Hanks' ideology first came into our zone shortly after 9/11, when he criticized me for asking Hollywood telethon stars to become more aggressive in getting the money to 9/11 families.

Money has not changed me. I am living proof. I'm worse than I was, all right, when I was poor. I don't care about money. Money - you can't buy me. And I don't care about it.

When I tell children that they are far too dependent on their gizmos, they do not deny it. But they really don't care. This is their real life - texting about trivial things; listening to numbing music on their private headphones. The machines block everything out - you create your own little trivial world.

The compelling argument is on the side of homosexuals. We're Americans. We just want to be treated like everybody else. That is a compelling argument. And to deny that, you've got to have a very strong argument on the other side. And the other side hasn't been able to do anything but thump the Bible ... I support civil unions, I always have. All right, the gay marriage thing, I don't feel that strongly about it one way or the other.

I think that the terrible, disgraceful coverage actually got Donald Trump elected, along with Hillary Clinton's inability to connect with voters on any level. That's another thing, she was a terrible candidate.

To this culture warrior, gay marriage is not a vital issue. I don't believe the republic will collapse if Larry marries Brendan. However, it is clear that most Americans want heterosexual marriage to maintain its special place in American society. And as long as gays are not penalized in the civil arena, I think the folks should make the call at the ballot box. Traditional marriage is widely seen as a social stabilizer, and I believe that is true.

I just think Barack [Obama], he doesn't dig being asked at all. He's got a bit of an imperious nature about him. I guess nobody has told him that nobody reads newspapers anymore. That is a dying art form.