During an appearance at the 92Y, actor James Franco talked about making the Allen Ginsberg biopic, Howl. The actor confessed he read the poem “Howl” out loud, over and over: “I read it to myself in it’s entirety, I don’t know how many times … fortunately, it comes in a very small volume so I could walk around New York and just read that out loud, and I did that.”

Franco revealed that Howl actually began as a documentary project because Ginsberg’s estate asked the filmmakers, Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, to make it in celebration of the poem’s 50th anniversary. Franco feels that Howl still retains “the soul of the documentary.”

Franco has made quite a splash in the literary world over the past year. In July 2010, Franco made a cameo in Gary Shteyngart‘s book trailer for Super Sad True Love Story. In August 2010, Franco published his short story collection, Palo Alto.

Embedded above, you can watch a teaser trailer for the upcoming movie about adventurer Aron Ralston. The film dramatizes events from his harrowing memoir, Between a Rock and a Hard Place.

Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle helmed the project, and James Franco played Ralston.

Here’s more about the book: On Saturday, 26 April 2003, Aron Ralston, a 27-year-old outdoorsman and adventurer, set off for a day’s hike in the Utah canyons. Eight miles from his truck, he found himself in the middle of a deep and remote canyon. Then the unthinkable happened: a boulder shifted and snared his right arm against the canyon wall. He was trapped, facing dehydration, starvation, hallucinations and hypothermia as night-time temperatures plummeted. Five and a half days later, Aron Ralston finally came to the agonising conclusion that his only hope was to amputate his own arm and get himself to safety.” (Via Gawker)

This fall, James Franco will play the great poet Allen Ginsberg in the biopic, Howl. The new trailer embedded above gives you a taste of the upcoming literary event.

In 2008, we caught up with Howl‘s co-director Jeffrey Friedman, finding out what a 50-year-old poem can teach us today.

Here’s an excerpt: “We’ve been surprised by the number of young people who have told us not only that they are familiar with the poem, but that it means a lot to them. A generation accustomed to being bombarded with random sensational imagery will be able to easily keep up with our animated reinterpretation of the poem–a dreamlike world of madness and monsters, burning oilfields and cosmic orgasms.”

(Via City Lights Books)

Author and actor James Franco makes a cameo in the book trailer for Gary Shteyngart‘s upcoming novel, Super Sad True Love Story.

The trailer also includes cameos from authors Edmund White and Mary Gaitskill–taking a peek at his work with MFA students as well. What do you think? Will cameos be the next big trend in book trailers?

Here’s more from the site: “The author of two critically acclaimed novels, The Russian Debutante’s Handbook and Absurdistan, Gary Shteyngart has risen to the top of the fiction world. Now, in his hilarious and heartfelt new novel, he envisions a deliciously dark tale of America’s dysfunctional coming years—and the timeless and tender feelings that just might bring us back from the brink.”

Earlier this year, we wrote about Shteyngart’s eBook dystopia. (Via Vulture)

From Jan. 21 until Jan. 29, “Howl” will screen at the Sundance Film Festival, bringing Allen Ginsberg‘s life to the big screen. Defamer discovered some clips of Howl online today, giving readers a first glimpse at the biopic about the famous poet.

The film will focus on Ginsberg’s early career, as James Franco (pictured, via) will play the young poet as he pens “Howl”–the epic poem that landed him in a famous courtroom battle over obscenity. Last year, we interviewed Jeffrey Friedman, the director of the new film.

Watch the clips at Defamer and read more about the film at Sundance: “Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman navigate a seamless segue from their documentary roots to masterful storytellers. They expand the notion of how a “true story” can be realized on film by not simply relying on facts but enlisting cinematic vision to capture the Zeitgeist of an era. The amazing cast provides the extra passion and urgency that are sure to introduce HOWL to the best minds of a new generation.”

At the 2009 National Book Awards, Gawker cornered some of the literary world’s brightest writers, having them sign a copy of Sarah Palin‘s memoir, “Going Rogue.” Now they are auctioning the book on eBay for charity.

Signatures now include NBA Fiction winner Colum McCann, actor and Columbia MFA graduate James Franco, and author and publishing figure Sloane Crosley. On a semi-related auction note, the handwritten Bible we so carefully covered sold for over $15,400.

Here’s more about the auction: “All proceeds from the auction will go to Save The Children. They’ve done great work bringing literacy programs to kids in need across the country, among other great things they’ve done for kids that otherwise don’t get things done for them that should be.”