Given to him by his wife Joanne Woodward and lovingly inscribed while the couple filmed and co-starred in the 1969 movie “Winning,” Newman was photographed wearing the iconic stainless steel watch on countless occasions.

Auction house Phillips said it was snapped up late Thursday in New York by an anonymous telephone buyer for $17.8 million after 12 minutes of frenzied bidding in a sale that attracted collectors from more than 40 countries.

But if it’s the most expensive wristwatch sold at auction, a handcrafted Patek Philippe pocket watch made for New York banker Henry Graves remains the most expensive overall, fetching more than $24 million at Sotheby’s in 2014.

Before giving her husband the watch, Woodward had the words “Drive Carefully Me” engraved on the back, in a nod to her anxiety over his fast driving three years after he was injured in a 1965 motorcycle accident.

It was on the set of “Winning,” when Newman played an IndyCar driver, that the actor developed a life-long love of auto racing.

He used the watch, known as the Paul Newman Daytona, to time races and bet with friends that his watch was more accurate than theirs, Phillips said.

In 1984 it seemingly disappeared from Newman’s wrist when his wife bought him a new watch, a black, non-exotic dial Cosmograph Daytona.

But that summer he gave the watch to his daughter Nell’s then boyfriend, James Cox. The couple dated for nearly a decade after first meeting in college.

Newman gifted the watch when he discovered that Cox — who was helping build a treehouse at the actor’s property in Westport, Connecticut — did not own one.

“Pop handed James his Rolex and said, ‘If you can remember to wind this each day, it tells pretty good time,'” wrote Nell in a signed letter accompanying the sale.

In a toast to His Majesty the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej – and as an appeal to people to follow his advice, including doing good deeds – Boon Rawd Brewery and Singha Corp have put together three short films based the monarch’s musical compositions.

“Kham Laew Waew Sieng … Nai Duang Jai Nirand” combines “Kham Laew” (based on and named for the King’s “Lullaby”), “Waew” (from “Echo”) and “Nai Duangjai Nirand” (from “Still on My Mind”).

Three advertising directors at the breweries Pornpipat Luksanasut, Alongod Uabhaibool and Rajit Saeng-Xuto – became movie directors and personally selected the tunes to illustrate cinematically.

“We let the three use their own creativity,” says Nathawan Teepsuwan, the public relations chief at Boon Rawd. “We asked them to show how all that His Majesty did for the people of Thailand touches our daily lives, as if he will always be with us, always be in our hearts.”

Pornpipat’s “Kham Laew” features the tune of the same name (“Lullaby” in English) as its soundtrack, as sung by Supattra Korat. Alongod’s “Waew Sieng” taps Jaruwan Boonyarak to sing “Echo”. And Rajit’s “Nai Duang Jai Nirand” has Thanachai “Pod” Ujjin singing “Still on My Mind”.

“Because ‘Kham Laew’ actually is a lullaby, I came up with stories about families in four different parts of Thailand facing four different situations – all on the same full-moon night,” says Pornpipat.

In one, Phen struggles to balance her new job as a nurse with her responsibility towards her mother, who lives far away. In the second, a single mother in Bangkok faces the same difficulty between earning a living and raising her little daughter, Luna.

In the third, a man from the Northeast working in Bangkok tries to keep alive his relations with his wife and daughter back home. The last story is about a fisherman’s son who has to choose between helping his dad on the boat and partying with friends.

Like Phen and Luna, all the main characters’ names mean “the moon”, signifying the guiding light King Bhumibol provided for his people.

“Lullaby” is the longest of the short films. The others are closer in length to music videos and have no dialogue.

Alongod chose “Waew Sieng” because he felt it was too little known among the royal compositions.

“I want the younger generation, especially teenagers, to appreciate His Majesty’s great talent in music, so I gave this short film a music-video feel. His Majesty wrote ‘Echo’ with English lyrics, and yet, compared with other royal compositions, we rarely hear it.”

“Waew Sieng” portrays four situations often encountered in daily life – a student is bored with studying, teenagers fight, drivers suffer road rage, and a businessman accepts bribes from contractors.

