Tom Hanks to host star-studded Biden-Harris opening special

Screen icon Tom Hanks has landed his next gig: the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-President-elect Kamala Harris.

The “News of the World” actor is set to host a celebrity television show following the swearing-in of the elected president and vice-president. According to a report published on Wednesday by Deadline, the “Celebrating America” ​​television broadcast will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Pacific on January 20 on ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN and MSNBC.

Justin Timberlake, Demi Lovato, Ant Clemons and Jon Bon Jovi are also slated to appear on the 90-minute show. More acts are expected to be announced for the show, which will also be available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, Microsoft Bing, Fox’s NewsNOW, AT&T DIRECTV and U-verse, as well as on the social media accounts of the inaugural presidential committee.

“I am so honored to announce that I will be joining @joebiden and @kamalaharris for their special event,” singer Demi Lovato wrote on social media Wednesday. “I was speechless when I was asked to play!”

“Can’t Stop the Feeling” hitmaker Timberlake and newly Grammy nominated Clemons are set to perform their inspiring December collaboration, “Better Days.”

“To say it’s a dream come true would be an understatement,” Clemons wrote on Instagram Wednesday. “2020 has come with so much weight from so many angles … we were inspired to create something that could serve as hope through such difficult times. I can only pray that the same hope that we felt as we wrote this song shines throughout this presidency as we enter a new chapter.

“Hopefully the theme for 2021 is redemption,” Timberlake told NBC’s “Today” show Wednesday. “What an honor. … We got the phone call to ask [to perform for the inauguration], and I was like, ‘Uh … yes?’ “

On Friday, the inaugural presidential committee is hosting an inauguration-themed fundraiser featuring stars from hit White House dramas “The West Wing” and “Scandal.” Hosted by “Designated Survivor” actor and former Obama administration alumnus Kal Penn, the virtual panel will include actors Dulé Hill, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, Bradley Whitford and Bellamy Young.

Upcoming inaugural events will also feature former Presidents Obama, Bush and Clinton, who will participate alongside Biden and Harris in a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery. The theme for this year’s opening is “America United”.

“It’s time to turn the page on this era of division,” Tony Allen, chief executive of the inaugural presidential committee, said in a statement. “The inaugural activities will reflect our common values ​​and remind us that we are stronger together than we are apart, as our motto ‘e pluribus unum’ – of many, one reminds us.