Showbiz411

Book publishing isn’t always a snore. Take, for example, James Franco‘s reading last night at the Barnes & Noble on Warren Street. It was such a hit that Franco wound up reading not one but two short stories–30 pages in all. If the largely female audience had prevailed, Franco would still be there now. That’s because he signed 400 copies of his “Palo Alto” collection in one hour, and spoke to everyone who showed up.

Later, Franco’s agent, Richard Abate, co-hosted a small dinner for Franco with Showbiz411.com at the Waverly Inn with his famed editor/publisher Nan Graham of Scribner’s, and another prosperous author–Chuck Hogan, whose novel “Prince of Thieves” became Ben Affleck‘s great movie, “The Town.”

A lot of the talk at the table was about Franco’s load of school work. And his amazing work out put! Guess what? While waiting for Danny Boyle‘s “127 Hours” and going to Yale, Franco is going to start shooting his own feature film in two weeks. He’s written a script from a biography of poet Hart Crane called “The Broken Tower.” Franco will direct from his script in and around the New York area. At least one actor has been mentioned for the cast: Oscar nominee Michael Shannon, who is also going into an Off Broadway play soon.

How’s he going to do it? I don’t know. I’m exhausted thinking about it. Here’s a clue: at dinner every one had a glass of wine, and Nan Graham — a highly respected literary editor– made a beautiful toast. Franco had a Diet Coke. He was also first to leave, literally wiping sleep from his eyes while the rest of the table chatted away. So he’s human, and smart.

PS I really liked Chuck Hogan. What a nice guy, from the Boston suburbs, but completely devoid of the Boston accent that marks his characters. He was a little envious of Franco’s female following at the book store. “Most of my readers are guys,” he told me. “That’s great, but…” When he heard that “someone” popular named Blake Lively was a fan a couple of years ago, he was thrilled to find out Blake was a “She” not a “he”!

With “The Town” and “127 Hours” headed to Oscar land this winter, what a table! And in the main at the Waverly: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick with pal, actor John Benjamin Hickey–he’s a hit playing Laura Linney’s brother on “The Big C.”

Roger Friedman

Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News. Friedman previously wrote the Intelligencer column at New York Magazine, He writes for Parade magazine and has written for Details, Vogue, the New York Times, Post, and Daily News and many other publications. He is the writer and co-producer of a film about R&B Music called “Only the Strong Survive,” which was released by Miramax in 2003 and was a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals.