Jerry Curl

Paul Newman, the Academy-Award winning superstar who personified cool as the anti-hero of such films as ''Hud,'' ''Cool Hand Luke'' and ''The Color of Money'' -- and as an activist, race car driver and popcorn impresario -- has died. He was 83. Newman died Friday after a long battle with cancer at his farmhouse near Westport, publicist Jeff Sanderson said. He was surrounded by his family and close friends. (Via NYT )

Ryan Paevey as featured on the Major Models blog (NSFWish).

Via Major Models .

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain announced Wednesday that he is suspending his campaign to return to Washington and focus on the "historic" crisis facing the U.S. economy. Democratic rival Sen. Barack Obama said at a news conference later Wednesday that he and McCain had spoken by phone and had agreed to issue a joint statement about shared principles in the approach to resolving the economic crisis. But he disagreed with McCain's call for postponing Friday's first presidential debate in Oxford, Mississippi. "It's my belief that this is exactly the time when the American people need to hear from the person will be the next president," Obama said in Clearwater, Florida. "It is going to be part of the president's job to deal with more than one thing at once. It's more important than ever to present ourselves to the American people." (Via CNN )

[ Editor's note ] In my post-Obama euphoria, I forgot to mention that my friends and I were interviewed after the rally by Fred Grimm of the Miami Herald! I got a an early barrage of text messages this morning confirming that my name made it to page 3B of the Metro & State section. Here's the article in its entirety. Youth rock the vote -- but will they cast it? By FRED GRIMM fgrimm@herald.com They were loud and excited. As adoring as rock fans. They filled the basketball arena at the University of Miami and lent Barack Obama's rally the exuberance political organizers covet. They represented the most elusive demographic in American elections. They were young. And they were psyched, convinced that come November, they'll decide the presidential election. Young voters, Michelle Correa, 22, told me with fierce resolve, were "waking up and taking control of their future.'' I'm not so psyched. It sounded too much like a variation of the myth resurrected ...