Paul Newman

1925-2008

A beautiful man who did a lot of good things in his life, he was married to the same lady for over 50 years (About whom he famously quipped when asked if he was ever tempted "why have a hamburger out when you have steak at home?") and famously started a food business that is wholly devoted to charity.

In these days of stars that throw phones and tantrums, who spend time in jail when they aren't exiting cars naked-coochie first or who pontificate from on high to the rest of us, take a moment to review someone who did the superstar thing with true grace and true style.

For the rest of us, we have the movies; if that was his only legacy, it would be enough.

A list of those available at Amazon is here

Photo: Amazon.com

Dahling I love you but give me Park Avenue...

This past week I was back East visiting. I was in Eastern Connecticut on the shore for my friend's birthday and in NYC a day or so on either end. New York was conspiring to be its most attractive: the weather was perfectly balmy without being too warm, the skies clouded over only once and then briefly, and I think I have finally gotten used to the fact that in this post-Giuliani city, the general filth I remember has been replaced by an almost uniformly well-scrubbed sheen. Even getting to the Airport is now a cinch, thanks to the Subway and the new AirTrain system.

Of course intellectually I know that the city is about three times more expensive than what I can (barely) afford in Los Angeles, and that if I did live there it would have to be in a 12th floor walk-up in Queens with 12 room-mates. I also know that this brief bit of glorious perfection weather-wise is marred as I type with monsoonal storms, which will be followed in succession by the personal horror that is Winter then the months -long mud fest that precedes Spring. I don't forget that the very thing that most people hate about LA I happen to love: the idea that we shut ourselves up in our little individual cars and don't interact that much with our fellow man. In LA we live in our own little bubbles. I like my bubble. It has AC and I get to choose the radio station.

But walking down Fifth Avenue after a day of shopping, daydreaming about one of those fabulous apartments (or even one of the less fabulous ones in the Village) I start to get seduced into thinking "what if?"

Photo: my cell phone

Just because Bitsy says I am negative...

Last night after a very nice time with Gaia, the Non-Blonde cruising Manhattan for new stuff to smell (which you will be able to read about here and here shortly) we went to the Jazz Standard to have dinner and see Patricia Barber. She did a great set including some Cole Porter standards reworked with her own devilish lyrics (the crowd ate it up like it was the incredible Macs and Cheese on the menu) and some of her own stuff. If she does come to your town do run out and see her- such talent should be appreciated. If you can't see her, buy the Album at Amazon or iTunes

Photo: Amazon

My Boss was on this train

I am very happy to read that he was okay, and as is his wont helped the injured off the wreckage. That's the kind of guy he is. I'll save the ribbing that this is what he gets for catching a 3:30 train home on a Friday for sometime 300 years from now when it might be funny.

Really, this kind of s^it can happen at any time randomly. Kiss your wife, hug your kids, have a slice of cheesecake, drive a convertible in the moonlight. It could all be over tomorrow, or you could have to do triage when you're there but it ain't over for you. Life's short. Smell a flower. You never know.

Photo:(Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times / September 12, 2008)

I want to marry this man.  

Or be him.  

Or both.

How can you not love a guy who drives a 1960 Ford Sunliner with the top down even in Winter and named his Sheltie "Snippy"?

Oh, P.S. to Ford: "Sunliner" is a cool name.  Use it again, will you?

Image: NYTimes.com

Meaningless statistics:

Number of vehicles traveling the intersection of Wilshire and Santa Monica in Beverly Hills: 96,000.*

Daily population of the former World Trade Center: 50,000**

Population of the town I live in now: 34,980 in the 2006 census***

Population of my hometown: 28,978 in the 2000 census****

Number of Mary Kay consultants in the UK as of 2006: 5000*****

*Source: LATimes.com

**Source: FDNewYork.com

***Source: Wikipedia

****Source: Wikipedia

*****Source: Wikipedia

90210 premieres tomorrow

Do you care?  I don't.

It looks if possible emptier than the original.  Actually that's not fair, Aaron Spelling might not have been Shakespeare, but he did try to stuff a bit of morality in there somewhere: Brandon did suffer the consequences of drinking and driving for at least a couple of episodes.  The new one looks glossier, more expensive and thoroughly botoxed.

Personally, I think there's a repeat of "The Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency" on that I might have to catch.  Janice is waaaaay more fun.  Trust me.

Image: the CW