Captain Phillips
Here’s a heartwarming story in these cold-hearted times: Tom Hanks, aka celebrity patient zero, sent a typewriter to a kid who was getting bullied because his name is Corona. Certainly a difficult name to have these days, but in a way, this is probably the best disease with which to share a name? After all, school is closed. All young Corona has to do to avoid bullying is delete his Facebook. Not to excuse the bullying, but it’s certainly easier than being named Hoofenmouth or Bertfloo. Those poor kids must get CRUSHED.
Here’s the story:
NY Post– When the 8-year-old boy heard of the double Oscar-winning actor’s illness, he wrote asking, “Are you ok?” The correspondence was the start of their long distance friendship. In the heartfelt letter, which aired on Australia’s Channel 7, De Vries tragically revealed that his schoolmates called him “the coronavirus” due to his COVID-evoking appellation, which made him “sad and angry.”
Hanks wasn’t one to see the boy suffer. So, dusting off his retro Corona typewriter which he happened to have brought to Australia with him, he wrote back on April 10, “Your letter made my wife and I feel so wonderful!”
Then, to further lift the bullying victim’s spirits, Hanks bestowed De Vries with the vintage writing instrument that bore his unique name. “I thought this typewriter would suit you,” he wrote, cheekily adding “Ask a grown up how it works. And use it to write me back.”
It’s a lovely gesture from Hanks. At the same time, if I were to receive a typewriter from perhaps the most famous person to contract the disease, I might let that package sit on the porch for a few weeks. If we’re playing “name an object that might be riddled with Coronavirus,” TYPEWRITER might be the #1 answer, followed by inflatable nurse, then ice luge, then shot ski.
Not to mention, what the hell is an 8-year-old supposed to do with a typewriter? Dirk Nowitzki is a personal hero of mine but if he were to send me a care package containing a Gateway 2000, I might reconsider my idols.
Who am I kidding. Still cool. Hat tip to Tom, congrats to Corona, all my continued love and admiration to Dirk.