tim Matheson, Matthew McConaughey, Paul Newman, Neal McDonough, Bill Paxton, Barry Pepper, Kevin Pollak, Peter Scolari, Gary Sinise, John Travolta, Donnie Wahlberg and Rita Wilson will also be heard.

"We are delighted to be working with Tom Hanks, Playtone, a stellar lineup of all-star actors and our great partners NASA and Lockheed Martin to offer the most realistic extra-terrestrial experience possible on planet Earth," says Greg Foster, chairman and president of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "By combining IMAX 3D, Hollywood's best talent and the top minds of space exploration, this film will offer audiences of all ages an out-of-this-world experience that is both entertaining and educational."

Redford and Newman may pair up again on screen

Robert Redford may soon be reunited on screen with Paul Newman but don't expect a sequel to "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" or "The Sting," which paired one of Hollywood's most popular double acts three decades ago.

"All these years went by and nobody came up with any ideas that were anything but corny and kind of low grade so we just decided probably that wasn't going to happen," Redford said.

"But now there's something rolling around that we're talking about it, and the real question is whether he can remember his lines or not," the 68-year-old Redford said in a dig at Newman who turned 80 this year.

Media reports earlier this year suggested the two would pair up in an adaptation of Bill Bryson's travel book "A Walk in the Woods," the story of the author's hike through the American wilderness with a friend.

Redford said he was superstitious about discussing details of projects that were not finalized.

"I think Paul and I are probably alike in that we're reluctant to talk about something that is not real yet, but we are talking about it," he told reporters in New York while promoting his new film "An Unfinished Life."

Redford said it was surprising considering Hollywood's penchant for remakes that nothing had come to fruition since the mob and gambling film "The Sting" in 1973 and the 1969 hit "Butch Cassidy," about two bank robbers who flee to Bolivia.

"The stuff that came to us wasn't any good," Redford said. "(They said) can you do a sequel to 'The Sting?' No, leave that one alone ... don't try to milk it."

"What about a sequel to 'Butch Cassidy?' Well the guys died in it, what is it going to be, a spiritual film? Well how about a prequel? That's pretty desperate."

One film that he is planning a sequel to is "The Candidate" from 1972, in which he played a Democratic Party candidate for the Senate who has no hope of winning and who finds his ideals compromised by the realities of politics.

Redford said in the sequel he will play the same character 30 years on, who is now president of the United States.

"Right now I'm frightened for my country," he said in one of several political asides during a news conference by the actor who makes no secret of his liberal leanings.

"Actors have every right to speak out but they carry more responsibility to know what they're talking about," he told Reuters in an interview, adding that he enjoyed "lobbing grenades from a distance."

But he said he had no intention of stepping into active politics like action star Arnold Schwarzenegger, who is now governor of California.

"I would have to be just consumed with ego and self-absorption. When you enter the political arena it's so full of compromise and so full of knots, you tie yourself up," he said.

Paul Newman Wants To Bring Champ Car Race To Philly

Actor Paul Newman was in Philadelphia Wednesday, but not for a movie. He wants to bring an auto race to the city's streets.

Newman arrived at City Hall for a meeting with the mayor and City Council.

Newman is the co-owner of one of the most successful Champ Car World Series teams.

City Councilman Frank Rizzo is leading the effort to bring turbocharged, open wheel, open cockpit racers to Philadelphia.

Possible courses in Philadelphia include the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Fairmount Park or the sports complex area. The races would take place once a year for five years.

"Each town has its own allure and it has its own character. This race would be different from Long Beach, it would be different from Edmonton, and you guys will put your own signature on it. It's a reciprocal trade agreement. Champ Car gets a great race, and you get a great three-day festival, so everybody wins," Newman said.

The race is not a done deal yet, but it would bring at least $50 million for Philadelphia. The race could happen as early as next July or August.

Emmy Award Nominees

The 57th Emmy Awards are scheduled to air Sept. 18 on CBS.

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jason Bateman (Arrested Development)
Ray Romano (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Tony Shalhoub (Monk)
Zach Braff (Scrubs)
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Marcia Cross (Desperate Housewives)
Teri Hatcher (Desperate Housewives)
Felicity Huffman (Desperate Housewives)
Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Jane Kaczmarek (Malcolm In The Middle)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development)
Jeremy Piven (Entourage)
Peter Boyle (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Brad Garrett (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Sean Hayes (Will & Grace)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jessica Walter (Arrested Development)
Doris Roberts (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Holland Taylor (Two And A Half Men)
Conchata Ferrell (Two And A Half Men)
Megan Mullally (Will & Grace)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Fred Willard (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Victor Garber (Will & Grace)
Jeff Goldblum (Will & Grace)
Bobby Cannavale (Will & Grace)
Alec Baldwin (Will & Grace)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Kathryn Joosten (Desperate Housewives)
Lupe Ontiveros (Desperate Housewives)
Georgia Engel (Everybody Loves Raymond)
Cloris Leachman (Malcolm in the Middle)
Blythe Danner (Will & Grace)

OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
Arrested Development
Desperate Housewives
Everybody Loves Raymond
Scrubs
Will & Grace

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
James Spader (Boston Legal)
Ian McShane (Deadwood)
Hugh Laurie (House)
Hank Azaria (Huff)
Kiefer Sutherland (24)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Jennifer Garner (Alias)
Mariska Hargitay (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
Patricia Arquette (Medium)
Glenn Close (The Shield)
Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
William Shatner (Boston Legal)
Oliver Platt (Huff)
Naveen Andrews (Lost)
Terry O’Quinn (Lost)
Alan Alda (The West Wing)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Sandra Oh (Grey's Anatomy)
Blythe Danner (Huff)
Tyne Daly (Judging Amy)
CCH Pounder (The Shield)
Stockard Channing (The West Wing)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Red Buttons (ER)
Ray Liotta (ER)
Ossie Davis (The L Word)
Charles Durning (NCIS)
Martin Landau (Without a Trace)

OUTSTANDING GUEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Swoosie Kurtz (Huff)
Cloris Leachman (Joan of Arcadia)
Amanda Plummer (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit)
Angela Lansbury (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit/Trial by Jury)
Jill Clayburgh (Nip/Tuck)

OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
DeadwoodLost
Six Feet Under
24
The West Wing

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Elvis)
Ed Harris (Empire Falls)
Geoffrey Rush (The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers)
Kenneth Branagh (Warm Springs)
William H. Macy (The Wool Cap)

OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Blythe Danner (Back When We Were Grownups)
Debra Winger (Dawn Anna)
S. Epatha Merkerson (Lackawanna Blues)
Halle Berry (Their Eyes Were Watching God)
Cynthia Nixon (Warm Springs)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Randy Quaid (Elvis)
Paul Newman (Empire Falls)
Philip Seymour Hoffman (Empire Falls)
Christopher Plummer (Our Fathers)
Brian Dennehy (Our Fathers)

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR A MOVIE
Camryn Manheim (Elvis)
Joanne Woodward (Empire Falls)
Charlize Theron (The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers)
Jane Alexander (Warm Springs)
Kathy Bates (Warm Springs)

OUTSTANDING MINISERIES
Elvis
Empire Falls
The 4400
The Lost Prince (Masterpiece Theatre)

OUTSTANDING MADE FOR TELEVISION MOVIE
Lackawanna Blues
The Life And Death Of Peter Sellers
The Office Special
Warm Springs
The Wool Cap

OUTSTANDING REALITY PROGRAM
Antiques Roadshow
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
Penn & Teller: Bulls---!
Project Greenlight
Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

OUTSTANDING REALITY/COMPETITION PROGRAM
The Amazing Race
American Idol
The Apprentice
Project Runway
Survivor

Champ ambassador still has racing in the blood

Go get 'em.

Paul Newman says it to his drivers all the time. Yeah, that Paul Newman. Cool Hand Luke. Hud. The Sting. Some people say "have a nice day" at the end of a conversation. Paul Newman the actor, driver, team owner, philanthropist, businessman, Oscar winner, father, husband and grandfather, says "go get 'em."

He said it to me Tuesday morning, over the phone from his home in Connecticut, after we talked about racing for awhile. Admittedly, it was kind of cool.

I wanted to know about his decades-old love of the sport and the incredible success he'd had with Newman/Haas Racing, the leading Champ Car World Series team, but the man had questions of his own. Go get 'em, indeed.

The 80-year-old screen and stage legend was curious about Edmonton, a city he last saw back in the '70s when his Can Am racing career was in its infancy.

He wanted to see a map of the Grand Prix of Edmonton track layout, hoping it was wide enough to allow lots of passing. He asked how many tickets had been sold and whether or not the race has grabbed the city's attention. And he wanted to know if his old racing and hockey acquaintance Peter Pocklington would be here, so they might bump into one another on Saturday after Newman arrives for the last qualifying session.

"It should be great," he said, "especially after that Toronto race. What a barn-burner that was."

If Edmontonians experience a similar race with a few collisions, daring passes and lead changes this year, some people might just catch the racing bug Newman first caught in 1969 on the set of the movie Winning. He starred alongside wife Joanne Woodward and was also the co- executive producer of the picture, which told the tale of driver Frank Capua.

Newman drove Can Am, stock and Indy cars for that production and Woodward rues the day her husband climbed into the cockpit. She has been trying to get him to park the car ever since, concerned about his health, but racing scratches an itch that other facets of an incredibly full life cannot.

"I'm a very competitive person and it's very hard to be competitive as an actor because there are too many imponderables involved," said Newman, who, for the record has gone one-for-nine in the race for Oscar.

"In racing, it's clear, right down to the thousandths of a second. There cannot be any quarrelling in that. That's what I like about it.

"Then I got involved with ownership because I thought I'd stop racing. I do not seem to have been able to do that," he laughed. "Ownership was going to be a replacement for racing and it has an allure all its own."

At Champ Car races he is a quiet, unassuming fixture in the pits. He may know what it's like to be in the cockpit but he is just as certain that he hasn't experienced anything like the pressures faced by today's racers.

