And though my Italian grandmother, who made everything from scratch, especially her sauce, would roll over in her grave if she knew I typed this - for jarred sauces, his sauces were pretty damn good.

Old time hockey.

I guess acting was just a small part of his greatness.

It may seem strange, but for all the films he made, I liked him best as John Rooney in "Road To Perdition". The movie itself could have been better, but he gave an Oscar-worthy performance, which underscores his whole career; Oscar-worthy in every stage and to the end. I'll miss him too.

But those eyes will still remain as the first thing I think of when I hear his name.

My wife actually met him back in the early '90s. When summering as a nanny in New York City between high school years, she once found herself sitting in front of Newman and Joanne Woodward at a Broadway show. Starstruck, she asked for an autograph after the show as the crowd filed out. "I'm sorry, my dear," he said, putting his arm around her shoulder momentarily. "I don't sign autographs. But thank you so much for asking. It was nice to meet you." He was so genuinely classy that his refusal actually increased his standing in her eyes. What charisma!

http://daily.greencine.com/archives/006753.html
http://www.greencine.com/central/node/849

Bruce Willis was also excellent in that movie, along with Jessica Tandy, Pruitt Taylor Vince, and Melanie Griffith's breasts.

For some reason, I always think that he and Steve McQueen are similar in the sense that both are "Men's men."

Dang, a sucky day got a little worse...

I'm genuinely upset about this. I knew Newman wasn't long for the world, but for whatever reason, this hit me deeper than I would have expected.