In January, James Franco penned an ode to his friend and muse Lana Del Rey, concluding his V Magazine tribute to the singer by writing, “I wanted to interview Lana for a book and she said, ‘Just write around me; it’s better if it’s not my own words. It’s almost better if you don’t get me exactly, but try.'” That suggestion turned into an actual book as Franco revealed the actor has co-written Flip-Side: Real and Imaginary Conversations With Lana Del Rey. The 100-page book will be released March 15th, 2016 via Penguin Random House.
Franco co-write Flip-Side with New York Times bestsellers list author David Shields, who previously teamed with Franco on a film adaptation of I Think You’re Totally Wrong: A Quarrel, which was directed by Franco and co-written by Shields and Caleb Powell. Franco was also Shields’ student while the actor pursued his creative writing MFA through the Warren Wilson Program, Washington.edu reported in December 2013.

In that initial V tribute to Del Rey, Franco first agreed with the criticism the singer faced after her tumultuous Saturday Night Live performance but, after getting to know her, became enamored with her music.
“Lana has become my friend. She is a musician who is a poet and a video artist. She grew up on the East Coast but she is an artist of the West Coast,” Franco wrote. “When I watch her stuff, when I listen to her stuff, I am reminded of everything I love about Los Angeles. I am sucked into a long gallery of Los Angeles cult figurines, and cult people, up all night like vampires and bikers. The only difference between Lana and me is her haunting voice. That carries everything. The voice is the central axle around which the spokes of everything else extend.”

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James Franco is one of the most polarizing figures in the Contemporary Art world. Some consider him a “Renaissance Man;” others condemn him as a “half-assed” hack or worse. It seems that very few people are on the fence; you either love him or you hate him. Actually, that sounds like a lot of great artists.

A California Childhood: The Art of James Franco and Tom Franco opens at the Verne Collection with a reception Saturday, July 18, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Both Tom and James Franco will be in the gallery Saturday evening for the reception. On Sunday, July 19, Tom Franco will present a gallery talk at 2 p.m.

So, why is James Franco having an art exhibition in Cleveland? You may not know this, but James actually has family roots in Cleveland.

His maternal grandparents, Dan and Mitzie Verne, founded the Verne Collection: A Gallery of Japanese Prints and Paintings on Murray Hill in Little Italy in the mid 1950s, after living in Japan for two years. Now retired, the couple has passed the gallery down to their son, Michael (James and Tom’s uncle), who now serves as President of the Verne Collection.

The Vernes and their grandsons have always been close, despite growing up thousands of miles away in Palo Alto, CA. You may have seen Mitzie Verne at the Academy Awards the year James co-hosted. She was sitting next to James’ youngest brother Dave, who is becoming quite the accomplished actor himself (Neighbors, Scrubs, 21 Jump Street). James is the oldest son of the Vernes’ eldest daughter, Betsy, and her husband, Douglas. James has two brothers – Tom and Dave.

James Franco is a writer, painter, filmmaker, but he is best known as an actor (Milk, Spider-Man, Pineapple Express, Spring Breakers, The Interview). He fell in love with painting as an outlet in high school, and he’s actually been painting longer than he’s been acting. As a teenager, he attended after-school programs at the California State Summer School for the Arts. He studied at University of California (Los Angeles) before earning an MFA in English from Columbia University in New York City in 2010, and has studied (and taught) at many universities including Yale and the well respected Rhode Island School of Design.

Acting isn’t the only thing that runs in the family; Tom Franco is a full time painter, sculptor and arts professional in California. In 2005, Tom co-founded (and later became sole director of) Firehouse Art Collective in Berkeley, an art space dedicated to artists of all disciplines co-creating community, currency and culture. Firehouse features gallery exhibitions, public art, curated live art events, open studio art walks, workshops, performance theater, lectures, concerts, film club movie nights, studios, living spaces and gourmet organic food.

“My art work is a reflection of living within the Firehouse Art Collective experience, working with all sorts of artists every day, solving puzzles big and small to perfect the building blocks of creative making,” explains Tom Franco. “When I am spending time in my studio, I try to document that joy that flashes before me as I play and envision objects, people and animals that I love.”

He continues, “This year I have focused my art work on an inspiration of community in full swing, vibrant, joyous celebration. I really get a kick out of seeing other groups collaborating in an artistic process, where there is no doubt they have reached their goal!”

The Verne Collection is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by appointment. The exhibition remains on view through Saturday, Aug. 8. The show and related events are free and open to the public.

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Los Angeles: Actress Rachel McAdams had a “wonderful experience” working with James Franco on “Everything Will Be Fine”.he 36-year-old actress wanted to work with the actor for some time and was delighted to be cast alongside him in “Everything Will Be Fine”, reported LOOK magazine.

“He is so easy to work with. Even though he plays a man who is haunted by his past, he was light-hearted on the set.

“I have wanted to work with him for a long time. It was a wonderful experience,” she said.

Talking about her criteria for choosing her projects, McAdams said she would consider “almost anything” if she likes the writing and the people involved with the production.
“I judge projects by the people involved and the quality of the writing,” said, “The Notebook” actress.

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