Tom Hanks is your dad. Tom Hanks is your president. Tom Hanks is your king. According to a poll conducted by Reader’s Digest and The Wagner Group, Tom Hanks is the most trusted person in America.

What’s unclear is why people trust Tom Hanks. I mean, I guess he doesn’t seem particularly untrustworthy, but it’s just that he’s not poison testing my food or reporting the news or really performing any societal function in which my level of trust in him would be important. Granted, the sample group is only 1,000 people so it’s hardly scientific. Reader’s Digest proclaims the poll’s results to be “revealing, hopeful and sometimes shocking,” they are none of the three.

Here are the top ten:

1. Tom Hanks
2. Sandra Bullock
3. Denzel Washington
4. Meryl Streep
5. Maya Angelou
6. Steven Spielberg
7. Bill Gates
8. Alex Trebek
9. Melinda Gates
10. Julia Roberts

It’s not until number 12 that a journalist comes up (Robin Roberts) and the first politician (sort of) on the list is Michelle Obama. You can see the full list of 100 here.

There is no doubt: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson continue to defy Hollywood tradition.

In these days of months-long marriages, their great love story continues to stand the test of time, as today marks a quarter century since Hanks and Wilson said “I do” back in April 30, 1988.

The pair first met on set of Hank’s short-lived cult sitcom Bosom Buddies in 1981, when Wilson guest starred as his costar Peter Scolari’s girlfriend. While Wilson immediately sparked something inside Hanks, it wasn’t until sharing the screen in the 1985 Peace Corps comedy Volunteers that a bond blossomed, even though he was still married — albeit unhappily — to his college sweetheart, actress Samantha Lewes.

But after Hanks and Lewes divorced in 1987, Hanks and Wilson fell into each other’s arms and their fairytale romance begin, flourishing into a marriage in just a year’s time.

Now 25 years have passed, and Hanks and Wilson still soar beyond Hollywood stereotype. While they aren’t the only pair to have beaten the marriage odds — Meryl Streep and Don Gummer, Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne and others are still going strong after several decades — there is just that je ne sais quoi in Hanks and Wilson’s blissful happily ever after.

So what better way to honor their silver anniversary than in their own words about their marriage? After all, Hanks always leaves hopeless romantics everywhere reaching for the Klenex with his heartfelt acceptances speeches about his wife.

Scroll through the gallery above for the he said, she said of Hanks and Wilson’s blessed union. Then share your warm and fuzzy feelings — trust, these quotes will leave you feeling dreamy — in the comments, below.

Steve Martin always thought that if an NSYNC member would make the club, it would be Joey Fatone.

That’s what the Saturday Night Live alum declared during this week’s opening monologue, as a bevy of past hosts and players greeted Justin Timberlake into his fifth appearance on the NBC show.

But beyond the fancy smoking jacket, things haven’t worked out that well for all SNL graduates. Dan Ackroyd is now a bartender (order the Kristen Wiig), Chevy Chase orders Rolls Royces on the phone (and bills them to Martin), and Alec Baldwin and Tom Hanks are into man fights these days (think of the scene where Jamie Foxx and Leonardo DiCaprio meet for the first time in Django Unchained).

Fellow member Candice Bergen also makes an appearance in the monologue: she wants the toilet seat up.

Timberlake’s fifth SNL stint (his third as both host and musical guest) was packed with other oldies but goodies, courtesy of Andy Samberg, the “Vegan Shake” and Martin and Ackroyd’s classic Festrunk Brothers.

In a matchmaker skit hosted by Bill Hader, a bachelorette (Vanessa Bayer) looks for love from potential suitors she can’t see. Timberlake and Samberg reprise their roles as the sideburn, “mother-loving,” “D**k in a Box” duo, competing against a single Bobby Moynihan and a nostalgia-heavy appearance by the Festrunk Brothers from Czechoslovakia.

Another JT oldie came by way of a new joint in town, Vegan Ville. Timberlake competes (and wins, by a landslide) against Moynihan’s meat establishment with some help from a tofu costume and sick beats.

Following an assortment of close-ups, the tofu starts off the “Vegan Shake.” Please let this gem be the final “Harlem Shake” tribute.

JT’s evening came with mostly hits, including solid musical performances of “Suit & Tie” and a shortened version of “Mirrors.” His upcoming tour mate also dropped by. During the second verse, Timberlake slightly changed the lyrics to, “My hit’s so sick got rappers acting dramatic,” a sentence many believe is a jab at Kanye West (who dissed the track at a London concert back in February).

Hader’s Stefon finally returned to “Weekend Update With Seth Meyers” to suggest good clubs for spring break, JT put on his Elton John face and delivered a “Candle In The Wind” inspired tribute for Hugo Chavez in the cold opening and the Three Amigos made a blink-and-you’ll-miss appearance when they introduced Timberlake’s second musical performance.

Melissa McCarthy will host SNL on Apr. 6, with musical guest Phoenix.

What did you think of SNL this week? Check out highlights in the video clips above, then watch Justin Timberlake’s spoof movie trailer with Nasim Pedrad below. 

Major spoiler alert?