All of these people are just about to do something awful, but then hear an “echo” from the sky and remember what the late King always advised Thais – to be good and to do good.

Alongod has previously worked on music videos and TV commercials and directed the features “Khoo Thae Patiharn” (“The Whistle”) and “Yaak Dai Yin Wa Rak Kan” (“Best Supporting Actor”).

Rajit’s “Nai Duang Jai Nirand” takes its title to heart as well. King Bhumibol will indeed remain on people’s minds.

“His Majesty is in the wind, the warm sunlight, the rain, every moment, everywhere,” producer Buranee Rachjaibun says on Rajit’s behalf.

“The film uses natural sound sources to form the melody of the song. People come from different backgrounds and have different understandings about things, but this film portrays the various aspects of life and different places that will remind us of the late King. And, together, we have to keep going forward.

“The lyrics to ‘Nai Duang Jai Nirand’ are very meaningful and cover a range of emotions,” Buranee says. “In the short film, the story is quite touching. It reminds us that, even though we are grieving and feel lost, we’ll be able to feel His Majesty’s kindness always and forever.”

Boon Rawd and Singha have for several years collaborated on projects honouring King Bhumibol’s musical talent. They produced the documentary “Kitaraja”, the four-part film “Kita Rajaniphon”, and “Phonjakfah” (“A Gift”), made for them by studio GDH.  They’ve also organised Pro Musica Junior Camps annually since 2014, at which youngsters learn to play His Majesty’s compositions in classical music arrangements.

The “Kham Laew Waew Sieng … Nai Duang Jai Nirand” series can be seen on Singha’s Facebook page, Line TV and other video channels both online and on terrestrial TV.

Thai cinema giant Sahamongkolfilm International has produced a movie about His Majesty the late King Bhumibol that will be screened for free beginning tomorrow at theatres throughout the land.

Sahamongkolfilm president Somsak Techarattanaprasert says he put Nonzee “Oui” Nimibutr in charge of producing and co-directing “Khong Khwan”, the studio’s way of paying its respects to the beloved monarch.

Nonzee says he set out to “pass forward our love for and loyalty to His Majesty, to Thais in all four regions of the country – it’s like our khong khwan [gift] to them”.

He assembled a directing team – Chookiat “Ma-Deaw” Sakveerakul from the North, Prachya Pinkaew from the Northeast and Kongkiat Khomsiri from the South, with Nonzee himself representing the Central region – to brainstorm about areas of focus and ways to reach every citizen.

“So we really have four movies with four points of view and four expressions of emotion.”

Nonzee says he was “excited” when Somsak told him he wanted to invest in the project and that everyone would get to see it for free for a month. But Chookiat laughs that he initially thought the idea of free screenings was “crazy”.

“Once I understood the intent, though, I felt honoured to be part of the project.”

Kongkiat’s first reactions were fear and tension – “because I didn’t know any of the royal vocabulary. Then I read several stories about the late King and overcame my worries. It became a way of expressing my loyalty to His Majesty.”

“Khong Khwan” begins with “The Letter”, the segment Prachya directed, about a rural lad undertaking a journey so he can send a letter to his distant “father” – the late King, who was revered as the father of all Thais.

Nonzee’s “Dokmai Nai Kong Khaya” (“Beautiful Garbage”) follows, illustrating how a family’s love and warmth can help build a sustainable society, no matter how well off or how poor the family.

Kongkiat’s “Sajja Thoranee” (“The Truth in the Country”) depicts a young woman learning about her father’s background and finding faith in life.

“Mek Fon Bon Pa Nuea” (“Rain Clouds over the Northern Forest”), by Chookiat is about a group of students who want to conserve nature but end up in conflict with landowners.

Nonzee says the directors’ brainstorming began with a discussion on what they appreciated most about the late King’s frequent guidance. “He spoke mainly about the need to do good and about knowing what our individual duty is. I ended up in tears reading the scripts.

“My segment is about someone who society considers useless, and yet he’s a good guy. Most people wonder why they’re not as rich or as happy as others, but we don’t consider the people in lower social positions.

