b***@yahoo.com
2008-09-28 00:28:33 UTC
i posted this blog on my myspace page today(
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=243537584&blogID=436558122)...but
i thought i'd pass it along here.
As most of you know, Paul Newman passed away today. I'm not nearly as
old as he was, but hope to last at least as long as he did. He seemed
like a very nice old man to me over the years.
The first time i had ever seen him was in Phoenix, Arizona while i was
still in high school. As he owned a few race cars and I was into
getting racing autographs (and still am, even though it's all harder
and harder to follow). I had heard that he was a difficult signature
to obtain (and actually saw the episode of the Arsenio Hall show when
he announced that he was done signing autographs because some guy hit
him up in the bathroom stall and he decided that no one really cared
about the signature, but they were just using them to "show off") but
I approached him when he walked out of his trailer (I believe that he
was owner to Nigel Mansell that year) and he signed one each for me
and a friend and obliged both of us with a photo with him as well. It
would be the only time I would ask him for a photo with.
A few years passed and I got him again at the track when I was chasing
around Al Unser Jr. I didn't expect to see him this time, but he was
really gracious telling me (and the SAME friend) that we would have to
walk with him if we wanted autographs.
Then I moved to Los Angeles. and during the whole "Lord of the Rings
2" press junket and all, my friend Zach talked me into going with him
to new york to get Lord of the Rings people. As it turned out, Paul
was doing a play in New York city (I think it was "our town").. Zach
talked me into buying a "Road to Perdition" and a "Color of Money"
poster. after all, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was also doing a play
in New York City as well and Tom Cruise is pretty accessible. so I
started both posters with Paul Newman as he signed on the way in to
the play the day we went. there were some idiots with baseballs, but I
got my two posters signed (I since finished both of them...with
"Perdition" having Tom Hanks, Sam Mendes, Tyler Hoecklin and Daniel
Craig as well...i still have the "Color of Money" poster as it has
Mary, Newman, Cruise, Scorsese and Forest Whitaker.)
And for a couple of years, Mr. Newman became really accessible during
the racing times. As we could sit at the hotel and get him a few times
during every visit to the track out in long beach. He actually became
friendly with my friend Yeh Ya as Yeh Ya gave him a good luck charm
before a race and his driver won. You'd think I was kidding, but the
next year Paul not only recognized Yeh Ya, but called him over and
signed everything he had several different times while limiting the
rest of us to one each. One year, while his assistants wouldn't let
Mr. Newman sign for the rest of us, Paul would always call Yeh Ya by
name and sign his stuff (a lot of this stuff went to me)...
Over the years, i've found it hard to sell any of my Newman signatures
as no one would pay a proper amount for any of it. There are probably
quite a few real Newman autographs on the market, but i doubt
it...They are all stashed away for a day when people can get a good
penny for one.Now just doesn't seem t br the right time..even when, at
this point, I could really use the money, I just can't bring myself to
do it.
All this while, I turned myself on to Paul Newman movies..."The
Hustler" is my FAVORITE (and i have a signed pool ball framed with a
shot from the hustler on my wall above my television)..weird how that
is. His newer work i really enjoyed as well, with "Perdition" being on
the top of my list in that category. "Slap Shot" is EXCELLENT and
funny, but everyone in it is funny..not just him (or the hansen
brothers).. i still, somehow, haven't brought myself to watch "Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," i own it on dvd...I just haven't
watched it yet (maybe i'll talk my girlfriend into watching it
tonight.). Oh, and I love his chocolate mint cookies too (far better
than the girl scout cookies)... He seemed like a good guy and I've
really never heard a bad set story about him either. Other than he
took his work seriously, and isn't that what we can all strive to do
anyway? So even though he was getting old and his time was nearing, it
was sad to hear.
Today was a sad day because I remember how nice Mr. Paul Newman was to
me, personally. I can't say that a friend has passed away today as he
wouldn't have known me from adam in any sense of time. but to say I
have known him is for certain.
have a good one,
mike
myspace blog page:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=243537584&blogID=436558122
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=243537584&blogID=436558122)...but
i thought i'd pass it along here.