Justin Timberlake’s highly anticipated Saturday Night Live episode is only hours away, but it looks like the show might be getting ready for an even bigger appearance by some familiar faces.

On Friday, Steve Martin posted a Twitter photo of himself posing with SNL hosts and players of the past, along with the caption, “Where are they now? Why, right here.”

Martin, a member of the prestigious “Five-Timers Club” — celebrities that have either hosted or served as musical guest at least five times — was joined by fellow club members Chevy Chase, Tom Hanks and SNL alums Martin Short, Dan Ackroyd and the big boss Lorne Michaels.

Meanwhile, Timberlake, 31, has been busy all week rehearsing for his fifth time on the NBC show.

“30 Rock. 11 pm. Bringing’ it down to Standbyville. I love it! You guys are the best!” he wrote on Twitter Friday night, along with an Instagram photo of fans waiting for standby tickets in the chilly New York weather.

Timberlake’s SNL gig comes just over one week before the release of his third studio album The 20/20 Experience.

The multitalented “Mirrors” singer is scheduled take over Late Night With Jimmy Fallon from Mar. 11-15, serving as a featured guest alongside Jimmy Fallon. History of Rap Part 4, anyone?

Are you excited for Justin Timberlake’s Saturday Night Live appearance tonight? Do you think the “Five-Timers Club” will drop by? Weigh in below.

Everyone love’s a good Christmas movie — the snow, the elves, the heart-warming miracle that results in holiday cheer. But one thing’s for certain: You can’t have any of that without old Saint Nick.

Now, being that Santa’s such a busy guy— running the world’s largest toy workshop is a full-time job and traveling the world in one night is no easy feat— he couldn’t possibly have the time to devote to shooting a movie.

Thankfully, these stars have stepped in.

Donning the traditional — and in some cases un-traditional — snow-white beard and royal red garb, many celebrities have embraced the holiday spirit and given their best performance as Mr. Claus.

From conventional Santas to animated ones, and from Santas that steal, to those that happen upon Santahood without any warning, no rendition goes unappreciated.

So as Christmas comes sledding in, curl up by the fire, throw back some sugar cookies and pop in one of these holiday classics.

Which celebrity do you think wears the big belly best? Sound off in the comments below.

Check out the gallery to see which stars have taken in a walk in Santa’s big black boots.

Occasionally, the revolving door of Hollywood relationships stops long enough to pair up two people who were genuinely meant to be together.

Whether it’s the global good works of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, or the musical chemistry of Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, the strongest celebrity couples always seem like a natural fit.

As the year’s coming to an end, Celebuzz is taking a look at Hollywood couples like Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck who have stayed together for another year, continuing to grow their relationship and their family.

“I have a very, very different life than I used to have and I much prefer the life that I have now,” Affleck told us about his marriage in October. “I have a much more rewarding home life than I’ve ever had. And my wife is just a spectacular woman.”

Long-lasting celebrity couples may not grab the headlines like shocking break-ups, but they remain an inspiration to those who do not believe Hollywood is capable of producing such unions.

What favorite Hollywood pairings have gone the distance?

Launch the gallery above to see the strongest celebrity relationships.

This weekend, the directors of The Matrix trilogy returned to science fiction with their most ambitious epic yet – Cloud Atlas.

Andy and Lana Wachowski teamed up with Run Lola Run’s Tom Tykwer to adapt and co-direct the adaptation of David Mitchell’s 2004 novel, which centers on the interconnected lives of several people across key time periods.

Oscar-winners Tom Hanks and Halle Berry top-line an impressive ensemble cast, each playing multiple roles as Cloud Atlas uses a dense narrative tapestry to explore how individual actions can ripple effect throughout past, present and future.

Independently financed for $100 million and clocking in at almost 3 hours, the R-rated film marks a significant turning point in independent filmmaking – especially in the growing climate of “risk-averse” studio productions.

So does Cloud Atlas deliver?

Yes and no, depending on the critic. By most accounts, however, if the film succeeds at anything, it’s that it gives audiences something they have never seen before.

Read on for a sampling of what the critics are saying:

Celebuzz’s Todd Gilchrist: “A stunner of an opus that isn’t just admirable but thought-provoking and moving, Cloud Atlas is the Wachowskis’ most personal film to date…”

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: “Even as I was watching “Cloud Atlas” the first time, I knew I would need to see it again. Now that I’ve seen it the second time, I know I’d like to see it a third… Surely this is one of the most ambitious films ever made.”

The Guardian: “Tykwer and the Wachowskis’ other twist on this karmic hokum – to cast each of their actors in multiple roles across the stories, regardless of age or race – is less successful.”

The Hollywood Reporter: “Not quite soaring into the heavens, but not exactly crash-landing either, Cloud Atlas is an impressively mounted, emotionally stilted adaptation of British author David Mitchell’s bestselling novel.”

The Playlist: “Too long by at least a half hour, and both dull and repetitive as it goes on, Cloud Atlas reaches for envelope-pushing storytelling but never delivers on its promise.”

Entertainment Weekly: “Cloud Atlas is certainly out to be a ”visionary” mindbender, but the film’s secret is that it’s a nimbly entertaining and light-on-its-feet Hollywood contraption, with the actors cast in multiple roles as if playing a game of dress-up.”

