James Franco Leaves UCLA Grads Hanging
By MARISSA SIFUENTES
Updated 1:09 PM PDT, Thu, Jun 4, 2009
Somebody get James Franco a good day planner. Fast.
The actor announced Thursday he will not be able to deliver the commencement speech at the UCLA College of Letters and Science graduation after all.
He's giving the university one week's notice to find a replacement.
Now, according to the official statement from Franco, the June 12 graduation, "conflicts with me needing to be on location to begin pre-production on my next film."
What happened? Did he just find out the date of his film commitment? The scheduling conflict couldn't be figured out a lot sooner than this?
Poor UCLA. Now they have to scramble to find someone to take his place.
On the other hand, the news is sure to make some soon-to-be graduates happy. When Franco was chosen in March, there was a minor uproar. An editorial in the Daily Bruin said "...we don't feel he is as esteemed as a commencement speaker of UCLA's caliber should be." Some students even started a Facebook page in protest.
According to Thursday's edition of the Daily Bruin, a formal committee chose Franco and will now find his replacement.
Franco, a 2008 alum, sends his regards: "I wish everyone in the 2009 class the best of luck in all of their future endeavors."
First Published: Jun 4, 2009 12:26 PM PDT
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