James Franco to Do New Thing That Isn't Acting

Sure, why not: The Los Angeles Review of Books has apparently named James Franco a contributing editor. This came to light when the publication issued a "follow Friday" message of goodwill to Franco, who just joined Twitter today. Franco--best known for his literary and scholarly ambitions, his conceptual art projects, and his occasional habit of starring in feature films--is one of more than 200 contributing editors for the Review. Other CEs include Ayelet Waldman, Jonathan Lethem, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Tom Bissell.

It's worth noting that The Los Angeles Review of Books doesn't technically exist yet. According to its Web site, it will launch in April. But lest you doubt its ambitions, head on over to the LARB About page, where you'll find a 1300-word mission statement and a lengthy list of forthcoming articles. ("Ben Ehrenreich googles 'the death of the book': 11.6 million matches on Tuesday, 11.8 million on Wednesday; turns to Bruno Schulz for further instructions.")