The Telegraph: “Cloud Atlasis going to be far and away the most divisive film of 2012, but I don’t think it’s possible to fault it for shortage of chutzpah… In the hands of the Wachowskis and Tom Tykwer there was a danger of it mutating into a monstrous ballooning folly. So even more amazing is that it strays frequently in that direction but never quite bursts.”

Variety: “As inventive narratives go, there’s outside the box, and then there’s pioneering another dimension entirely, and this massive, independently financed collaboration among Tom Tykwer and Wachowski siblings Lana and Andy courageously attempts the latter.”

Watch the trailer for Cloud Atlas below. The film opens nationwide October 26.

Jim Sturgess began his career in a big way with roles in Across the Universe and 21, films that earned him both critical accolades and commercial success. It’s hard to say which of the two he’ll earn – if not both – from the new movie Cloud Atlas, but the actor says he found some of the biggest challenges of his career when he agreed to star in Matrix filmmakers Lana and Andy Wachowski’s adaptation of the acclaimed novel by David Mitchell.

“I didn’t understand what it was all about or why they would want me to play an Asian man,” Sturgess tells Celebuzz. “It baffled me totally.”

The actor spoke to Celebuzz at the film’s Los Angeles press day, where he explained how he got inside not one but seven different characters for the film. Additionally, he revealed how he came to terms with the potential controversy that might erupt from playing Asian characters as a Caucasian actor, and reflected on how his career has evolved into a series of increasingly interesting and eclectic opportunities.

Celebuzz: What was your initial perception was of this project, and what particular character did you need to key in on first before you could build the other ones around it?

Jim Sturgess: I was only told I was going to play Adam Ewing and Chang. I didn’t understand what it was all about or why they would want me to play an Asian man — it baffled me totally. So I think instantly I was kind of more connected to Adam Ewing because I sort of understood it a lot more when I read the script. I was like, “I could see why I’d do this, maybe, or why they might think of me for this. But this? This is crazy.” So I really wanted to make sure I understood why I was doing that and what the reasons were behind it. So I met with Andy and Lana in London and we sort of talked about that. And they made me understand the ideas that they had about the project and the ambitious kind of goal that they were going for. And my jaw slowly kind of started dropping to the floor. I was like, are you serious? Oh, my God.

In your mind, you’re like, “This could be really, really exciting.” And once I understood that, it was okay for me to play an Asian man because everybody was going to be switching genders, and age, and race and that it was necessary for whoever played Adam Ewing, for that soul to develop into Hae-Joo Chang and the whole idea of all these souls. But I just knew from the offset it was going to be a once in a lifetime [experience] — there was just no way I wouldn’t want to be a part of it.

CB: Was playing Asian characters something that you were specifically concerned about when you went into do this? Not even in terms of the challenge of being able to do it yourself, but just the perception or the reception that the movie might get?

JS: Yeah, I was probably more concerned about the reception it would get than I was about whether I was capable of doing it, in a way. I just wanted to make sure it was okay for me to do that and to change race like that. And I knew from the off of course it was going to be controversial for some people and a bitter pill for some people to maybe swallow. But I understood it for myself and I felt I understood why I would do that. And I felt comfortable that everyone else was doing it around me. And it was coming at all angles, at all sides — just the playfulness about it kind of quashed any stress. But I feel it’s also necessary to tell a much bigger idea. And that bigger idea is actually a very beautiful idea, you know? So I think it’s okay.

CB: What was the throughline that you created or you discussed with Tom and the Wachowskis that you felt like unified the characters that you played, since the recurring theme in the movie is about or the core idea is about how the soul sort of passes through time and manifests itself in different people?

JS: I felt really connected to the soul idea. Adam Ewing and Chang really were telling the same story to me. It was just a fight against oppression and a fight for equality and love, and sacrifice and human kindness. So maybe they’re kind of things that kind of just sat so deeply with both of them. One was unconscious and one was totally conscious. One was just kind of weak, dying, but an innately kind and a good man [who made] that simple act of kindness, unconscious to what affect it would have in the future, but just knows kind of right from wrong, at a time when it’s very easy to follow the pattern of this ladder of civilization. I can understand people in those times were totally caught up in that mentality. It’s amazing to see that he then falls in love with the same girl, the same actress that he was once married to that he’s been yearning to see for all this time. And then when he sees Sonmi-451, I just thought it was brilliant — maybe like being in love in another time.

And then Hae-Joo Chang suddenly takes all those ideas of abolishing slavery, which just evolved. The problem still existed; it had just evolved with time, like everything. Then he becomes this very capable military kind of science officer of a Union rebellion. I love the idea that it had grown out of Adam Ewing somehow. In some way, some ripple effect had brought us to this guy.

CB: The fact that the Wachowskis are doing interviews was such a surprise to most people because they have been so private, but it’s also a testament seemingly to how personal this movie is to them. Was this something that you could tell was very personal for them? Or was the machinery of it so large that you and they were both still focused on, well, today I got to be this guy and tomorrow I got to be that guy?