“‘Dokmai Nai Kong Khaya’ is about the beauty in dirtiness, the beautiful flower growing in a disgusting garbage dump. If we have a loving family, we can overcome obstacles and get out of bad situations. So I have a father who works as a trash collector, played by Surasak Wongthai, raising a daughter who doesn’t understand him.”

Surasak’s co-stars are Arisara Wongchalee, Tanapak Jongjaiphar and Chanikarn Tungkobdee.

Chookiat’s segment features Oabnithi Wiwattanawarang, Isaya Horsuwan and Chawinroj Likitcharoensakul. In it, he ponders the late King’s royal projects, which could bring wasteland to life.

“I thought about rain clouds and that linked to the idea of a teenager pursuing his dream as a matter of belief or faith, running along with the rain,” Chookiat says.

“His Majesty said, ‘Wherever we are bringing development, we should learn about the needs of the local people so that the development will be effective and sustainable.’ Social conflicts can be resolved if we get to understand each other better, and my segment is about students who’ve volunteered to help with a reforestation project. But they come into conflict with the villagers by encroaching on their farmland.”

Prachya’s “The Letter” stars Teerapoj Tuansawad as the Isaan boy who writes an admiring missive to the late King.

“It’s like a small adventure, like a Disney movie,” Prachya says. “Everybody was always happy during the shoot. Anytime you do a project about the late King, everybody in the vicinity is in a good mood, because it lets them enjoy those special feelings he aroused.”

Kongkiat’s “Sajja Thoranee”, co-written with Sudthasit Podthasak, features Monkolchai Yukol, Natchapat Sangrit and Anchalee Hassadeevichit.

“The theme is discovering your family roots, knowing where you come from,” says the director. “Whatever we do, we have to know our true identity, but these days there is so much deception about sharing our true identities.

“The soil never lies, though, and His Majesty was always keen about developing the soil. The name Bhumibol refers to ‘Palang Khong Paendin’ [‘The Powers of Earth’], so I decided to make a story of the soil. Monkolchai plays a Muslim father and presents a puzzle in the story. Anchalee is a mother harbouring his secret, and newcomer Natchapat is their teenage daughter, who wants to know why people regard her father as bad.”

Cheewin “Boyd” Kosiyabong composed a tune especially for the movie, “Song Tor Khwam Rak” (“Pass the Love Forward”). It’s sung by Nop Ponchamni, Saksit Vejsupaporn, Suveera Boonrod, Witwisit Hiranyawongkul, Thanon Chamroen, Krissada Sukosol Clapp, Akaradej Yodjampa (aka Kong Huayrai), Rungrat Mengpanit and Worrawech Danuwong.

Be there early enough

– “Khong Khwan” will be screened at all outlets of Major Cineplex and SF Cinema beginning tomorrow.

– Everyone who arrives at least an hour before screening time is entitled to two free passes.

– You can see the trailer at https://youtu.be/VDSaOzzHB6Y and the music video at https://youtu.be/svhgbPIGceA.

Starring Tyler Perry — who also wrote, directed and produced the comedy horror sequel — “Boo 2!” sees Madea and the gang head to a haunted campsite, only then to have to escape monsters lurking there.

With takings of $21.2 million, “Boo 2!” is the tenth Perry title to snatch the top spot on its opening weekend, Deadline reports.

“Geostorm” — another new release — took second place, but it was a disappointing opening for the latest offering from Warner Bros., with earnings of $13.7 million.

The sci-fi disaster thriller follows Gerard Butler as a satellite designer tasked with saving the world from an apocalyptic storm — caused by climate controlling satellites attacking the planet.

Meanwhile, “Happy Death Day” dropped to third place from last week’s top spot — with takings plummeting from $26 million to $9.4 million.

Starring Jessica Rothe, the comedy slasher follows a college student who repeatedly relives the day she was murdered until she discovers who killed her.

Sitting in fourth was Warner Bros.’s “Blade Runner: 2049,” which halved its earnings for the second weekend running, taking $7.4 million.

The sci-fi reboot features Ryan Gosling as a new Los Angeles Police Department “blade runner” charged with killing bioengineered androids known as “replicants.”

