Paul Newman dies at 83

It's been a wretched month, and not just because the world's financial problems have cost me and millions of others a lot of money (trust me to have HBOS shares). It's also been a month in which we have seen a number of music greats die. And now we have the death of one of my favourite actors of all time, Paul Newman. He starred in so many great movies that it's hard to know where to start, but for me, The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid rate among the very best. No doubt the tributes will be effusive, but in Newman's case any hyperbole is well deserved.

Now we hear that Little Richard is ill and has cancelled his European tour. Rumour has it that he's had a stroke, but I can find nothing about this on the web, so hopefully his illness is not too serious. Still it's a blow, as his show at the Forum in November may well have been our last chance of seeing a true legend.

PS> Happy 73rd birthday to Jerry Lee on the 29th.