Fred's Cool List (20, But Still Counting)

Since Senator Barack Obama and Senator John McCain are spending so much time addressing who is the bigger celebrity or who is just generally cooler in their ads (gee, isn't gas $3.50 a gallon?), here's my list of who I think is actually cool.

I may include a thought or two about why I think they're cool. I'll also admit I am not judging from any expertise: I am so uncool.

However, I'm married to a woman who is cool, we have a really cool daughter and my family is ultracool on both sides.

I may have to come back and revisit it to make a change. In fact, the moment I publish this story I guarrantee I'll have one of those "oh man, I forgot..." moments.

Some of these people are still living, others have left the building.

My list has no real criteria; it's like they used to say about pornography: I can't tell you what it is, but I know it when I see it.

(Note to readers: there will be no pornography stars on my list)

Paul Newman
I'm being reminded as I read a terrific article on him in this month's Vanity Fair of just how cool this actor/activist/humanitarian has been for decades. Newman is said to be in poor health and I can only hope for the best. I know Newman's politics are a turn-off to many of you, but he's one guy who I could always leave my thoughts about what he said off-screen behind when I paid to go see one of his movies or checked out an old film on TV.

I know Newman got divorced from his first wife, but he stayed married for decades to Joanne Woodward, a fellow star talent

Steve McQueen
The great McQueen story for me is when he co-starred with Newman in The Towering Inferno. The producers couldn't decide who to give top billing to in the credits. So they had Newman's name placed higher, but in the upper right corner. McQueen was listed first, but was put in the lower left corner of the screen. McQueen thought that was better for him since people read from left to right.

Batman
$445,370,695 in U.S. Box office business as of August 11 according to boxofficemojo.com. That's cool. I'm not going to have a spot for Christian Bale, until this assault accusation involving his mother and sister gets resolved.

Adam West
Starred in ABC-TV version of Batman which was 100% preposterous. And West knew it. How do you pull off a line like "some days you just can't get rid of a bomb" during a big screen version launched in theatres in the 1960s.

Walter Payton
He retired as pro football's all-time leading rusher. Payton missed one game in his career with the Chicago Bears to injury and he claims he could have played. Payton took magnificent care of his body. It's so odd he was taken away from us because of health at the age of 45.

Denzel Washington
Daniel Craig

Gary Sinise
Star of CSI: New York and founder of Operation Iraqi Children, "a grass-roots program..to give concerned Americans a way to reach out to war-stricken Iraqi children and support American troops in their efforts to assist them," according to the organization's website.

Eric Cartman
Beavis and Butthead

John Travolta
Hard to say. Sometimes I think he's very cool after some of his movies, but then he'll star in something like Battlefield: Earth and I think he's far from cool.

Maggie Rodriguez
Co-host of The Early Show on CBS. After having so many people run through CBS News morning shows over the years, I put her on the list after she nailed Harry Smith with a snowball on live TV.

Mrs. Wynant
My 11th grade English teacher, who said she used to save my papers until the right moment during grading to get a good laugh. (She liked my content, not any language or spelling errors!)

Dale Earnhardt

Cindy Crawford
As long as I forget she was in that movie Fair Game.

Larry Bird
Walked around the locker room before the 1988 NBA All-Star Game Three-Point Shooting Contest and asked "who's finishing second?" Guess who finished first?

Jason Hawes & Grant Wilson from Ghost Hunters on The Sci-Fi Channel

Dean Martin
Ric Flair
Bob Newhart

That's my list. Feel free to comment and add your selections in our comments section.