You may think that having James Franco giving a commencement speech would make UCLA students proud ... well think twice!
Actor James Franco says he has dropped his plan to give a commencement speech at UCLA, a move that may have been prompted by pressure from students.
The official statement says James canceled his June 12 appearance because of conflicts with preproduction demands for his next film. But in truth James may have been the object of opposition from students who said he was not the right fit for the commencement speech.
"The problem with him as a speaker comes down to the fact he was a peer for so many of us. He was in our class. He's not a role model. And he hasn't had time to accomplish anything with his degree." said UCLA senior Erin Moore.
Soon after the commencement announcement in March, Moore set up a Facebook page called
"UCLA Students Against James Franco as Commencement Speaker." Hundreds joined, and Moore estimated about 80 percent of them are UCLA students.
James Franco, 31, enrolled at UCLA in 1996 and graduated last year with a degree in creative writing. He would have been the youngest person and most recent graduate to deliver a commencement speech at UCLA.
UCLA announced on its Web site that Franco would be replaced by Linkin Park lead guitarist and UCLA alumnus Brad Delson, who graduated with a bachelor's degree in communication studies in 1999.
I understand there are a lot of deserving people at UCLA but this speech is about sharing experience and I think it would have been interesting for a young talented Hollywwod actor to share his story with us. I think there's just two words to describe the reaction of the UCLA students, Jealous Bitches!
