Archive for James Franco

Demi Moore Cast As Gloria Steinem In Porn Biopic Lovelace

Leave it to Demi Moore to play the classiest character in a porn film. “Oh, she’ll be in your porno movie. She’ll just be playing a journalist-turned-cultural icon. With pants on. No, wait…trousers.” Deadline reports today that the Margin Call star (and soon-to-be ex Mrs. Ashton Kutcher) will be playing feminist leader Gloria Steinem in the upcoming movie Lovelace. Actually, now that we think of it, Gloria Steinem might have even invented pants. Right, you guys? We can’t hear you saying “no,” so we can assume we’re correct on this one.

After beating out contenders like Olivia Wilde for the role, Amanda Seyfried will be starring in the film as porn actress Linda Lovelace, who worked with Steinem after blowing up big in the adult film arena. In addition to Demi, Peter Sarsgaard is confirmed for Lovelace’s allegedly abusive husband Chuck Traynor, while James Franco cameos as Hugh Hefner. Adam Brody is also on board as Lovelace’s Deep Throat, err, co-star Harry Reems. Hmmm, maybe Demi should put on just a couple more pairs of slacks. Nobody wants this to turn into another Striptease, do they? Again, since we can’t hear you, we just have to assume you’re agreeing with us, as always.

[Photo: Getty Images]

NYU Professor Claims He Was Fired For Giving James Franco A D

In case you were wondering how James Franco managed to attend all the classes necessary to get masters’ degrees from NYU, Columbia and Warren Wilson College, in addition to enrolling on Yale for a PhD program, the answer is: he…um…he almost didn’t. Now it’s emerged that Franco’s lack of attendance has allegedly resulted in the termination of an NYU professor, at least according to said instructor José Angel Santana. In a new lawsuit he filed against the school, Professor Santana claims that he was unjustly canned for giving a Franco a D in his “Directing The Actor” course. Um, we don’t see what the problem is quit yet? D is for Diploma, James! Embrace it!

We have to assume this is the same D Franco complained about to the press back in September 2010. “I did the work, I did well in everything else,” Franco told Showbiz 411′s Roger Friedman after news of his embarrassing grade leaked out. Earlier this year NYU even announced that Franco would be teaching a course himself. “James has an amazing mind and limitless energy,” explained graduate film program chair John Tintori at the time. “Our students will be fortunate to learn from him.” Wrote Santana in his legal filing, “In my opinion, they’ve turned the NYU graduate film degree into swag for James Franco’s purposes, a possession, something you can buy.” The reason for Franco’s poor grade? He missed 12 of his 14 classes. Odd, considering you’d think he’d have to take a math class at some point.

28 Hottest, Grossest And Completely TMI Celeb TwitPics Of 2011

What did we do before celebrities found out about Twitter? Whether it’s hot bodies in bikinis, hot bodies out of bikinis, scabs, famous people without makeup or ill-advised tattoos, 2011 was a great year for celebrity TMI tweets. Everyone from Gaga and Kanye to Katy Perry and Mariah Carey wanted to share the inside of their hearts (and pants and bathroom stalls) with the world. Not that we want them to stop, mind you! Not like we would ever want them to stop. In the meantime, check out the 28 Best TwitPics of 2011: Because you can’t untweet something once it’s been tweeted, no matter how hard you try.

[Photo: Twitter, now and forever]

James Franco Rips Into Breaking Dawn Over All That “Teenage Sex”

James Franco may have once watched a gay prostitute straight-up have sex with a client to prepare for a role (seriously, how was that not a bigger story? He talked about it on Inside the Actor’s Studio!), but that doesn’t mean he’s down with the fictional Breaking Dawn sex scene. In a scathing review for the Paris Review, the Rise of the Planet of the Apes actor tore the latest entry in the Twilight series apart like so many pillows in a honeymoon suite over the supposedly massive amounts of teenage sexuality on display.

“For a film that claims to be sexually responsible, the Twilight movies are awfully dependent on teenage sex to attract viewers,” Franco complains. “The actors prance about like pieces of meat, their disturbingly developed bodies on full display; Taylor Lautner’s rippling teenage chest is just a little better than the child beauty-pageant stars at the end of Little Miss Sunshine.” Wow, we don’t agree with James’ assessment at all! Well, except maybe the Taylor Lautner thing; the man-boy was shirtless within the first 45 seconds of the movie. What do you think? Is Franco right to be outraged, or does the star of the upcoming porn-themed indie film Cherry seem just a little bit hypocritical?

