Filmmaker Tom Hanks appreciates history and the guiding principles that make our country great. His work reflects his desire to see our nation live up to its highest ideals. Whether it is through telling the story of John Adams, World War II, Afghanistan, or small-town America in "That Thing You Do," Hanks has a way of telling it like it is, and the way it should be.
You might not know it, but Tom Hanks is a fourth cousin, four generations removed, of former President Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States.
Take a few minutes to watch Tom Hanks endorsement of Barack Obama on YouTube. The humble, homemade video is less than three minutes long, but it is powerful and forward looking.
I'm not big on celebrity endorsements, but Tom Hanks' perspective is important. If I can find a few minutes later on tonight, I will transcribe the video for you.
And by the way, if you haven't seen the HBO series John Adams, find a way to watch it. The documentary brings David McCullough's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography to life with incredible performances by Paul Giamatti and Laura Linney as John and Abigail Adams.
Lisa Gensheimer is a documentary producer and writer whose work has appeared on television stations nationwide. She can be reached at www.Mainstreetmedia.tv
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Comments: 48 ( 1 removed by Lisa Gensheimer )
I'm not much on celeb endorsement either, but I have great respect for Tom Hamks. I am so excited, I can hardly wait for the swearing in ceremony.
Good to know, Lisa. Thank you.
Your article is Featured in the Triple Name Club.
I'll watch the video but I really don't give a care what any celebrity says.
Thanks for the info, Lisa.
Remember Bruce Spriingstein heavily endorsed Kerry and huge crowds came to see him but on election day voted bush.
Hanks said in the statement that Obama had won his vote because "of his character and vision, and the high road he has taken during this campaign."
"He has the integrity and the inspiration to unify us, as did FDR (Franklin Delano Roosevelt) and Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy and even Ronald Reagan when they ran for the job," Hanks said.
Hanks, 51, said regardless of who won, the Democratic nominating contest would be historic "with a capital 'H.'"
"I want Barack Obama to be president of this country, a country that once said people with his skin color were only three-fifths of a human being," Hanks said.
It's on Tom's MySpace page. lol
Not just another celebrity jumping on the wagon. That video was pretty powerful too.
But it does say something about the candidate when individuals, respected in their own fields of endevor, get behind their campaign.
On the other hand, I got a very troubling email the other day, that accused Obama of being a fake. Maybe if we just stopped listening/watching when the media just wants to keep stirring the s**t...
For the record, I like Tom Hanks too.
Oh, and having a family lineage that traces back to Abraham Lincoln can't hurt either - not that I have any particular bias for that :)
I look at a candidate's background, what they are saying during a campaign and then decide whom I'm going to vote for. I'm happy when I see an entertainer, whose work I've enjoyed, agree with me.*:-)
'All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players...'
"Look, I'll be in the back," the 52-year-old Oscar winner said backstage Tuesday night at a benefit for the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. "I'll sit on the Lincoln steps and just watch it from the distance on a Jumbotron. I've never been to anything like that, and _ finally _ a guy I voted for won. That hasn't happened most of my life."
However, Tom Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson, had a different viewing spot in mind for Jan. 20.
"I think we're going to get a kayak and go into the National Mall waters," she joked.
(DERRIK J. LANG for the Associated Press)
It will be incredible to have a President who has a deep understanding and respect for history.