In what might have been the strangest development of 2009, James Franco agreed to do a guest star stint on daytime TV soap opera "General Hospital." It wasn't a put-on either... he really did it!!! So when MTV's Josh Horowitz spoke to Franco at Sundance recently, he of course had to ask for a status update on the appearance.

"There will be one more very special episode that we will film in May, in New York," he said. What about after that? Any chance we'll see Franco doing more daytime TV? "Other soaps have not called," he said, a hint of disappointment in his voice. And who can blame him? That "General Hospital" stuff isn't going to realign the universe, but it sure is fun!

Okay... several things are going on right now, so let's get right to the break down.

Maxie and James Franco do a flirty dance of words in his studio, where he tells lie after lie and suddenly she grows a brain and believes none of it. Maxie kind of "gets" Franco's creepy facade, and is even turned on by it. There's more kinky blindfold action, and then there's action of a different sort. You know, the kind that will cause Spinelli's heart to break into a million shards like the glass Maxie dramatically throws to the floor. Read more...

Let's start by saying that nothing good ever comes out of all of Port Charles congregating in the same place at the same time. Through the recent carnival calamity, hospital fire and Metro Court hotel hostage crisis (just to name some of the more recent mega-disasters) you'd think that our PC friends would have learned this by now.

(As an aside, I was just recalling some of the fiascos the writers have introduced for sweeps over the years, and the time that half the town got monkey virus doesn't seem so ridiculous now that we have problems like swine flu. But I digress.)

Friends, welcome to the Crimson gallery opening! Literally every major character will find a reason to attend. Read more...

Today's the day! James Franco made his soap debut on "General Hospital" as Franco.

Franco appears to be, on the one hand, an elusive but promising photographer who will show his work at a Crimson magazine gallery event. On the other hand, he makes his first appearance on the show dressed like a homeless person, lurking in the shadows as mobster Sonny Corinthos and his right-hand man Jason Morgan walk into a mob trap that turns violent on Front Street in Port Charles.

Franco witnesses the entire shootout, which leaves Sonny victorious and his rivals down for the count. As Sonny and Jason drive away from the scene of the crime, Franco, with a hoodie hiding his face, waves at the limo, taunting Jason. Read more...

Depending on your age, James Franco is either "the stoner from 'Freaks & Geeks'" or "the stoner from 'Pineapple Express.'" Or Harry Osborn I suppose, if you've seen the little-known comic book adaptation of "Spider-Man."

What you might not realize is that Franco has also dipped his toes into the world of avant-garde filmmaking. He's allied himself with one artist in particular: John Carter, who operates under the professional name Carter. The two collaborated on a 2008 film, "Erased James Franco," an hour-long piece in which Franco re-creates past performances -- his own and others, particularly Rock Hudson and Julianne Moore -- without providing any context. It seems that this Franco/Carter partnership is also what led to the actor taking his soon-to-begin guest gig on TV soap opera "General Hospital." Read more...

UPDATE: Commenter DeeDee has correctly pointed out that the "Mad World" covering playing behind the promo is actually "American Idol" star Adam Lambert's version of the tune, not Gary Jules'. They sound pretty damn close, especially with all of that dialogue playing over it.

I have nothing against soap operas. I spent many of my younger, carefree college days planted on the couch -- and missing class, incidentally -- watching "Days of Our Lives." So I can understand, even respect, a person's need to watch their stories. That said, I can't help but chuckle at the sight (and sound) of "Spider-Man" and "Pineapple Express" star James Franco in this "General Hospital" promo.

Yes, that is Gary Jules' cover of "Mad World," made famous by its appearance in Richard Kelly's "Donnie Darko," playing behind the action. And Franco does indeed smile smugly while uttering the words "Violence sells... that's what I'm all about, right?" Read more...