"I don't put myself in the same class as those guys, not by a long shot. I still drive the amateur circuit and occasionally get into a professional race. I just stand back in shock and awe over the way these guys handle their responsibilities. The extreme physical conditioning it requires is awesome. The tidiness of the way they perform on the track is incredible. It's a lot of factors and you can admire all of them."

The admiration is returned by his Newman/Haas drivers, Sebastien Bourdais and Oriol Servia.

'SHARING SAME PASSION'

"He's obviously one of the greatest persons I've ever met, you know. He's just really special," said Bourdais. "I think we're sharing the same passion. He gives me a lot of credit for what I've done and I enjoy driving for his team. And every time we have an opportunity, we get together to do something. It's Paul Newman, you know."

We know. My mother knows. Women who remember those blue eyes, they know. Guys who remember him as Reggie Dunlop in Slap Shot, they know. There is simply something compelling about the man whose appeal spans generations and crosses gender lines.

"He comes to see you and he tells you to 'go get 'em.' He's a true racer," said Servia. "He and Carl (Haas), they really feel it in their blood. It's the major reason why the team is successful. Other teams have spent money but you need something you can't buy. That's what they have in their hearts. Racing is inside them."

Even now, more than 30 years after his first win, the fire still burns. Newman is beating opponents who weren't even born when he appeared in the first of his 65 movies, The Silver Chalice, in 1954. He is in the Guinness Book of World Records as the oldest person to win a sanctioned race in the U.S.

"I'm winning enough of them to keep me going," he admitted modestly.

And when might he stop?

"When I embarrass myself."

When he is no longer competitive. Until then, he'll race about eight times a year. And when he isn't in the cockpit or the pit stand, he makes sure to promote Champ Car races like this one.

"He's there all the time. He's very influential, very passionate about Champ Car," said series co-owner Gerald Forsythe. "We're just so delighted to have him as part of our organization. I can't tell you what it means to us. He champions the series any time he gets the chance."

He lends valuable TV exposure and credibility just by being involved. But he also attracted McDonald's as a sponsor, works as a consultant on TV contracts and has produced a promotional DVD which the series uses to attract new venues. And, in keeping with his low-key personality, he chooses to downplay his role.

"The series would have stayed alive with me or without me," he said. "I have been very visible. But we're on a roll, gathering strength. All the races are big and strong and our fans are fiercely loyal. As long as we keep doing what we're doing, we'll be OK."

Go get 'em.

Paul Newman Plays Sly Codger in HBO Drama

"I wish I was 79 again," quips Paul Newman, who turned 80 in January.

He's far from being retired. His food company, Newman's Own, has donated $200 million in lifetime profits to charity. He supports the Hole in the Wall Camps, which provide outdoor vacations for terminally ill children (the name comes from the "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" hideout). He owns an auto racing team that will compete this year in Australia, South Korea and Argentina.

And oh yes, Newman is still doing what he does best — acting. He appears on HBO on Saturday and Sunday in "Empire Falls" (9 p.m. EST), a film based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Richard Russo, who also wrote the script.

Empire Falls, Maine, is a crumbling town that once thrived with clothing mills. The hangers-on comprise a rich mix of families whose secrets and failings provide the drama as well as some light touches.

Newman plays Max Roby, the wily and irreverent patriarch of one of those families, whose unkempt beard is reputed to be littered with cracker crumbs. Newman gets fifth billing and disappears for a long stretch when Max runs off to Florida with a senile priest.

Other members of the cast include Ed Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Helen Hunt, Robin Wright Penn, Aidan Quinn — and Newman's wife, Joanne Woodward, in a rare villainess role as the heiress who wields malevolent power over some of the town's citizens.

Having also played an old-timer in the adaptation of another Russo novel, "Nobody's Fool," Newman read "Empire Falls" with more than the usual interest.

"An extraordinary book," the actor said in an interview. "I know there was a lot of interest in making like a two-hour film out of it, and I thought that would truncate all the values in it. It had to be done in a longer format. No major studio wants to make a 3-hour, 3 1/2-hour film."

HBO had no such qualms.

As an executive producer, Newman helped line up the stellar cast, and he insisted that "Empire Falls" be shot in Maine.

"That's where it was set in the mind of Russo, and that's where we shot it," he said. "We would have saved a little money by going to Canada, but I think the film would have suffered. And I think there's an obligation whenever it's possible that we should shoot here in the United States."

One of the first Method actors to become a movie star, Newman is a stickler for realism. He grew a vagrant-style beard for the role of Max, but it didn't last long.

"Joanne made me shave the homeless part off first. Then she got the rest of it; I should really say while I was sleeping," he joked during a telephone chat from his home in Westport, Conn. "She was not enamored with it."

Newman is his usual debonair self about becoming an octogenarian: "It's only a number." He celebrated the Jan. 26 event with 75 friends and relatives.

"I did have fun," he admitted. "I had the Emerson String Quartet — what could be better than that?"

His hair is white now, but otherwise Newman seems as fit as Hud, Harper or Cool Hand Luke, something he credits to his morning fitness routine: "365 days a year_ weights, exercises, aerobics."

Newman — who's been nominated nine times for an Oscar, winning in 1986 for "The Color of Money — was evasive about his future acting plans: "There's a lot of stuff floating around, but I don't like to talk about it until it's in cement. I think I'd like to make one more film and then take a powder. It's time Joanne and I spent quality time together."

'Empire Falls' overflows with big cast, story

Empire Falls captures life in a small New England town, but it cascades into the holiday weekend as the season's big HBO awards bait.

The two-part miniseries, airing Saturday and Sunday (9 p.m. ET/PT), has the necessary pedigree. It's based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Richard Russo. It's a sprawling, multigenerational tale that boasts an all-star cast, led by Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ed Harris and Helen Hunt.

It also caps a season of underwhelming made-for-TV movies, increasingly scarce miniseries and a recent drought at the pay-cable network, which has seen smaller audiences for recent projects.

And for sheer force, it's Newman's first film role since Road to Perdition and - as he has threatened for years - very near his last.

The actor is an avowed Russo fan. He starred in Nobody's Fool, which was adapted from a Russo novel, and Twilight, for which Russo wrote the screenplay. "He always manages to find the humanity in the character," Newman says.

After seeing an early copy of Empire Falls, published in 2001, Newman used his clout to preserve its flavor onscreen, offering it (and himself) to HBO and signing on as executive producer. (Fred Schepisi directs.) "I thought the book was worthwhile doing as a three-hour film rather than trying to truncate it and create a skeleton in two hours. That's what I was afraid of: that it would be so pared down that you couldn't recognize it."

Says HBO Films president Colin Callender: "It's not unlike the great Dickensian novels, where you're following a whole group of characters through the story. It's an immensely complex look at the heart of America."

Russo, former English professor at Colby College in Maine, describes the themes of Empire Falls, which revolves around two families, the struggling middle-class Robys and the patrician Whitings:

"The title is the name of the town, but it's also a complete sentence. It's about the various empires that we seem to be on the downside of in some way or another: the downfall of the Whiting empire as it's been sold off to the multinationals, which is the story of a lot of mill towns in the United States; the declining influence of faith in our daily lives or the difficulty of trying to place where that faith should be; the family in decline. So it seemed to me to be a snapshot of certain Americans and decline of certain empires that we've all been depending on."

Both novel and film contain two parallel tales. One is the story of diner manager Miles Roby (Harris), his relationship with his father, Max (Newman), and his bond with daughter Tick (Danielle Panabaker). The other is the larger story of the town, partially told through flashbacks involving Miles' mother (Robin Wright Penn) and titan C.B. Whiting (Philip Seymour Hoffman).

In all, there are 16 major characters. "Part of what people loved about the novel was its sense of largeness, and the way people talked to each other," Russo says. "Paul wanted the broadness of the canvas to stay intact."

Russo has written several novels and screenplays, but Empire Falls marks his first adaptation of his own work, a daunting task, considering he spent nearly five years on the book. "I never had a novel take as much out of me as this one did. I felt drained," he says. "The danger in adapting your own work is you'll miss obvious things."

Never mind the difficulty of translating the sweeping tale from page to screen.

The film had a similarly long gestation. Shot on location in small-town Maine in fall 2003, it was shelved for 1½ years to avoid competing for awards with HBO's Angels in America. Uncertainty over whether to present the film as a three-hour saga or divide into smaller bites led to "an enormous amount of fine-tuning" once HBO decided to air it in two parts.

The story lacks a suitable cliffhanger midway through; it begins leisurely and builds to a dramatic climax. So the finished film recently was divided into eight chapters that explore recurring themes, forcing extensive re-editing. "Once we decided on those chapter headings, then the whole movie had to be rethought," Russo says.

Harris, 55, isn't the first actor that comes to mind to play Miles, the 42-year-old lead character, who is described as lumbering. "I probably wouldn't have thought of myself as Miles," Oscar-winner Harris says. But he was awestruck over his co-star, whom he insisted on calling Mr. Newman. "He deserves a little respect. Even in rehearsals, it was just fun sitting next to Paul and Joanne." (Newman and Woodward, who plays the town matriarch, don't share any scenes.)

Aidan Quinn, who plays Miles' brother David, relished the small charms of Empire Falls' meandering story. "It was a pleasure to work with adult literate material, because it's getting scarcer."

The project barely beats the Emmy eligibility deadline at month's end. And one awards expert says Empire Falls is this season's show horse, rivaling Angels, which won a record-tying 11 Emmys.

"Empire reigns as the front-runner in the Emmy race for best miniseries," says awards historian Tom O'Neil of goldderby.com. It "blazes with Hollywood royalty and has the HBO marketing army behind it, perhaps making it invincible."

Does Callender agree? He won't say. But "I wouldn't turn down any awards."

'Empire Falls' Gets All-Star Treatment

An all-star cast brings to vibrant life Richard Russo's "Empire Falls" in a funny and achingly beautiful two-part adaptation airing Saturday and Sunday, May 28 and 29, on HBO.

Set in a declining Maine mill town, the TV movie stars four-time Oscar nominee Ed Harris ("Pollock") as Miles Roby, the central character, who is in a kind of emotional paralysis as the story opens.

