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Ryan, Shia, or James: Which Hot Guy Are You Checking Out on the Big Screen This Weekend?

PopSugar — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 12:00:00 PDT

Manjoyment-loving movie goers are in luck this weekend as Ryan Reynolds, Shia LaBeouf, and James Franco are competing for the top spot at the box office. Ryan embarks on an emotional journey in Buried, though we already know who this sexy Canadian would call in a crisis. Shia takes us through the highs and lows of working in the financial world with real-life love and costar Carey Mulligan in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. And finally, James may not be a hit with his teachers at NYU, but his portrayal of poet Allen Ginsberg in Howl has gotten good reviews. Plus, they'll all have to conquer Jon Hamm and Ben Affleck in The Town. So, tell us - which hot guy are you checking out on the big screen this weekend?

James Franco Has Fans Howling at His Latest Premiere

PopSugar — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 06:00:00 PDT

James Franco suited up last night in NYC for a special screening of Howl. Despite the school year having started for James, who's working on a PhD at Yale in creative writing, he'll be plenty busy promoting his various upcoming films. His movie about Allen Ginsberg hits theaters in limited release tomorrow, while his project about trapped hiker Aron Ralston comes out in November. James was in Canada a few weeks ago premiering the latter flick, and it ranked among Buzz's top picks from the Toronto Film Festival. He's balancing his workload and promotional schedule, while still finding time to feed his appetite for pleasure reading. The Twilight series even came James's way, and after making his way through the four books he had a comment on all the sexual tension between Edward and Bella. James said, "I think I got to the sex scene, but it was so brief, I didn't even know if it was the actual sex scene. It was kind of a letdown after all that buildup."

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Which September Movie Release Are You Most Excited About?

BuzzSugar — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:30:00 PDT

The end of Summer heralds not just the return of new Fall TV, but a decidedly different type of movie season. Sure, there are some lighthearted comedies coming out this month, but you'll notice that September promises a lot of drama in the way of film. The awards buzz is sure to begin for some of these movies, but regardless, let me know which of these releases you're most looking forward to seeing!

Do You Own a Typewriter?

CasaSugar — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 08:30:00 PDT

I just watched the new trailer for the Allen Ginsberg biopic Howl on Buzz, and I'm really looking forward to seeing it. The performances look fantastic, and the script seems engaging. Seeing James Franco writing poems at his typewriter reminded me of how much I used to love playing around with my parents' old IBM Selectric. As frustrating as it was to start from scratch when I needed to edit my writing, or use that very obvious white-out, I did always love the sound of the keys clicking up and down and the distinct impression the ink made on my letter paper. It would be fun to own one again. Do you have one?

3 Things James Franco Has in Common With Allen Ginsberg

TresSugar — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:00:15 PDT

We were reminded just how perfect James Franco is as beat poet Allen Ginsberg when the trailer for the Ginsberg biopic, Howl, came out yesterday.

He's already PhD-from-Yale smart, but there's plenty more where that came from. Here are three things he has common with the icon he'll play.

Columbia connection: Both studied writing at Columbia University. Allen got his undergraduate degree there and James got an MFA.
Authors: Allen's entire career was his writing. While James has only published one book - a collection of short stories titled Palo Alto - he writes poetry, too. In 2008, he told Blackbook his poetry combines fragments of existing texts. But he didn't talk too much about it, fearing the takeaway would be "James Franco likes poetry." Sorry, James! Besides we're saying he writes poetry!
Art as a hobby: Allen took photos to relax, which were collected and published in Beat Memories: The Photographs of Allen Ginsberg, while James paints. In an early interview (back in his Freaks and Geeks days), James said he's been painting longer than he's been acting.

Now we just have to wait until the film, which has been in the works since 2008, comes out September 24.

Howl Trailer: James Franco Channels His Inner Beatnik

BuzzSugar — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:30:52 PDT

Between his soap opera appearances and myriad viral videos, it can be easy to forget that James Franco is actually a very talented actor. The trailer for Howl is the perfect reminder of Franco's acting chops, taking us back to the beat generation for a glimpse at the life and career of poet Allen Ginsberg. Titled for Ginsberg's famous (and in some cases, infamous) poem "Howl," the film is a juxtaposition of Ginsberg's creative process and the trial that debated the poem's controversial content in 1957.