[Photo: Getty Images]

James Franco Gets His Sharp Suit On For Gucci

Well, hello there, James Franco. The actor’s smoldering in black and white in Gucci‘s new Made-to-Measure ads. The campaign is called “All the World’s a Stage” and it was shot by Nathaniel Goldberg at Rome’s Cinecitta. James wore the collection in a couple of looks while hosting the Oscars in March, FYI. What do you think, guys? Hot or not?

[Photo via Esquire]

James Franco’s Father Passes Away

Our condolences to James Franco, whose father, Doug Franco, passed away last week at age 63. The cause of death has not been revealed as yet, but James’ mother, Betsy Franco did tweet a very heartbreaking message yesterday writing, “It is true that my sweet, generous husband passed away. He gave so much to his three sons and me, and to many other people, too.” The family has always seemed very close with James often mentioning his dad in interviews revealing things like, “I’m not serious all the time. It’s not like I grew up in a house full of jokes, but my dad did turn me on to Monty Python.” We’re sending out our sincerest best wishes to the whole family.

[Photo: Getty Images]

James Franco Buys Portrait Of Himself From 13-Year-Old Super Fan

As much as we rip on James Franco non-stop, we’ve always felt that his weird giggly brand of self-involvement does more good in the universe than ill. Like, for example, when James Franco buys a portrait of himself from a 13-year-old super fan. While the 127 Hours actor stopped by the Toronto International Film Festival Sunday to promote his art installation “Memories of Idaho” (sure, of course), he spotted Macy Armstrong‘s yarn portrait of him and, knowing great art when he sees his own face on it, asked to buy it. Earning a spot on the wall in James Franco’s Hall of James Francos is no joke; someone else’s homemade college is headed for the fireplace as we speak.

“Ohmygod I don’t know what just happened but I can’t breath! I gave James my art! And he has my email! And he’s seen my 127 Hours painting!! AHHHH,” Armstrong wrote on her James Franco Forever tumblr yesterday. “He looked at me, he spoke to me, and I’m pretty sure we mentally got married Everyone on the street thinks I’m crazy because Im freaking out! Its like a dream!” Oh man, mental marriage is exactly the kind of thing Franco would be into…but hopefully Macy can wait a few years before making him her official brain-husband.

[Photo: Getty Images]

James Franco Set To Return To General Hospital

Since he just got surprisingly good reviews for summer action flick Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes, it seems like there’s really only one perfect career path for James Franco: returning to General Hospital. The Oscar-nominee will be headed back to Port Charles this fall, having guest starred for a two-month arc in 2009 as a serial killer. Really, how does he plan to top a role that amazing? We can just picture a sweaty Franco pacing back in forth in a boardroom, trying to explain how super-intelligent chimps make perfect sense on a soap opera.

E! Online has an exclusive pic of James Franco’s return to set, and if you guessed it would feature him drooling fake blood through his classic Franco grin, you are correct. According to the show’s plot synopsis, the upcoming episode would feature “psychotic artist Franco returning to Port Charles just as Jason Morgan and Samantha McCall are about to become husband and wife.” Oh no! Not Jason and Samantha, whoever they are! They are def going to get a super-chimp-related surprised on their wedding day!

[Photo: WENN]

James Franco Made A Sex Tape

We got some good news and bad news for you James Franco fans out there. The good news is, he made a sex tape. The bad news, it’s apparently pretty awful. During an appearance on Conan last night, the Rise of The Planet of the Apes star and renaissance man came clean about the one aspect of film he’s not so great at. “When I was young, it’s not like I went down to Van Nuys and tried to break into the porn industry,” he admitted. “I got a video camera and my girlfriend and I decided to film ourselves. And watched it back and said yeah, let’s never watch that again.” Although we’d kind of expect as much. If he can’t get the energy level up for hosting the dang Oscars, we can’t imagine his sex tape would be any better.

But the experience made him have a new reverence and respect for adult film stars. “Those people in porno’s are great performers,” says the Academy Award nominee. “They’re selling it to an audience!” He then went on to randomly mention his grandma in the next breath, for reasons we can only guess at. Damn it Franco, first rule of the porn industry: NEVER bring up Nanna.

[Photo: Getty Images]

Spot The Diff: James Franco Melts The Hearts Of Fans

The Weekly Diff is TheFABLife’s pop culture spin on the traditional “spot the difference” game. Check back every Wednesday for a new picture.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes star James Franco signed autographs as he arrived to The Late Show With David Letterman. [Photo: Splash News Online]