Paul Newman: A Life review

Paul Newman: A Life

Finally got a chance to read Shawn Levy's bio of PLN released earlier this year. Not too bad, he keeps it pretty polite, he does discuss the affair story from the BC&SK days but doesn't do it sensationally and basically discredits the woman as a tramp anyway. It's a comprehensive look at Paul's life, career(s) and philanthropic pursuits. Overall a nice tribute. Not much new information or revelations, but a few nuggets that I hadn't read or heard of before.

New Look!

After 12 years, my little site has outgrown the Geocities neighborhood. Well, actually they're tearing down the tenement home we live in here on the internet. So with a fond farewell, and a hearty 'thank you', we bid adieu to Geocities and head on over to Blogger for our blog needs and our own Simplicity Connection site for web hosting. Thanks for the memories Geocities.

Not much else has changed here, got rid of that crappy old font and tried neatening up some of the layouts. I'm still just one gal running a little fan site on my own in my free time and when I come across some new tidbits about PLN I drop them in here. Here's to another fun 12 years!

Entry for May 29, 2009

Little late on the updates here but ... better late than never!

Reprinted from "Look to the Stars" (a celebrity giving site)

The town of Westport, Connecticut, is to honor the late Paul Newman by creating a 37-acre nature reserve adjacent to his former home.

The new Newman/Poses Preserve will include walking paths, benches, and a ban on development and building. The idea came from Newman’s widow, Joanne Woodward, who wrote to the local council in January.

“The Poses land is a truly beautiful piece of land that Paul, our children, and I have had the privilege of enjoying for many, many years,” she said. “Preserving the Poses property in its natural state is something I very much believe Paul would have loved to see happen. Paul always expressed regret that he was not able to accomplish this himself, so I think if there were to be anything at all done by the town to honor Paul’s memory this would be a very generous and appropriate tribute to him. He would, I believe, be particularly pleased that such a gesture would benefit all of Westport’s residents.”

Westport is not the only group of people honoring the late actor. Julia Roberts and Robert Redford will host a special evening to raise funds for Newman’s Hole In The Wall Camps in New York on June 8.

Entertainment will be provided by Jerry Seinfeld, James Taylor, Harry Connick Jr., Yo Yo Ma, Art Garfunkel and Joshua Bell, and the event will feature a cocktail reception and after party.

Tickets range from $50 to $5,000. The event will take place at the Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center. More information can be found here

2009-05-30 00:28:08 GMT

"Walk In the Woods" a Go

Redford has announced that he's going ahead with a film adaptation of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods" (2011) which was originally discussed as a vehicle for him and Newman (though still difficult to see either one of them fitting into the 40ish lead characters shoes...) Stay tuned for production details.

2009-05-25 22:09:44 GMT

 

Entry for May 4, 2009

It’s been quiet out there for a few months regarding PLN—have got maybe 2 or 3 Google alerts in the last month or so, until this weekend when I guess the advance copies of a few biographies are making the rounds. “Paul Newman: A Life” by Shawn Levy is the first one to hit stores and by accounts, it’s not very critical of our man Paul. He doesn’t shy away from the generally accepted fact that Paul was an alcoholic and his feelings of failure regarding his first marriage dissolution and his son’s death. Levy never met Newman and didn’t even interview any of his friends for this book, so it comes off as just a compilation of all the other books about him. He does include reference to Paul’s alleged affair with a reporter he met on the set of Butch Cassidy, but Levy did not even speak to her, relying only on her own articles to shoot herself in the foot.

There are also 3 other Newman biographies coming soon:

• "Paul Newman, Updated: A Life," is an updated version of Lawrence Quirk's 1996 book. The updated version, claims to be "deeply probing and, at times, painfully truthful."

• "Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman" is written by Matt Stone and Preston Lerner with foreword by Mario Andretti will focus solely on Newman’s passion for car racing.

• And last, and what surely will be the least of the bunch: “Paul Newman: The Man Behind the Baby Blues: His Secret Life Exposed" which is promising more scandal than an episode of Dynasty.



My thoughts? PLN wasn’t a saint. He was a man that had his own share of problems just like everyone else. Whether or not he cheated on his wife should be of no one’s concern not now or ever. He lived his life selflessly to help others and to try and destroy his character now is just unspeakable.

2009-05-04 22:12:02 GMT

Entry for February 28, 2009

Happy 79th Birthday to Joanne! We all wish her the best during this year.

2009-02-28 19:40:09 GMT

Entry for February 25, 2009

House passes resolution to honor actor Paul Newman

6 hours ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Paul Newman, the late actor and 10-time Academy Award nominee, has been honored by lawmakers as a screen legend and humanitarian.

Newman died Sept. 26, 2008, at age 83 after a long battle with cancer. The House on Tuesday night approved a resolution recognizing Newman's achievements on and off screen.

The resolution said Newman's "humanitarian works and incomparable talents have made him an American icon who will never be forgotten."

The Hollywood star won one Oscar and took home two honorary ones, and had major roles in more than 50 motion pictures, including "Cool Hand Luke," "Exodus," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Verdict," "The Sting" and "Absence of Malice."

Newman and his popular food company, Newman's Own, have given more than $250 million to charity over the years. He also helped to start "Hole in the Wall" camps across the world for children with life-threatening illnesses.

The resolution is H.R.18.

2009-02-25 23:15:02 GMT