Goodbye, Newman; Paul Heads For the Stars

Scoring Update! The points change, death remains the same...

Paul Newman, one of the last of the great 20th-century movie stars, died Friday at his home in Westport, Conn. He was 83. The cause was cancer, said Jeff Sanderson of Chasen & Company, Mr. Newman’s publicists.

It was a rapid rise for Mr. Newman, but being taken seriously as an actor took longer. He was almost undone by his star power, his classic good looks and, most of all, his brilliant blue eyes. “I picture my epitaph,” he once said. “Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown.”

Congratulations and 24 points awarded to Do Not Resuscitate. The Rosters and Standings have been updated.

[New York Times]

Paul Newman Silence Caused by His Lungs

There have been a growing number of rumors circulating about Paul Newman's health. The latest reports indicate that Newman is suffering from cancer.

Fears were growing for Paul Newman last night following US magazine reports that the Hollywood legend is fighting lung cancer. The double-Oscar winning star is said to have been diagnosed with the disease at New York’s Sloan-Kettering Cancer Centre, where he is an outpatient.

Two US publications claim the 83-year-old actor, a former chain-smoker, is under the care of a leading oncologist. One quotes a family member as saying: “It’s so awful. He’s dying.” Last night a source who has known the family for years confirmed: “We have known he is seriously ill for several weeks but his loved ones are being very protective and saying very little.”

He retired from acting last year citing failing memory as the reason. This is one part we are sure he will never forget.

[Sunday Express]

When Time Ran Out...

On his birthday, we have some more Paul Newman news to report:

Reports that film legend Paul Newman has undergone a secret operation to save him from cancer are unfounded, according to the actor's representative. Newman said: "I'm being treated for athlete's foot and hair loss... maybe the doctors know something that I don't!"

Today is somebody's birthday! Whose Birthday? Actor Paul Newman's Birthday. How Old Is He? 1,2,3,4... 83! And Never been Kissed By... Death

Paul Newman's name appears on "Do Not Resuscitate's'" roster

• For his strong support of Eugene McCarthy in 1968 (and effective use of television commercials in California), Newman was 19th on Richard Nixon's enemies list. He has said that this is one of his life's proudest achievements
  

I had always thought his proudest moment was Newman Own's expanding to pasta sauce from only salad dressing.

... And Many More!

Newman's Own Body Feels The Sting of Surgery

Only one website seems to be reporting it, and their source is "National Enquirer," but if you believe "Men in Black," tabloids are the best investigative reporting on the planet. But go ahead, read the New York Times if you want to.

According to Showbiz Spy,Paul Newman has undergone a secret surgical procedure to combat a life threatening cancer diagnosis. Says one "insider close to the star":

“He initially was having trouble breathing and a hard time walking... He’s bounced back now but he’s not a well man and people in his company are trying to keep this very quiet.”

Newman himself has a slightly different version of his health situation:

"As you can see, I’m doing okay. I feel pretty good for an old salt. Of course I have days when I feel more aches and pains than others but overall I’m hanging in there.“It’s all this good hometown food I eat that keeps me going."

You have to be wary with Newman. He has hustled before. But even he admits that compared to young salt, he is not doing well.

I guess, salt could have done worse... much much worse.

[Showbiz Spy]

Paul Newman Now Old Man (Yeah, we went there)

Academy Award winning actor Paul Newman retired back in May of this year. I had assumed he had stepped back on acting to focus on salad dressing and marinades, but apparently some people had other suspicions. Well, Robert Redford is here to say "hogwash." Or declare this "fallacious." Or to call shenanigans. Well, he's here to say whatever it is Robert Redford says in this situation:

Redford tells U.S. chat show host Larry King, "Somebody said recently he retired because his health was going bad and this is nonsense. The guy beats me in badminton. He's hardly (ill) - he's doing fine."

You hear that America? Paul Newman beats Robert Redford in Badminton. Badminton! Nobody takes down the Redford. And Paul Newman just did.

Although, to be honest, Paul Newman taking down the Redford seems highly unlikely. It kind of makes me wonder if he consumed some sort of substance in preparation for the match. I have my suspicions...

Man, I hope Robert Redford's leg is okay...

