Cheers & Jeers: The (James) Franco Regime Rules!

Cheers to James Franco for achieving the impossible: getting me to watch a soap opera.

I hadn't dialed up a daytime drama since my brief, inexplicable high-school addiction to the recently snuffed-out Guiding Light, but I caught a bit of James Franco's bizarre turn as nutso performance artist Franco on General Hospital last fall, and I tuned back in to see his return.  He didn't disappoint: Resurfacing in Port Charles as a homeless dude with a "Will Entertain for Food" sign and stroking a windup cymbalist monkey, Franco played his first few scenes entirely in shadows before resuming his stalking of mobster Jason Morgan (Steve Burton).

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Some have questioned why Franco, with his thriving big-screen career (he'll soon be seen opposite Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love), would sign up for a recurring gig on a sudser. Watching him on GH, the reason is clear—the guy's having a blast. Besides, his roots are in TV: His breakthrough series, Freaks & Geeks, will begin an encore run on IFC Friday, July 2 at 11/10c. It's nice to see that a decade later, Franco's still letting his Freak flag fly.

Do you think James Franco is worth checking out on General Hospital?

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