Michael Jackson's father wants an allowance from son's estate.
Hey Obama...Where's Kal Penn?
White House official: "Kal is not working for the administration at this time."
Slideshow
The Hotel Bel-Air has undergone a lot of changes over the years, but it's in for its biggest face-lift via a two-year renovation. Here is a collection of then and now photos.
"House" star Kal Penn's much-heralded road from the Fox series to the White House seems to have hit a pothole, or at least taken a turn into a cul-de-sac.
Despite announcing in mid-April that Penn's character had been killed off so he could accept a position as an Associate Director at the White House Office of Public Liaison, the actor, who was an early Obama supporter, has yet to actually start work for the administration.
"Though we look forward to him joining the team, Kal is not working for the administration at this time," Shin Inouye, White House director of Specialty Media told The Wrap.
In fact, Penn has no official start date with the Obama administration.
When the New Jersey-born actor, whose real name is Kalpen Suresh Modi, does start his gig at the White House, Penn will be the administration’s point man to the Pacific Islander community, which includes the aboriginal peoples of the President's home state of Hawaii, and the Asian-American community.
By very nature of his celebrity, Penn’s position, like the announcement that he was joining the White House, will be extremely high profile -- a height the 32-year old actor has found himself at for the last few years.
As well as staring in "House" for the past two years and in the successful stoner "Harold and Kumar" movie franchise, Penn made several appearances on cable news shows and elsewhere stumping for Obama during last year’s election.
He also spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the Jan. 19 "We Are One" pre-Inaugural concert that also featured Tom Hanks, Bruce Springsteen and U2.
The plan for Penn to join the Obama team in an official capacity in Washington was already in the bag by then. The actor, who had a position advising the candidate on Arts policy during the campaign, had expressed a desire to join the incoming administration late last year after the election.
A position came together not long afterwards.
Penn's widely covered declaration in the second week of April that he was leaving "House" to serve in the Obama administration was handled on the show with death of his Kutner character in a sudden suicide.
Found dead in his apartment by other characters, the death was left unexplained in House, with Hugh Laurie's lead character believing that Kutner's gunshot to the head was an act of murder, not suicide. The episode, which was broadcast on April 6, was augmented online with an official memorial website for the character.
The site featured photographs of the actor, a fictional obituary, emotional notes from fellow characters, a forum for fans and a Facebook link. Recently the memorial site has been taken down and attempts to access it will take you to the main House site, where oddly there is still a bio page for Penn.
The exit of Penn’s character, or rather the reaction to it, is, according to the White House, why the pause button has been hit on Penn taking up his new position.
"The suicide of his character on House was quite shocking," Inouye says, "so everyone thought there should be a bit of timely delay before he takes up work for the administration
Though directly recommended by the White House, Penn's representative did not respond to requests from TheWrap on Penn and his plans.
Undoubtly, however, part of those plans surely involved relocating from the West Coast to D.C.
Comments
Jonas Brother Says
I loved Harold and Kumar go to White Castle.
I'm hoping Penn can sway the White House to allow cannabis sales.
Tax the hell out of it and pay down the debt.
You far right conservative bastards have held moral sway for too long, I'm afraid to even go into a public restroom now.
I see it coming "Harold and Kumar lite up in the White House".
BlackMagic Says
To: The Quill
So Obama was Editor of the Harvard Law Review for seven years. That's interesting, since most lawyers take only three years to get thru law school.
I guess he was on the special unaccelerated plan.
RebeccaH Says
Perhaps Penn is having second thoughts. Yes, he believed in the soaring rhetoric, and the idea of a man of color occupying the White House, but as he's had time to view the miraculous bubble from the inside, maybe he's seeing the incipient hollowness of all the Obama Promises.
We'll know when and if he decides to ask for a return to "House".
veggiewrap Says
Maybe someone in the White House got around to watching Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle or Escape from Guantanamo Bay...They just hired the guy who makes weed fun to 14 year olds. The second one has him crapping in the first thirty seconds, right before he is busted for sneaking drugs onto a plane. Yes I have a sense of humor, yes I voted for Obama, but we are talking politics.
Sorry Says
Kelly is right. You guys are wrong.
pomoc Says
Doe's anyone suspect that this guy gave up a great acting gig to get screwed by the change at the White House ,I think the change is not for the better. H MM
Bill L. Says
Who the fuck cares where Kal Penn is? Is this news?
Jerry Says
"Gee, do you see a trend here? "
Yes, Kelly. We see that there are misinformed voters that still insist on regurgitating Republican talking points which have been repeatedly disproved.
Thanks for the reminder.
BK Says
he probably hasnt paid his taxes
he'll fit right in
TheQuill Says
Kelly,
You are MORE than struggling here. For one, Obama was the editor of the Harvard Law Review for seven years. The single most prestigious law journal on the planet, and a position that is not handed over to anyone simply because of their race. In fact, Obama held that position longer than anyone in history. And why is that? Because he's stupid? Because he's mixed-race? RIght. Sure.
You have the audacity to act as an apologist for Bush--a man who had actually been handed everything in his life, a man who was never even curious enough about the world around him to have left the North American continent prior to having been elected President (the first in modern history who had not done so), a man who went AWOL seven times and is on record as having only 28 complete hours of service in three years, a man who can barely form a coherent sentence, who mispronounces 7th grade-level words like nuclear, a man who never earned a damn thing in his life, a man who has admitted on several occasions that he doesn't read--all the while comparing him to Barack Obama?
