Scanner : james franco

James Franco Is Sleeping His Way Through Grad School

Ina Maier — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 21:27:00 GMT

And we've got the photos to prove it...

[via]

GQ: "James Franco Is A Douche"

"Acting With James Franco" Comes Pretty Close to Making Us Cry

Sean Penn Propositions James Franco for Sex

And the Critics Choice Award Goes To...

Brian Fairbanks — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 19:44:00 GMT

At last night's Critic's Choice Awards, Slumdog Millionaire continued its improbable road to the Oscars, capturing Best Picture, Director, Young Actor, and Musical Score.

While Slumdog Millionaire continues to scoop up major awards, Milk is left to languish-- or, um, spoil. And even though it would be impossible to watch both films back to back and not consider Milk the greater work of art, by a landslide, it appears Slumdog is now the leader in this horse race for the most trophies. (The only Golden Globe nomination Gus Van Sandt's biopic has received is for Sean Penn as best actor. Ouch-- not even best screenplay?)

But there's one category we can all agree on... and that's best supporting actor...

Last night, Josh Brolin, James Franco, Heath Ledger, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Robert Downey, Jr. duked it out for closely-watched prize. Check out what happened, it's a pretty emotional moment:

Related:

The Porno Oscars

And the Role of Oscar Host Goes to...

Hot or Not: Marisa Tomei in The Wrestler

Stewart Goes After Huckabee Over Gay Marriage

Scanner Matt — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:16:00 GMT

These are the clips you'll be watching twenty or thirty years from now. They'll be edited as scenes and sound bites into documentaries and mainstream news stories the way old footage of the first civil rights movement is still very present in the media today.

So who wants to be the asshole who preached "separate but equal" again, only to look like an ignorant hate-monger a few decades later? Bigoted born-again Fred Flinstone does.

Jon Stewart must be having one hell of a week. We can't stop posting clips from The Daily Show, but we promise this will be the last one of the year (The Daily Show is on hiatus until 2009).

Is it us or does Mike Huckabee look like he was molded by the creators of Gumby? His clay skin, the odd way he expresses himself with his prominent eyes, that creepy laugh...

Watch Stewart enlighten Mr. God.:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Mike Huckabee Pt. 2

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

eHarmony, Let The Gays Begin!

Sloppy Seconds: Jerry Lewis Continues to Hate on the Gays

This Week In Gayness: Lesbians Under Attack

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 17:40:00 GMT

Wanna know what Prop 8 supporters think of the gays now? Then check out this hate mail.

Utah may finally emerge from the Dark Ages if the Mormons are as good as their word(ed press release.)

Diego Luna and James Franco haven't convinced us they enjoyed kissing their male co-star...

"It was...dry."

That was Milk star Diego Luna, when asked how it was kissing Sean Penn, who plays iconic gay rights activist (and Luna's boyfriend the film) Harvey Milk. "[Sean]'s not a great kisser," Diego, who shot to fame in Y Tu Mamá También, continued bravely, as only non-Hollywood actors seem capable of. "I guess he was thinking about Franco." As in James, who plays Penn's other BF in the flick.

So I pressed Franco on how the hell S.P. smooches. He literally went on for five minutes talking about something else.... I insisted on a pecker report! "It was...fine," Franco finally answered, with a tiny smile. [E!]

Oooh, you tease us with those words "pecker report." Shame, shame.

Courtney Love has the sinking suspicion some people were against Prop 8 before they were for it. Or the reverse. Or something. Meanwhile, a third of the state's lawmakers are hoping the courts can do something about the new gay marriage ban in California.

Keith Olbermann pretty much puts it all into perspective:

And lesbians are under attack... in Canada. Please, we need to give all gay people in this country full legal rights on every level before this hate spreads to every corner of the globe. (Probably too late.)