As a boy, Miles showed great promise for a successful life far beyond his struggling hometown, but fate and family obligations born out of long-buried secrets have forced him to remain in Empire Falls, where he scrapes out a living running the Empire Grill for Francine Whiting (Joanne Woodward), the iron-willed widow whose family owns anything worth owning in Empire Falls.

At the center of Miles' life is his sensitive teenage daughter, Tick (Danielle Panabaker), who is angry about her parents' imminent divorce and her mother's (Helen Hunt) approaching remarriage to another man. Miles' mother, Grace (Robin Wright Penn), died when Miles was a young man, but his irascible father, Max (Paul Newman), is still around, doing halfhearted odd jobs in exchange for beer money.

Helping Miles at the diner is his younger brother, David (Aidan Quinn), who bitterly remembers how determined their mother was that Miles would escape the dead-end existence in which he now finds himself.

"Miles is really stuck when this thing starts," Harris says. "He's got nowhere to turn, doesn't see any way out of what he's doing, even though he's not very happy. During the course of this thing, he gets unstuck."

Getting unstuck for Miles requires uncovering and confronting some startling secrets that explain the complicated ties between his own blue-collar family and the elite Whiting clan, including Francine's late husband, C.B. (Philip Seymour Hoffman), and their daughter, Cindy (Kate Burton), who was disabled in a childhood accident and harbors a desperate, unrequited love for Miles.

As fans of Russo's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel know, there is a startling act of school violence near the end of the narrative, but apart from that, the story unfolds with the quirky, unhurried pace of small town life. Dramatic tension arises not from explosions or car chases, but from the resentments, passions and private shames that run through Empire Falls like the Knox River.

That "Empire Falls" remains so utterly engrossing for its three-hours-plus running time is both a tribute to Russo's writing -- he wrote the teleplay as well -- and to the dazzling ensemble of actors, who manage to convince us that they've shared life experiences for years, even for generations.

That's possible in large part because executive producer Newman and director Fred Schepisi gathered the entire cast together in New York for extended rehearsals before moving to the Maine filming location.

"We knew we had to concentrate on and bring about (that sense of interconnected lives), particularly as many of the characters don't actually play scenes with one another and yet they have a large effect on one another," Schepisi says.

"We started out with a reading with the entire cast, and it was so successful and helpful to everyone that we insisted on having another one soon afterwards. That let everyone understand what the connections were and what their place was in the overall picture."

With Russo on hand during those early sessions, Schepisi and his cast had the luxury of asking the author to interpolate scenes or lines of dialogue he originally had omitted from the adapted script, which clarified motivations for the actors.

"I nagged Rick a bit to put some things in or take some things out. Fortunately, he transcended that nagging," Schepisi says, chuckling. We wrote in a lot of extra stuff after the rehearsals, but most of that never made it into the film because when we got to actually performing it, merely a look or an attitude or letting that information inform the scene without actually saying it was the better approach."

Filming primarily in the part of Maine where Russo had lived while writing his novel also gives the TV movie added resonance, Harris says.

"That was really helpful, and I am so glad that we shot it in the towns of Waterville and Skowhegan where we were," he says. "All of the community was very supportive, and you know, it's a mill town that's kind of fallen on hard times, which is just what the story was about. It just gives you so much that you don't have to think about, because you're really right there in the environment."

Harris says his "Empire Falls" colleagues are the best ensemble with which he's ever worked.

"And what was really fun was that as Miles, I really got to work with every one of these actors," Harris says. "Miles is the only character who interacts with all the others, except for Robin Wright Penn -- but Paul and Joanne, Helen, Aidan, Theresa Russell, Philip Seymour Hoffman, everybody else I got to work with."

And while Miles undergoes a harrowing transformation during the course of "Empire Falls," he comes out of it free to pursue the dreams his mother had held out for him, Harris says.

"More than just getting out from underneath Mrs. Whiting's thumb, I think, by the end of the story Miles has gotten out from under himself, too," the actor says. "He has discovered something about his past that has unlocked a certain inner tension that he never could understand before.

"He has freed himself from this domineering woman, and his relationship with his daughter grows because of the very, very difficult time they go through so intimately together. He's still open to his wife, who has gone in and out of another marriage. I just think the possibilities are all open to him. Miles still has his dreams, I think, and he may try to do something about them. Maybe not, but I think he feels a lot freer and probably more at peace with himself."

Paul and Joanne pour on the charm at NYC premiere

It was Newman's own entertainment extravaganza Monday night.

Paul Newman and his wife, Joanne Woodward, turned out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art to celebrate the premiere of their two-part HBO miniseries, Empire Falls. It airs May 28-29 (9 p.m. ET/PT).

In the movie, about a New England town that has been hit by hard times, Newman plays the crusty father of main character Miles ( Ed Harris, off shooting Copying Beethoven in Budapest). Woodward is the town's wealthy doyenne.

Newman said he signed on to star in and executive-produce the made-for-TV movie (based on Richard Russo's 2001 Pulitzer-winning novel) because "it was a great piece of literature." It also, he said, "had the opportunity for an extraordinary cast, which we managed to put together."

That includes Oscar-winning actress Helen Hunt, who plays an unpopular divorcée in the film. Back on the red carpet and looking sleek in a white Marc Jacobs dress after taking time off since the birth of daughter Makena Lei, who turns 1 on Friday, she gamely worked the press line. Boyfriend Matthew Carnahan, Makena's dad, waited for her on the side and clasped her hand between interviews.

Hunt was in the first stages of her pregnancy when she shot the film. "I was happy to be distracted," she said. The best part of having a daughter? "Every part is the best part."

Woodward's role was a rare return to the screen for the star, who prefers to be behind the scenes now. "I don't act anymore. I run a theater company." That would be the Westport Country Playhouse in Westport, Conn., where she serves as artistic director.

So, what's next for Newman, whose last major movie was 2002's Road to Perdition?

"I've retired every year since 1972, so I don't see any reason why I should stop retiring now."

The perennial question for the long-married duo is the secret to their 47-year union.

"Patience," Newman said. "Affection."

Piped in Woodward: "I honestly don't know."

Newman's own way to help

The dogs and cats at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County don't know a kibble about Hud, The Hustler or Cool Hand Luke.

But they're big fans of Paul Newman.

The shelter has begun receiving $10,000 worth of dog and cat food from Newman's Own, the company known for salad dressing, popcorn and marinara sauce endorsed by the blue-eyed actor.

"We spend from $37,000 to $40,000 a year on food," shelter manager Brenda Knight said as the third shipment of dry and canned Newman's Own organic pet food arrived Wednesday. "Keeping the dogs and cats fed is a substantial part of our budget."

When the shelter is at capacity of 150 dogs and 100 cats -- as it is now and usually is -- it can go through 200 pounds of food a day. That's 73,000 pounds to feed the 9,000 or so animals that pass through the shelter annually.

To stretch the donation, Central Pet Inc., of Tampa, which distributes Newman's pet food, has discounted its cost to the shelter.

Terry Palumbo, owner of The Barkery upscale pet store in downtown Fort Pierce, sells Newman's Own pet food and helped arrange the donation to the humane society. She also donates profits from sales of the food to the shelter.

In addition to the savings, animals at the shelter benefit from the quality of the Newman's Own food, said David Robertson, the humane society's volunteer and education coordinator.

All of the foods contain certified organic ingredients, including Bell & Evans brand chicken, and organic vegetables and grains. The products contain no antibiotics, hormones, chemical ingredients or artificial preservatives, colors or additives.

But the proof of the pet food, like that of the pudding, is in the tasting.

"Some of them love it, some don't," Knight said. "Once we get them all used to it, we'll be feeding it to them from now on. Right now, we're in a transition phase of using up all the food that had been donated previously."

An anonymous donor has agreed to pick up the cost of the Newman's food after money from the donation runs out so the animals' diet will remain consistent, Robertson said.

"Keeping the diet consistent is an important part of keeping the diet healthy," Knight said.

The shelter is one of several animal welfare organizations that Paul Newman and daughter Nell have contributed to since the pet food line was introduced a year ago. Like other Newman's Own lines, profits from sale of the pet food are donated to organizations that support animal well-being.

Since beginning in 1982, Newman's Own has donated more than $150 million to educational and charitable organizations.

Tidbit

APRIL 21. James Naughton directing Paul McCartney, Paul Newman, Julia Roberts, Robin Williams, Mary J. Blige in Lincoln Center's one-night-only fund-raiser for The Hole in the Wall camps . . . .

Champ Car Team Owner Paul Newman To Race Tonight Show Host Jay Leno on Friday Night's Show on NBC

Long-time Champ Car team owner and legendary actor Paul Newman will carry the Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford flag into battle Friday night as he appears on NBC's famed Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Newman, who co-owns the 2004 series championship-winning Newman/Haas Racing team, will appear on the NBC late-night program Friday night at 11:30 p.m., talking with host Jay Leno about his movie career as well as the Champ Car World Series, which opens its season on the streets of Long Beach this weekend.

After their discussion, the scene will shift to the parking lot where Newman will square off against Leno in a go-kart race, with play-by-play commentary provided by Champ Car television announcer Derek Daly. Newman and former Champ Car driver Memo Gidley will then leave the set in the 750 hp two-seat Champ Car.

The 2005 Champ Car World Series season will open at this weekend's Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach, and can be seen live on NBC beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. Qualifying for the season opener begins on Friday with a final session coming Saturday afternoon.

Endquote

"[WIFE] Joanne [Woodward] fell out of bed the other night and broke her collarbone. As she lay on the ground, I said to her, 'I'm not going to listen to any more complaining about my racing! [I'll quit] when I embarrass myself." — Paul Newman in AARP Magazine

Cindy Adams Tidbit

I HAVE an advance, uncorrected proof of Yale University's "An American Theatre: The Story of Westport Country Playhouse." Foreword by its director Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. Begun 75 years ago, this one-time cow barn is where Otis Skinner, 75, gave his last performance, movie stars like Tyrone Power appeared, where the Irish Repertory Co. was represented and where Barrymores, Gishes and Fondas performed. The book comes out in June.