JS: Lana has brought me close to tears just from talking to me about the film and why it’s important to her. And when you hear her talk about the film and the ideas within the film your hairs just [stand up]. It’s just like, wow. And we really got that when we had the table read-through — Lana and Andy and Tom had basically artwork all across the walls of the room, and they basically gave us a show and tell of all the ideas behind all the stories and just this giant kind of philosophical explanation of what it was we were trying to achieve. Then they played us some of Tom’s music and I was in pieces. And I just thought, wow, we’re really going to try and make this film. And then you look around, it’s like there’s Tom Hanks and Jim Broadbent, and you’re like, “Wow, we’re really going to do this.” This is about as cool as it gets.

CB: How much did you look at each character as having his or her own story that you had a beginning, middle and end, and how much was there a larger arc that you looked at?

JS: For us as actors, I think it was just important to focus on your stories and the greater story will reveal itself just by the pure nature of putting it all together. Tom Hanks was the first one that said it. He was like, “Jim, man, just pull your f*cking pages out and put them together and have them as individual short stories,” because once you put all the stories together, they read as just short stories. They’re totally linear – you could pull the scenes on a DVD and stick them together and you would get the Sonmi story as it happened rather than it sort of floating in and out. So once I did that I was like okay, so these are just short stories I have to kind of focus on. The rest will work itself out to tell the greater story.

CB: How careful are you having to be to have to find opportunities like this? It seems like you’re at a point in your career where you could probably prettily easily find things that were more conventional or more commercial.

JS: The first sort of three films I did chose me — I had no choice. I was amazed that I had even been asked, that I even got the part in Across the Universe. And then I did a film called The Other Boleyn Girl, and then I did a film called 21. They were pretty quick, like one, two, three, kind of back to back. I was like, wow, this is crazy. Then I realized I had a decision to make where I could start making choices about films that I was interested in. Not that I wasn’t interested in those films, but you suddenly got given a choice. People wanted you to be in films a bit more. So I made a kind of conscious decision to not go down a certain path. And I made a lot of independent films that I know nobody’s ever really seen. And you get kind of disappointed I suppose at times. You’re very proud of the work that you did and some of the films I thought came out great but nobody ever say them, you know?

The Way Back was one of those. Fifty Dead Men Walking was another film I’d done. A film called Heartless. It was the sort of work that I knew most people really hadn’t sort of seen. But it’s kind of like the ideas within this film — that whatever you do has a ripple effect and something comes out of it. Because Andy and Lana and Tom, they’re movie buffs. They see everything. And so they’d seen some stuff in The Way Back and Fifty Dead Men Walking, which is a film that nobody really saw, that made them believe that I could do this part. So it was because of those films that I think I was asked to be involved. So it all comes out good in the end.

Cloud Atlas opens nationwide October 26. Watch co-star Jim Broadbent talk below about tackling some of the same challenges Sturgess faced on the film.

Maybe Cloud Atlas star Tom Hanks needs a cloud thesaurus. Poor word choice led the actor usually considered Hollywood’s Nicest Guy to drop an f-bomb on a live family-friendly TV chat show Friday morning.

During an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America, the Oscar-winning actor let loose a profane gaffe when asked to speak in an accent from one of his characters in the forthcoming Cloud Atlas.

“Most of it is swear words,” he had explained prior to the incident. Then the actor went into the accent, saying, ”I want people to buy me a f***ing …” and stopped himself immediately, covering his mouth with his hands.

Anchor Elizabeth Vargas was also shocked, covering her mouth and apologizing to the audience, “We are so sorry … at Good Morning America.”

Despite immediate apologies from Hanks and Vargas, the Parents Television Council (PTC) is calling the morning show out for allowing the swear to go through on the broadcast unedited.

“Man oh man. I’m sorry. I slipped into a brand of acting,” Hanks, 56, apologized. ”I have never done that before. I want to apologize to the kids in America that are watching this right now, and let me say next time on the show there will be a seven-second delay.”

Hanks, 56, went on to joke that he should never be given a hand held mike. “I blame the staff,” he laughed. “I blame the staff.”

PTC Director of Public Policy Dan Isett wasted no time in expressing his displeasure with Good Morning America. “Once again, a morning news show has allowed the harshest profanity to be broadcast into every living room and breakfast table in the country,” he said in a statement.

“This is just another in a long, sad string of similar instances where all of the major network morning shows have permitted this inappropriate and offensive content,” the statement continued. “These cannot and must not be dismissed as ‘mistakes,’ and it’s time for the networks to step up, take responsibility for what they broadcast, and ensure that this never happens again.”

Cloud Atlas is out in theaters on Friday, Oct. 26.

Watch the uncensored, NSFW video of Hanks’ gaffe, above. Do the actor and the newscast deserve censure for the brief profanity? Tell us in the comments, below.

Community and Whitney fans will have to wait to see the premieres of their shows as NBC has announced both comedies will be put on hold indefinitely. The network’s statement regarding the decision explained, “Given the success we’ve had for the past four weeks – including winning the first week of the season in A18-49 – we’ve decided to continue to concentrate our promotional strength on our new NBC shows that are scheduled Monday through Wednesday and have therefore decided to hold Community and Whitney from their previously announced premieres of October 19th.”