"Which one of you two 'men' spoke to my kid? F------ dyke. Lesbians," he said, spitting in Dimitriou's face. As she wiped her face, eyes closed, he punched her on the cheek and wound up again, slamming her backward into her truck. As Currie ran toward him, she remembers him shouting, "F------ dyke bitches," and punched her on the cheekbone so hard the skin burst apart, blood splattering.
What Currie remembers most, from the afternoon of Nov. 3, is the stillness of the schoolchildren, and the sound of her six-year-old son screaming. "It was a face of complete and utter horror," Currie said in an interview yesterday. "His mouth was wide open, and he just stood there, screaming." [The Star]

Related:

This Week In Gayness: We Say No To That Yes On Prop 8

Sloppy Seconds: The Evangelical Sex Craze

This Week In Gayness: Guy Attacked At Proposition 8 Protest

This Week in Gayness: Ellen vs. the Bigots

Video of the Day: Vote No on Prop 8

Gay Marriage: God Is Gonna Getcha... Claim Scary Freaks

This Baptist Minister Thinks You Should Be Having More Sex

Today in the Apocalypse: Makeover Parties For Little Girls

While You Were Sleeping: Jessica Alba's Bondage Ad

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:41:00 GMT

Look out for the Obama Sex Tape e-mails going around. It's a Trojan e-mail, which is kind of the perfect name for it...

The Florida Family Association claims to be responsible for pulling 325 advertisers from the Playboy show "The Girls Next Door," in the interests of decency and other boring reasons. We've never seen the show, but with more than 325 ads, we don't think we have the patience for it....

Sarah McLachlan is going through a divorce. Here she is on why we haven't heard about it already:

“I haven’t said anything about it because I’ve been terrified,” she said. “But I figure … there’s no good time to say it, so I just said it.”

McLachlan and Sood (the drummer in her band) have been married for 11 years and have two daughters, India Ann Sushil, 6, and Taja Summer, 14 months. The Vancouver-based singer described the split as “pretty gross,” but did not elaborate on the causes.

The article goes on to add that two songs on her album, "U Want Me 2" and "Don't Give Up On Us," are likely reflective of the causes. (Based on those titles, we gotta say... poor thing.)

Jessica Alba's new ad for Declare Yourself, a GOTV organization geared to our lazy youth, is probably going to get more coverage than the election. She tries to talk about the elections... but all the questions keep coming back to the bondage...

The dramatic image “really resonates” with the issue of voting, according to the 27-year-old star. “If you don’t register and vote and make a difference, and hopefully change the bad things that are happening in our country, you are essentially just binding and muzzling yourself.”

"Really resonates" translates to "is the only reason anyone would stop to look at the ad and possibly remember to vote because of it, although probably not." Here's a photo:

And it looks like James Franco is going to have to grow a mustache and wear a cloak if he wants to continue attending college in New York.

Related:

While You Were Sleeping: James Franco and Sean Penn Go At It

"Acting With James Franco" Comes Pretty Close to Making Us Cry

Jessica Alba Finally Pops Out a Baby

The Josh Hartnett Sex Tape: At Least It Won't Be In Night Vision

GQ: "James Franco Is A Douche"

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:13:00 GMT

This story was written by Sean Flanagan, who is guest blogging while Verena is at the Democratic National Convention...

Everyone loves James Franco, sorta.

Pineapple Express was hilarious. Franco was exciting and endearing-- and in a good movie. But, it turns out, if you haven't seen any of his films since 2001's James Dean, you probably wouldn't know that everyone in Hollywood thinks he's a douche.

GQ, as you will see, does nothing to shatter that image; in fact, they get right down to it in the opening lines:

He's sorry about the awful movies, sorry if he was a jerk on-set, sorry for trying to be the next James Dean. But now, with the chronically charming Pineapple Express and an Oscar-baiting drama coming this fall, Franco is making sure his future looks nothing like his past, even if it involves making out with Sean Penn...

After that, it only gets worse:

1) Judd Apatow call Franco ugly and stupid:

“What I remember about meeting James,” says [Judd] Apatow, “Was that he had this really big mouth, and he was very skinny, and very greasy... We had no sense that he was attractive— we just thought he was this, you know, wannabe cool guy, but it wasn’t quite working, a funny mess of a guy, the way he performed the scenes."

2) Franco discusses a gay cocaine threesome and "email vent" about how he was unhappy with the lack of time spent discussing art and poetry during his the days of being trailed for the cover article.

