Actor Tom Hanks basically just spit on his own plate when he claimed the Mormons who supported Proposition 8 (which prohibits gay marriage) were un-American at the “Big Love” third season premiere party last week.

For those of you who haven’t heard or even seen “Big Love”, it tells the story of a fundamentalist Mormon family living in a normal neighborhood in Utah that practices polygamy and Tom Hanks is the Big producer of the show.

“The truth is a lot of Mormons gave a lot of money to the church to make Prop-8 happen,” Tom Hanks told FOXNews.com. “There are a lot of people who feel that is un-American, and I am one of them. I do not like to see any discrimination codified on any piece of paper, any of the 50 states in America, but here’s what happens now.”

This led to a response from a spokeswoman for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Kim Farah says: “expressing an opinion in a free and democratic society is as American as it gets.” Right on!! Freedom of speech, religion and beliefs.

Bill McKeever, a rep for the Mormonism Research Ministry, added, “Personally, I find it un-American to tell people that they shouldn’t vote their conscience.” Well I find it very un-American calling other Americans un-American! Are you still with me? So Tom did what everyone would do to NOT get their ass sued, he apologized!

“Last week, I labeled members of the Mormon church who supported California’s Proposition 8 as ‘un-American,’” the actor said in a statement through his publicist. “I believe Proposition 8 is counter to the promise of our Constitution; it is codified discrimination.”

“But everyone has a right to vote their conscience; nothing could be more American,” the statement continues. “To say members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints who contributed to Proposition 8 are ‘un-American’ creates more division when the time calls for respectful disagreement. No one should use ‘un- American’ lightly or in haste. I did. I should not have.”

It sounds like this apology is kind of empty. Tom pleas mea culpa but still thinks exactly what he said. He is just not going to say it out loud ever again! Good boy! Everyone has the right to their opinion and to support whatever they think it’s right and I think that’s the essence of being American…

Photos of Tom Hanks at HBO’s “Big Love” Premiere

[images: WENN]

I complied this list of the 20 Greatest Movie Characters of All-time after consulting with more than a dozen Hollywood executives.  Some of these choices were easy while the others can easily be debated.  Who should be on this list? Who was left off? Which character(s) do not deserve to be on the list? Post your thoughts in the comments.

The Top 20 Movie Characters of All-Time

1.   E.T.- The alien is number one.  E.T.- The Extra-Terrestrial started the mass merchandise tie-in trend that continues today.  The biggest surprise is that E.T. hasn’t phoned Hollywood for a sequel.

 

2.  Indiana Jones-  Harrison Ford made this role the quinessential role for being an action hero.  Fans can expect to see another Indiana Jones film sometime in 2008.  Indy made the whip more popular than Betty Page ever thought about.

 

3.  Jack Sparrow- Johnny Depp has turned a slow boat ride at a theme park into a box office money making machine for Jerry Bruckheimer.  Sexually confused Captain Jack makes audiences laugh moreso for being dim-witted and clumsy than for his bravery, but he is always there to save the day in the end.  Look for the third installment of Pirates of the Caribbean to be released in May of 2007.

 

4.  Rocky- The Rocky movies have the best theme song of all-time.  Rocky is the ultimate underdog that we all find ourselves rooting for in a world that is stained with the likes of Terrell Owens, Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, and Mike Tyson.  There is a new Rocky movie in the works. Sylvester Stallone just turned 60 years old, but will star in Rocky VI which is due to be released in December 2006.

 

5.  Darth Vader- The Star Wars films would be only slightly better than average if they were void of the Man in Black.  Vader is not the voice you hear when calling 1-900-HOT-LOVE. His trademarked asthma challenged voice and complex history make Darth Vader one of the best villans and movie characters of all-time. 

 

6.  Hannibal Lecter- Human flesh has never been as tasty as Hannibal Lecter made it in Silence of the Lambs.  I know many people who are still scared just by looking at Anthony Hopkins.

 

7.  Han Solo- Harrison Ford makes the list twice.  Every young kid wanted to be Han after seeing the first Star Wars movie in 1977. Many of George Lucas’ friends claim the character was based upon Francis Ford Coppola. 