Paul Newman Winding Down Acting Career

Paul Newman, the movie legend whose piercing blue eyes have lit up screens for five decades, says he'll give up the activities he once described as his two great passions — acting and motor racing.

"I think both are winding down," Newman told The Associated Press during an interview Friday. "I'll probably race for another year."

Fans need not despair just yet. The iconic star of "The Hustler" and "Cool Hand Luke" says he plans to make one last film — "for good luck."

He won't say what it is, but hints that a long-rumored reunion with Robert Redford, his co-star in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting," may yet happen.

"I hate to talk about anything until the papers are drawn up, but we've been looking for something for 20 years and now we're looking harder," Newman said. "I hope something will come of it."

Newman, whose film career began in 1954 with "The Silver Chalice" — a costume drama he quickly disowned — has been a motorsports fan since he starred in the 1969 racing film "Winning" and still competes regularly. In January he escaped injury when the car he was testing caught fire following a spin at Daytona International Speedway.

But he plans to give up the thrill of the track to spend more time with his wife of 47 years, Joanne Woodward.

"Joanne is the artistic director of the Westport Country Playhouse (a theater near the couple's Connecticut home) and her duties will stop this year," Newman said. "If my racing stops, the two of us will be together, spend some time just horsing around."

In London to promote a deal between his Newman's Own range of salad dressings and fast-food giant McDonald's, Newman sat Friday in a McDonald's branch on London's busy Oxford Street, surrounded by fast-food executives and a British TV crew.

The actor, who turned 80 in January, moves a little stiffly and strains to hear occasionally. But his clear skin and sparkling eyes are as vivid as ever, and his passion for his business and his charitable work is undimmed.

Newman's salad dressings, pasta sauces and popcorn have raised $175 million for charity since he and friend A.E. Hotchner started the company as a lark in 1980, offering Newman's homemade dressing for sale in a few shops near his Westport, Conn., home.

The company now produces dozens of products. Newman says he still tastes every batch of their products, and all profits go to charity.

The company has supplied McDonald's restaurants in the United States with salad dressing since 2003; a range of low-fat Newman's Own dressings will be available in British, Irish and Danish branches of the chain starting in June.

Regularly voted among the greatest movie stars of all time — he ranked No. 1 in a 2001 British survey of screen legends — Newman has been nominated nine times for acting Oscars, and won the best actor prize in 1986 for "The Color of Money."

But he says he's proudest of his charity work, especially the summer camps for seriously ill children in the United States, Britain, Ireland Israel, France and southern Africa.

You Want Stars?

YOU WANT stars? Here are stars: Paul Newman, Julia Roberts, Paul McCartney, Mary J. Blige, Tony Bennett, Robin Williams. You want a truly great charity? Here it is — the Association of Hole in the Wall Camps. These are family camps for children with serious illnesses.

On April 21, the above celebs, the Emerson String Quartet and the acrobatic group AntiGravity gather at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall. They appear, speak, sing, fly through the air, make beautiful music and entreat their audience to contribute to Hole in the Wall. Call (212) 462-2900 for tickets. Hole in the Wall was founded by Paul Newman, a man who has put his money where his mouth is for this fantastic charity work. To find out more about Hole in the Wall, log onto http://www.holeinthewallcamps.org.

Dandy Dad

SIDNEY Lumet draws a crowd. The film director's delightful daughters, Amy and Jenny, held a dinner at Shun Lee West the other night to celebrate the honorary Oscar he'll receive at the end of the month. Lumet helmed such classics as "Serpico," "Dog Day Afternoon" and "Equus." Among the guests — many of whom were directed by Lumet — were Betsy and Walter Cronkite, Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman, James Lipton, Lauren Bacall, Jonathan Demme, ICM agent Boaty Boatwright, Phyllis Newman, Linda and Mort Janklow, film producer Elliott Kastner, publi cist par excellence Bobby Zarem, and Lumet's wife, Piedie.

GORDON KIRBY'S INSIDE TRACK

I enjoyed a very pleasant weekend at the Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona, hanging out with our friend Paul Newman and his pals Mike Brockman, Sebastien Bourdais and Cristiano da Matta. I hadn’t witnessed Daytona’s twenty-four hour race for ten years but prior to that I covered the long-distance epic for twenty years and it was interesting and see so many people from the sport’s many different divisions.

Newman and group kept me fully entertained until da Matta had the misfortune to crash backward into the turn one fence just after midnight while driving like the dickens in an effort to make up for lost time. Around the same time the Doran-Pontiac co-driven by Paul Tracy and Christian Fittipaldi ran into terminal engine problems, lasting a few more hours before finally expiring.

As it turned out the Champ Car contingent were out of luck at Daytona last weekend, but they were at least able to retire to their motorhomes or hotel rooms for a relatively early night. Better that than slogging through the night and going home empty-handed in the morning.

Meanwhile, I have to congratulate Jim France and his Grand American group on the job they did at Daytona this year. In the new sports car category’s third year they attracted twenty-nine Grand American cars and an additional thirty-three GT cars for a grand total of sixty-two starters. And too the level of preparation and presentation was remarkably high, with thirty-seven cars finishing the twenty-four hours. The infield at Daytona has also been made more fan-friendly this year with the rebuilding of the garage and paddock area, addition of a new bistro and bookstore as well as a midway with rides for kids near the third turn of the road circuit.

As everyone knows sports car racing has gone through its own hard times in recent years, exacerbated by there being CART/IRL-like dueling series. At this stage nobody knows what the correct or best way forward may be for sports car racing but there’s no doubt that the Grand American series has begun to build momentum with plenty of good teams and factory support from Toyota, Pontiac, Ford, BMW and Porsche. The Grand American is IRL-like in that it is a very restrictive formula and many people, me included, grumble about the poor aesthetic appeal of the cars. But the NASCAR-style philosophy is interwoven into the Grand American series and we can complain it about, but our arguments are not consiered relevant. The way forward for the Grand American is clear and it will be interesting to see five or six years down the road how successful or not the series will be.

One of the great things about this year’s Rolex 24 was the great mix of competitors from across the sport’s broad reach. In fact, Daytona’s February sports car races have always served as a melting pot. I recall for example, Benny Parsons sharing a factory BMW 3.5 CSL with Ronnie Peterson and David Hobbs in 1976. The first Daytona Continental sports car race run over three hours in 1962 was won by Dan Gurney in Frank Arciero’s Lotus 19 and the field included Phil Hill and Ricardo Rodriguez in a Ferrari Dino sports/racer, Stirling Moss, Innes Ireland and Fireball Roberts in Ferrari GTOs, Jim Hall and Dick Rathmann in Chaparral 1s, Roger Penske’s Cooper Monaco, Walt Hansgen and Augie Pabst in Briggs Cuningham’s Jaguar E-types, David Hobbs in another E-type, A.J. Foyt, Rodger Ward and Paul Goldsmith in Pontiac Tempest stock cars, Marvin Panch in a Corvette, Joe Weatherly in a Lister-Chevrolet as well as Pedro Rodriguez in a Lotus 19 and Jim Clark in a little Lotus Elite GT car. Quite a field!

To be sure this year’s field was interesting, but hardly as eclectic as it was forty-three years ago. This year’s Rolex 24 was definitely on the right track to rebuilding the race’s prestige but there’s still a long way to go if the great days of sports car racing are to be recreated.

Amid all this, Newman and his friends were fighting an uphill battle. Twenty-four hour races require a huge amount of preparation and it was probably too much to hope that Newman, Brockman, Bourdais and da Matta could figure seriously in this year’s Daytona 24 hours. As Bourdais told us last week the largely untested Newman/Silverstone Racing Crawford-Ford wasn’t ready to take the battle to the regular Grand American contenders, particularly over twenty-four hours. Sebastien insisted that the main point of the exercise was to have fun.

“We’re going to have a good time with Paul and Mike,” Bourdais said. “We’ll be hoping to do well and we’re going to try and have fun and enjoy ourselves and have a good time together because I think that’s really all we’ll be able to achieve. I don’t want to put any target out there that I know is going to be unrealistic or out of reach.”

Bourdais was able to qualify thirteenth, a second and a half slower than Scott Pruett in Ganassi’s Riley-Lexus, but Sebastien reported that the Crawford was difficult to drive and touchy on the brakes. Bourdais tried to improve the car but ran out of time and Newman wasn’t able to get any serious laps in the car until Friday afternoon. Nor was Newman happy with himself at the end of the run.

“It wasn’t good,” he grimaced. “I was making a lot of mistakes and I never found any rhythm.”

Even so the eighty-year old Newman was only five seconds a lap slower than his teammates, half a century his junior, and in the race he was able to trim the gap a little more. “It’s incredible isn’t it!” Bourdais remarked. “I hope when I’m eighty years old I can do half as well as he does.”

Meanwhile Paul Tracy and Christian Fittipaldi were enjoying themselves in Forest Barber’s Bell Motorsports Doran-Pontiac. Fittipaldi helped crew this car to victory at Daytona last year and the other drivers this year were Barber’s regular lead driver Terry Borcheller and German veteran Ralf Kelleners. Borcheller qualified the car fifteenth and Tracy was happy to lap a little quicker than Borcheller in his first serious run in the car on Friday before the race.

“The car is pretty good,” Tracy shrugged. “It’s not the best, but it’s okay. I just went a second quicker than Borcheller and we’ve got a good driving team. We’ve got four good guys and there aren’t too many who can say that. I think we’ve got a good chance.”

Bourdais started the race in the Newman/Silverstone Crawford battling with Brumos Racing’s Red Bull Fabcar-Porsche, but the Crawford was very tricky under braking for the first turn coming off the banking. The car twitched left, then right, and oversteered luridly when Bourdais got on the power. Finally, on the fifteenth lap, it got the better of him and he spun and stalled. Nor would the engine respond to the starter button and it took a pull start from a safety truck to get the engine running again. Bourdais drove around to the pits and before rejoining the team jerry-rigged a small cooling duct to the starter motor.

A couple of hours later da Matta suffered the same embarrassment as Bourdais, spinning and stalling at the first turn. Again, it took a pull start to get the engine running and make it back to the pits where the team added more ducting to try to cool the starter motor.