3) "To watch the complete works of James Franco, as I did, is for large stretches of time a dispiriting experience.... He seems more like a witness powerless to prevent the same crime being committed over and over again."

4) This one is too great of a quote to really make anyone look bad, though:

One time when he was deep into reading a particular text, Sean Penn told him, “You’re reading that book like you’re waiting for it to lie to you.”

Of course, since Scanner loves James Franco, we have to point out that we do not support GQ's position. There's something entirely lovable about a guy who has this to offer us about his first time kissing a man-- in this case, Sean Penn:

The ﬁrst kiss of the movie was out on Haight Street, with, like, 200 people watching, outside. It was a crane shot—I’m sure in the end it will be a really cool shot, but it starts close and then it takes maybe a minute. That’s a long time on film with everybody watching and, like, a fake mustache getting in your mouth. It was long enough that you couldn’t help thinking, ‘Oh, my God, I’m kissing Spicoli.’ ”

While You Were Sleeping: James Franco and Sean Penn Go At It

Video of the Day: "Pineapple Express" Trailer

"Acting With James Franco" Comes Pretty Close to Making Us Cry

While You Were Sleeping: The Heath Ledger Investigation

Sloppy Seconds: More Naughty Miley Cyrus Photos Leaked

This Week In Gayness: Sean Penn's Next Movie

The MTV Movie Awards: More Entertaining Than We Wanted Them To Be

While You Were Sleeping: The Madonna-Guy Ritchie Separation

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 12:43:00 GMT

A teacher in Tennessee was fired by her school board, even after charges of child molestation were proven false, while a teacher in Georgia was arrested for stalking his underage girlfriend/ex-student by text.

Oh, and one more: a 26-year-old teacher in South Carolina was arrested for getting her students drunk after hours.

Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi are now Mrs. and Mrs. Speaking of celebrity couplings, Hillary Duff refuses to be overshadowed by Lindsay Lohan and the rest of the young starlets...

Actress/singer Hillary Duff has sparked rumors she's taking her relationship with hockey star Mike Comrie to the next level, after she was photographed wearing a ring on her wedding finger.

Young evangelicals are not the hardliners their folks were, at least not when it comes to sexual politics.

The Top 10 places to nude up in Australia, as chosen by The Age.

A Belgian man reported his wife missing following a game of (naked) hide-and-seek in the woods.

James Franco researched his role as a New Orleans pro by hooking up with streetwalkers in Los Angeles.

Madonna and Guy Ritchie separated in 2003, according to the co-author of the singer's brothers new expose. The couple soon reunited and, says the star, are not breaking up... for the last time, okay?

While You Were Sleeping: The Heath Ledger Investigation

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:33:00 GMT

James Franco denies the shirt he wears in Pineapple Express is "stolen."

Betty White and Rue McClanahan both avoided Estelle Getty's funeral.

Shia Labeouf will not, as previously rumored, lose a finger.

Even some offensive jokes are too offensive for Bob Saget: he has lashed out at an eating disorder joke and other comments made at the expense of the Olsen twins during his own Comedy Central roast.

Celebrity Hero of the Day: Kirk Douglas, who has long fought for an official US apology for slavery, is thrilled that the House has passed a fitting resolution.

A judge tossed Lisa Marie's lawsuit against ex-boyfriend Tim Burton, which comes as no surprise.

The paparazzi have yet to capture Nicole Kidman's phantom baby. In a photograph, of course.

Can you believe the cast Chicago director Rob Marshall assembled for his new musical, Nine: Daniel Day Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Kate Hudson, Dame Judi Dench, and Sophia Loren... for starters. There's also some guy named Fellini who's working on the screenplay...

The Heath Ledger investigation has closed. It's unclear whether Mary-Kate Olsen's refusal to testify is a reason investigators ended their search, for lack of evidence.

Via WENN.

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Preliminary Results On "Who Would You Rather": DD Lewis vs. Bardem

Crush of the Week: Marion Cotillard

We Saw The Dark Knight In A Cavernous Movie Theater, During The Dead Of Night

Was Nicole Kidman Ever Really Pregnant?

