Category: Tom Hanks

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awards donald trump politics Tom Hanks

West Point canceled an award ceremony for Tom Hanks, which pleased Trump

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Created in 1958, the Sylvanus Thayer Award is presented every year by the West Point Association of Graduates (WPAG) to a citizen whose life and career has exemplified service to the nation. It is regarded as the highest civilian award given by West Point. This year’s honoree is Tom Hanks, whom West Point singled out for his dedication to veteran advocacy, and the award was to be presented on September 25 with the customary parade and dinner ceremony. Only Dipsh-t Don has commandeered the White House, the man-child who “feels like” he was in the military because he went to a military high school. And much like his war on universities (and every other institution), Trump has been bullying West Point into getting rid of anything he deems too “woke.” So suddenly and mysteriously, West Point has canceled the ceremony for Hanks. Not the award itself — that will still be given — just the ceremony has been canceled, which Cadet Cankles is claiming as a victory.

Hanks, who was set to receive the military academy’s Sylvanus Thayer Award Sept. 25, will no longer be honored, NPR and The Washington Post report. The Thayer Award is doled out annually to “an outstanding citizen … whose service and accomplishments in the national interest exemplify personal devotion to the ideals expressed in West Point’s motto: ‘Duty, Honor, Country,’” according to a release on the military academy’s website.

The decision to cancel the ceremony for Hanks, who has criticized President Donald Trump in the past, comes on the heels of a tumultuous transition for the academy under the new administration.

Trump weighed in on the flip-flop with a Sept. 8 post to Truth Social, lauding the academy for its cancellation and deriding Hanks as “woke” and “destructive.”

“Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move!” the president wrote. “We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished American Awards!!! Hopefully the Academy Awards, and other Fake Award Shows, will review their Standards and Practices in the name of Fairness and Justice. Watch their DEAD RATINGS SURGE!”

The academy pulling the plug marks a remarkable shift in tone from the original announcement in June. At the time, a post to West Point’s website chronicled hands’ long career in both acting and activism, and celebrated his contributions to the American image.

“Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than many other Americans,” West Point Association of Graduates Chairman Robert A. McDonald wrote in the release.

“To have my first ever visit to the Academy be to accept such an honor as the Thayer Award is simply astounding. West Point’s legacy of leadership, character, and service to the nation is a powerful example for all Americans,” Hanks said in the release. “To be recognized by an institution whose graduates have shaped our country’s history through selfless service is both humbling and meaningful.”

[From USA Today]

“Tom Hanks has done more for the positive portrayal of the American service member, more for the caring of the American veteran, their caregivers and their family, and more for the American space program and all branches of government than…” Donald Trump ever will. One’s an American Treasure, the other an American Terror. And I dare say someone within the current government agrees with me, because this whole development was leaked to The Washington Post by an official “not authorized to speak publicly on the matter,” after WPAG’s president sent an internal email saying that “preparing cadets to lead, fight, and win,” was the reason why they couldn’t host a parade and dinner. Sure, Sgt. Jan. And yet WPAG’s website still lists Tom Hanks as this year’s recipient. Unbelievable. So here’s my question: should Private Ryan (I know, I know, Damon was the private, work with me here) still accept the honor, or respectfully decline due to WPAG disrespecting him? Personally, I’d say, “Run, Forrest, Run!”

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Photos credit: StillMoving.Net for Netflix, Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon, Getty

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Kenan Thompson politics Saturday Night Live SNL Tom Hanks

Victoria Jackson was so offended by Tom Hanks’ SNL50 skit as a racist MAGA

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On Sunday, Saturday Night Live had their big SNL50 live show. It was three hours long and featured former cast members and guests bringing back popular sketches. I thought it was a lot of fun to watch. One of the show’s highlights was Kenan Thompson’s Black Jeopardy, with Kenan as host and Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, and Eddie Murphy-as-Tracy Morgan playing contestants. Murphy’s impression of Tracy was probably what made it so funny because it made Tracy and Leslie break character.

At the end of the sketch, Tom Hanks randomly comes out to answer a question as Doug, a Southern white man in a red MAGA hat who is then scared to shake Kenan’s hand at the end. Predictably, there’s a lot of MAGA tears over Tom’s portrayal. It appears that the “F-ck your feelings” crowd is very upset. Former SNL cast member Victoria Jackson is among those mad little red snowflakes. Victoria was so offended by Tom’s racist MAGA character that she whined about it to TMZ.