The statement continued, “Without having to launch these comedies on Friday at this time, we can keep our promotion focused on earlier in the week — plus we will have both comedies in our back pocket if we need to make any schedule changes on those nights. When we have a better idea of viewing patterns in the next few weeks, we will announce new season premieres of Whitney and Community.” [Vulture]

There’s a fourth Toy Story movie on the way…

Get excited Toy Story fans! Buzz Lightyear and Woody are coming to the small screen in their own TV movie. The special, Toy Story of Terror, will air around Halloween 2013. It’s unknown where it’ll air but Disney Channel and ABC would be likely. Star Tom Hanks, who voices Woody, had said in interview last year that there were plans for a fourth film, “I think there will be (another film)… Yeah (I) think they’re working on it now.” [Hollywood.com]

The Big Bang Theory’s Kaley Cuoco is returning as host of the People’s Choice Awards. The show, which will air on CBS on January 9, 2013, will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. Voting for the People’s Choice Awards begins Oct. 23. [Deadline]

Ever regret getting that tattoo? Well, you’re not alone. Jersey Shore executive producer SallyAnn Salsano and her production company, 495 Productions, are fixing tattoo regrets on a new Spike TV series, Tattoo Nightmares. It debuts on Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 11 PM. [Spike TV]

Emmy award winner Louis C.K. is taking a break. It was reported this morning that the actor, writer, director and editor of Louie has been granted his request of an extended hiatus before filming the fourth season of his critically acclaimed show. The hiatus will give the funnyman time to focus on writing the show. Season 4, originally set to air in summer of 2013, will now be seen in spring of 2014. The comedian will continue his stand-up tour. [THR]

No need to waste time wondering which movies are worth seeing in October – Celebuzz has put together a preview that takes only a minute to watch.

Featuring some of the season’s hottest stars, including Tom Hanks, Matthew McConaughey, Tyler Perry and more, the video counts down the Top 5 films to see in the next month.

Lana and Andy Wachowski’s Cloud Atlas leads the pack, an operatic adventure that takes audiences on an incredible journey as an ensemble of characters are reborn and transformed through time and space. (Read our review here.)

What else is there to watch during the month of October?

Matthew McConaughey continues his remarkable hot streak as the co-star of Lee Daniels’ The Paperboy, which also features performances by Nicole Kidman and Zac Efron.

And Tyler Perry takes off Madea’s wig and housedress to play the title character in Alex Cross, about an FBI profiler on the hunt for a serial killer played by former Lost star Matthew Fox.

Watch Celebuzz’s Top 5 movies in October in the video above for more details about these and other upcoming films.

Cloud Atlas feels like the movie that Lana and Andy Wachowski were born (or perhaps reborn) to make. Few commercial filmmakers ask questions as big as they repeatedly do, but their intellectual tenacity (much less ability to communicate them with such visceral intensity) is virtually unparalleled, even if the end result is sometimes as imperfect as it is ambitious.

A stunner of an opus that isn’t just admirable but thought-provoking and moving, Cloud Atlas is the Wachowskis’ most personal film to date, a hugely successful examination of identity only occasionally undermined by the duo’s historic predisposition to discuss their ideas rather than explore them visually.

An ensemble cast led by Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Jim Sturgess and Jim Broadbent, the film follows a variety of characters at different points in their “karmic timeline” (my phrase, not the Wachowskis’) as they make decisions that not only affect those around them but reverberate through the rest of their incarnations.

How effective are Hanks and Berry as their past, present and future selves?

In one scenario, for example, Hanks plays a doctor in 1850 caring for his sick colleague (Sturgess) as they make a dangerous journey across the sea; in another, he’s a scientist in the American 1970s who finds himself strangely drawn to a journalist (Berry) investigating his company’s shady business practices; and in a third he’s a tribesman in a retro-futuristic landscape who partners with a member of a technologically-advanced civilization (Berry again) to recover information about the great man-made disaster that led to the planet’s devastation.

Broadbent plays a greedy composer in one time period and a feckless publisher in another; other than his turn as an ailing doctor, Sturgess plays a Korean soldier who rescues a genetically-engineered “fabricant” (Doona Bae) from extermination after she begins to express humanlike feelings; and Hugo Weaving plays a Nurse Ratched-like nursing home adminstrator, a hired gun for a corporation trying to cover its tracks, and a futuristic executioner.

It remains to be seen how effectively audiences think that the filmmakers transformed their actors into so many different characters, but suffice it to say that the question of identity looms large over all of the stories. What makes us who we are — how we look? Where (and when) we are? What we do? Lana Wachowski’s own journey of self-discovery feels like a palpable influence over every frame of the film, and she and Andy successfully merged that with the tapestry of novelist David Mitchell’s source material to create something that’s at once sweeping and incredibly personal.

It’s hard to say whether the star wattage of actors like Tom Hanks and Halle Berry reinforces or undermines the film’s themes — as good actors as they are, they’re always themselves, so their physical transformations never disguise the fact that, well, they’re them. But the repetition (if not consistency) of their appearances is pointed, and it speaks to the idea that choices we make in one life have repercussions in others — whether they’re rewards, punishments, fulfillments or yearnings.