Sloppy Seconds: Amy Winehouse's Spiked Drink

This Week In Gayness: Sean Penn's Next Movie

Brian Fairbanks — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:34:00 GMT

A lesbian wedding announcement in a Utah paper is causing a (small) stink in the conservative state.

About.com wonders what will happen if Proposition 8 passes, thus banning gay marriage in California.

Only 64% of gay people have come out to a family member, but 80% of gays would like to integrate suburbia.

Local bigots (or pranksters) have defaced a married lesbian couple's Pride flag in California and the police refuse to help put a stop to the destruction.

Barack Obama supports LGBT adoptions. Meanwhile, Charlie Crist, the possible VP choice for McCain and the current Governor of Florida, has said he would likely support a gay marriage ban there.

The latest scientific experiment to prevent HIV transmissions: a pill to be popped just before sex.

As we mentioned yesterday, Sean Penn stars as Harvey Milk in the new Gus Van Sant movie. Will you go see it?

[It's] set to be released on December 5.

Penn definitely has the look for the part and since his stellar Mystic River performance, we know he can deliver the drama. But can Van Sant and his powerhouse ensemble (Josh Brolin, James Franco, Diego Luna, Emile Hirsch and Denis O'Hare) pull off a feature film that's able to honor the late Harvey Milk and keep us in our seats for double hours?

Poll: Will you see Milk?
1) Definitely 2) Maybe 3) Not Interested

Related:

While You Were Sleeping: James Franco and Sean Penn Go At It

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 13:39:00 GMT

Doris Lessing, our Hero In Residence, on the teen pregnancy "craze": "I hear girls saying, 'Oh I'm not going to bring a child into this wicked world,' which means they are going to be pregnant next week."

Happy 47th to Barack Obama yesterday. Unfortunately, his staff lost their big present to him.

The Eva Mendes Calvin Klein ad has been banned from TV:

Creative director Fabien Baron was flabbergasted that Mendes' nipple flash was deemed unacceptable for Middle American sensibilities:

“You must be kidding me. This country really needs a new president — this country is so messed up,” said Baron. “It’s such a joke and it’s quite upsetting, frankly, how hypocritical this country has become. It’s OK for children to see people killed by guns? Spreading a little love right now would be a good idea.

The worst appears to be over for Morgan Freeman.

Iggy & The Stooges just had their gear stolen in Montreal. All of it.

"Lost" wants your babies.

And James Franco and Sean Penn make out in the new Gus Van Sant film, Milk, about the tragic life of San Francisco's legendary Harvey Milk. Here's how Franco describes the scene:

He tells USA Today newspaper, "We're sitting on the curb, kissing... and it's not stopping. A minute doesn't sound like a long time, but, in front of 200 people, it's a long time. He (Penn) had a beard and the beard is scraping me. Afterwards, we were like, 'All right, how are those (Oakland) Raiders....'"

And Franco reveals Penn made sure he kept things light on the set - in between takes: "He would always ask me if my girlfriend was the better kisser."

Related:

Doris Lessing Be Trippin'?

Crazy White Supremacists-- Gasp!-- Hate Obama

"Acting With James Franco" Comes Pretty Close to Making Us Cry

The MTV Movie Awards: More Entertaining Than We Wanted Them To Be

Morgan Freeman Seriously Injured In Major Car Accident

Sloppy Seconds: Poor Bernie Mac, Morgan Freeman, and... OJ?

"Acting With James Franco" Comes Pretty Close to Making Us Cry

Nicole Pasulka — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 19:46:00 GMT

We have seen this clip of Freaks and Geeks and we are aware of James Franco's so-called "acting." And no one was more surprised than us to learn what a superb and nuanced "acting" coach James Franco could be.

In the first installment of "Acting With James Franco" below, James teaches his brother Dave about "Sense Memory" and threatens to jerk off into his sock. We definitely learned a lot. If only Spiderman 3 had been this moving.

The MTV Movie Awards: More Entertaining Than We Wanted Them To Be

Brian Fairbanks — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 19:53:00 GMT

Not that we watch MTV anymore and would know, but it sounds like it proved once again to be the only thing worth keeping the network around for... below, some of the many highlights, as reported by ecstatic viewers...