“The car is pretty good,” da Matta said. “It’s just a little tricky on the brakes down there at the first turn. Then there’s some kind of vapor lock problem that stalls the engine and of course, that starter motor is getting hot and doesn’t want to work.”

One thing Cristiano was impressed with was the Ford engine. “The engine is a rocket!” da Matta grinned. “On the banking we can smoke anyone off.”

By this stage the car was way down the running order and Bourdais gathered his co-drivers together in the garage to give them a pep talk. “Well guys, we know the car’s not the easiest one out there to drive,” he half-grinned. “But that’s the way it is. We just have to live with it and go for it.”

Meanwhile, Tracy, Fittipaldi, Borcheller and Kelleners were also trying to make up for lost time. Brake problems at the start cost them three laps so they too had to throw caution to the wind and go for it.

Back at Team Newman the old guy drove his first stint and was faultless, lapping within four seconds of Bourdais and da Matta, and avoiding spinning the car even once as each of his hotshoe young partners had done. Bourdais then drove a triple stint, lapping as fast, sometimes faster than anyone else. Brockman then took over. Brockman is a veteran racer and Newman’s great racing buddy. They run a pair of TransAm-type cars in SCCA races out of Brockman’s shop in southwestern Connecticut and Brockman organized the Newman/Silverstone Racing adventure at Daytona. Brockman was doing a steady job, lapping around the same times as Newman until he too was caught out on the brakes at the first turn, spinning and stalling the engine.

“It kept running for about thirty seconds but it wouldn’t respond and then it vapor locked and stalled,” Mike reported. “It was stupid. I was trying to pass a Porsche on the outside and just got too wide. I was so embarrassed.”

Brockman went back to the team’s motorhome to join Newman in getting some sleep and Da Matta took over for his triple stint into the early hours of the morning.

At the opposite end of the pitlane things weren’t looking good for Tracy and Fittipaldi. As midnight approached Christian assessed the situation.

“We’re on life support,” he reported. “We’re losing oil pressure on one cylinder bank and the telemetry isn’t looking good. We’re going to keep going and see how far we can make it, but it doesn’t look good. There’s still a long way to go.”

Just after midnight there was some excitement and waving yellow flags in the first turn of the road course. Da Matta had been flat-out, doing all he could to make up for lost time, when he spun under braking for turn one and crashed backwards into the barrier. Back in the garage surveying the wreckage he was apologetic and forthright, as ever.

“I was pushing hard, looking for the lap time on the dashboard, and I got distracted and just got in too deep,” Cristiano said. “The motor was also beginning to sound a little different and I was thinking about that as well, looking for some smoke or something out of the mirrors. I was pushing hard and I allowed myself to be distracted by too many things.”

Back in the motorhome Newman had woken up and was getting ready to go when he heard that da Matta had crashed the car and their race was over early. “Man, that’s too bad!” he shook his head. “I slept really well. I feel good. I’m ready to go.”

Da Matta made his way back to the motorhome, looking very contrite. “I’m sorry Paul,” he said flatly. “I just screwed up. It was my fault. I want to apologize to everybody.”

Newman looked at him, grinning sheepishly. “Aw, don’t worry about Cristiano. You were going for it. That’s what we agreed to do. I wouldn’t have expected you to do anything else.”

And next year? “Yeah, we’ve gotta do it right next year,” Newman said. “Hey ‘Brock’, let’s do this thing right next year. We’ve got time to work on it now.”

At the end of the season in Mexico City the Champ Car World Series will run for the first time with Grand American. It will be interesting to see how the twin-bill works and if any longterm partnership develops between the two series.

At 80, actor Paul Newman still needs racing rush

At an age when many senior citizens hesitate to get behind the wheel, Paul Newman climbs into a race car every chance he gets.

The 80-year-old Oscar winner is proud that he's still so active. He even wanted to get No. 80 for the Ford Crawford Daytona Prototype he'll co-drive this weekend in the Rolex 24 endurance race at Daytona International Speedway. No luck. "The guy who owned the number didn't want to part with it," Newman said. "So, we just put '79 Plus 1' on our car."

One thing really does bother him, though: being slow on the racetrack.

Newman was visibly agitated Friday when he managed only a handful of laps in the car he will share Saturday and Sunday with reigning Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais, former series champion Cristiano da Matta and car owner Michael Brockman.

Newman didn't want to talk about his effort, but the 24-year-old Bourdais said his team's slow start had more to do with a car fire last month during testing than age.

"It was a major step back," Bourdais said. "From that time it's just been very, very difficult for our team. When we got here, the car was not ready.

"Paul did only three laps today. He might be feeling very tense and not very comfortable, but I'm sure after his first (race) stint, he'll be OK," he said.

Newman caught the racing bug in 1968 while making the racing movie Winning. Since then, it's become a rush.

A lot of people wonder why Newman feels the need to race while he is making movies, overseeing a successful food company whose profits go to charity and helping the Hole in the Wall Gang Camps, which benefit children with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.

"I may joke about it, but I guess we all try to push the envelope as much as we can," Newman said.

Newman was at the wheel of the Crawford when a split fuel regulator caused the scary fire at Daytona last month.

He was not injured and the blaze certainly didn't deter him.

"Sometimes you make a mistake and we'll see whether this is a mistake or not," Newman said.

Bourdais, who spent Thanksgiving with Newman and his wife, actress Joanne Woodward, has no doubt what keeps Newman racing.

"Simply because he loves it. That's the only reason why he's doing it," Bourdais said after Friday's practice session.

"Paul keeps repeating that he's just had two passions and one love in his life. He loves Joanne and has passions for movies and racing. He discovered the second passion very late and that's why he keeps on doing it."

Bourdais sees no end in sight.

"As long as he's going to be fit enough to do it, he'll do it," he said. "There's no doubt that he has the intensity. He's a guy who knows what he wants. He's focused. When he does something, he does it right."

Newman has won seven national SCCA amateur championships and a pair of Trans-Am races, and finished second in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also was part of the winning team at Daytona in 1995 at the age of 70 - a sports car record.

A victory this weekend would one-up that mark. Newman will be the oldest driver in the race - 67-year-old Archie Urciuoli is next up among those entered.

"Well, we're going to give it our best shot," Newman said. "You're kind of at the mercy of the mechanics of the things.

"If you can keep the car out of the pits, you've got a good chance to score high. If something breaks, then that's just the nature of the beast," he said.

Carson's 'Tonight' Guest Books Auctioned

Guest books signed by Johnny Carson's famous visitors to "The Tonight Show" and rescued from the trash in the 1960s may turn into treasure for their owner.

The three books, containing signatures of Groucho Marx, Paul Newman, William Saroyan, Arnold Palmer and other celebrities, are being auctioned online by Steve North, whose father, Jules, worked for NBC's "Tonight" show.

From 1963-65, the books contain more than 400 signatures and notes and drawings some visitors made for Carson, North said. The book-signing tradition fell off in the third season.

As a youngster, Steve North said, he became a familiar face collecting autographs backstage at "Tonight," where his father was unit manager.

When the guest books were about to be tossed out during a 1967 closet-cleaning, a program executive recalled young North's interest and suggested he might like them.

"I was only 14 years old and Carson was not yet a legend, but even then I knew that we had rescued a treasure from the trash," said North, a TV news producer.

North said his ownership of the books was challenged unsuccessfully by a lawyer for Carson in 1987. In 1992, Joan Rivers displayed the books on her talk show, noting her signature for her debut "Tonight" appearance.

The eBay auction, which had drawn 28 bids as of midday Tuesday, ends 8 p.m. EST Sunday, North said.

Paul Newman set to drive in 24-hour race two weeks after car catches fire

Paul Newman is ready to drive in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway next month.

"You bet," the Academy Award-winning actor said during a conference call on Tuesday, one day shy of his 80th birthday. Just more than two weeks ago, Newman escaped injury when the car he was driving caught fire. He will return to the cockpit of the same car on the same track for the race on Feb. 5-6.

"The car should be rebuilt and ready to test hopefully at another track in Florida before we actually start testing at Daytona," he said.

Newman, an accomplished sports car racer, has appeared in five previous Rolex 24s, winning the GTS-1 class and finishing third overall in 1995.

This time, he will share the No. 79 Ford Crawford in the 24-hour endurance race with Champ Car World Series champion drivers Cristiano da Matta and Sebastien Bourdais, as well as friend Michael Brockman. Newman may elect to let his younger teammates, da Matta and Bourdais, do most of the driving.

"I get to log a sleeping shift," Newman said. "The rest of it will be up to the (other) drivers. I try to get about 23, 23½ hours of sleep."

80 reasons why we love PAUL

Hard to believe, but acting legend Paul Newman turns 80 on Wednesday. To honour this milestone birthday, we offer the same number of reasons why the octogenarian is still sexy

1 Ohhh, those dreamy, blue eyes — even if they are colour-blind.

2 He's still strikingly handsome but humble about it: "I was always a character actor. I just looked like Little Red Riding Hood."

3 He has aged far better than his Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid sidekick, Robert Redford, who, at 12 years his junior, has the face of a withered orange.

4 He's faithful. Come Saturday, he'll have been married to the same woman, Joanne Woodward, for 47 years.

5 He's also human: He was married once before, to Jackie Witte.

6 He's a family man: He has five children; his only son died in 1978, aged 28.

7 He turned grief into action: After son Scott died of an overdose, he set up the Scott Newman Foundation, devoted to educating people about drug and alcohol abuse.

8 He's got a thing for Canada I: He made his directing debut with a film based on a Canadian novel. Rachel, Rachel was adapted from Margaret Laurence's A Jest Of God.

9 He's got a thing for Canada II. He felt so passionately about the story , he directed Rachel, Rachel, for nothing.

10 He was Hud, for crying out loud.

11 He's a pop-culture icon I: He lent his voice to The Simpsons in 2001.

12 Even Homer attempted to fantasize about him. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Robert Redford," said Newman in the episode titled "The Blunder Years," "it ain't gonna happen."

13 He was one of the famous names on Richard Nixon's enemies list because of his political activism and support of presidential hopeful Eugene McCarthy.