After uncovering a secret that threatens society, he embarks on a search for Harrison Ford’s character, a former blade runner who disappeared 30 years ago.

In at fifth was Sony’s new release “Only The Brave,” starring Josh Brolin, with earnings of $6 million.

Based on a true story, the drama tells the tale of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of firefighters in Arizona who battle to protect a town from an historic wildfire.

Rounding out the top 10 were:

“The Foreigner” ($5.8 million)

“It” ($3.5 million)

“The Snowman” ($3.4 million)

“American Made” ($3.1 million)

“Kingsman: The Golden Circle” ($3 million)

Toback reeled them in with boasts about his movie career and connections, as well as claims he could make them a star, according to their accounts to the Los Angeles Times.

But in meetings framed as interviews or auditions, he allegedly would turn disturbingly personal, with questions veering to masturbation and pubic hair, the Times said.

“He told me he’d love nothing more than to masturbate while looking into my eyes,” Louise Post, who met Toback in 1987 while attending Barnard College, told the Times.

“Going to his apartment has been the source of shame for the past 30 years, that I allowed myself to be so gullible,” said Post, who is now a guitarist and singer for Veruca Salt, an indie rock band.

Toback denied the allegations, telling the Times he had never met the women, or if he did, it “was for five minutes and (I) have no recollection.” His representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Toback, now 72, has been a writer and film director since 1974. His most recent movie, “The Private Life of a Modern Woman,” starring Sienna Miller, premiered this year at the Venice Film Festival.

In 1987, he made the semi-autobiographical “The Pick-up Artist,” and other credits include the Oscar-nominated screenplay for “Bugsy,” directed by Barry Levinson and starring Warren Beatty and Annette Bening.

‘Intimidating power’

The Times said it interviewed all 38 women who came forth separately — 31 of them on the record — as well as people they had spoken with about the incidents at the time.

None had reported the encounters to the police at the time.

A cascade of accounts by women of sexual abuse has flooded social media under the hashtag #MeToo since a similar scandal surrounding movie mogul Harvey Weinstein erupted earlier this month.

A Who’s Who of actresses and models have come forward to accuse Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and harassment, and of using his intimidating power in Hollywood to keep his behavior hushed up.

Weinstein, who is reported to have checked himself into a rehab program in Arizona for sexual addiction, insists all his sexual encounters have been consensual.

Criminal investigations in his case are underway in London, Los Angeles and New York.

The scandal has prompted fresh calls for justice from 46-year-old former child star Corey Feldman, who took to social media on Thursday last week to share his own experience of abuse.

“4 THE RECORD: I WILL NOT B GOING ON A TALK SHOW 2 DISCLOSE NAMES OF MY ABUSER OR ANY1 ELSES ABUSERS. SO PLEASE STOP ASKING ME 2 DO SO,” he said, launching into a seven-message Twitter tirade.

Hollywood ‘pedophile ring’

He went on to say he had been “mocked & shamed” and had his career destroyed for campaigning against what he describes as a Hollywood pedophile ring that abused him as a child.

Feldman says he and fellow child star Corey Haim, who died in 2010, were abused by studio executives as they were making a name for themselves, including “some of the most richest, most powerful people in this business.”

Filmmaker Paul Haggis (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Crash”) told the London-based Guardian newspaper he didn’t believe sexual harassment and abuse were endemic, but added that Feldman’s accusations merited serious investigation.

“Were people covering for pedophiles, too? We have to think that may have happened as well, because no one speaks out about being abused just to benefit their career,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hollywood’s Agency for the Performing Arts placed talent manager Tyler Grasham on leave, according to the Hollywood Reporter, after he was accused of sexually assaulting and harassing several young, male clients.

And Reese Witherspoon weighed into the scandal last week in a speech to an Elle Women in Hollywood event in Beverly Hills, during which she revealed she was attacked by a director when she was 16 — the first of “multiple experiences of harassment and sexual assault.”

Two new women have also emerged to accuse Oscar-winning French-Polish director Roman Polanski of sexually assaulting them in the early 1970s, when they were 10 and 15.

