Academy Award nominee and “127 Hours” star James Franco will be in Washington on Wednesday evening to give D.C. residents “An Evening with James Franco“.
The event, which will include food and discussion, will be held at the Hotel Monaco and benefit free student programming at 826DC. The gathering features a VIP reception and dinner, and general admission costs $250 a person.
An English doctorate student at Yale University, MFA candidate at New York University, and graduate of UCLA, Franco is known for his acting roles as well as his contributions to academia. Most recently, Franco made headlines for looking indifferent and bored while hosting the 2011 Oscars ceremony with actress Anne Hathaway. Franco took flak for his apparent apathy and some speculated he’d been under the influence of marijuana.
“Franco seemed distant, uninterested and content to keep his Cheshire-cat-meets-smug smile on display throughout,” wrote the Hollywood Reporter’s Tim Goodman. “This year, the Oscars hit a new low. Like it fell into a hole. What was the point, Academy? What did Franco bring to the table? His appearance played more like one of his performance art pieces than an actual attempt to be host. At least Hathaway can sing and dance and be funny.”