[art] James Franco adds 'secret slasher' to his increasingly eclectic resume.

[whyareyoulikethis]

James Franco, who successfully convinced us all for years that he was a norm, continues to make strange choices. No, he's not designing a line of Japanese body pillows with soap opera characters on them (though a) he should and b) we would not be surprised at all if he did).

Instead, clearly the next step in his career is for someone to give the man an art show, as Gawker reports. We think you'll find his latest project strangely relevant to your interests (emphasis mine):

(The show) addresses boyhood and the "sexual confusion" of adolescence, as Ms. Heiss put it. Short films focus on demolition, showing burning or bullet-riddled structures like a plastic toy home or a large wooden rocket (the exhibition contains originals or replicas of these). Another work explores a romantic encounter between "Star Trek" characters Spock and James T. Kirk.

"I feel like shows or films that deal with kids, they're playing to all of these sexual feelings that you have at that age, but they don't fully admit to it," he said. "So I kind of try to draw that out. The implicit in those shows and books, I try to make it a little more explicit."

So there you have it, one man's art is another woman's 40 odd years of beautiful porn tradition. Welcome, James Franco, to the fold of secret celebrity slashers. But fair warning, James, just because you're sort of one of us, that doesn't mean we know what to do with you, okay? You're like the kid in the Fandom Cafeteria at the table in the corner by yourself not blinking and making socially relevant sculptures with everyone's plastic forks. (Or should I say sporks? Get it?)

James Franco's solo art show, called 'The Dangerous Book For Boys,' opens on June 23 at the Clocktower Gallery in New York City. According to its well-regarded curator Franco work is that of "a visionary artist for his generation," but fuck that, we all know why fangirls are really going to go.

[teevee] Gabrielle Union, Why Are You Making Me Want To Watch Army Wives? Dammit.

[whyareyoulikethis]

Gabrielle Union, who will probably be justly remembered forever for wondering whether you can ever just be whelmed (say it with me: "I think you can in Europe?"), just gave an interview to TV Guide where she talks about her character's truncated storyline on FlashForward. It will surely be of interest to anyone who watched that show, but the most interesting stuff is about where she's going next:

Gabrielle heads to South Carolina this month to play an outspoken asexual cop named Gina Holt on the August 15 episode of Lifetime's Army Wives. Plans are for the character to be spun-off with recently divorced wife Pamela (Brigid Brannagh) into her own 2011 cop show set in Atlanta. Union, whose mom is a real-life Army wife, says, "All the butts I wanted to kick on FlashForward and all of the bad guys I wanted to bring to justice, I'll now get to do as this new character — but with a sense of humor. Gina views these Army wives as extra-terrestrials. She has no concept of breast-feeding, sore nipples or child care."

This is great, not the least because we can always use more butt-kicking women on TV who hate kids. Also, we at Fangasmic would cut someone for a lady buddy cop show, which we're hoping this might turn out to be. But what's especially amazing here is the asexual representation, something even more rare in the media. Rock on, Gabrielle Union, and consider us overwhelmed by your awesome.