This post is one of several on business heirs apparent. Let us know in the comments whether you think Colin Hanks can live up his father's legacy, and be sure to check out the other heir apparent posts.

I wonder if Tom Hanks ever stops to reflect on how lucky his career has been. I mean, I know this has been said before, but I still can't get over the fact that one of the biggest celebrity thespians of our era first came to prominence on a goofy sitcom called Bosom Buddies. If it wasn't for some species of divine intervention, Tom Hanks would have been just another deep footnote of the '80s. Although some might consider Bachelor Party a classic -- I'm not sure who that would be -- Tom Hanks' actual breakthrough role came in Disney's (NYSE: DIS) Splash (here's a bit of trivia for you: Splash was the first film released by Touchstone Pictures). Years later, he would go on to star in some of the most memorable movies of our time -- Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, and The Green Mile. Yep, we all know Mr. Tom Hanks.

But have you ever heard of his son, Colin? He was the product of Tom's first marriage to a lady named Samantha Lewes (she unfortunately passed away in 2002). Colin Hanks may not be as famous as his dad, but, according to his page at IMDB, he is an actor in his own right, and has done a lot of television work -- he's worked on Numb3rs, The O.C., and he's been on many episodes of the sci-fi show Roswell. And he's not doing too shabby in the movie business. He's appeared in King Kong, two other movies starring the one and only Jack Black, Orange County and Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny, and the recent internet thriller Untraceable.

Continue reading Heir apparent: Colin Hanks, looking to make a splash

Heir apparent: Colin Hanks, looking to make a splash originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 23 Mar 2008 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

TNT's is about to drop yet another original drama series on us. It's called Saved, and AOL products will be integrated into the actual show.

Saved will air Mondays at 10 p.m. starting June 12. The series launches with a commercial-free premiere episode, sponsored by Quizno's and Dodge.

"Our integration with both Saved and [the TNT series] The Closer -- an established hit -- allows us to tap into new audiences and broaden our reach in a unique way," says Richard Taylor, senior vice president of brand marketing for AOL. "We can showcase the value of AOL within the actual storyline, making it relevant to the characters' lives."

According to the press release, Saved focuses on a young, hip, directionless slacker named Wyatt Cole. Cole -- played by Tom Everett Scott (Boiler Room, That Thing You Do) -- kicks around Portland, Oregon, trying to figure out what to do with his life and struggling to live in the shadow of his high-achieving parents.

The hook? He's a paramedic.

The catchphrase? "By saving other people's lives, he will be able to save his own."

I can only imagine how this one is going to work...

SCENE: Burnside Bridge, Downtown Portland. Single-car auto accident. Cole is applying a tourniquet.

Cole: "I can't deal with all these pressures. They've been with me ever since childhood. I mean if only they'd placed PARENTAL CONTROLS on their expectations of me --"

Auto accident victim [suddenly coming back to consciousness]: "You mean like the PARENTAL CONTROLS on AOL?!"

AOL hopes 'Saved' will be a 'Closer' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 28 Apr 2006 11:47:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.