James Franco blogs about haunted New Orleans tour

Franco in 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes'

Over at Huffington Post, actor James Franco goes into detail about a nighttime field trip on a haunted New Orleans tour while taking a break from filming The End of the World (the Seth Rogen-directed meta movie where celebs Franco, Rogen, Emma Watson, Jason Segel, Mindy Kaling play themselves when the apocalypse happens).

After hearing some real facts about the city ("the dead buried in New Orleans outnumber the living 10-to-1") and likely less-real ("the French Quarter is cursed because it was built on top of a Native burial ground"), Franco compares New Orleans to "amusement park where you can get killed."

Of the few ghost stories Franco heard about on his tour, there was the haunting of the Andrew Jackson Hotel, a few vampire legends and the tale of the LaLaurie Mansion - previously owned by Nicolas Cage. Perhaps the most infamous (and supposedly most famous) location in New Orleans, the LaLaurie Mansion was the site of slave torture, although some of the more gory details Franco relates (a [secret chamber held "living and dead victims of a variety of mutilations: amputations, limbs exchanged between people, sexes switched ... skin flayed in designs to turn the victims into 'human caterpillars' and other grotesque monstrosities") is the stuff of folklore and fiction.

However, while Franco does not explicitly admit to a belief in ghosts, he does relay a ghostly story that took place in New Orleans while filming Sonny (which was, interestingly, directed by Cage):

"Nic Cage and I purposely took the two haunted rooms in the Bourbon Orleans Hotel, itself a former convent. My room was said to house the spirit of a nun who had leapt from the window. After unpacking my bags, I heard the sound of rushing water and realized that the sink in the bathroom was running full blast. It hadn't been on when I entered the room, and its knob wasn't the least bit loose. I spoke to the empty room and assured whatever spirits resided there that I was on their side. At first I thought it was a gag for tourists, but when I asked the maid, she knew nothing about it. Instead, she told me about the ghost of a Confederate soldier who chased female guests with blond hair. People in New Orleans believe in ghosts."

-Aaron Sagers

Nicolas Cage: 'I'm not a vampire'

Nic Cage went on Late Night with David Letterman last night to a) promote the Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, and b) convince the masses that he is not an undead bloodsucker with a damned soul but actually just an actor (which is still kind of similar, am I right?).

After an eBay seller of Civil War photographs hosted an auction featuring an 1870s image remarkably similar to Moonstruck-era Cage, the Internet has been a-buzz with the theory that the actor is a vampire.

So what's Cage's defense? "How can I be polite about this? It’s a somewhat slowed-down version of me." He adds that "there's a photograph of me and you can't take pictures" Further, he contends, "I don’t drink blood, and the last time I looked in the mirror I had a reflection."

That's a good point, Nic. But isn't that exactly what a lord of the dark world might say if he's trying to snooker us - and get us to see his new movie?

Actor Nicolas Cage really Vampire 'Nicolas Cage'

So yeah, Nicolas Cage is a vampire, or some such member of the ageless walking dead. Or an immortal. Seriously.

An eBay vendor of antique photos is currently selling (for $1 million ... plus a backbreaking $2.75 for expedited shipping, natch) a Civil War-era photo of a man that looks like is Nicolas Cage. The photo is dated circa 1870 from Bristol, TN. The seller says the man in the image is the only unidentified person from an album of photography he found. As to how this might come to be an ageless Nicolas Cage, he posits:

Personally, I believe it's him and that he is some sort of walking undead / vampire, et cetera, who quickens/reinvents himself once every 75 years or so. 150 years from now, he might be a politician, the leader of a cult, or a talk show host.

C'mon, knowing Nicolas Cage, that just sounds ... actually pretty plausible - especially after you recall how readily he ate (3) live cockroaches for Vampire's Kiss.

Extra good news: If you ARE Nicolas Cage and want to buy the photo, you get a 25% discount (and an extra 25 for not draining the seller). Being a senior, senior, senior citizen does have its perks. Oh, and do stick around for the vendor's Q&A at the bottom of the listing.