Could James Franco be a fraud?

[RadioRaheem84]

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2011/12/did-james-franco-get-an-nyu-prof-fired.html (http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2011/12/did-james-franco-get-an-nyu-prof-fired.html)

Stumbled upon this article and feud that went on last year regarding James Franco and former NYU professor Jose Angel Santana. According to the lawsuit Santana said that he was let go because of favoritism among the department toward Franco. Franco only showed up to 2 of the required 16 classes for a passing grade. He received a D because of a grading curve. Franco complained and began to ridicule the professor's acting abilities and questioned his integrity as a professor. Santana was told not to return to NYU the following year.

Franco's supposed academic achievements just keep getting sketchier and sketchier. I mean it started off with him taking 62 units at UCLA for undergrad. Now UCLA is under a quarter system not a regular semester system meaning the semesters are even shorter and for him to have taken 62 units either screams bullshit or he took a lot of independent study courses. Secondly how can someone be enrolled in two separate school programs without an official agreement made between the schools? He took courses at Brooklyn College while he was at Columbia, and then went down to North Carolina to take courses at a small college there and it just gets confusing from there. I doubt the normal student would get approval for all that.

On top of that completing all of these degrees while having a hectic film schedule? I mean a PhD from any school is a rigorous five year endeavor and I would not go around touting I finished a PhD in such a short amount of time. I would think the standards are not high rather than you being a savant of some sort.

This is not to single out Franco per se, but this post is more about the ridiculous nature in which the press just accepts any information from a celeb, a government official or a business owner without doing some research. One would think that all these "accomplishments" would arouse some suspicion and Franco would be under the microscope for such claims. Not saying he didn't get the degrees but that it was mostly through aides, connections, favoritism, and admin help.

[Art Vandelay]

A famous actor getting preferential treatment? Don't exactly color me shocked.

[RadioRaheem84]

A famous actor getting preferential treatment? Don't exactly color me shocked.

That's not the shocking part I was trying to point out. It's how the the media literally took this guys word for it without doing some heavy investigation. I know it's puff Hollywood stuff but at least do some research. A guy taking an insane amout of units, attending two schools at once with no formal exchange program, finishing a PhD in under five years, two masters, etc. It just sounds too insane and publicists wet dream to make their client look so damn good.

This is almost beyond preferential treatment this is Franco literally buying these deparments and making them his own little project.

[Art Vandelay]

That's not the shocking part I was trying to point out. It's how the the media literally took this guys word for it without doing some heavy investigation. I know it's puff Hollywood stuff but at least do some research. A guy taking an insane amout of units, attending two schools at once with no formal exchange program, finishing a PhD in under five years, two masters, etc. It just sounds too insane and publicists wet dream to make their client look so damn good.

This is almost beyond preferential treatment this is Franco literally buying these deparments and making them his own little project.

Yeah that's true, there was definitely some shoddy journalism involved. I mean you'd think that someone would of run a fact check on that stuff.

[RadioRaheem84]

Yeah that's true, there was definitely some shoddy journalism involved. I mean you'd think that someone would of run a fact check on that stuff.

Yes it all seemed like pure PR. As though these publications just accepted a piece of fluff written by his publicists without checking it out for themselves.

That's the state of journalism.

[Red Commissar]

I was not aware of this issue. I don't keep track of many actors, much less James Franco, but I guess it is not surprising. It is odd when we get celebrities deciding to continue or start education, and manage to do it much more handily than most other people, especially in a masters program or higher. I guess if this preferential treatment like the original article is occurring frequently I shouldn't be surprised that it happens.

[RadioRaheem84]

It's not to deny that the man is not talented or has skill. I mean he can certainly act, sing, write and paint well and has had many successful shows doing all that I listed. It's just his access, money and fame has allowed him to do all that and more. Yet the focus of the press is less on the former and more on the notion that he is just this super savant. If someone were to never get rejected or denied a project they had in mind, then that speaks more of their stature and position in life then their talent alone. He gets to do all of these amazing things because of who he is not because of his raw talent.