Jon Hamm plays Ginsberg's defense attorney, but if I told you that Don Draper was plunked into the middle of this movie, it wouldn't be a huge stretch. I caught this movie back at Sundance, and it's definitely worth a look for Franco's remarkable performance. Watch the trailer and let me know what you think after the jump.

Link Time! Emma Roberts Buckles Down For Homework

BuzzSugar — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:30:00 PDT

Emma Roberts and Freddie Highmore join teen romance Homework - Collider
Seth Rogen and Chris Pine may court Reese Witherspoon for This Means War - The Wrap
Johnny Depp directed this music video - Music Mix
Big Love star Mireille Enos nabs AMC's The Killing - TV Squad
James Franco's Howl to release in September - Film School Rejects
Yes! Community webisodes - PopWatch
These onscreen bridesmaids teach real ones what not to do - TresSugar
Groan: an old-man version of The Hangover with Jack Nicholson - Slash Film
Julia Roberts to produce biopic about George Mallory - Cinematical
Check out this dream list of movies for Jennifer Aniston to direct. I'm 100 percent behind a Friends film or a John Mayer biopic - The Frisky

James Franco Has the Crowds Howling at the Berlin Film Festival

PopSugar — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 10:30:00 PST

James Franco touched down in Berlin this morning, and it didn't take him long to get suited up for a premiere of Howl at the city's Film Festival. He was just off attending more screenings of the film at Sundance, where we caught up with his costar Jon Hamm. Buzz had great first impression of their movie, but while James is hard at work doing promotion, he's also looking forward to his next project, Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, with Amber Tamblyn and possibly Kate Mara. James, meanwhile, recently sold his home back in LA, as his brother Dave of Scrubs spent time in the city shooting the look book for Boy by Band of Outsiders with Leslie Mann.

More photos of James so

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Sundance Snapshot: Howl

BuzzSugar — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:30:39 PST

Before Jon Hamm was in NY gearing up for SNL, he made an appearance at the Sundance Film Festival for the world premiere of Howl. I was lucky enough to catch a screening of the film, which centers around Allen Ginsberg's life during the beatnik era and his controversial poem.

Who's behind it? Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman teamed up to write and direct the film, with James Franco, Jon Hamm, Bob Balaban, and David Strathairn as the major players.
What's it about? The film takes its title from Ginsberg's four-part poem, Howl, and goes back and forth between the year it was written (1955) and the year it became a lawsuit (1957). The movie is cut together into four very distinct parts: we see an interview with Ginsberg (Franco) as he discusses his life and work in 1957, as well as Ginsberg reading his poem to an audience for the first time in 1955. When Franco's not on camera, we see some trippy animation portraying the poem in a literal sense or scenes inside the courtroom debate regarding the poem's obscenities and literary worth.

To see whether or not the pieces all fit together for me, just

What did I think? Overall, I really enjoyed the film. The components came together nicely and seamlessly, as a perfect blend of biopic, courtroom drama, and artistic indie flick. Franco gives an impressive performance as Ginsberg, showing two sides of the poet: quietly introspective and incredibly passionate. Though the animation got to be a bit much for me by the end of the film, I appreciated the stark contrast it provided to the lawsuit. The animated version of Howl turns Ginsberg's so-called obscenities into beautiful imagery as we listen to lawyers and witnesses contemplate whether or not the poem is crude and derogatory.

It's another great move for Franco's blooming career (especially since the film pulled him off of Sympathy for Delicious), and I have a feeling it will be a big stepping stone toward even more acclaim for the actor.

Don't forget to check out all of my reviews from the Sundance Film Festival!

James Franco Kicks Off Sundance, Jon Gosselin's New Girl, & Conan Can't Keep Triumph

PopSugar — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 16:12:25 PST

The Sundance Film Festival was off to a star-studded start with yesterday's premiere of Howl, where we chatted with stars James Franco and a still-bearded Jon Hamm. Meanwhile, Jon Gosselin is stepping out with his new girlfriend, and Conan O'Brien will have to part ways with Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog. Check out PopSugar Rush now!