14 With his line of salad dressings and spaghetti sauces, he obviously knows his way around a kitchen.

15 He's generous: Every cent of the after-tax earnings he makes from his Newman's Own food line goes to charity. That's more than $150 million (U.S.) since 1982.

16 He's altruistic but not self-righteous: The official slogan for his charitable Newman's Own line is: "Shameless exploitation in pursuit of the common good."

17 He's not afraid to say he's sorry: After his first film role, in the bomb The Silver Chalice (1954), he took out a full-page ad in Variety to apologize to moviegoers.

18 He put the heat in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

19 He's a pop-culture icon II: He's name-dropped in Adam Sandler's "Chanukah Song": "Paul Newman's half Jewish/And Goldie Hawn's half, too/Put them together/What a fine looking Jew!"

20 He's an Aquarius, so he has intellect, humanity and vision.

21 Not just vision, but world vision: In 1978, he was appointed by Jimmy Carter as a delegate to a U.N. disarmament conference.

22 He has a sense of humour I: He took a role in The Towering Inferno.

23 He's good even when a movie isn't. He helps save The Towering Inferno from complete disaster.

24 He's not about the money. A year after he'd earned six-figures plus a percentage of profits for Hud, he appeared in the Broadway play "Baby Want a Kiss" for $103.50 a week as a show of loyalty to the Actors Studio.

25 He's an activist: He once asked fans to stage a one-day boycott of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid as an antiwar protest.

26 He was Luke, for crying out loud.

27 He's got a thing for Canada III: His character in Slap Shot was based on former Maple Leafs coach John Brophy.

28 He's got a thing for Canada IV: He spent seven weeks practising his skating so he could perform most of his Slap Shot scenes himself.

29 He's smart. He starred in the best hockey movie ever made, then stayed away from the sequel.

30 He's smarter. He starred in the best pool-shark movie ever, then made sure he was in the sequel.

31 He's even smarter. He turned down Ben-Hur because he said he didn't have the legs to wear a tunic.

32 He has a sense of humour II: "Someone once asked me what it was like to be married to the sexiest, most beautiful man in the world," Joanne Woodward once said. "I thought a minute and replied, `Sexiness wears thin after a while and beauty fades, but to be married to a man who makes you laugh every day, ah, now that's a real treat!'"

33 He tells it straight: "Show me a good loser and I will show you a loser."

34 He can get your motor running as co-owner of the Newman-Haas Champ Car team.

35 He has endurance: By competing in the Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway in 2000, at age 75, he assumed the title of Oldest Racing Driver, according to Guinness World Records.

36 We want him to drive us home: According to a 2002 survey asking for the public's fantasy celebrity designated driver, the No. 1 choice was Paul Newman.

37 He's versatile: Within a space of five months in 2003, he was nominated for an Oscar (for Road to Perdition), a Tony and an Emmy (both for Our Town).

38 He won an honorary Oscar in 1985 for his "many and memorable and compelling screen performances."

39 He won an acting Oscar the following year for The Color of Money.

40 He won the 1993 Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, an Oscar that goes to individuals in the film business "whose humanitarian efforts have brought credit to the industry."

41 He's cool with the kids: Students at Princeton University named April 24 as "Newman's Day." Stemming from a comment Newman allegedly made — "24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not" — students try to drink 24 beers over the 24 hours of the day.

42 He's responsible: He says he'd like to bring the above tradition to an end.

43 He was Eddie Felson, for crying out loud.

44 He was Eddie Felson, again, for crying out loud.

45 Readers of British movie magazine Empire named him one of the Top 5 "Gods Among Us" (for his acting, we presume).

46 He's an amazing actor. He breaks your heart in Fort Apache, The Bronx when, stumbling upon the body of his dead girlfriend, he picks her up in a desperate but futile attempt to revive her.

47 He's dismissive of that great ability: "I had no natural gift to be anything — not an athlete, not an actor, not a writer, not a director, a painter of garden porches — not anything. So I've worked really hard, because nothing ever came easily to me."

48 He's so much more than an actor. He founded the Hole In The Wall camps, which offer children with life-threatening illnesses a chance to experience camp free of charge. More than 70,000 children from 27 countries have benefited.

49 He was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of trusting, reliable comic hero Green Lantern/Hal Jordan.

50 He defers to his wife: Newman and Woodward run a mentorship program for aspiring actors. When a young soap actor, who was paying the rent by waitering, went to see Newman for an interview, the legend handed the young man a beer and said, "Go over and see the missus. She's the boss."

51 He admires his wife: Asked to name the greats in acting, he mentioned Marlon Brando, Lee J. Cobb and Sir Laurence Olivier, adding, "Joanne's in there, too."

52 He understands marriage: "People stay married because they want to, not because the doors are locked."

53 He's monogamous: "Why fool around with hamburger when you have steak at home?"

54 He was John Rooney, for crying out loud.

55 He still doesn't need a walker to get around.

56 He has been active in liberal politics from early on, when he supported the civil rights movement and Martin Luther King.

57 He's literate. In the 1990s he invested in The Nation magazine, where he is an occasional contributor.

58 He was Michael Colin Gallagher, for crying out loud.

59 He has other talents. When asked about his collaborations with wife Woodward, he joked, "You should see us when we get back to the bedroom."

60 He's naughty. Rumours have it that he and his wife sleep on a bed bought from a New Orleans brothel.

61 He's oh so hot: After Doris Day reportedly auctioned off his pyjamas from The Sting, she told Newman they went for $60. "That's nice," he said, "but I didn't wear pyjamas in The Sting. I slept in my underwear."

62 He's fearless. After a 38-year absence from the Broadway stage, he returned in 2002 to appear in Our Town.

63 He was ranked in People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1990.

64 He was ranked in People magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1994.

65 He's spontaneous: On his 75th birthday he reportedly burned his tuxedo, saying he's through with formality.

66 He's a man's man. According to Men's Journal, Newman has starred in three of the 50 Best Guy Movies Of All Time: The Hustler, Slap Shot and Cool Hand Luke.

67 He was Frank Galvin, for crying out loud.

68 He outlived the actor he was often compared to early on, Marlon Brando.

69 He made eating 50 eggs in Cool Hand Luke seem sexy.

70 You can dress him up: "On anyone else, those box-shaped poplin suits look like crap. You put them on (Newman) and they look like Armani," said director Ron Shelton, who struggled to make Newman look scruffy in Blaze.

71 He's tough: He reportedly wakes himself up using a wash basin filled with ice water, something he picked up from his character Harper.

72 He's a man of the people: He stopped drinking Coors beer in 1977 after rumours (never proven) of racism, sexism, donations to the Contras and homophobia among company management.

73 He was Sully Sullivan for crying out loud.

74 He smoulders, even when wearing a cowboy hat.

75 He doesn't pretend he's still a cowboy.

76 He's not Hollywood. He lives in Connecticut because it's "better than Montana ... and my wife and I found a nice cemetery here."

77 He's not afraid of dying: He has suggested the following words for his epitaph: "Here lies Paul Newman, who died a flop because his eyes turned brown."

78 He's still working. He produced and will appear in the TV miniseries Empire Falls this May and he voices a character in Pixar's animated Cars, due out next year.

79 He's a survivor: He walked away unhurt after a racing car he was testing at Daytona Beach two weeks ago caught fire.

80 Did we mention those eyes?

Paul Newman uninjured in car fire at Daytona International Speedway

Academy Award-winning actor Paul Newman escaped injury Saturday when the race car he was testing caught fire following a spin at Daytona International Speedway.

Newman was driving a Daytona Prototype sports car for next month's Rolex 24 when he spun on the road course, said Adam Saal, Grand American Series spokesman. The car didn't hit anything, but when Newman tried to restart the engine it caught fire.

The fire was contained to the engine compartment, and Newman escaped without harm. He was taken to the track's infield medical centre and released after a brief exam.

"I don't know what happened," said Newman, who returned to the track to watch one of his drivers, Sebastian Bourdais, test another car. "I'm fine. It just caught on fire somehow."

"Knowing Paul, I doubt if this changes his plans to race in the Rolex 24 at Daytona," Saal said.

The 79-year-old Newman won the GTS class in the 1995 Rolex 24 and owns four championships in Sports Car Club of America competition. He first took an interest in auto racing while filming "Winning" in 1968.

Events

On Monday (Jan 10), Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward will host a special screening of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick's "The Woodsman" at the MGM screening room here. This is the movie in which Kevin plays a pedophile attempting to put his life together. He is sensational. (Like Paul and Joanne, Kevin and Kyra are a long-married acting couple, who seem to have found the right mix of stellar life vs. real life) . . .

Champ Car fans, be sure and check out Gordon Kirby's latest feature article on Newman/Haas co-owner and five-time Champ Car title winner Paul Newman in the latest edition of Road & Track magazine.

Champ Car Stars Compete in Baja 1000

The legendary face of actor and team co-owner Paul Newman can be seen rough riding through the desert south of the border with his Newman/Haas Racing driver and 2004 Champ Car World Series champion Sebastien Bourdais, along with other familiar faces from the Champ Car circuit, in this year's running of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000.

In addition to Newman and Bourdais, current Champ Car drivers Oriol Servia and Michel Jourdain, Jr. are joined with Champ Car veterans Michel Jourdain, Sr., Bernard Jourdain, and Danny Sullivan to challenge in the 37th Annual Tecate SCORED Baja 1000. They are competing against nearly 300 racers from 31 states and 10 countries in 26 Pro and five Sportsman classes for cars, trucks, motorcycles and ATVs during the great desert race in Mexico.

The November 16-20 rugged peninsula race of 1,016.3 miles in Mexico from Ensenada in Baja California to La Paz, in Baja California Sur will be the first time that Newman, Bourdais, and Sullivan have participated in this extreme desert event.

The aforementioned drivers join twelve other drivers from various forms of auto racing to form this year's 2004 Tecate SCORE Baja 1000 Team CENTRIX. Team CENTRIX is returning for the third consecutive year and is fielding five cars that are identically equipped Wide Open Baja touring cars with 2.4-liter motors to compete in the Baja Challenge Class. The team is looking for a three-peat this weekend after winning the previous two Baja 1000 events.

