ACTOR JAMES FRANCO FILMS GENERAL HOSPITAL EPISODE AT MOCA

THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART, LOS ANGELES (MOCA), TAPED A SPECIAL EPISODE OF ABC's EMMY AWARD WINNING DAYTIME DRAMA GENERAL HOSPITAL ON THE OCCASION OF THE RETURN OF FRANCO THE ARTIST, PLAYED BY ARTIST AND ACTOR JAMES FRANCO, ON THE PACIFIC DESIGN PLAZA NEXT TO MOCA PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER. CONCEIVED BY FRANCO AS PART OF A PERFORMANCE WORK TITLED 'SOAP AT MOCA: JAMES FRANCO ON GENERAL HOSPITAL', THE TAPING WAS OBSERVED BY A SELECT LIVE AUDIENCE. THE SPECIAL EPISODE WILL BE SHOWN ON ABC, 22.JULY. IN THE SPECIAL EPISODE, FRANCO, JAMES FRANCO'S CHARACTER FROM GENERAL HOSPITAL, HAD AN EXHIBITION AT MOCA PACIFIC DESIGN CENTER, DURING WHICH TIME JEFFERY DEITCH, THE NEW DIRECTOR OF MOCA, AND THE CHARACTERS FROM PORT CHARLES FROM GENERAL HOSPITAL MADE THEIR WEST COAST DEBUT. THE CHARACTER'S EXHIBITION INCLUDED FULL-SCALE MODELS OF THE LOCATIONS IN WHICH HE ENCOUNTERED MOBSTER JASON MORGAN (EMMY WINNER STEVE BURTON), TO THE MUSICAL ACCOMPANIMENT OF HIS ARTISTIC COLLABORATOR KALUP DASHINEL, PLAYED BY CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED VIDEO AND PERFORMANCE ARTIST KALUP LINZY, WHO PERFORMED LIVE DURING THE TAPING, FRANCO ATTEMPTED TO LURE JASON AND OTHERS INTO HIS ART TRAP. IF ALL GOES TO PLAN, MASTERMIND FRANCO WILL TURN JASON MORGAN'S LIFE AND HIS OWN DEATH INTO ART, A PERFORMANCE TO END ALL PERFORMANCES. 'SOAP AT MOCA IS AN ATTEMPT TO BOTH BLUR AND DEFINE THE LINES BETWEEN DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES, BETWEEN LIFE AND ART, BETWEEN ART AND POPULAR CULTURE, AND BETWEEN REPRESENTATIONS OF THE SELF AS BOTH PERFORMATIVE CHARACTER AND AS NON-PERFORMATIVE SELF', COMMENTED JAMES FRANCO.