If you haven't already heard the news (which made us all kinda do a double-take), movie star James Franco jumped off the big screen last month to take a short-term role on ABC's General Hospital, a daytime soap opera.
The move left us grappling with one basic question: Why?
While both James and "GH" execs have been extra-careful to keep quiet on exactly what he'll be doing on set, the "Pineapple Express" star did let a few tiny details slip to New York Magazine's Vulture blog, during a fall gala on Friday. Of course, we plan to analyze every little thing he said as much as possible until we come up with a plausible theory!
Just over one month ago, we scratched our heads a little (OK, a lot...) at the news that James Franco would be making an appearance on the daytime soap "General Hospital." It seemed like a step backward for a star who has continured to earn critical praise for his roles in movies like "Pineapple Express" and the Oscar-nominated "Milk." Well, today, once again, James is being linked to yet another TV show, and this time we're applauding with glee instead of wagging our index fingers in wonderment.
According to EW, James will soon be guest starring on the NBC comedy, "30 Rock." This adds the adorable actor to the end of a long (and ongoing) list of notable names who have also flanked the set of the Tina Fey-created series. Just to name a few of those all-stars: Jennifer Aniston, Oprah, Steve Martin, Jon Hamm and Jerry Seinfeld.
After "Pineapple Express" was released last year, critics praised James Franco for stepping outside his typical dramatic, brooding roles to try his hand at some comedy (a return back to his Freaks and Geeks roots, which if you haven't seen yet, you definitely should). Even if you didn't like the stoner flick, it was hard not to have your heart melt for James' loveable drug dealer who called his nana every day.
So it seems James has decided to take the idea of moving outside his typical genre to the next level by signing on for a guest arc on "General Hospital"? According toEntertainment Weekly, James is set to start filming on the episodes on October 30 and the arc will beginning running on November 20. An ABC rep told EW his storyline would be on the show for several months.
She already said, "Yes Man" and spent "(500) Days of Summer," but now Zooey Deschanel will be able to call herself "Your Highness." The actress is heading to Northern Ireland this month to begin filming "Highness," according to The Hollywood Reporter.
In the comedy, which was penned by Ben Best and Danny McBride (both of whom star in and created HBO's "Eastbound & Down"), Zooey will play the virginal bride to a heroic prince (James Franco) who is on an adventure with his much lazier brother (Danny) to save their father's kingdom. Read more...
James Franco has managed to show the world that he's more than just his "Freaks and Geeks" slacker alter ego Daniel Desario by getting recruited to give a commencement speech at UCLA. Ultimately, he had to cancel at the last minute, but thanks to Funny or Die, his UCLA commencement speech audition tape has been unearthed (press play above!). And, the curse-filled, ego-driven speech proved what we already knew—it would have been the speech of a lifetime. Read more...
Rumor has it that "Harry Potter" starlet Emma Watson may have chosen Columbia University as her college of choice. It was one of the schools she visited last fall (along with Harvard, Yale and Brown), and if you search on the Columbia website someone who has a derivation of Emma's given name is listed in the school directory.
But, that someone could be someone else. Although, Emma has been quite vocal about wanting to attend college (probably this fall). In her recent cover story forTeen Vogue she said, "I've been saying that I wanted to go to university since I was eleven, so if they didn't let me, I'd be pretty upset." Read more...
We're a little bit hesitant to believe the rumors that James Franco and Robert Pattinson are going head-to-head to play late singer-songwriter Jeff Buckley (pictured above, center) in a reportedly in-the-works biopic, but it got us to thinking: Who's really the better candidate for the job? Sure, at this point, we all want to see RPattz doing just about anything so long as it involves us getting to stare at him for hours. But, Mr. Franco, who is equally as swoon-worthy, has recently proven (thanks to "Milk") that his acting chops extend far beyond his killer smile. Plus, it seems from the photo above that Franco resembles the brooding Buckley much more — though we're still wondering how much talent he has in the music department.
If you could play casting director, who would you cast? And is this the type of movie you would actually want to see your beloved Edward star in?
By Nuzhat Naoreen
Just over one month ago, we scratched our heads a little (OK, a lot...) at the news that 
After 
She already said, "Yes Man" and spent "(500) Days of Summer," but now 
Rumor has it that "Harry Potter" starlet Emma Watson may have chosen Columbia University as her college of choice. It was one of the schools she visited last fall (along with Harvard, Yale and Brown), and if you search on the Columbia website someone who has a derivation of Emma's given name is listed in the school directory.