One of those five cars will be filled with the members of the Jourdain family of Mexico City. Michel Jourdain, Jr. will be joined with his father, Jourdain, Sr., and Uncles Bernard and Jean Pierre in a family racing effort.

For the first time in the history of the running of the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000, the desert race will be televised on network television in the United States. NBC Sports is producing a one-hour special to air on Saturday, December 11 at 2:30 p.m. ET. This special broadcast will not only to show the race, but get inside the human interest aspect of the many people involved in this race.

SOME MIDAS MAGIC

THE biggest shock in Inc. magazine's list of the "Top 10 Celebrity Entrepreneurs" is that Magic Johnson has built a $700 million empire, largely by opening movie theaters and other businesses in black neighbor hoods. The former Lakers star is followed by Sean Combs (music, fashion, restaurants), Paul Newman (who has made more than $150 million for charity with his popcorn and salad dressing), Francis Ford Coppola (wine), Kathy Ireland (clothes/ home furnishings), Oprah Winfrey (TV and O magazine), Merv Griffin ("Wheel of Fortune" and real es tate), Moby (techno music and tea), Suzanne Somers (Thigh Master) and Christy Turlington Burns (yoga workout clothes).

Newman/Haas Finish Season One - Two In Championship

Sebastien Bourdais (#2 McDonald's Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) threw a knockout blow with his first punch in Sunday's championship fight, taking a commanding lead in the first turn of today's Gran Premio Telmex/Tecate Presented by Banamex and rolling away to a flag-to-flag win that clinched the 2004 Bridgestone Presents The Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford championship.

The 25-year-old Frenchman led every lap around the 2.786-mile Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez on his way to capturing the Vanderbilt Cup, scoring his first Champ Car title and the fifth for his Newman/Haas Racing team. He scored his seventh win of the season and the 10th of his career, claiming the series title by 28 points over his teammate Bruno Junqueira (#6 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone). Junqueira gave a spirited chase all day in trying to wrest the championship away from his teammate, but in the end would settle for his 10th podium finish of the year by placing second.

Bourdais took the lead in the first turn and rolled away to a early two-second lead, only to have it erased when Paul Tracy (#1 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and Roberto Gonzalez (#21 Nextel Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) got together on the third lap. But the brief stop had no effect on Bourdais as he roared away on the restart and immediately started adding huge chunks of time to his lead over Junqueira and the third-place car of Justin Wilson (#34 Mi-Jack Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone). The lead was 4.6 seconds at Lap 16, 7.1 at Lap 18 and 12.9 seconds by Lap 20. Bourdais ran his fastest lap of the race on Lap 25 as he stretched his lead 16 seconds heading into the first round of pit stops.

Bourdais and Junqueira held their spots on the first round of stops while the big move of the race happened directly behind them. Roshfrans Rookie of the Year A.J. Allmendinger (#10 Western Union Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) stretched his fuel two laps longer than the rest of the field, then short-filled his fuel tank on his first stop to leapfrog over Wilson and into third place, dropping Wilson and Jimmy Vasser (#12 Gulfstream Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) back a spot.

The next 15 laps were more of the same as Bourdais contented himself with maintaining a 17-second lead until disaster nearly struck on Lap 41.

Bourdais came up behind the lapped car of Mario Dominguez (#55 Herdez Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) in Turn 14 and dropped his left wheel briefly off track and into the dirt. The loss of traction caused Bourdais to spin off course, but luckily he spun into an area that had a bit of runoff room before the tire barrier. He got back in the throttle as the car spun, helping to keep it out of the tires, then pointed the car back in the right direction and rejoined the fight.

The spin cost Bourdais 12 seconds of his lead but amazingly he maintained a five-second lead after getting back on track. He then quickly shook off the effects of his miscue and kept Junqueira and the rapidly-gaining Allmendinger at bay. Meanwhile tight races were going on in the middle of the pack as Tracy, Gonzalez and Rodolfo Lavin (#3 Corona Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) went nose-to-tail all the way to their second pit stops in a fight for the eighth spot in a battle that would eventually lead to the last bit of drama in the race.

Having short-filled, Allmendinger was the first driver to hit Pit Lane for their second and final stop of the 63-lap event, briefly yielding the third spot to Wilson on Lap 45. Wilson gave the spot back to Allmendinger when he pitted four laps later, ending the fight for the final podium spot.

Bourdais and Junqueira pitted together on Lap 51 in what would be the final stop of the year for the dominant Newman/Haas squad and both teams were equal to the task as Bourdais hit the track with a nine-second lead. The race results at that point appeared to be academic, but the aforementioned top-10 battle added a last bit of drama to the 2004 Champ Car campaign.

Bourdais was in the process of lapping cars when he rolled up on the battle for 10th with six laps to go and immediately found himself having to slow down to pick his way through the dueling machines. As Bourdais calmly looked for a path through the maelstrom, Junqueira seized the opportunity and slowly began to nibble away at the lead. A nine-second advantage was whittled down to 4.2 seconds with seven laps to go and was 2.2 seconds on Lap 58.

But Bourdais was able to put Tracy and Alex Tagliani (#8 Johnson Controls Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) between himself and Junqueira as the last laps ticked by, and eventually flashed past the checkered flag of Jim Swintal with the 4.604-second advantage that clinched him the 2004 season championship. Junqueira scored the second spot while Allmendinger earned his second podium finish of the year by placing third.

Wilson hung on for a career-best fourth-place finish while Vasser rounded out the top five. Patrick Carpentier (#7 Indeck Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) finished sixth to take the third position in the final Champ Car season standings while Oriol Servia (#11 YokeTV.com Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) ended his day in seventh. Dominguez came back from early trouble to place eighth while Michel Jourdain Jr. (#9 Gigante Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone) and Tracy rounded out the top 10.

Today's race wrapped up a three-day event at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez that saw 345,428 fans roll through the gates, the highest event attendance of the Champ Car season. The attendance boosted the series average per event attendance to 136,337, which is an increase of nearly 3,000 over the 2003 season.

QUOTES FROM THE TOP THREE FINISHERS:

SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (#2 McDonald's Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I think it cannot be better, to celebrate the championship by winning the race, having done the pole position and set the fastest lap of the race. It is a well-deserved championship for the whole McDonald's team and a fantastic achievement from the Newman/Haas Racing team. I really just scared myself and probably the rest of us when I spun the car going into the stadium. The sun was going down and the shade was gaining on the racetrack. I was trying to pass Mario. I thought he was going to let me by, and he didn't. Then I hit the bump with the rear setup, and when it came back on the racetrack, I spun immediately. I was so afraid to kill the engine at that time that I kept my foot down, spun the wheel as hard as I could. When it came back under control, I was facing the tires, used the reverse and went back out again. It was just a scary moment for a minute or two, then it came back to normal. I'm so glad it's over."

BRUNO JUNQUEIRA (#6 PacifiCare Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "I am a little frustrated finishing second in the Championship, that still is a great result. It was a hard race. I was trying to save fuel and Sebastien (Bourdais) kept pulling away. I was just waiting to see if he was going to have any problems. Then he spun and he was very lucky to have stayed away from the wall. I am happy for Sebastien and the team, it was a close battle. It was a great year for Newman/Haas Racing. I will just work harder for next year."

A.J. ALLMENDINGER (#10 Western Union Ford-Cosworth/Lola/Bridgestone): "This weekend has been great overall. We made a mistake in qualifying yesterday with the car setup, and that's what put us back in seventh. I figured we were probably third quickest in qualifying yesterday, too. But overall, the team has done a great job throughout the whole year, rookie team trying to learn the series, finding out how difficult it is. But, overall, I'm thrilled with the finish. It's a great way to end the year and also important to start next year with a lot of momentum. So I think this will do that."

NOTEWORTHY

* Today's race was the first in the Champ Car Modern Era (1979-Present) in which every car that started the race, was running at the end of the race. That record covers an amazing 416 Champ Car races.

* This is the fifth championship for the Newman/Haas Racing team as Sebastien Bourdais joins Mario Andretti, Michael Andretti, Nigel Mansell and Cristiano da Matta as drivers that have won titles for the Illinois-based team.

* Bourdais is the first driver to win wire-to-wire on a road course this season, leading all 63 laps in today's event.

* Bruno Junqueira today became the first Champ Car driver since Johnny Rutherford (1974-76) to finish as the series runner-up in three consecutive seasons.

* Bourdais also today claimed the $100,000 Corona Cup, given to the Champ Car driver that earned the most total points between the two events held in Mexico.

Sightings

PAUL Newman, at San Domenico to dine with Sandy Weil, giving owner Tony May a baseball cap embroidered with the words "Old Guys Rule!" as couture designer Andrea Karambelas celebrated her spring collection with Anne Slater and Sandra Lee

SKIT'S HAPPENIN'

TOO bad Martha Stewart is in jail — the Westport, Conn. resident missed her town's shining moment at a glitzy gala Thursday night. Paul Newman and Robert Red ford performed a skit to benefit the Westport Country Playhouse at a $2,000-a-ticket fund-raiser at the Hyatt Regency in Greenwich. Harry Connick Jr. also per formed, and Harvey Wein stein, another Westport resi dent and Playhouse backer, spoke. More than $1.5 million was raised to renovate the 1930s barn that houses the theater and which boasts Newman's wife, Joanne Woodward, as its crea tive director.

Newman sees Champ Car series moving in right direction

For a series that was almost dead and buried nine months ago, the Champ Car World Series is showing some real signs of life these days.

Eleven races into its first season under the stewardship of owners Kevin Kalkhoven, Paul Gentilozzi and Gerald Forsythe, the Champ Car series has a highly competitive 18-car field, a compelling championship battle between Newman-Haas Racing teammates Sebastien Bourdais and Bruno Junqueira, big crowds at most events and, most importantly, some new interest from corporate America that could bode well for its future.

"Everything I see out there right now is positive," said Paul Newman, co-owner of the Newman-Haas team, as well as racer, businessman, Academy Award-winning actor and Champ Car's biggest cheerleader.

