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The Film Society of Lincoln Center has chosen to honor Tom Hanks at its 36th annual gala tribute, pointing to the actor’s ability to make the role of “a good man compelling,” says the Associated Press.

Tom, who is a two-time Academy Award winner, will be honored at the gala on April 27 at Alice Tully Hall.

“There are so few actors who have been able to make the struggle and drama of being a good man compelling,” Kent Jones, the society’s associate director of programming, said to the AP. “With his talent, his presence, his versatility, his sense of humor, he has set a very high standard for his fellow actors.”

Last year, the society honored actress Meryl Streep.

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Tom Hanks’ feud with an Idaho builder is continuing to cause tension between the two parties, after the Hollywood actor hired an armed guard to keep an eye on the contractor.

The Castaway star and his wife Rita Wilson recently lost an attempt to sue Gary Storey, the owner of Storey Construction, for $2.5 million over claims the builder messed up renovations on their $10 million home in Sun Valley, Idaho in 2002.

The case was thrown out of court because the couple had already taken the accused to arbitration in 2003, and lost.

Hanks and Wilson plan to appeal the decision, and Storey has been granted permission to return to the site to collect evidence in his defence.

Hanks has employed a gun-carrying guard to follow Storey around at all times when he is on their property - but the move has infuriated the builder after a potentially fatal accident occurred recently.

The stars claim the minder is necessary after Storey once attempted to raid the home at dawn - accusations the constructor has refuted.

Storey’s lawyer says, “The other day, the guy (guard) tripped and fell with his gun on him. It could have gone off and had fatal consequences. It is inconceivable that Tom Hanks, who claims to be the voice of the little people, could tolerate this.”

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Tom Hanks, his wife Rita Wilson and actress Nia Vardalos have dropped their legal battle over profits from hit 2002 movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Vardalos wrote the script for the comedy, while Hanks and Wilson were producers of the film.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding proved to be an unexpected blockbuster, earning profits of $368 million.

However, the trio later accused their co-financiers at Gold Circle Films of reneging on agreements to pay the stars a share of the takings, and filed a lawsuit at Los Angeles County Superior Court in 2007.

But the firm’s bosses have reportedly refused to pay the plaintiffs any share of the profits or damages - and Hanks, Wilson and Vardalos have since decided to put an end to the legal wrangling by dropping the suit altogether. They have yet to give a specific reason for their actions.

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I cannot wait to see this movie, you just don’t even know!

Here are Pierce Brosnan and wife Keely Shaye Smith, Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks and wife Rita Wilson, Amanda Seyfiend and Colin Firth with mystery woman.

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Tom Hanks has joined the calls for America’s acting unions to approve a deal with studios to end the threat of an actors’ strike this summer.

Actors are threatening walkouts at the end of June if talks between the unions and major film studios fail to resolve a dispute over pay and conditions.

And now Hanks has added his name to an email petition urging members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) to accept a deal offered by Hollywood chiefs.

If the union accepts the new agreement, it would be a major step forward in avoiding a strike which will cripple the U.S. film and TV industry - and put many thespians out of work.

Another actors union, the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), is also negotiating a deal with the major studios - and SAG bosses are urging members of AFTRA to turn down the proposals.

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The Vatican has a clear message to Tom Hanks and his costars in the new Da Vinci Code movie: “Keep out.”

The diocese of Rome has banned Angels and Demons from filming inside its churches because the movie “does not conform to our views,” says spokesman Monsignor Marco Fibbi.

Angels and Demons is a prequel to 2006’s Da Vinci Code – also starring Hanks and also based on a Dan Brown best-seller – which controversially claimed that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and had children.

Producers had requested – and were denied – permission to shoot in two of Rome’s historic churches, Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria, Reuters reports.

“It’s a film that treats religious issues in a way that contrasts with common religious sentiment,” Fibbi told the wire service. “Normally we read the script but this time it was not necessary. The name Dan Brown was enough.”

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