That said, not all of the characters have a consistent sort of identity throughout the various time periods, and while it legitimizes the idea of free will and choice, it works at cross purposes with the throughlines of some of the characters. In one Hanks plot line, he’s a sensitive hero; in another, a violent criminal. Which is meant to be his core identity? The film never quite answers this, and as a result there doesn’t seem to be a coherent arc to his character’s (characters’?) story.

Further, there’s a truly beautiful narrative woven into the film’s tapestry about two lovers (James D’Arcy and Ben Whishaw), but of all of the various plot lines, its outcome and larger purpose is less well-defined. As Robert Frobisher, Whishaw is one of the most interesting and admirable characters in the film — completely confident in his sexuality, assured of his own talents and remarkably insightful about himself and those around him — but his eventual fate seems more like a display of loyalty to the novel than a complement to the rest of the stories.

Structurally, the film is very complex, and its dervishlike introduction of the various characters and time periods will almost certainly confuse viewers at first. But the Wachowskis’ storytelling has never been as dexterous as it is here, and they more successfully than ever merge big ideas with even bigger visual sequences, where in the past their staccato combination of character pontificating and action set pieces has failed to create a consistent dramatic momentum.

Once the Wachowskis have introduced their various worlds, however, the story settles into a comfortable rhythm that builds naturally to a moving and emotional crescendo, and pays off most of the film’s ideas. And even if, say, the prosthetics worn by the white actors fails to convince you that one iteration of them is Asian, the filmmakers still successfully communicate the emotion beneath that make-up, and make you care about both the ideas and the characters themselves.

Ultimately, what feels most impressive is that the movie exists at all — it seems far too challenging to have the money to make it and the support of a studio like Warner Bros. behind it. But the duo’s proven track record at combining lofty concepts and populist thrills has deservedly earned them to goodwill that Warner extended to them here, and it paid off handsomely in one of the most ambitious mainstream movies in recent years.

Will it strike a chord with moviegoers? Who knows. But Cloud Atlas is smart, moving and inspiring, both cinematically and personally — a Brokeback Mountain for the sci-fi set, perhaps. Because even if you’re not quite sure who or what you are, thinking about those questions at all is the first step to answering them. And most amazingly, it says that not only with the story that it tells, but in the very process of telling of it.

Last week, Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s opening act was Clint Eastwood. (And an empty chair.) This week, before he gave his acceptance speech last night at the Democratic National Convention, President Barack Obama’s opening act was… seemingly everyone else in Hollywood.

There were Scarlett Johansson and Kerry Washington, bringing some Tinseltown glamour and sex appeal to the podium in Charlotte, N.C. There were musical performances by James Taylor, Mary J. Blige, and Foo Fighters (allaying fears organizers expressed earlier that all the top music stars would be too busy attending the MTV VMAs last night in Los Angeles to play for the president in Charlotte). There was a film about Obama’s life narrated by George Clooney and one about veterans narrated by Saving Private Ryan star Tom Hanks. There was a live webcast, hosted by comic actor/former Obama staffer Kal Penn, with guests like Elizabeth Banks. There was even an In Memoriam clip, just like at an awards show, where among the honored Democratic dead was North Carolina native and frequent Obama campaigner Andy Griffith.

And then there was Eva Longoria, dismissing the notion that the assembled stars were just shallow political dilettantes and millionaires with money to burn. In her remarks, the Desperate Housewives star made the connection between the hungry striver she used to be and the millions like her whom she believed would be better served by Democratic policies than Republican ones that allegedly favor only the wealthy. Or, as she put it, “The Eva Longoria who worked at Wendy’s flipping burgers needed a tax break, but the Eva Longoria who works on movie sets does not.”

Given all the assembled glitz, how did President Obama avoid seeming anticlimactic?

The president had several tough acts to follow: not just the assembled stars, but also the knockout speeches delivered by his wife and by Bill Clinton earlier this week. He had planned to give his acceptance speech in a stadium, like he did four years ago, but weather prevented it, and he had to use the same arena the convention had been using all week. Curiously, playing to a merely huge hall instead of a giant stadium actually made his speech seem more intimate and very much like Clinton’s, like a conversation among friends.

He even used some Clintonesque rhetorical flourishes, like when he ribbed the Republicans for advocating tax cuts as the prescription to every ailment. “Take two tax cuts, roll back some regulations, and call me in the morning,” he quipped.

But compared to Clinton’s rambling, largely ad-libbed opus, Obama’s speech was tight and focused on a handful of areas (manufacturing, education, energy, national security, and the deficit) that he said his policies would target for improvement. He used the word “choice” and the word “you” an awful lot, as in, “You have a choice” or “You did this,” in order to remind voters that they have to power to decide the nation’s future, and that they’ve already effected positive change through their votes. It was a little odd to hear so much “you” and so little “I” or “we,” but then, the Repubicans have been hammering the Democrats lately for their emphasis on the necessity of government intervention to make the economy work and help businesses grow. It’s no wonder Obama wouldn’t want to play into that, but still, if there’s any time to say “I” and brag about your accomplishments, it’s when you’re running for re-election against a candidate who accuses you of having done nothing to alleviate the nation’s problems.

