TMZ Poll: Whose opinion means more...Oprah or Hanks

Oprah's opinion is nice to have, I guess, but I simply don't use it to decide which books I'm going to read or who I am going to vote for in the 2008 Presidential Election. For me, Oprah's opinion on just about anything registers as a "null." I also shake my head in disbelief when I see her ability to interview Tom Cruise at length while refraining from the question that's on many minds: "Tom, what the HELL is WRONG with you?"

I liked Hanks' self-effacing intro to his Obama endorsement ("I'm Tom Hanks and I want Barack Obama to be the next President of our country. As an official celebrity, I know my endorsement has just made your mind up for you")...

I may be wrong (God forbid) but I see a sense of self-importance in Oprah's fatwas that I do not see in Hanks.

I'm sure that Oprah possesses humility as well, and has made many self-effacing intros. It's just that I've been unable to spend more hours per day than I currently do (none) to study her collected works. I saw some clips of the Oprah & Barack & Michelle Show and I wasn't impressed. Maybe I should have been. I wasn't.

So you can watch the Hanks clip here:

http://www.tmz.com/2008/05/04/forrest-gump-supports-wapner-obama/

...and vote in the Oprah-Hanks poll. So far, 68 percent of those voting say Hanks.

:patriot:

Why?

She lessens the draw of Hillary with some older women.

Hanks is a nice guy (as far as I know...J/K!), but what specific group does his endorsement effect?

:shrug:

...my personal opinion is that Hanks is just expressing HIS opinion...which may or may not have any value.

But Oprah? I get the feeling that her opinions are supposed to matter because they are coming from Oprah, and I see her just the way that I see Hanks...a celebrity with an opinion.

Maybe a subtle difference, but Oprah is just a person. She has a TV show. She has influence, but not over me.

It was him just telling you, from a script he wrote, how he feels and why he supports Barack. And he presents the case well, including some not-before-mentioned points. I found it very impressive.

If I were supporting Hillary and if Obama gets the nom, seeing Hanks's endorsement might make me feel a little better -- like, "maybe Obama isn't as bad as I've been thinking." :shrug:

I might have been more moved by Oprah's endorsement if there hadn't been such hoopla surrounding it.

...that was my point, basically.

An opinion is an opinion, it's not an "event." Hanks gave an opinion. Oprah staged an event. I respected the opinion and was turned off by the event.

:patriot:

Why didn't they include Liz Taylor in the poll?

and elton john for that matter.

but do not understand the backlash she has received for endorsing Obama. I think her support was important - as far as celebrity endorsements go - because it was the first she has ever given publicly. She has had probably every presidential candidate who has agreed to an interview on her show and had never shown a preference.

I do think her endorsement was written off by many because it was viewed as a black woman giving support to a black candidate. No one objected to C. Norris endorsing Huckabee.

As far as the hoopla, sure there was plenty hoopla. Of course, Caroline Kennedy and Maria Shriver added to it. I see Oprah's "events" as being the equivalent of Elton John's sans the piano.

Tom Hanks' statements were heartfelt - I enjoyed hearing his reasons for being an Obama supporter. I equally enjoy reading Obama supporters' opinions on DU.