james franco

James Franco and Gus Van Sant Partner On Art Exhibit

Filed under: Events, Art

If you didn't get enough James Franco during Oscar weekend you can head over to the Gagosian Gallery in Beverly Hills to take a look at some of his art output. Franco and director Gus Van Sant are the double bill on a shared exhibit titled "Unfinished."

The exhibit includes screenings of the film, "My Own Private River," which is a collaboration between Van Sant and Franco. After casting Franco in the award-winning film "Milk," Van Sant showed him the dailies and other footage that he had shot for "My Own Private Idaho" an early 1990s movie featuring River Phoenix and Keanu Reeves as street hustlers. Franco took the footage and created a new film which is a haunting video portrait of the late River Phoenix in his role as Mike. The film features a soundtrack by REM frontman Michael Stipe.

The exhibit also features artworks in watercolor by Van Sant. His poignant portraits of young men are well-done but have a certain mug-shot sadness as the subject stares at the viewer with an impassive and not-entirely-at-ease gaze. The exhibit runs February 26 through April 9 at the Gagosian Gallery at 56 North Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90210. Daily screenings of the Franco film run Tuesday through Saturday at 10:00am, 12:00pm, 2:00pm and 4:00pm.

Tags: Gagosian Gallery, gus van sant, james franco, river phoenix

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RSVIP: Oscar Countdown: 26th Film Independent Spirit Awards

by Jeffrey Slonim (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events

Day Five: The countdown is complete. Saturday, for reporters, the day before the Academy Awards, began at 9:00 a.m. at Santa Monica Beach. Public parking lot 5, reserved for the press, was a half-mile walk to the behemoth lunch tent pitched beside the beach. Wind off the ocean bit hard. Even towering palm trees looked cold as their branches whipped in gusts that littered Ocean Avenue with browning fronds.

The tent for the Film Independent Spirit Awards was a white plastic Quonset hut the size of an office complex. A crane huddled beside the white plastic structure that rippled in the wind. But apparently it was strong enough to hold the man standing on it three stories in the air, drawing a rope over the top.

Driving wind cut across the choppy surf, accumulating fine sand on the cement bike path. In our bones, we could feel the raw, salty proximity to the briny sea. One foreign female journalist in a short black sequined dress had goose bumps on her legs that resembled hives.
Waiting while staffed dried rain that had poured into the tent the night before, the press struggled for an hour in the bitter chill.

By 11:00 a.m.,the gray carpet arrivals corridor was flanked on one side by metal stanchions and a thousand journalists. Open at both ends it had flaps cut into the side facing the Pacific, creating a mild wind-tunnel.

"I love the weather," said director John Waters, above, a host at previous events, wearing Comme des Garcon and pants decorated with camouflage paint. "It's like a face lift." Actor Rainn Wilson, too, said he was relaxed "not to be hosting this time."

Tags: film independent spirit awards, indy spirit awards, james franco, kate walsh, natalie portman, nicole kidman, rsvip, spirit awards, vanessa hudgens

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James Franco Sells Hollywood Hills Home

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

James Franco seems to have been everywhere lately, Sundance, a soap opera, Saturday Night Live. One place we won't be seeing the popular actor is in his Sunset-Strip area home. Franco has sold the home which was listed last October for $3.695 million. The Spanish-style villa located very near eternal Hollywood hotspot Chateau Marmont was built in 1923 and has three bedrooms. The home, which has vaulted and beamed ceilings and an open floor plan, has had a major renovation. The home was bought through a trust in 2006 for $2.325 million. The MLS shows that the home sold for $3.3 million.

Gallery: James Franco In Hollywood

Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, james franco, JamesFranco, los angeles real estate, LosAngelesRealEstate

James Franco in the Hollywood Hills, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping

What is going on with James Franco recently? First the young movie star raised eyebrows with the news that he would be starring on the soap opera "General Hospitial" and now he has put his Sunset-Strip area home on the market. The LA Times Hot Property column reports that Franco has listed his Sunset Strip-area compound for $3.695 million. The Spanish-style villa located very near Chateau Marmont was built in 1923 and has three bedrooms. The home, which has vaulted and beamed ceilings and an open floor plan has had a major renovation. It looks to be extremely well-staged for maximum appeal so I don't think this decor reflects Franco's tastes. The home was bought through a trust in 2006 for $2.325 million. The master bedroom suite includes views of the city and a large bathroom with a striking 19th century marble bathtub. There is a pool and a small guest house on the property. The listing is here.

Gallery: James Franco In Hollywood

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Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, chateau marmont, ChateauMarmont, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, james franco, JamesFranco, sunset strip, SunsetStrip

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James Franco for Gucci

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Cosmetics and Fragrance

James Franco has become the latest actor with a fragrance deal. The actor is perhaps best known for playing Harry Osborn in the Spiderman movies but first came to my attention when he played James Dean back in 2001. The new fragrance will be Frida Giannini's second for Gucci, the first Gucci by Gucci came out last year and was promoted with an ad by director David Lynch. No details yet on what the scent's profile will be but it has been developed with the P&G Prestige Products division of Procter & Gamble and will come out in the fall. I can only hope Franco shaves off that bad mustache before the photo shoot.

Gallery: Celebrity Men's Fragrances