Tom Hanks has found himself in hot water after poking fun at Trump supporters on ‘SNL’ this past weekend – and now, one of the show’s own alums is jumping in to slam him. Victoria Jackson, a staunch Trump supporter, is making her anger known to TMZ, pointing us to a post by political commentator Link Lauren, who calls out the “MAGA = racist” trope as “downright disgusting” — a sentiment VJ says summarizes her feelings.

Victoria — who was a cast member from ’86 to ’92 — calls the whole thing “stupid,” adding she was also offended by the sexual vulgarity on the show.

Victoria, who was on the red carpet at last night’s show, notes another ex-cast member next to her laughed at the “crude jokes,” sarcastically adding the show seemed to have something for everyone — but then quips, “Did anyone make fun of the Kamala supporters?!”

In Link’s X post — which Victoria says perfectly captured her feelings — he slammed Hanks’ skit where he played a Trump supporter who acted like he was scared to shake a Black man’s hand — calling it the reason why the show’s ratings “are in the gutter.”

[From TMZ]

You know they say: If you don’t want to be called racist, don’t support a political party that has made racism one of its biggest platforms. Has anyone tried that? Voting for people who aren’t doing racist things really does a lot to prevent you from being labeled as racist. Goodness, Republicans have control of all three branches of government and their terrible policies are hurting people’s lives as I type, yet they’re still unhappy. Grievance is a helluva drug.

That said…I wonder where the inspiration for Tom’s MAGA character came from? Can anyone think of any recent high-profile instances of a white man snubbing a Black woman by refusing to shake her hand in front of cameras? It says a lot about the whole lot of ‘em when a real-life racist incident is mocked and they all feel personally attacked. Even free speech champion Space Karen is throwing a tantrum about the sketch. But yes, now MAGA wants to cancel SNL because they got their fweelings hurt by a joke. Cancel culture really is out of control.

Update by CB: As several of you have mentioned Tom Hanks’ MAGA character first appeared on a Black Jeopardy skit eight years ago.

Here’s the sketch if you haven’t seen it. The bit with Tom’s character begins around the 6:50 mark.

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AI Technology Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks: There are ads using my name, likeness, & voice promoting miracle cures

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While AI can seem like a fun version of Photoshop at times (like imagining what Katy Perry would have worn to the Met Gala), it can and has often been used to pernicious effect (like Trump imagining Taylor Swift “endorsing” him). I think management teams for celebs must all now be factoring in resources to track and stop illegal uses. Or, you have an actor who’s on the lookout himself. And so it is with American Treasure Tom Hanks, who took to his Instagram to warn his fans directly about a rush of fake ads in which an AI-generated replica of him shills “miracle cures.” No, AI. You don’t do that to Tom Hanks.

Tom Hanks is issuing a warning to his followers on social media to be wary of advertisements using his likeness that he says were created “fraudulently and through AI.”

“There are multiple ads over the internet falsely using my name, likeness, and voice promoting miracle cures and wonder drugs,” Hanks wrote on his Instagram page Thursday. “These ads have been created without my consent, fraudulently and through AI.”

He added that he has “nothing to do with these posts or the products and treatments, or the spokespeople touting these cures.”

Hanks, who has openly talked about living with type 2 diabetes, acknowledged that he only works “with my board certified doctor regarding my treatment.”

“Do not be fooled. Do not be swindled. Do not lose your hard earned money,” he wrote.

Hanks is among many celebrities, including Drake, The Weeknd and Taylor Swift, to name a few, whose name and likeness have been falsely used in AI-generated images, songs, political endorsements or advertisements posted online.

Several state and federal legislators have recently launched or pushed for expanded protections against the misuse of individual identities in the digital era.

The state of Tennessee recently enacted a law aimed at protecting people from unauthorized use of content that mimics their image or voice called The Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act, or ELVIS Act, which went into effect last month.