Obama may never top the speech he gave at the convention eight years ago, when he was an unknown running for Senate in Illinois, speaking of broad inclusiveness and a non-partisan spirit of optimism (the “hope” and “change” that became his signature themes). Last night, his calls for hope and change were tempered by recognition of practical reality. But then, we’re a different country now. We’re still wowed by stars (including political stars), but we’re skeptical that anyone can fix what’s broken, whether it’s a self-made man or a desperate housewife.

Many of Hollywood’s biggest names came out in droves Monday afternoon to pay tribute to the late screenwriter Nora Ephron, who died in June from acute myeloid leukemia at the age of 71.

Among the attendees: Meg Ryan, who starred in Ephron’s When Harry Met Sally …, in 1989, Sleepless in Seattle, in 1993, and You’ve Got Mail, in 1998; Tom Hanks, who co-starred with Ryan in the aforementioned Seattle and Mail; and Meryl Streep, who earned Oscar nominations for Ephron’s Silkwood, in 1983, and Julie and Julia, in 2009.

The memorial service — which also featured appearances by Steven Spielberg, Regis Philbin, Blythe Danner and Martha Stewart — was held at Alice Tully Hall, in Manhattan.

Inside the event, many of the attendees spoke candidly about their experience working with Eprhon, including Streep, who said (via The New York Daily News):

“She pulled a fast one on us. I feel so privileged to speak, but I’m also pissed off. I guess sometimes you have to wait for someone to leave the room to say how great they are.”

Ephron, whose career spanned multiple decades in Hollywood, earned three Oscar nominations in her uber-successful career, for When Harry Met Sally …, Sleepless in Seattle and Silkwood, respectively. She also wrote a series of best-selling books, including the memoir I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman.

In a statement released to Celebuzz, Ephron’s family confirmed her death on June 26, saying, “Nora Ephron passed away June 26, 2012 at 7:40 pm at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center surrounded by her family.”

In the wake of Ephron’s death, many stars released statements to the media about the rom-com legend. Check them out, plus some of Ephron’s most memorable movie moments, by clicking here.

See photos from the memorial service in our gallery now, then share your favorite Nora Ephron movies in the comments, below.

Tom Hanks has written a eulogy and tribute for his late friend and colleague Nora Ephron, who died Tuesday at the age of 71 of pneumonia, a complication resulting from a battle with leukemia she had kept secret from even her closest friends. Titled ‘Nora Ephron: A Life of Voice and Detail’, the star of Ephron’s films Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail reflects on the genius of a woman whose legacy on Hollywood won’t be forgotten.

The tribute reads in part:

As wives are wont to do, mine announced one evening in 1992 that we were going to a movie.

The movie was This Is My Life, the writer and first-time director was Nora Ephron, and within the hour, there we were in the cinema watching the opening credits of a ­middle-aged-chick flick about a woman (played by the wonderful Julie Kavner) who becomes a stand-up comic, moves to Manhattan from one of the not-Manhattan boroughs and sort of neglects her kids in the process but actually makes everyone’s life better in the long run. Though that movie would be ­considered ­only a middling success, it was inexpensive to make, had wonderful, real performances, looked great (though Nora said to me years later, “Why didn’t I move the camera?”) and made some money.

I thought it was much more, an ideal debut film that sparkled with bits of genius.

Nora, with her sense of story, understood the value of the turn-by-turn realism of her character’s trek, transforming what could have been a standard moving-the-kids-and-couch bit into a journey of hope and glory. When I was told she was going to direct a second movie — Sleepless in ­Seattle — and wanted to meet, I actually hollered at my agent, “She shot that geographically authentic move into Manhattan!”

It was her journalist’s curiosity that made Nora the directing talent she was. Her writing was always voice and detail.

Knowing and loving Nora meant her world—or her neighborhood—became yours. She gave you books to read and took you to cafés you’d never heard of that became legends.

For a wrap gift, she would send you a note saying something like, “A man is going to come to your house to plant an orange tree—or apple or pomegranate or ­whatever—and you will eat its fruit for the rest of your days.” Rita and I chose orange, and the fruit has been lovely, sweet and abundant, just as Nora ­promised—a constant and perfect reminder of the woman we loved so much.

Hanks’ wrote his tribute for TIME.

Hollywood is mourning the loss of Nora Ephron, the brilliant writer-director who helped bring some of the most memorable romantic comedies to the big screen in her decades-plus career.

Ephron — who died Tuesday evening in New York of acute myeloid leukemia, a blood disease she was diagnosed with six years ago — worked with some of the biggest names in movies after she transitioned from journalism to show business.

Now, many of them are offering their condolences in the hours after her death.

Celebuzz has compiled a gallery of some of most notable responses, including ones from Tom Hanks, who worked with Eprhon on the 1993 romantic comedy Sleepless in Seattle, and Meryl Streep, who earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of cooking legend Julia Child in Eprhon’s 2009 hit Julie & Julia.

We’ve also pulled together five of our favorite moments from Ephron’s long and successful filmography, which included such hits as When Harry Met Sally … in 1999, and Sleepless in Seattle in 1993.

