Were it not for the sex scandal perhaps especially because of the sex scandal James Franco would almost certainly be a superhero. Or at least, somebody with superpowers. He must have some control over the fabric of space time, or Flash-style superspeed, or else just an ability to never need sleep to do everything that he does. Besides acting, in the past few years Franco has dabbled in academia, modelling, art, and directing live theatre. This is the man who starred in Pineapple Express as a dirty, emotional stoner. This is the man who was the bad guy in Spider-Man 3. This is the guy who made such a hash of hosting the 83rd Academy Awards opposite Anne Hathaway in 2011. He also writes short story collections, has had several solo exhibitions, and was simultaneously enrolled at two different universities whilst lecturing at another. Almost all of Franco's activities outside of acting have been criticised for being just that. Critics note that his stories would not be published without his star power, that his art installations and weird directorial efforts are a bit naff, and that they're all just vanity projects. Which they are. But such strange ones.
Tom Baker is the Comics Editor at WhatCulture! He's heard all the Doctor Who jokes, but not many about Randall and Hopkirk. He also blogs at http://communibearsilostate.wordpress.com/