[Female First]
[youtube]

TWID- Memorial Day Edition

This Week in Death brings you: Notes from around the pool! We already stuck our toe in and the water is perfect... So come on in as we take you from the shallow to the deep end, and catch you up on all the news you need to know to be an educated death pool competitor. Stay tuned for this week's Special Feature: Top 5 death pool squads found at the bottom of TWID!

Goodbye Charles Nelson Reilly. Hello Twenty Points for the Ex-Parrots. We will never forget your persona as a wacky game show panelist and talk show guest. Your humor slayed us.

But there is health to deal with. And when there's a health, there's a TWID.

Hello... Newman. Organic Foods Welcomes Paul to Second Career
That iconic face on the bottles of organic dressings, popcorn, sauces and other items that grace the Newman's Own product line is resting a little easier these days. Actor Paul Newman has announced that he is leaving the Hollywood scene to focus on his life as an organic entrepreneur. Newman said that because he's no longer at the top of the game with acting, he's more than happy to leave it behind to focus on other projects.
http://www.ecorazzi.com/?p=2641

Shimon Spends One Night in Peres' Hospital Room. Night Vision Said to be Distracting
Sonia Peres' condition has improved, she regained consciousness and was taken off the respirator, the Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer reported Friday.The son added that his father had spent the night at the hospital until Sonia's exact condition was made clear. "He is in touch with us the entire time and is worried about her."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3404483,00.html

Castro back to Eating Food. His Illness Stemmed from Hanging with Nicole Richie
Cuban leader Fidel Castro has yet to appear in public since falling ill last July. But this week he ended a long silence about his health, issuing a signed statement late Wednesday saying he was eating solid foods and had regained weight.
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/05/25/Worldandnation/Castro_recovers_healt.shtml

Kevorkian Back to Cavorting. It's a World Wide Suicide.
For nearly a decade, Dr. Jack Kevorkian waged a defiant campaign to help other people kill themselves. The retired pathologist left bodies at hospital emergency rooms and motels and videotaped a death that was broadcast on CBS' "60 Minutes." His actions prompted battles over assisted suicide in many states.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070527/ap_on_re_us/kevorkian_s_release

Death is a part of life. And TWID...

Kaiser was on a Roll but was Tripped up by Pneumonia
Philip M. Kaiser, a former ambassador to Austria, Hungary and Senegal who during the Cuban Missile Crisis acted to deny the Soviet Union landing rights at airports where its planes might refuel, died Thursday. He was 93. Kaiser died of aspiration pneumonia at Sibley Hospital in Washington, his family said. He had been admitted three days earlier.
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007May24/0,4670,ObitKaiser,00.html

Chaney, Civil Rights Activist, Never Shot Anyone in the Face
Fannie Lee Chaney, a $28-a-week bakery worker who became a target of racial hatred herself after her son James Chaney and two other civil rights workers were killed by the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi during the Freedom Summer of 1964, died on Tuesday in Willingboro, N.J. She was 84.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/24/obituaries/24chaney.html?_r=1&ref=obituaries&oref=slogin

Why do Bad Things Happen to Good Porters?
Howard Porter had recovered from drug addiction and failed NBA dreams to become a mentor to young players and source of hope for troubled adults in the Twin Cities. His inspirational life ended with a mysterious death. A week after he was found severely beaten in an alley, Porter, one of the best basketball players in Villanova history, died Saturday night. He was 58.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=2884248

Beck was a Loser, Baby, so Cancer Killed Him
James Beck, a Columbia University art historian who became well known as a critic of what he viewed as the ruinous conservation of world masterpieces, including Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel ceiling, died on Saturday in Manhattan. He was 77. The cause was cancer, according to Columbia's department of art history and archaeology.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/arts/29beck.html?ex=1338091200&en=cd5b8b69f5d921f1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

As promised, THE TOP FIVE

1. El Esta Adead, 51 points (4 deaths)
2. Yiz-Score, 50 points (3 deaths)
3. Die Hard, 46 points (3 deaths)
4. The Ex-Parrots , 43.5 points (4 deaths)
5. Av S. is My Hero, 41 points (3 deaths)
   

And of course, in the Memorial Day Edition, we remember all the soldiers that have died protecting this country. If TWID could write a headline for each of them, it would.

The Commissioner's Council