As Busy as James Franco.

This post isn't about the independent book I'm working on now, and I hope that's acceptable. It's about a really long article from New York Magazine that I read about the actor James Franco, entitled "Is James Franco for Real?". By now, it's pretty apparent to everyone who knows me that I have a giant celebrity crush on this man. My nonstop chatting about him (James Franco is so cute! Oh my god he looked soooo gorgeous in that movie! He should really lose the mustache, though, it doesn't flatter his face) has started to get on my parent's nerves, and I'm teased about it nonstop. So clearly I was thrilled when this 5-page story was published a few months ago. I was reading it over again a few nights ago. The whole piece sort of gives an overview of James Franco's personal life, exposing him to everyone who picks up the article. It focuses a lot on his educational life, describing his stressful, obsessive work habits and the mounds of homework he receives from the ridiculous number of colleges he's enrolled in. It glorifies the man, listing off the many things he does, including modeling, writing books, making movies, and putting up art shows in prestigious galleries in New York. "How on earth does he do it?" is the question that is brought up throughout the entire piece. At first, I venerated James for all the intense work he does, and thought it was the most incredible thing I'd ever heard. Well, maybe not, but keep in mind, this is when I was still "madly in love" with him.

But I was thinking about this story the other day. Although this man is a really, really famous actor, and while it may seem crazy that he's trying to do all sorts of things to earn Phd's or whatever he wants to do, his life isn't really that different from those of all the other people trying to become smarter while taking care of children and supporting their family. I mean, think of all those people that the online college ads target: many of those people are single mothers or people who are so busy with whatever they have to do that they don't even have the time to attend real, tangible college with real teachers and interact with them in person. I can't help feeling that this article minimizes the problems and busy lives of those un-famous people living in New York, or America, or the world. The writer of this article decided to write this piece so people would be amazed by this multi-tasking man, but the truth is, there are so many people that are a thousand times busier than him - bankers on Wall Street during the recession, scientists trying to develop renewable fuels and ways to stop global warming, and like I said before, just average Americans trying to support their families. People think we want to read about actors and what they've done just because they're super-famous and good looking. The fact that they are famous just drives people to assume that they are better and more accomplished than other people. The fact that they're well-known doesn't make them have much harder lives than us - I mean, at least they have substantial amounts of money. Being famous isn't really a responsibility, and simply wanting to receive a Phd when you're a well-known actor doesn't make you the most revolutionary man in the world. In some ways, the lives of the average American are so much harder than an actor's.

I mean, of course we have to take into consideration the fact that James Franco is an incredibly busy man, and that it is somewhat ambitious of him to want to enroll in so many colleges. But at least he has a choice - he can go to college any time he wants and drop out anytime he wants. Famous individuals have certain privileges that we don't have, and its those privileges, such as the ignorance of many Americans, large amounts of money, and media's glorification, that make their lives so much easier, even if they are as "busy" as James Franco.