So long, Blue Eyes.

I’ve been getting a little choked up about my salad dressing. Before you judge me, you should know it isn’t Kraft or President’s Choice, rather it’s Newman’s Own and on it is the likeness of one of my favourites — Paul Newman. I hate to post that cliché blog post where a fan tries to sum up the career of someone they’ve never met and make it sound like this person, whether an actor, musician, writer, had any real impression on their lives. But I tend to place a lot of value on these things.

I’ve kept the magazine articles and newspaper clippings from when Katharine Hepburn died, which is in a pile along with a growing collection of LIFE magazines from the 30’s and 40’s, and clippings about Gregory Peck and rock stars who met an early demise. Funny thing is, I don’t consider Peck or Newman to be ‘old Hollywood,’ though I guess I should. Which I think is what saddens me. I remember Jimmy Stewart, Katharine Hepburn, and many others alive in my lifetime, and to me they were old Hollywood. To me, Newman’s death, is proof that now this second generation of Hollywood are octogenarians, and soon will be a rarity, leaving us only with Tom Cruise and Kevin Costner flicks (well, in the mainstream anyway).

I loved Paul Newman and always have. There was something genuine in him, even in his most conniving characters. And he did good things. Not in the way that some celebrities show up to charity galas or speak out against crappy republican Vice-Presidential nominees (You rock Matt Damon!). He was a hands-on, kind-hearted philanthropist, and I truly believe he made a difference. And oh my was he easy on the eyes!

Alright, I’m gushing. The photo above is one of my all-time favourite pictures. I went through a strange face in high school where I thought black and white pictures, featuring elegant ladies or rugged men cigarettes were romantic and arty, and this (along with those of Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn) was among my favourites.

There is something so endearing about a millionaire, who made his friends homemade salad dressing to celebrate the holidays, and somehow turned it into a multi-million dollar charity, even calling it the “joke that got out of control.”

It’s months away, but I guarantee I’ll be a blubbering mess when the Academy Awards tribute comes around this year.

David Letterman's Paul Newman Tribute.