“God, this is ridiculous!” exclaimed a harried-looking woman outside the Beacon Theater on Friday, frustrated with the brouhaha on Manhattan’s typically staid Upper West Side. Long lines stretched in both directions from the theater’s entrance, wrapping around either side of the building. Unlucky but still hopeful fans took advantage of the slow-moving procession to politely request extra tickets, and one savvy businessman set up shop selling buttons that read, “I know we elected an asshole.” “They sell themselves,” the merchant proclaimed proudly, to no one in particular.
The cause of all the commotion? Bruce Springsteen, who was sitting for a Q&A session with Tom Hanks as part of the Tribeca Film Festival. Devotees of the musician turned out in droves, dressed somewhere on the spectrum between cut-work-early-on-Friday and E-Street-band-roadie, selling out the theater and filling it with long, deep chants of “Bruuuuuuce.” In between questions, Hanks whipped the audience into a frenzy by offering up the first half of a line from a classic Springsteen songs; fans responded by lustily yelling the second part. [Read More]
News: Bruce Springsteen, Tom Hanks’ Tribeca Film Fest Talk
Written by on April 30
News: Tom Hanks turns fanboy in breezy chat with Bruce Springsteen
Written by on April 30
Bruce Springsteen and Tom Hanks paid tribute Friday night to the late director Jonathan Demme, the man who brought them together on his film “Philadelphia,” which won each of them Oscars.
“God bless Jonathan Demme, we just lost him,” Hanks told the crowd attending an event that was part of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Storyteller series. Demme, the Oscar-winning director of “Silence of the Lambs,” died of cancer on Wednesday. Springsteen, who won an Oscar for best original song for “Streets of Philadelphia,” called Demme “inspirational.”
Hanks, who won the best actor Academy Award for the 1993 film, played the role of fan during the hour-long session and questioned Springsteen about his life and early career. The actor also frequently engaged the crowd to finish the words to Springsteen hits such as “Rosalita” and “Growin’ Up.”
Springsteen entered to the loud deep chant of “Bruuuuuce,” so common at the music star’s concerts. “Man, I can’t believe they’re booing you Bruce,” Hanks joked. [Read More]
News: Tom Hanks, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin to Host ACLU Facebook Live Telethon
Written by on March 23
Tom Hanks, Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Amy Poehler and a slew of celebrities will be lending their star power to a modern-day telethon benefiting the American Civil Liberties Union.
Streaming via Facebook Live on Friday, March 31, at 7 p.m. ET, Stand for Rights: A Benefit for the ACLU is gathering celebrities in what is being billed as a “historic event marking the first time in history people have something productive to do on Facebook on a Friday night.” The streaming telethon will feature appearances by Tracy Morgan, Jon Hamm, Padma Lakshmi, Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski, Uzo Aduba, Josh Charles, Zosia Mamet, Ike Barinholtz and more.
“In these tumultuous times, we need our favorite actors, musicians, and comedians to do what they do best. Speak earnestly about politics? No! Entertain you for a great cause? Yes!” read the statement from the event organizers on Tuesday. “Because when the Titanic sank, the band kept playing! Except in this case, the band will be raising money for something that can fix the boat. And Leonardo DiCaprio won’t have to die.”
“Our work in the courts is essential right now to hold off the worst of the abuses,” said ACLU executive director Anthony D. Romero in a statement. “But it is also the collective will and tireless actions of ‘we the people’ that serve as a bulwark against unconstitutional and wrong-headed policies and executive orders. By supporting our work through this telethon, we can fight even harder to defend the rights guaranteed by our Constitution.” [Source]
News: Tom Hanks Join the Tribeca Film Festival Lineup
Written by on March 23
Bruce Springsteen and Tom Hanks are taking their friendship to the stage.
They will speak at 5 p.m. on April 28 at the Beacon Theater as part of the Tribeca Talks series at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, which runs April 19-30.
Although these longtime friends are megastars, the focus of this event will be Mr. Springsteen: his 40-plus years as a leading musical voice of working-class America, and what his ambitions are for the future.
Tickets go on sale on March 21 through Ticketmaster at tribecafilm.com.
Tickets for other Tribeca Talks events go on sale on March 28. Other participants include Jon Favreau in conversation with Scarlett Johansson, Noah Baumbach with Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand in conversation with Robert Rodriguez, and the director Alejandro G. Iñárritu. The full lineup and tickets are at tribecafilm.com.
News: Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep to Star in Steven Spielberg’s “The Post”
Written by on March 07
Tom Hanks and Meryl Streep are teaming with Steven Spielberg on the Pentagon Papers drama The Post.
The feature will focus on The Washington Post’s role in publishing the infamous study about America’s role in the Vietnam War, centering on the work of Post editor Ben Bradlee (Hanks) and publisher Kay Graham (Streep).
Spielberg will direct from a spec script by Liz Hannah, which was initially picked up by Amy Pascal to produce through her Pascal Pictures banner.
Pascal and Spielberg will produce, along with Kristie Macosko Krieger. Fox and Amblin Entertainment will co-finance the feature, with Fox handling domestic distribution and Amblin taking on international duties.
Streep and Spielberg previously worked together on A.I., while Hanks and the director have collaborated on a number of projects including Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal and, most recently, Bridge of Spies. The Post marks the first time that Streep and Hanks will share the big screen.
The trio, who boast a collective nine Oscar wins, will add The Post to their already packed schedules. [Source]