Malibu Seen: The Captain Has an Eye on the Future and a Pulse on the Past

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Local Tom Hanks, seen with wife Rita Wilson, will present his blockbuster series “The Sixties.” 

Malibu’s Tom Hanks may have lost out on the Best Actor nomination, but his latest movie, “Captain Phillips,” is creating quite a buzz.

Like the iconic Robert Redford and last year’s Ben Affleck, Hanks was left out of some of the top categories, as were the Coen Brothers for their critically acclaimed “Inside Llewyn Davis.”

Although not quite a sweep, Hanks can console himself with a Best Picture nod for “Captain Phillips.”

Others in the running for best pic include popular darling “American Hustle” as well as “Dallas Buyers Club,” starring Malibu’s Matthew McConaughey, and “The Wolf of Wall Street” with Leonardo DiCaprio. “Gravity,” “Her,” “Philomena” and “12 Years a Slave” also made the top spot.

Sentimental favorite Bruce Dern is on the Best Actor list for Nebraska as well as Chiwetel Ejiofor for “12 Years a Slave” and Christian Bale for “American Hustle.” All told, this could be one of the tightest Best Actor contests in years. As for the ladies, it’s Amy Adams for “American Hustle,” Sandra Bullock for “Gravity,” Meryl Streep for “August: Osage County,” Cate Blanchett for “Blue Jasmine” and acting vet Judi Dench for “Philomena.”

In the meantime, Tom Hanks is keeping himself busy.

Better than a stressful invasion on a boat in “Captain Phillips,” Tom is bringing us the best of the British Invasion.

Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman team up with award-winning producer Mark Herzog, reliving the British Invasion of the 1960s. The first part of the CNN show debuts Jan. 30. The full, 10-part episode CNN original series, “The Sixties,” will begin in May 2014.

The British Invasion begins with the breakthrough performance of The Beatles (very big shooooo) on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Even back then, the performance was watched by a record-breaking 73 million viewers. Today, it celebrates its 50th anniversary.

The Beatles’ success paved the way for other legendary British bands that quickly conquered the hearts of American teens. Famed entertainers like The Animals, The Kinks, The Hollies, The Dave Clarke 5, The Who and The Rolling Stones all profile the power of the music that defined a generation.

Ed Sullivan introduced The Beatles to America on Feb. 9, 1964, and their thrilling, mesmerizing appearance launched a revolution in fashion, hairstyles, advertising, politics and sexual mores that have influenced virtually every aspect of modern American life.

Throughout the special, soul song legend Smokey Robinson, Graham Nash (The Hollies and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young), Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson (music journalist, record producer and drummer for the Grammy Award-winning band The Roots) rock columnist David Wild, Micky Dolenz of the American musical group, The Monkees, and more all provide insights into how the British Invasion was actually a reciprocal flow of influences back and forth with American artists. The legendary era of Bob Dylan, Motown, The Beach Boys and others laid down the beats that formed the soundtrack of a generation.