Newman, whose energy and determination belie his 79 years, has always tried to keep a low profile in racing. But he has recently, and reluctantly, taken a leadership role in the battle to get the once-moribund open-wheel series back to the prominence it enjoyed as Championship Auto Racing Teams before the rival Indy Racing League began competition in 1996 and split both allegiance and the fan base.

"I didn't have to be involved before," Newman said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I could simply be kind of an absentee landlord, but I have a vested interest in this series and its future. And I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this offered great promise."

Newman said he is delighted that fellow team owners Kalkhoven, Gentilozzi and Forsythe stepped up to buy the assets and form a new company to run the series after CART declared bankruptcy late last year.

The series has been losing top teams and big-name drivers to the IRL for years, its television ratings have been nearly invisible - at several races in 2003, there were fewer TV viewers than spectators at the event - and teams have been struggling to attract sponsors.

Meanwhile, NASCAR has continued to grow in popularity and the IRL has kept the pressure on in the battle for existing American open-wheel fans, a job made easier with former CART championship teams like Penske Racing, Team Rahal and Chip Ganassi Racing now in the rival series.

Even Carl Haas, a longtime CART stalwart, Newman's partner and the guy who has run the team on a day-to-day basis since they got together in 1983, acknowledges he was thinking about joining the IRL this season - a move that would likely have ended the long partnership.

"Four months ago, I was a little pessimistic over it, but I see a lot of good signs right now," Haas said. "The whole job isn't done, but I think it has a good chance. It has become a lot better. I want to be optimistic about it."

And things are looking up for Champ Car.

Newman-Haas got fast food giant MacDonald's to sponsor Bourdais' car - thanks to Newman's relationship with the company through his Newman's Own food conglomerate - and Champ Car recently announced that the international company has signed a three-year deal to be the official fast food of the series.

The current TV package is on cable's Spike TV, but a new deal, which would put at least some races back on network television, is in the works, as is a deal for a new title sponsor.

"The general feeling is good and we're starting to make some progress on what I call real strategic pieces of the puzzle," said first-year series president Dick Eidswick. "At this point, we're concentrating on 2005 and beyond."

Newman said there is a lot more going on behind the scenes that can't be talked about in detail.

"It would be premature to say that everything is wonderful," he said. "Some of this stuff is going to work out and some of it isn't, but I think there's going to be enough of it that's going to work out that the series will be stronger next year and stronger the year after that.

"I look forward to things improving and I want it to be so good that Rahal, Penske and Ganassi and all those guys will come back so we can run against them," Newman added. "I miss them."

Paul Newman Acts the Clown for Children

Hollywood legend Paul Newman had a bucket of spaghetti dumped over his head Thursday as he played the clown for a group of sick and disabled children.

The star made a guest appearance at Zippos Circus to entertain the 300 youngsters, who have all been helped by groups aided by funds from his "Newman's Own" spaghetti sauces and and other products.

Dressed in a green bowler hat, outsize bowtie and giant, yellow clown shoes, the 79-year-old star delighted the crowd with his 10-minute slapstick routine, which also involved sitting in a large cream pie.

"I'm not by inclination a clown. This will certainly end my professional career," he joked before the show.

Aptly for a man who starred in the cowboy classic "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," Newman's name for the occasion was Butch Bolognese.

The actor started the not-for-profit "Newman's Own" in 1982 and has so far donated more than US$150 million to charities around the world.

Newman: Champ Car's passionate owner

Hollywood actor Paul Newman says he will continue to be a staunch supporter of Champ Car racing, believing it to be the best form of four wheel racing in North America.

"I supported this series since 1983 and I will continue to support it so long as I have a breath and so long as they've got some cars running," Newman tells the Vancouver Sun.

"As long as we have the fans behind us, we're going to be fine," added the Newman-Haas Racing team co-owner in Vancouver for this weekend's Molson Indy event. "Gosh, look at all the Canadian races and the support for all the Canadian drivers."

Newman has been a member of the Champ Car fraternity since 1983 when he joined forces with Carl Haas. After watching other prominent teams and owners abandon the series for the rival Indy Racing League, the 79 year old makes it clear where his loyalties lie.

"I don't think those hundreds of thousands of fans that are fierce defenders of road racing, I don't see why those people should be left in the lerch simply because there are some corporate interests that have some other ideas," he tells the newspaper.

"I mean they've been loyal for 20 years and if we don't extend our loyalty back to them, we're pretty stupid."

There has been strong speculation that Haas is preparing to field a two car entry in the IRL as early as next year. He recently fielded a car for Bruno Junqueira in May's Indianapolis 500, further fueling the rumors.

While Haas' future in Champ Car remains clouded, Newman says he will be back, even if he has to field a team on his own.

"I don't know whether I'll have partners," he said, downplaying reports fellow actor Tom Cruise might join the Champ Car ownership ranks. "It's just too early to talk about it and I hate speculation."

As for the IRL's plans to introduce road circuits to its schedule and attempt to poach several lucrative Champ Car venues, such as Toronto, Laguna Seca and Mexico, Newman is skeptical.

"I don't see how they can go road racing with the equipment they've got now," he points out. "But it also pisses me off because that's not what they said they were going to do in the beginning. And I'd like to know where all the American drivers are that they said they were going to have in the beginning. I'd like to know where all their fans are."

As for talk of consolidating the two open-wheel series, Newman says he's prepared to take a wait and see approach.

"There's certainly a case to be made for consolidating," says Newman. "I think there's some possibilities and there may be some insistence on the part of sponsors and companies. We'll just have to see where it evolves."

Kerry-Edwards Fund Raiser Brings in $7.5M

Celebrities gathered Thursday night to raise $7.5 million for John Kerry and John Edwards — or "kid" as Whoopi Goldberg called the newest addition to the Democratic presidential ticket.

The comedian greeted Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry, and then peered into the crowd looking for Edwards and his wife, Elizabeth Edwards. "And where's the kid? Where's young Mr. Edwards? And, where's my girl, where's my girl? Stand up miss girl."

Teasing Kerry, Goldberg said: "Not that your not youthful. You're very youthful John. But he's youthful. He looks like he's 18!"

Later she offered the Kerry-Edwards ticket a little advice: "John and John. Kid and John. Tell the truth, be honest, don't be afraid. Not everyone's going to like it."

The running mates, on their first campaign swing together since Kerry picked Edwards as his vice presidential hopeful on Tuesday, attended the Democratic bash at the famed Radio City Music Hall in midtown Manhattan.

Taking the stage at the end of the evening, Edwards said: "Whoopi Goldberg said earlier tonight that she was afraid she wasn't going to get a phone call to be here." Then, he added the punch line: "I can relate to that."

Then, Kerry joined in: "John Edwards thinks he was worried he wasn't going to get a phone call. I was worried I wasn't going to get anybody at home!"

Ticket prices for the evening started at $250 for the concert alone to $25,000 for the concert and a reception, including the celebrities. The show was sold out with 5,500, though not every donor attended.

The money raised from Thursday's concert will be divided between Kerry's campaign and the Democratic National Committee . Last month, a similar concert in Los Angeles raised $5 million, padding Kerry's coffers and helping him break fund-raising records.

Musician Jon Bon Jovi , who held a $1 million fund raiser for Kerry at his Middletown, N.J., home last month and has been an outspoken backer of Kerry, performed acoustic versions of two of his hits before officially opening Thursday's event.

"The beginning of the future starts right here tonight," Bon Jovi said, launching into the Beatles 1969 optimistic melody "Here Comes The Sun."

Actress Meryl Streep welcomed the new team with "President Kerry. Vice President Edwards ... Oops! I got ahead of myself."

And, singer Wyclef Jean told the crowd jokingly that he wanted to play his new single. Then he launched into: "If I was president, I'd be elected on Friday, hire Edwards on Saturday, have a big party on Sunday, start work on Monday. Kerry is the president, yah, yah."

The celebrities didn't hold back, bashing Bush at every opportunity.

"This guy's as bright as an egg timer," actor Chevy Chase said, ridiculing the president for his tendency to sometimes flub the English language. Referring to presidential hobbies, Chase rattled off a list. "Clinton plays the sax, John plays the guitar, and the president's a liar," he said matter-of-factly, drawing laughs and cheers.

Remarking that she usually refrains from quoting bumper stickers, actress Jessica Lange said she thought why not? "We're in a time when our so-called president speaks in only bumper sticker slogans." The latest one she saw: "Defend America. Defeat Bush."

Bush campaign spokesman Steve Schmidt hit back.

"It is a great example of John Kerry's priorities that on the day he said he did not have time to receive his intelligence briefing on threats to America, he found time to attend a Hollywood fund-raiser, filled with enough hate and vitriol to make Michael Moore blush," Schmidt said.

Schmidt was referring to Kerry's interview on CNN's "Larry King Live" earlier Thursday in which Kerry, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he had been offered a briefing from the Bush administration about new terror warnings, but told King, "I just haven't had time." Kerry then told King he would be briefed later this week.

Other performers at Thursday's concert included John Mellencamp , Dave Matthews Band and Mary J. Blige. Actors including Paul Newman and Sarah Jessica Parker also spoke.

American GT Challenge: Faulty gear box sidelines Newman

Actor Paul Newman was knocked out of the American GT Challenge feature race Saturday at Lime Rock Park by a faulty gearbox.

Newman was running in the top three for about two-thirds of the 50-minute race before mechanical troubles forced him out of the event with approximately 15 minutes remaining.

The 79-year-old Newman was running third in the 19-car field when he pulled into the pits and shut the car off. He finished 15th behind winner Eric Curran, of South Deerfield, Mass.,

`We lost the gearbox and I started sliding around out there,'' Newman said. ``I was having a good time up until that point. It was leaking oil, my feet were slipping off the throttle. It was just dumb to stay and there and try and keep it on the track.''

Newman qualified second and settled behind polesitter Curran at the start, staying with the leader over the first 15 minutes of the event. But with about 30 minutes left, he began fading.

Edison Lluch moved past Newman into second place with about 20 minutes left, and Newman pulled into the pits soon after.