James Franco Fans Have Been Lining Up Since 5 A.M. This Morning

A flock of James Franco freaks and geeks have lined up at the Union Square Barnes & Noble, waiting for the actor/novelist/
filmmaker/teacher/nude portraitist to show up at 10:45 a.m. to sign copies of his paperback, Palo Alto: Stories.

Many say they were spurred by this morning’s Today show appearance; others came as early as 5 a.m., huddling on the street with copies of his book, a prerequisite to get in to the event.

Few of the young folk we talked to gave a damn about the star’s beefcake selfies and antics with a 17-year-old girl. “I love James Franco,” said 18-year-old Helene Dolan, who trekked in from Long Island to see her hero.

“He’s done so many different things–writing, teaching, the play Mice and Men,” said Jamie Peterson, 23, who arrived from Brooklyn.

“I think he did that [Instagram shot] just to publicize” his new movie movie Palo Alto, said Foster Reisz, 32, who praised Franco’s style and “independence” as an artist.

Several young women said they came all the way from Dansbury, Connecticut. One of them told B+B: “I got his [hardcover] book last year.” She was sitting on the sidewalk reading it.

Correction: The original version of this post was revised because it misidentified the age of Foster Reisz.