[From WQOW.com]

This is actually at least the second time I’m aware of that Hanks has had to rebut a medically-related, AI-created ad featuring his likeness. I don’t really understand why the sham medical industry has targeted Hanks to promote their products. Not that there’s anything he can’t play! The man is a thoughtful, empathic actor (and writer too!) who makes it seem effortless. He just doesn’t scream “doctor” to me, particularly. But more importantly, leave him alone, AI! I laughed uproariously this year when George Santos sued Jimmy Kimmel, saying Kimmel “took advantage of Santos’ gregarious personality.” You know what? I dare say that the “gregarious personality” defense is actually applicable here! To all nefarious actors out there, human and software alike: do not take advantage of Mr. Hanks’ amiable nature. He knows how to clap back when he needs to. And well done to Tennessee for not only passing that new law, but for working on the name until they got the acronym ELVIS Act.

Photos credit: Faye’s Vision/Cover Images, UPPA/Starstock/Photoshot Photo, Look Press Agency/Look Press / Avalon

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Adrien Brody Fashion Margot Robbie Maya Thurman-Hawke Rita Wilson Rupert Friend Scarlett Johansson Tom Hanks Wes Anderson

Scarlett Johansson wore Carolina Herrera to the NYC ‘Asteroid City’ premiere

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Here are some photos from the New York premiere of Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City last night. I look forward to all of Wes Anderson’s films, although I rarely see them in the theater. I’ve heard critics say Asteroid City is Anderson’s “best film in the past decade,” which is completely strange because his last four films (The French Dispatch, Isle of Dogs, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Moonrise Kingdom) have been absolute masterpieces. If anything, the critical acclaim Asteroid City got at Cannes makes me question if I’ll enjoy this one.

In any case, the stars of the ensemble film came out for the premiere. Scarlett Johansson (arguably the “star” of this film?) wore Carolina Herrera. Is it just me or has Scarlett’s styling been “off” for years? Like, something is always going wrong – the dress wasn’t properly tailored or her hair is a mess or her makeup sucks. At this premiere, I think the dress was wrong. The flower on the bust makes it look like she has a third boob.

Other stars…Margot Robbie wore Schiaparelli, an okay look which… I mean, it could be better, but at least it’s not another boring Chanel. Maya Hawke wore Prada – I think she’s trying to cultivate a “quirky fashionista” persona and I don’t hate that. We need more quirky fashionistas. I’m also including photos of Hope Davis, Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman (they’re still happening), Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, Rupert Friend in palazzo pants, plus Wes Anderson and Jason Schwartman.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

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Nepotism Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks defends nepo babies: ‘this is a family business’ like plumbing

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Tom Hanks’ new film, A Man Called Otto comes out this Friday. As I mentioned, I loved the book upon which this movie is based and think Hanks will make a good American version of lead character. In the film, there are flashbacks to a younger Otto. Apparently, producers Tom and Rita Wilson thought their son Truman Hanks, who is an actor, would be well cast as the younger Otto, so they hired him for the role. I guess someone cried “nepotism hire!” which, of course, it was, and now Daddy Hanks has entered the Nepo Baby discussion. He said it’s fine for kids to work in the “family business,” because everyone does it.

Tom Hanks has weighed in on the ongoing debate around nepotism in Hollywood, with the A Man Called Otto star taking the stance that his and other families working in entertainment are creative businesses.

The actor was promoting the upcoming film, which sees his son Truman playing a younger version of the Oscar winner’s character, Otto. Hanks’ wife, Rita Wilson, co-wrote and performed an original song for the movie and also produced the film alongside her husband. While speaking to Reuters (via The Sun) in a video interview shared Wednesday, Hanks explained his position on having his four kids — all of whom he says are “very creative” and ” involved in some brand of storytelling” — working in the same, or an adjacent, industry as him.

“Look this is a family business. This is what we’ve been doing forever. It’s what all of our kids grew up in,” he said. “If we were a plumbing supply business or if we ran the florist shop down the street, the whole family would be putting in time at some point, even if it was just inventory at the end of the year.”

Hanks has two children with his first wife — Colin and Elizabeth Hanks — and another two, Chet and Truman, with Wilson. All work in some arm of entertainment to various degrees, whether it be as actors, producers, cinematographers or musicians. Hanks noted that regardless of their last name, for him, it’s ultimately the quality of their work that matters most and speaks the loudest.