Polanski’s lawyer Herve Temime said his client was innocent of all “baseless accusations” of sexual misconduct apart from the statutory rape of Samantha Geimer, for which he has been on the run from US authorities for four decades.

Polanski, 84, fled the United States in 1978 before he could be sentenced after pleading guilty to having unlawful sex with Geimer.

Netflix will follow the most compelling stories and characters in the club, spending personal and professional time with the players both on and off the field, on the road, at home and wherever it takes to capture in depth the real lives that make the Juventus one of the most fascinating teams in the world.

Fans and supporters worldwide will have access to the club “behind the scenes” and will feel closer than ever not only to some of the greatest footballers in history but also to the club that has won six straight league titles.

“It’s a source of pride that Juventus is the first football club to be the subject of a Netflix Original Documentary,” said Federico Palomba, Co-Chief Revenue Officer at the club. “Collaborations of this kind confirm our passion for innovation and being, in every sense, a Sport Entertainment brand. In this way, we are determined to reach fans across the world and millions of Netflix users, who thanks to this docu-series can get to know Juventus from every angle.

“Juventus FC will give audiences a profound understanding of the players, the coaches and management on a deeply personal level that we expect will be groundbreaking.”

Following on the production of other series in Europe, including “Suburra” and the upcoming “Dark”, the Juventus FC docu-series will continue Netflix’s investment in international and Italian content.

Erik Barmack, Vice President of International original series at Netflix said, “Netflix is the home of passionate storytelling, and there are no more passionate fans than the tifosi of the bianconeri. We are excited to have unique, exclusive access to one of the most important squads in the world.”

Announced on Saturday, the Kim Ji-seok award was inaugurated this year as a tribute to the festival co-founder and former festival programme director who died while attending the Cannes International Film Festival in May.

Directed by Anucha Boonyawatana, whose previous work was the independent release “Onthakan” (“The Blue Hour”), the film premiered at Busan. Its stars, Sukollawat “Weir” Kanaros and Anuchyd Sapanphong, attended the festival and Weir also won the “Face of Asia Award” organised by Marie Claire magazine and the BIFF. Other winners of the “Face of Asia” awards are Japanese actress Sugisaku Hana, Vietnamese actress Lan Ngoc Ninh Duong and South Korean actor Choi Min Ho.

“Anucha’s film casts a Buddhist eye on the piercing theme of transience, using the metaphor of baisri flowers (where are sewn into elaborate flower sculptures and then allowed to decay) to stand for the impermance of our lives and emotions,” the jury noted.

“A man who has lost his daughter and driven away his wife rekindles an earlier romance with another man. But his lover is terminally ill, and the man becomes a monk in the hope that “making merit” will help to fend off the illness. With its exquisite language, ‘Malila: The Farewell Flower’ seems a more-than-fitting film to win an award named in memory of the late Kim Ji-seok.”

The Kim Ji-seok prizes are awarded to two films from the festival’s Window on Asian cinema section. Each receives a cash award of $10,000 (Bt340,000).

The jury was made up of critic and curator Tony Rayns, former Variety correspondent Darcy Paquet, and Indonesian director Garin Nugruho.

Directed by the 1981-born filmmaker Nattawut Poonpiriya, the movie revolves around two straight-A students, who plan to cheat in an international exam to make money and find their lives altered immeasurably by the mistakes they make.

The movie opened on the Chinese mainland on Oct 13 and has so far been awarded 8.3 out of 10 by film review site Douban.com, a barometer of popularity.

As well as proving a hit with Chinese netizens, local movie critics also lavished praise on the Thai production.

Zhang Boqing of Beijing-based research group Online Film Market, and honorary chairman of the China Film Critics Association, says the movie also explored social concerns as well as entertaining viewers.

He says the movie reflected the growing imbalance between rich and poor, and the unfair allocation of educational resources.

Rao Shuguang, secretary-general of the China Film Association, says the most alluring aspect of the film for him was the twisting storyline, which elevates the coming-of-age tale into a stylish crime thriller.

“The characters are also very impressive. Chinese filmmakers could learn a thing or two from their foreign counterparts,” says Rao.

But in China, where it is known as Haunted Road 2, the movie opened last week to rave reviews from fans and critics alike, with Aom gaining widespread praise as well. Chinese moviegoers were so intrigued by its Malaysian horror elements that the box office takings hit the RMB1mil (RM640,000) mark in just half a day and reached RMB10mil (RM6.4mil) in one week.

Aom (whose Chinese name is Li Haina) plays Bai Ling, a young lady from China who takes a business trip to Malaysia with her fiance Jun (China actor Leon Li Chuan). They win a lot of money at a casino in Genting Highlands, and end up staying the night in a spooky hotel there. After some close encounters with its creepy tenants, she tries to escape with the help of a local man (Malaysian actor Teddy Chin).

Best known for her rom-com roles in Thai remakes of K-drama Full House and J-drama Kiss Me, the 29-year-old Aom (real name Sushar Manaying) says she is fortunate to be part of Haunted Hotel, where she got to work with professionals from both Malaysia and China.

“Haunted Hotel is my first foray into the Chinese-language cinema. I worked very hard and gave it my all. I hope more people will watch our movie and see for themselves all the exciting things that we did,” said Aom during a media conference in Petaling Jaya to launch Haunted Hotel in Malaysia.

Aom stars as the China businesswoman named Bai Ling who has scary experiences in Malaysia in horror thriller Haunted Hotel. Photo: Filepic

How was it like having to shoot the movie in Mandarin?

Language was seriously a major challenge. But it is a Chinese movie, so the director insisted that we spoke our lines in Mandarin. My first language is not Mandarin, so I had to learn my dialogue by heart.

Since the movie is a horror thriller, it got especially tough when my character became excited or angry. She had to speak a lot faster and she usually had a lot more to say when her emotions got the better of her.

What would you say is the scariest thing about Haunted Hotel?

Definitely the location (Amber Court in Genting), because of its reputation as one of the top 10 haunted hotels in Asia and the spooky stories of people who died there. I’ve filmed other horror productions before, but not in a famous haunted location like that. But I did do Hashima Project, a Thai horror movie which was shot on the abandoned Hashima island.

Did you have to make any special preparations for the movie?

It was actually a very physical role, as there was a lot of action. So, I started on a special workout regime to make myself tougher and stronger. My character Bai Ling had to do a lot of running, fighting and falling from great heights. So, I made sure to keep myself fit and improved my stamina with cardio training.

Can you tell us about that dangerous-looking wire scene where you fall from a great height and end up dangling from some cables?

That was quite scary, because the scene is based on true events where a girl actually fell several floors and landed where I was supposed to be (suspended upside-down from the cables). The director did not tell me about it, but I did some research and found out anyway. Also, the wirework was especially challenging for me as my skin bruises easily.

Even so, I decided to do it for the experience. I actually looked forward to doing my own stunts as I wanted to learn more about doing action scenes. I admit it looked very dangerous, but I felt confident about attempting that scene as I knew all the proper safety measures had been taken.

Did you experience any eerie encounters on the set?

Actually, I have never had such experiences. Even when I was shooting other horror movies. I keep hearing other people tell scary stories. Some actors say they felt something watching them from behind while shooting the movie. But I have no scary stories of my own to share as I have never seen anything with my own eyes.

Directed by David Ayer, known for the box-office hits “Suicide Squad” and “Training Day”, the thriller follows two LAPD police officers played by Smith (Officer Ward) and Edgerton (Officer Jakoby), who work around the clock to keep the mean streets of Los Angeles safe from a sinister underworld filled with gang violence and dark forces.

Battling both their own personal differences as well as an onslaught of enemies, they must work together to protect a thought-to-be-forgotten relic, which in the wrong hands could destroy everything.

Take a closer look at the action-packed movie that Will Smith describes as “wildly unique” in the brand new trailer slated to screen on Netflix soon. “Bright” also stars Noomi Rapace, Lucy Fry, Edgar Ramirez, Ike Barinholtz, Enrique Murciano, Jay Hernandez, Andrea Navedo, Veronica Ngo, Alex Meraz, Margaret Cho, Brad William Henke, Dawn Oliveri, and Kenneth Choi.

“Bright” will be available for streaming on December 22.