As most of you know, Paul Newman passed away today. I'm not nearly as
old as he was, but hope to last at least as long as he did. He seemed
like a very nice old man to me over the years.
The first time i had ever seen him was in Phoenix, Arizona while i was
still in high school. As he owned a few race cars and I was into
getting racing autographs (and still am, even though it's all harder
and harder to follow). I had heard that he was a difficult signature
to obtain (and actually saw the episode of the Arsenio Hall show when
he announced that he was done signing autographs because some guy hit
him up in the bathroom stall and he decided that no one really cared
about the signature, but they were just using them to "show off") but
I approached him when he walked out of his trailer (I believe that he
was owner to Nigel Mansell that year) and he signed one each for me
and a friend and obliged both of us with a photo with him as well. It
would be the only time I would ask him for a photo with.
A few years passed and I got him again at the track when I was chasing
around Al Unser Jr. I didn't expect to see him this time, but he was
really gracious telling me (and the SAME friend) that we would have to
walk with him if we wanted autographs.
Then I moved to Los Angeles. and during the whole "Lord of the Rings
2" press junket and all, my friend Zach talked me into going with him
to new york to get Lord of the Rings people. As it turned out, Paul
was doing a play in New York city (I think it was "our town").. Zach
talked me into buying a "Road to Perdition" and a "Color of Money"
poster. after all, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio was also doing a play
in New York City as well and Tom Cruise is pretty accessible. so I
started both posters with Paul Newman as he signed on the way in to
the play the day we went. there were some idiots with baseballs, but I
got my two posters signed (I since finished both of them...with
"Perdition" having Tom Hanks, Sam Mendes, Tyler Hoecklin and Daniel
Craig as well...i still have the "Color of Money" poster as it has
Mary, Newman, Cruise, Scorsese and Forest Whitaker.)
And for a couple of years, Mr. Newman became really accessible during
the racing times. As we could sit at the hotel and get him a few times
during every visit to the track out in long beach. He actually became
friendly with my friend Yeh Ya as Yeh Ya gave him a good luck charm
before a race and his driver won. You'd think I was kidding, but the
next year Paul not only recognized Yeh Ya, but called him over and
signed everything he had several different times while limiting the
rest of us to one each. One year, while his assistants wouldn't let
Mr. Newman sign for the rest of us, Paul would always call Yeh Ya by
name and sign his stuff (a lot of this stuff went to me)...
Over the years, i've found it hard to sell any of my Newman signatures
as no one would pay a proper amount for any of it. There are probably
quite a few real Newman autographs on the market, but i doubt
it...They are all stashed away for a day when people can get a good
penny for one.Now just doesn't seem t br the right time..even when, at
this point, I could really use the money, I just can't bring myself to
do it.
All this while, I turned myself on to Paul Newman movies..."The
Hustler" is my FAVORITE (and i have a signed pool ball framed with a
shot from the hustler on my wall above my television)..weird how that
is. His newer work i really enjoyed as well, with "Perdition" being on
the top of my list in that category. "Slap Shot" is EXCELLENT and
funny, but everyone in it is funny..not just him (or the hansen
brothers).. i still, somehow, haven't brought myself to watch "Butch
Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," i own it on dvd...I just haven't
watched it yet (maybe i'll talk my girlfriend into watching it
tonight.). Oh, and I love his chocolate mint cookies too (far better
than the girl scout cookies)... He seemed like a good guy and I've
really never heard a bad set story about him either. Other than he
took his work seriously, and isn't that what we can all strive to do
anyway? So even though he was getting old and his time was nearing, it
was sad to hear.
Today was a sad day because I remember how nice Mr. Paul Newman was to
me, personally. I can't say that a friend has passed away today as he
wouldn't have known me from adam in any sense of time. but to say I
have known him is for certain.
have a good one,
mike
myspace blog page:
http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=243537584&blogID=436558122