Don't mess with Franco

Is James Franco having second thoughts about University of Houston afterlawsuit-spurring D grade?

James Franco, degree-ophile, received his MFA from New York University in May2011.
José Angel Santana claims that NYU fired him for giving Franco a "D."
Photo via Working-With-Actors

Watch out, University of Houston professors: James Franco may have it out for you.

José Angel Santana, a professor who instructed Franco at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, claims that he was fired after giving the actor a "D" in a Directing the Actor II course. The New York Post revealed early Monday morning that Santana has filed a lawsuit against NYU over the dismissal, taking the case to the Manhattan Supreme Court in hopes of getting his job back.

According to Santana, Franco (who was concurrently filming 127 Hours) attended only two of 14 classes. Other NYU professors allegedly looked the other way:

"The school has bent over backwards to create a Franco-friendly environment, that’s for sure,” Santana, 58, told The Post. “The university has done everything in its power to curry favor with James Franco . . . In my opinion, they’ve turned the NYU graduate film degree into swag for James Franco's purposes, a possession, something you can buy."

In a video interview between Franco and Showbiz411's Roger Friedman, the actor — equal parts self-effacing and self important — talks about his bad grade and his experience in Santana's class.

"It was weird to be in an acting class again after all of these years. I think it was weird for the teacher," said Franco, admitting that he was absent a great deal of the time, but also asserting that his Hollywood track record should prove that he is deserving of a decent grade.

According to Showbiz411, "[The official complaint] has less to do with Franco than with Santana's accusations of racial discrimination. . . Santana’s biggest complaint is that he was paid less than other teachers and stuck in an office that used to be a broom closet."

Still, the accusation has brought to light Franco's allure and influence.

The award-winning actor and blossoming director is slated to pursue a Ph. D. in the University of Houston's creative writing program, beginning September 2012. Franco is also enrolled at Yale, Brooklyn College, Rhode Island School of Design and Warren Wilson College in North Carolina; he is producing two films in post-production and currently acting in two; and he has two more in the pre-production pipeline.

This isn't looking good for Franco's attendance at UH. The creative writing program is prestigious and competitive, and "doctoral students are required to spend one academic year in full-time residency." It would mean a five-year commitment and seemingly a Houston address.

Is Franco dedicated to this doctorate?

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bigger and stronger

Winner of Ren Fest lawsuit plans to keep the event mostly unchanged

Photo courtesy of Texas Renaissance Festival

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The Texas Renaissance Festival will soon be under new ownership, but will remain much the same as it has been for the last half century, attorney Anthony Laporte of Houston law firm Hanszen Laporte tells CultureMap.

"All of the vendor contracts are in place for 2025," says Laporte. "Everyone who was already there will be there this year. Maybe one Dippin' Dots guy here and there will be swapped out with another, but we're sticking with what works. Even when the litigation was ongoing, they're having entertainment auditions. Both the old owners and the new ones are planning to give visitors a great time."

Founder George Coulam has owned the Texas Renaissance Festivals since 1974. Now in his late 80s, Coulam has teased selling the festival multiple times, a process chronicled in a recent HBO docuseries. After pulling out of the latest sales agreement, the prospective buyer sued Coulam for breach of contract. Grimes County Judge Gary W. Chaney ruled against Coulam on May 7, paving the way for the sale to finally go through.

The identity of the new owner was a mystery for some time. Court documents listed only the corporate entities RW Lands, Texas Stargate, and Royal Campgrounds. The prospective new owner is Meril Rivard, a real estate investor with no prior festival experience who sought to purchase the fair for $60 million. However, Rivard's son is married to the daughter of Geoff Wilson, owner of several Greek food establishments in the festival. Wilson's clan, referred to as "The Greeks" in the HBO documentary, were one of the groups featured in the show trying to buy the fair.

"This is a family business now," says Laporte. "He has family that lives it, works it, and is part of it."

According to Laporte, an appeal by Coulam and his counsel seems unlikely. He reports that all parties mostly feel relief that the case is over, though until the judgment is finalized in the next couple of months there is still the possibility that Coulam will try one last time to remain king of the festival.

The rough final sales price of the Texas Renaissance Festivals is $60 million, Laporte says. This includes the intellectual property rights, some physical property owned by the festival but not strictly part of its grounds, and other assets. The festival is also partially owned by some of the larger business owners. The recently-settled lawsuit does not change those arrangements.

"It's hard to say what will happen [to the partial owners]," Laporte says. "This judgment does not affect them, per se, but there will be ripple effects. However, no one wants the festival to fail."

Coulam will no longer have an official role in the running of Texas Renaissance Festival, though he may advise in an unofficial capacity. Laporte did say there will be no more parades in his honor. Coulam has repeatedly been accused of sexual harassment by former employees.

Until the judgement is finalized, no official date for the transfer of ownership will be set. In addition to the money changing hands for the sale, Coulam owes Rovard and the other plaintiffs $22 million in damages and another $1 million in attorney fees, the judge ruled. None of this is projected to impact the October opening of the festival in any way.

"Everyone is ready to make Ren Fest bigger and stronger," says Laporte.