“The thing that doesn’t change no matter what happens, no matter what your last name is, is whether it works or not,” he said. “That’s the issue anytime any of us go off and try to tell a fresh story or create something that has a beginning and a middle and an end. Doesn’t matter what our last names are. We have to do the work in order to make that a true and authentic experience for the audience.”

For Hanks, “that’s a much bigger task than worrying about whether anybody’s going to try to scathe us or not.”

[From The Hollywood Reporter via DListed]

Tom should have sat this one out. Especially since he was trying to take such a huge leap with his shoelaces tied together like this. Nepotism is the exact opposite of bringing family in to help out or sacrifice during vital/crunch time to keep the family business afloat. A Man Called Otto wasn’t going to fold if Truman wasn’t cast. Nepo Babies are the ones who benefit from the business, not the other way around. There are family business analogies Tom could have made that would have worked here and he walked right past all of them to pick the one that failed. Plus, nothing proves the Nepo Baby point more than to have Daddy coming to Truman’s defense on his hiring. Good lord, at least let Truman defend himself. And lastly, “The thing that doesn’t change no matter what happens, no matter what your last name is, is whether it works or not,” Tom is going to say this with a straight face knowing he’s defending Chet Hanks along with the rest of his Nepo Offspring?

The funniest part of all this is that Franklin Leonard, for whom I hold a great deal of respect, actual had a decent argument for the casting of Truman in this film. Tom should have retracted his answer and sent Franklin a fruit basket.

When an actor’s child is cast as the younger version of them, it’s arguably not nepotism, if only because the physical similarity is inevitably part of their merit. https://t.co/vDzIQ55pZe

— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) January 5, 2023

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Photo credit: Justin Ng/Avalon, Getty Images and Cover Images

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Books Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks is publishing his first novel next year, inspired by his Hollywood experience

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I wonder if Tom Hanks gets tired of being talented. Tom, who already has a best-selling collection of short stories titled Uncommon Type, is releasing his first book next year. And get this, it’s not a memoir, it’s a novel called The Making of Another Major Motion Picture. As much as I want to be cautious about an actor writing fiction, we know Tom’s a great storyteller and this story sounds amazing. Mainly because he’s following the number one rule in writing: write what you know. The story, in broad terms, is about how a movie is made. It starts with a boy’s love of comic books, goes through all of life’s events and several decades that get to a person who casts and produces a major production superhero film, detailing all the causalities along the way. I want to buy this thing and it hasn’t even been printed yet.

The two-time Oscar winner wrote his first novel, The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece, out May 9, 2023, about the movie business and the making of a “colossal, star-studded, multimillion-dollar superhero action film and the humble comic book that inspired it,” per an official synopsis.

(Tom) Hanks, 66, tells PEOPLE that the plot draws from his personal Hollywood experiences.

“Every character in the book does something I’ve experienced while making a movie, as well as discovered a philosophy or learned an important lesson. Even the foolish moments are some kind of stunt I’ve pulled or mistake I’ve survived,” he says.

The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece spans several decades and showcases American culture has changed since World War II. One portion is set in 1947, about a soldier returning home from war who leaves a lasting impression on his talented 5-year-old nephew. That boy grows up to draw comic books in 1970, making his uncle into one of his characters.


Then, in present day, a director decides to adapt that comic book into a big-budget superhero movie. The book’s characters include an “extremely difficult” male actor and a “wonderful” leading lady actress, plus an “eccentric” director, producer, production assistant and more quirky crew members.

[From People]

The book will also include original comic books written by Tom and illustrated by Robert Sikoryak. Of course it will, because who doesn’t write the off comic book in their spare time? I love the idea of this story for two reasons. The first is because it’s Tom’s love letter to filmmaking. Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Bill Evans and many others did projects attempting to explain why filmmaking and storytelling are so deeply important to them. I think people forget that films are a passion for those making them because the politics and the underbelly of the film industry taint so much of our impression. The second reason I appreciate this angle is because Tom is using a comic book to superhero model. The spectacle of Marvel and DC have overshadowed how old some of those origin stories were. Anyway, I’m sure this will be a wonderful book and a huge success. And, as always, it couldn’t happen to a nicer guy.

