The Insider.com

What is it with James Franco and his unpredictable television appearances?

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After raising a lot of eyebrows with his General Hospital guest appearances in 2009, Franco's at it again. This time the Oscar-nominated actor is guest starring on Nick at Nite’s new primetime family drama, Hollywood Heights, which also happens to have its own soap opera roots -- it's derived from the popular Mexican telenovela, Alcanzar una Estrella.

Hollywood Heights tells the story of 18-year-old Loren Tate, who goes from ordinary shy high school senior to superstar when she wins a songwriting contest sponsored by her rock idol Eddie Duran -- and surprise, surprise he falls for her.

So ... Camp Rock/Another Cinderella Story for the Nickelodeon set?

Video: James Franco Sings Along to a Selena Gomez Song

But Franco's role as an eccentric movie mogul seems right up his alley -- you can already tell from this sneak peek that he's having a whole lot of campy fun playing the "outrageous, offbeat and seductive" Osborne "Oz" Silver.

Video: Pop Culture Rewind -- James Franco Puts on a New York Accent

Check out the clip above for a sneak peek at Franco's Nick at Nite debut, which happens this Friday night at 9 p.m. on Nickelodeon.