NYU Professor Allegedly Fired For Dropping D on James Franco
A former NYU professor claims he got fired because he's Hispanic and dared give James Franco, Hollywood celebrity, a D in a class, according to a new lawsuit.
Jose Angel Santana, who taught Franco in his "Directing the Actor" class, is now suing the University for his job back, claiming he was wrongfully terminated.
According to the lawsuit, Santana dropped a D on Franco for missing 12 of the 14 classes during the MFA course. Not shocking, given his academic track record:
However, when peeps found out, Santana claims he suffered all sorts of public humiliation at the hands of Franco and the school itself, which canned him.
Something he claims would never have happened to a white professor.
According to Santana, other faculty played favorites for Franco, including fellow professor Jay Anania, who Franco hired to write and direct Shadows & Lies.
Santana says, "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 university has done everything in its power to curry favor.”
Okay ... can we just talk about the pic again? That's hilarious.
James Franco Tears into Breaking Dawn: All About Sex!
The Twilight Saga is under fire once again.
A day after Star Trek actor George Takei called out the franchise for simply being "really, really bad," James Franco has penned a scathing critique of Breaking Dawn.
In a column for The Paris Review, the Oscar nominee takes this film to task for its reliance on nearly-underage sex, writing:
The protagonists finally marry, having waited until the wise old age of eighteen, and since the book and the film dutifully show them being wed, they are then allowed to f-ck each others’ brains out. For a film that claims to be sexually responsible, the Twilight movies are awfully dependent on teenage sex to attract viewers.
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.
Ouch! What say you, Twihards? If you're looking for a comeback, remember: there's always Franco's hosting debacle at the 2011 Academy Awards.
James Franco and Ahna O'Reilly Break Up
James Franco and Ahna O'Reilly have parted ways. The two dated for about five years, but "it's over," Franco admits in the August issue of Playboy.
His schedule was mostly to blame.
"We'd been living together in L.A. and then came to New York to go school for two years. Then I signed up for more school. I think that was it for her."
In addition to a busy movie career, the Rise of the Planet of the Apes star has famously been pursuing multiple degrees at Yale, NYU and Columbia.
Before he and O'Reilly began dating in 2006, Franco romanced actress Marla Sokoloff, and has been romantically linked to Sienna Miller as well.
Ahna O'Reilly has appeared in films like Forgetting Sarah Marshall and this summer's The Help, plus TV's CSI: NY and The Vampire Diaries.
[Photos: WENN.com]
Happy 4/20 From THG's Top 10 Celebrity Stoners!
It's 4/20, baby. You know what that means, right? THG does.
Well, sort of. The origins of 420 are hotly debated, but no matter where the term came from, people associate it with smoking massive amounts of weed!
As such, the 20th day of April has become a de facto holiday.
With that in mind, The Hollywood Gossip salutes 10 famous individuals who have been known to puff the herb from time to time. Some even inhale ...
10. Bill Clinton. As President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton presided over the largest peacetime economic expansion in American history.
But boy, was he a terrible liar. The Lewinsky debacle was technically worse (what with perjury charges and all), but "I didn't inhale" was pretty legendary.
9. Jeff Bridges. He played The Dude! Enough said, really. But to further our argument for his inclusion, we suggest reading these Big Lebowski quotes.
Lindsay Lohan to Get Naked For Sex Book?
Has Lindsay Lohan agreed strip down buck naked for a full-frontal photo spread in a "sex book" with James Franco of all people? That's the rumor going around.
A rumor LiLo flatly denies, calling the whole idea "gross."
Lohan tells friends she'd NEVER do a sex book despite reports she signed a multi-million dollar deal to pose with Franco in a series of "graphic" nude photos for a Madonna-esque book with photographer Terry Richardson.
Why would we ever assume Lindsay Lohan would pose nude?!
However, according to a TMZ report, Lohan HAS agreed to a milder photo shoot with Richardson ... in a book about the "glamor and history" of Hollywood.
No word if Franco is involved in that shoot as well, but it'd probably be a better career move than hosting the Oscars. Man, was he ever terrible on Sunday.
Sex book or no sex book, LiLo is no stranger to risque photo shoots. Click to enlarge some of the more provocative Lindsay Lohan pictures in question ...
Anne Hathaway and James Franco: Funny or A Failure?
About an hour into the 2011 Academy Awards telecast, co-host James Franco walked on to the stage in a dress.
To viewers, this was likely seen as either an act of desperation or hilarity, as he also tossed in a joke about Charlie Sheen, turning to Anne Hathaway and quipping: ”You got to wear a tuxedo so I wore this. The weird thing is I just got a text message from Charlie Sheen.”
Cue... laughter? Or eye rolling?
You tell us. Did the use of actors over comedians work for the ceremony? Or were you more entertained by Tweeting during the event than by what Hathaway and Franco were actually saying/doing?
Give the hosts a grade:
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Anne Hathaway and James Franco: In Training!
Think it's easy to host the Academy Awards?
There's a reason why the show has burned through so many emcees over the last couple decades, with such stalwarts as David Letterman and Jon Stewart failing to meet expectations in the eyes of many.
Is it due to the difficulty of entertaining such a wide swath of A-listers? No. It's due to the intense training required by those in charge of the ceremony, as evidenced by these videos. Just look at what Anne Hathaway and James Franco are going through in preparation for their big day:
SAG Awards Fashion Face-Off: Justin Timberlake vs. James Franco
Justin Timberlake celebrates his 30th birthday today. Will a Fashion Face-Off triumph over James Franco serve as icing on the proverbial cake?
Probably not. He has no idea this competition is even occurring. But you do, and your votes will decide the winner of this style showdown below.
So who's it gonna be? The Social Network star or the 127 Hours star, who will co-host the Academy Awards this winter? Vote and decide!
James Franco Gives Mad Props to Porn Stars
James Franco is officially an Oscar nominee.
But that's not why the actor is making headlines today. Franco is in the news due to his unusual comments during a Newsweek-hosted discussion with fellow nominees Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, Michelle Williams, Annette Bening and Nicole Kidman.
During the chat, Franco somehow steered the conversation to his experience playing the role of Ray J when he was 19, saying:
"I think if anybody who has made a sex tape knows, what feels best doesn't always look best. I remember when I was 19 doing that, and then watching it back and thinking, oh, that looks horrible... You have a lot of respect for those actors in pornography, because they are really not just doing it, they're really selling it."
True. But then they're getting it on with Charlie Sheen. Sort of tips the scale back into the disrespect side of things, doesn't it?
Anne Hathaway and James Franco to Host Academy Awards
If Anne Hathaway wears what she donned for a recent EW photo shoot at next year's Academy Awards, we think the following news is nothing short of exhilarating:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has confirmed its offer to these stars, with producers Bruce Cohen and Don Mischer saying:
"James Franco and Anne Hathaway personify the next generation of Hollywood icons - fresh, exciting and multi-talented. We hope to create an Oscar broadcast that will both showcase their incredible talents and entertain the world."
Both actors are starring in new films, with Franco considered a front-runner for Best Actor based on his portrayal of Aron Ralston in 127 Hours.
With Hathaway and Franco officially accepting the honor, it will mark the first time in history a pair of current, mainstream movie stars host the ceremony. What do you think of this choice?
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