 

8.  James Bond- They will be making James Bond movies even after the rapture.  Sean Connery set the standard for all 007’s that would come after him. If Rogaine had been around back in the day he might have never lost the job.  Pierce Brosnan also did an admirable job as Bond.

 

9.  Forrest Gump- Tom Hanks is the best actor of our generation and he is at his best in Forrest Gump. Hanks portrayal of Forrest Gump did nothing for the average Americans stereotype of our brothers and sisters from Alabama, but he sure made us laugh, cry, and hope that Jenny would finally realize how much he loved her.

 

10.  Wicked Witch of the West- The original WWW.  The Wizard of Oz would be your normal gummy gum after school special if it were not for the Wicked Witch of the West. The only thing scarier than her in this movie is her A.D.D. possessed flying monkies.

 

11.  Scarlett O’Hara- Vivien Leigh is the most famous dame of cinema history.  Her beauty, strong-will, and love for Clark Gable is the key reason that Gone With the Wind is the box office champ of all-time (when adjusted for inflation).

 

12.  Shrek- Green hasn’t been this popular since right before Kermit went into rehab back in the early 90’s.  Shrek is a box office king and we should expect Shrek 3 to break even more records. Rumors continue to swirl of a Shrek-Princess Fiona sex tape circulating on the internet.

 

13.  Terminator- Arnold Schwarzenegger was The Terminator before he was the governator.  We knew each time a Terminator film did $250 million at the box office that Arnold would ‘be back’.  We will have to wait to see if Arnold will return to the screen after his political career.

 

14.  Mickey Mouse- The gloved one is the oldest movie character on our list. Mickey got his start in shorts back in 1928.  Mickey Mouse became famous in Steamboat Willie.  He made a comeback in 1940 in his greatest role as the Sorcerer’s apprentice in Fantasia.

 

15.  Dorothy Gale- Classic innocence is not the tradmark of Judy Garland’s life but it is the immortal image we have of her as Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz.

 

16.  Harry Potter- Some say that Harry is better on paper than film, but he is a hero to millions of illiterate children who have grown up watching the Harry Potter movies. 

 

17.  Willie Wonka- Gene Wilder gave a rememorable performance as Willie Wonka in Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  The movie was a box office flop but over the years it has become a cult classic.  Wonka’s chocolate obsession got him a movie and years later it got Kirstie Alley a TV show and endorsement deal with Jenny Craig.

 

18.  George Bailey- We all realize It’s a Wonderful Life every Christmas when we see George Bailey realize that the world would be a much worse place if he had never been born.  I believe we all have a bit of George Bailey in us.  Jimmy Stewart always came across as a real life George Bailey. A normal guy that you always pull for no matter the odds.

 

19.  Andy Dufresne- The Shawshank Redemption is one of the best films of the last fifteen years.  Everytime I see Tim Robbins in a new movie I start looking for Red as well. I think most of us wish Robbins, as Andy, would have knocked off his real life wife Susan Sarandon in the opening scenes. 

 

20.  Gollum- Our list concludes with the anti-E.T.  Gollum, from Lord of the Rings, lived to be 589 years old.  He was consumed with his quest for the Ring and the power it possessed.  The ring is lost forever but not before Gollum is reunited with it. He sounds a lot like Adrianne Curry and her pursuit of a ring from Christopher Knight.

Honorable Mentions: Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, Raymond Bobbitt from Rain Man, Vivian Ward from Pretty Woman, Pete Mitchell from Top Gun, Jack Dawson from Titanic, Mary Poppins from Mary Poppins, King Kong from King Kong, Jaws (the shark) from Jaws, Don Corleone from The Godfather, Tony Montana from Scarface, Austin Powers from the Austin Powers films, Roy Hobbs from The Natural, Rhett Butler from Gone With the Wind, Tyler Durden from Fight Club, Terry Malloy from On the Waterfront, Luke Skywalker from Star Wars, Michael Corleone from The Godfather, Jeff Spicoli from Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Nemo from Finding Nemo, Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, Doc Brown from Back to the Future, Jason from Friday the 13th, Freddy Krueger from Nightmare on Elm Street