In case this tidbit got lost in your daily pile of James Franco news, let’s review: the actor/artist/filmmaker/author/Oscar host recently announced that he’s releasing a dance EP, a collaboration with his performance-art soul mate Kalup Linzy that boasts production by DJ/rupture. Because Franco never does anything halfway, each song from the duo of 7-inches will get its own music video. Today, Stereogum brings us the first clip in the series, for “Rising.” And it’s pretty much what you’d expect: a project floating somewhere in that zone between Internet meme and video art, with Franco doing backup vocals for Linzy’s slightly off-kilter R&B panty-dropper. There are some hazy double exposures, a good amount of casual drag theatrics, a lot of purposefully bad effects, and the whole thing begins and ends with Franco and Linzy apparently spacing out on a couch in what looks like a cloud of smoke. It’s a fairly useful framing device, if you ask us. Watch the video after the jump, and let us know if you’ll be dreaming of James Franco’s smirking, disembodied head tonight.
1. Frequent collaborators James Franco and performance artist Kalup Linzy are planning to release a three-song, limited-edition EP entitled Turn It Up on July 12th. The pair will be shooting video clips for each of the songs, and promise some “surprise guest cameos.” [via PopEater]
2. Both BBC programming chief Sam Hodges and showrunner Steven Moffat confirmed via Twitter yesterday that Matt Smith will be returning for another season of Doctor Who next year in 14 new episodes. [via Blastr]
3. Should we blame Bridesmaids or The Hangover 2?: Reese Witherspoon is planning to produce and star in a new wedding-related comedy called Who Invited Her? that’s about a “about a woman who insists on tagging along on a guy’s bachelor party weekend.” Because that doesn’t sound like an annoying premise. [via EW]
4. Oscar-winning actress Melissa Leo is reportedly considering a role in an upcoming Broadway revival of William Inge’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play Picnic. The show — which focuses on “young love and growing older in small-town Kansas” — is set to begin production this fall. [via ArtsBeat]
5. Preview the tracklist for Stephen Malkmus’ new Beck-produced LP, Mirror Traffic, here. The album is due out August 23rd from Matador, but you can already download one of the tracks, “Senator,” here.
This year, the Academy Awards need to go big or go gently into that good night, lest they be upstaged by the Golden Globes — which earned stellar ratings last month, probably due Ricky Gervais’s “Who will he offend next?” hosting style. But the Oscars have plenty of opportunities to maintain their relevance, with Hollywood’s biggest wild card, James Franco, on emcee duties and a decent chance at some mischief from Banksy. After the jump, we predict what might be in store on Sunday night’s telecast.
Performance and video artist Kalup Linzy‘s much-anticipated daytime soap opera debut on ABC’s General Hospital takes place today at 3pm. Linzy, who has work on view in the recently opened Contemporary Art from the Collection exhibition at MoMA, told the Orlando Sentinel, “One of my biggest dreams has come true.” According to the article, James Franco, who plays the artist Franco on the show, is responsible for Linzy’s opportunity to work on GH. “He pitched me to the producers and they said yes,” Linzy explained. “It is very inspiring to work with him and to have him as a friend.”
The talented Mr. Terence Koh, whose poetic and provocative artworks have been labeled both brilliant and the emperor’s new clothes, was at his best last week when he delivered the performance piece Art History 1642-2009 at New York’s venerable National Arts Club. Speaking to a packed house of art-world sophisticates in a completely unintelligible language, he railed, whispered, gestured, and danced his way through a visually entertaining lecture about art since the time of Goya.