Small side-step but I watched the Baz Luhrmann Elvis movie finally. I’m a Luhrmann fan, first off, and most people I know didn’t like the film, so I went in with low expectations. However, I enjoyed it. I never stopped seeing Tom in Col. Parker, though. Everyone else I saw their character, but I always felt I was looking at Tom Hanks with a weird accent and The Penguin’s nose. Although he still got me to hate him and it’s hard to hate Tom, so he did his job. I really don’t have enough superlatives for Austin Butler, though. He completely became his character, even changed the way he moved as Elvis aged. And he and Tom together were great.

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Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks: ‘Violence is glamorous & gorgeous. But it’s cynical, and I’m not a cynic’

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If you have twenty minutes, I would absolutely suggest reading Tom Hanks’s wonderful interview in the New York Times. The NYT published it several days ago and it is a long-read full of delightful stories about Hanks’s films, his career choices, American nostalgia, nostalgia for old Hollywood and tons more. Some of Tom’s quotes are making the rounds and I just thought the piece deserved to be covered. Hanks is currently promoting Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, where Tom plays Col. Tom Parker, Elvis’s longtime manager/Svengali. Some highlights:

On his nostalgia for mid-20th century America, but not the politics of that era. “That’s such a loathsome argument: “Back in my day.” Those days were [expletive] up! “Oh, the ’50s were this carefree time.” Excuse me, no, they were not. How come things aren’t the way they were? You mean when you were comfortable? Institutions were gaming the system in order to maintain the status quo! That has always been the case except for when some redefinition of our institutions comes along out of a public outcry because the status quo isn’t fair.”

He’s fascinated by the incremental changes: “I don’t know if I’m answering your question but “There’s Hanks, he’s got a nostalgia for the way America used to be”: No. I have a fascination with the progress that America has made in all these incremental moments. That is an American sense of what is right and what is wrong. What I don’t do, if I can continue on, I’m not cynical. Cynicism is a default position in an awful lot of entertainment. How many knockoff versions of “Chinatown” have you seen? Eight million. The conflict of cynicism is glamorous, gorgeous. Violence is glamorous and gorgeous. But it’s cynical, and I’m not a cynic.

Whether his Dan Brown movies were cynical: “Oh, God, that was a commercial enterprise. Yeah, those Robert Langdon sequels are hooey. “The Da Vinci Code” was hooey. I mean, Dan Brown, God bless him, says, Here is a sculpture in a place in Paris! No, it’s way over there. See how a cross is formed on a map? Well, it’s sort of a cross. Those are delightful scavenger hunts that are about as accurate to history as the James Bond movies are to espionage. But they’re as cynical as a crossword puzzle. All we were doing is promising a diversion. There’s nothing wrong with good commerce, provided it is good commerce. By the time we made the third one, we proved that it wasn’t such good commerce. Let me tell you something else about “The Da Vinci Code.” It was my 40th-something birthday. We were shooting in the Louvre at night. I changed my pants in front of the Mona Lisa! They brought me a birthday cake in the Grand Salon! Who gets to have that experience? Any cynicism there? Hell no!

Whether his sense of American exceptionalism has been shaken in recent years: “Look, there’s plenty of reason to be demoralized. Goodness is not a constant, and the good fight is not always fought, but there is a strength and a resiliency and an eventuality to vox populi. There are events that shake up those Americans who still believe there is a right way to do things. It’s the Peter Finch moment: I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore. Now, a certain administration came down the pike, and the people who were screaming seemed to rule the day. Why? Because the people who cared about what’s right didn’t show up. Well, something egregious enough comes along, and guess what? People will show up. But their cages have to be rattled. We might be experiencing that right now. The problem, of course, is that technology has shifted so that truth has no currency. That is only going to be altered when enough people say, “[Expletive] that, I’m not going to pay any attention to social media ever again.”

[From The NYT]

I haven’t seen the other Dan Brown adaptations, but I saw The Da Vinci Code and I genuinely enjoyed it. It’s just… a modern adventure story. That’s all. There’s suspense and history and it’s fun. That movie is perfectly enjoyable. But yeah, maybe the sequels were unnecessary, although I get why they were made. The Da Vinci Code made $760 million at the box office. Of course they made sequels.

As for what he says about cynicism, American exceptionalism and the good fight… I appreciate that he acknowledges that people are demoralized. But no, I don’t have faith that enough “good people” will come together when something egregious happens. I just don’t. Is that cynical? Or just realistic?

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.