Check them out below:

5.) Julia Child Flips Out

In Julia & Julia, Eprhon crafted a parallel story between up-and-coming chef Julia Child (Meryl Streep) and a modern-day New Yorker (Amy Adams) who aimed to cook every recipe in Child’s now-famous book, ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking.’ In the scene below, check out Streep’s uncanny portrayal of Child, which earned the actress her 16th of 17 Oscar nominations.

4.) You’ve Got Romance

After developing an online romance with a mysterious — but charming — man, local bookshop owner Kathleen (Meg Ryan) realizes that the man she’s fallen in love with is her business rival, Joe (Tom Hanks). Watch the You’ve Got Mail scene below:

3.) Karen Silkwood Contaminated

Ephron earned her first of three Oscar nominations for penning the 1983 classic Silkwood, about a chemical technician (Meryl Streep) who investigates her plant’s faulty safety methods after she and her coworkers become contaminated with radiation. The film was based on the true story of Karen Silkwood, who died in a suspicious car accident during her investigation.

2.) “You’re Annie”

An engaged Baltimore journalist (Meg Ryan) finds herself obsessed with a widowed father (Tom Hanks) — and the movie An Affair to Remember – after she hears his tragic story on a syndicated radio show. Their love affair culminates when they accidentally meet each other atop the Empire State Building in Sleepless in Seattle.

1.) “I’ll Have What She’s Having”

In what quickly became one of the most memorable movie scenes of all time, friends Harry (Billy Crystal) and Sally (Meg Ryan) debate whether men can actually tell when a woman is, you know, faking it.

Share your favorite Nora Ephron movie moments in the comments, below!

In a statement obtained Tuesday, the family of Ephron confirmed her death, saying:

Nora Ephron passed away June 26, 2012 at 7:40 pm at New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center surrounded by her family. The cause of death was acute myeloid leukemia. She was 71.

Donations can be made in her honor to The Public Theater and The Motion Picture and Television Fund.

We thank you all for your thoughts.

“Twitter: it brings families together,” Colin Hanks joked to us about his web-savvy dad Tom Hanks and stepmom Rita Wilson.

Colin, who’s the son of the Cast Away star and late actress Samantha Lewes, recently sat down with Celebuzz at a junket for his latest flick, High School, where he talked about his family’s tweeting habits. While his famous father has amassed over 4 million followers, the 34-year-old told us that he’s not the one in his family who’s obsessed with the social networking site.

So who has the biggest Twitter addiction?

“I think mom’s coming up,” he revealed to Celebuzz. “She’s starting to tweet a whole lot more stuff.”

“I will say this, they’re not the 140 Twitter feeds to follow as voted by Time magazine. I am,” he added, smirking.

Celebrity Twitters: who’s real? who’s a fake?

14 Photos »

As for High School director John Stalberg Jr., his Twitter only consists of his family.

“I’ve only got two followers,” he joked. “My mom and my dad.”

“Once your baby comes, you’re going to be live-tweeting her entire life,” Colin quipped.

Stalberg better get typing then — the first-time screenwriter and director recently welcomed a baby girl, Grace May Stalberg, with wife Linnea.

Catch more of Colin and John’s hilarious interview in the video above, then the rest of the cast interviews from the junket below.

High School hits theaters on June 1.

Get your boots on and saddle up, because there’s a battle hitting theaters this weekend with the release of Cowboys & Aliens. James Bond star Daniel Craig leads a cast that includes legendary action hero Harrison Ford and Hollywood hottie Olivia Wilde as a group of cowboys who fight off alien invaders in a desert town.

It sounds like a good old-fashioned, action-packed western! To celebrate the release, Celebuzz has put together a gallery of some of the most memorable movie cowboys to ever hit the big screen. The gallery includes some of the most memorable performances in film history, and there is no shortage of star power. Big time celebs like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Hugh Jackman have all flung the lasso and slung their guns on screen, but can you name the movies?

Take a trip down memory lane to see these A-listers in their cowboy hats and plaid shirts, as well as some more familiar faces you may not have seen in a while! For more on the release of Cowboys and Aliens and other upcoming movies, be sure to check out Celebuzz on Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr!

Tom Hanks has been taking his scooter and shenanigans to the small screen! The Oscar winner has been on a press tour for his romantic comedy (also starring pretty woman Julia Roberts) Larry Crowne – that hits theaters July 1 — and we’ve pulled together his silliest moments over the past few weeks!

Most recently, he went on a green screen scooter ride with late night talk show host Conan O’Brien, or as Tom calls him “Coco,” that even had him running into his Toy Story character Woody. “Look it’s my favorite deputy,” Tom exclaimed as Woody hopped on the back of the moped. If you think that’s hilarious, check out the other vids!

Tom loaned out his sweet dance moves to Spanish language Univision’s Despierta America’s weather report, proving that he’s not afraid to bust a move!

While chatting with Billy Bush from Access Hollywood, the actor also revealed that men’s tighty whities are “man spanx.” He said of his near-naked scene, “As long as there have been tighty whities, there have been Man Spanx.”

At the Los Angeles premiere of Larry Crowne, Tom showed up via Vespa to the red carpet!

Be sure to follow Twitter and Facebook for more movie news, pics and trailers.