1) The Mike Myers promo clips were a bit hit, especially at our sister blog, Remote Island. (We actually kind of dig the name-- then again, we were always suckers for double meanings.)

2) Big bonus brownie points to Will Smith for admitting he hasn't always made great movies. A Hollywood actor admitting their output has been consistently inconsistent is not nearly as refreshing as if they actually were consistent, but it's still fucking wonderful to hear: "I was on this stage in 1988, so to be here today in 2008... I haven't always made great movies, but I've been trying real hard."

3) Benji Madden admitted his wacky girlfriend Paris Hilton dresses him. Easy joke: That explains a shitload, dude.

4) Seth Rogen and James Franco smoked a joint live onstage... and then, unfortunately, had to give an award to a very disturbed Robert Downey, Jr. Ouch. Here's the full clip, which was not shown on TV (the cameras cut away). This clip may not be working, although you can try this link.

5) And Mike Myers and Dana Carvey trotted out their "Wayne's World" characters for the first time since 1993.

The duo of Myers and Dana Carvey brought their shtick up to date by goofing on the porno names of some of the year's top movies, including the giggle-inducing "Suck It List," "Gush Hour 3" and ... um, "Iron Man."

Via MTV News. Keep checking Remote Island for more on the MTV Movie Awards.

McLovin' Isn't All That Into Getting Freaky With You

Brian Fairbanks — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:00:00 GMT

As if the New York Times wasn't taking enough flak for its terrible reporting of the McCain sex ring, now their readers are LOL'ing at the gossip rag's reporting of a new study that seems to indicate all those Judd Aptow-Seth Rogan movies are not quite accurate depictions of teenage sex lives:

A new report in The Journal of Adolescence this month suggests that when it comes to sex, girls and dating, boys are more complex than we typically give them credit for. While hormonal urges are no doubt an important part of a teenage boy’s life, they aren’t necessarily the defining trait influencing a boy’s relationships with girls.

Salon has its own story on the story of the study, complete with snarky, Gawkeresque excerpts from the Times's comment section:

When the Times first blogged about the study, readers rushed in with snickering skepticism. Take this comment: "Based on my past experience as a teenage boy, this study just reinforces my view that teenage boys are horny liars." Or this: "Yeah right! 16-year-old boys are concerned about relationships?" Even this: "I can just about pinpoint the exact moment in my prepubescent life when the 'lies I told the ladies' turned into the 'truths' I told myself ... These punks have got one thing on their minds, and it ain't relationships." Holy protective posturing, Batman!

We remember that, yes, high school was about getting a girlfriend first and getting some poontang second (we're pretty sure we didn't think of it as poontang, either.) However, there isn't a guy, straight or gay, that passed through high school without at least having tried to put the moves on somebody, whether it's at the prom or under the bleachers with James Franco.

Video of the Day: "Pineapple Express" Trailer

Bryan Christian — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Yeah, it kind of looks like the best comedy of 1996. But dammit -- remember when we said that James Franco might turn into Nicolas Cage if he wasn't careful? This is the anti-that! Seth Rogen will normally dominate any scene he's in -- and dig Franco here! He's a riot! Attention, heterosexual men: your latest mancrush has arrived.

PS: Dig the M.I.A. in the background! It's so genius -- the kids'll actually know what it is and the oldsters will be like "Is that The Clash?" (You know, like we were at first.) Bonus video if ya click through.

James Franco Still Funny, Mila Kunis Still Smokin'

Bryan Christian — Fri, 30 Nov 2007 15:45:00 GMT

More Funny or Die for ya, this time with an amusing little "What If?" where actual actors are forced by the Writer's Strike to perform scenes from reality TV. The great thing here -- aside from Mila Kunis being phenomenally adorable, something that she never truly was for us on That 70's Show -- is that James Franco, who got his start on a sitcom but has kind of been doing lame dramas and Spider-Man since forever, works that goofy wig like he owns it. He's in the zone, yo. Do more comedy, Jimmy! Don't become Nicolas Cage!!!

What's the next reality TV show to get the same treatment? Our vote is for Man vs. Beast. Get the guy from Heroes and The Rock in a fur coat and you're set!