February
3 Newman's Own-Up

"It's a nice way to wind things down," Paul Newman modestly answered me when I offered congrats to him on his Golden Globe and SAG "Empire Falls" wins.

He attended neither award ceremony and don't look for him at the Oscars -- although he's won once for acting ("The Color of Money"), nominated eight other times as an actor, won an Honorary Oscar and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. He uses his gag explanation for non attendance: "I burned my tuxedo -- on my 70th birthday -- in the driveway of my house." That's the line he used when he explained his very casual appearance on stage as he toasted Robert Redford at the latter's Kennedy Center Honors program last December.

I accused Newman of kidding about "winding things down," At 81, on the phone he sounded as strong as ever. But he laughingly insisted," It better happen soon -- I'm getting long in the tooth." He'd just returned home to Conn. after a Florida deep sea fishing trip with daughter Nell. "She caught a 45 pound tarpon," he said proudly (They threw it back to its home in the deep, and they deep-bottom fished for the dinner they cooked that night). Newman had also appeared for Redford in the final seg of the latter's "Iconoclast" six-part Sundance series. And Newman said the two have been talking further about a long-anticipated screen reunion since that interview session. And he insists it will not have any relationship to their past or "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" as has been surmised. Nope, says Newman. But he sounded positive about their reunion, "We are talking, but it better happen soon," he laughed.

You'd never guess he was winding down as he unspooled his itinerary, long range plans and activities. He'll attend "at least two" of the premieres planned for the Disney-Pixar animated "Cars" directed by John Lasseter. The first bow is May 26 in Charlotte, N.C. Newman is the voice of "Doc Hudson," a 1951 Hudson Hornet "with a mysterious past" as a former race car. He advises young hotshot hot rod, Lightning McQueen, voiced by Owen Wilson. Others who voice the four-wheeled feature include: Bonnie Hunt, Larry the Cable Guy, Cheech Marin, George Carlin, Richard Petty, Michael Keaton, Tony Shalhoub, John Ratzenberger, Michael Wallis, Paul Dooley and Jennifer Lewis. I was told Newman contributed his expertise in the car racing field to the filmakers. He modestly told me he only gave 'em some "racing language they may not have been familiar with." I was told he also generously gave input about race cars. He arrives in California this month for his team's races in Long Beach, San Jose, also Portland and sites in Mexico. Will he drive?  We'll have to wait and see.

His travels will also include visits to  planned sites for Hole In The Wall Gang camps in: Zambia, South Africa ("in an abandoned leper colony") Israel, Milan, Hungary, Thailand, Northern Japan, Vancouver, Costa Rica, Columbus, Seattle -- in the next 3-4 years an increase of 60-70% in camps for ailing kids. His "Newman's Own" food products -- all proceeds after taxes -- to charities -- continue to expand from their original salad dressings to every branch of the food market -- and markets.

And as a parting subject I asked him his opinion of this year's Oscar candidates. "It's not proper to talk about any one of them," he apologized but added strongly, "I was delighted to see a lot of independents" --  this from someone who has long defended independence.