His tenure at the Law Review alone shows his intellectual capacity is greater than that of Bush's. And the fact that you would even think to compare the two is laughable.
Bush had experience in business? Really? And how did he get that experience? Hmmm? Who got him all his jobs, Kelly? Bush had two law degrees, but did ever practice law? Ever? Not one day. And why is that?
And since when does running a baseball team or running ANY business make one a strong and effective leader of the free world? Ronald Reagan never ran a business, JFK never ran a business, FDR never ran a business.
If anything, those who run some of the top corporations in this country have done nothing but raped, pillaged, and pummeled the economy, and subsequently, the American people, in to the ground. SInce when is being a good business man a litmus test for anything, other than how to f someone else out of their hard earned money? And your business rhetoric is also laughable because you fail to acknowledge the damage done by so many so-called captains of industry. And that makes you foolish. To say the least.
Shall I go on?
pgwodehouse Says
Kelly, you are struggling here. Obama got into college "most likely" because of affirmative action? And he graduated Magna Cum Laude at Harvard because of affirmative action as well, I suppose?
Instead of trying to prove that Bush Jr. was not as stupid as he appeared, just admit to yourself that he was just that much of a dolt. He was a failed businessman, was AWOL from the cushy National Guard sojourn that he got to avoid serving in Vietnam, among other failures on his part. All that would have not mattered, but he screwed up terribly during his 8 years as President. You can see the results around you.
When you say Obama was given things on a silver platter, you are doing what is known as projecting. You are thinking about G W Bush. Obama was raised by a single mother, subsisted on tight funds, even having to use food stamps at times. I don't know what world you live in, but denial and bitterness will eat you up.
Kelly Says
MikeNYC, your hypocrisy isn't surprising. The grades of President Bush were proof that he was a dope, but Obama's grades aren't important? Obama got into college more than likely because of affirmative action, Bush got in because of his Dad, yet one is worse than the other?? Bush who had experience in business (which liberals trashed) , failed runs for office, military service (which liberals trashed) weren't counted as any kind of life experience. Al Gore was and is a genus. (This despite having the same grades as Bush and flunking out of divinity school) Clinton was always portrayed as the smartest guy around as is his wife. Reagan was a senile idiot, Ford was a klutzy dope. Nixon was evil and stupid. Gee, do you see a trend here?
Obama has been given pretty much everything in his life with little effort on his part. Several of his campaign wins were due to trashing his political opponents. He has never run anything or had a results oriented job. The media coverage of his presidential candidacy were soft at best. The coverage of him since than has bordered on farce.
MikeNYC Says
Kal Penn is NOT Indian, he was born in New Jersey, USA. He cares for America's future.
We accept the brilliant new "Irish" president who is also "Kenyan," and we have approx. 200 million "Europeans" living here in the USA; Should they hold political office?
And YES, Obama's verified birth documents were on the web long before the election. Even if he read only Pre-K posters; his ideas and speech quality puts him miles ahead of most of us.......I am simply not interested in his college grades.....in other words, I don't need them, because HE is living proof of the results.
(Psst: Do you know of someone who faked all the way to the top? Think)
Sri Says
I voted for Obama.
Kal Penn jumped the gun too early. The Obama sub-continent plan (if one exists) is fucked up as hell. That was one of few things Bush got right.
Albrights dad was ambassador to India ages ago (when she was 3 0r 7 years old). Therefore, she is the in-house expert on the topic.
Basically, the whole policy is if Pakis help with Afghanistan. Obama will throw Kashmir to Pakistan. The policy is naive as best if not worst. They did not fight 3 wars between themselves for nothing.
It has makings of one gigantic mess.
Sri Says
I voted for Obama.
Kal Penn jumped the gun too early. The Obama sub-continent plan (if one exists) is fucked up as hell. That was one of few things Bush got right.
Albrights dad was ambassador to India ages ago (when she was 3 0r 7 years old). Therefore, she is the in-house expert on the topic.
Basically, the whole policy is if Pakis help with Afghanistan. Obama will throw Kashmir to Pakistan. The policy is naive as best if not worst. They did not fight 3 wars between themselves for nothing.
It has makings of one gigantic mess.
Kelly Says
I still haven't gotten over his suicide on the series...why couldn't they have sent him off to work for Doctors Without Borders instead of killing himself for no apparent reason. Anyway, it would be to bad if he doesn't get the job I guess.
DS3M Says
LOL
Failed the Piss Test
Dan Says
Maybe Kutner will come back to the series as a ghost, a la Grey's Anatomy.
lukesimpson Says
I don't know if my eyes are deceiving me, but there seems to be a typo on the home page. His name is "Kal" not "Kai". Isn't it?
Walks In Clouds Says
"Wow.. people are quick to critize the admin and Penn... I wonder why it takes so long.. o yea perhaps a full background check ? maybe involving a security investigation? There are a million things to do before you actually get "appointed" that people don't know and yet everyone is quick to jump on the Admin and Penn bashing bandwagon... if any of you have been or worked in government you know about the miles of paperwork that you have to do before getting anything done... you don't just point and say i want that (Irq) and it's done... this is not the Bush administration..."
posted by LOGIC&REASON.
So when is anyone going to show the full background check on Obama and actually reveal his transcripts from college and show a real birth certificate? Or does that take time as well???
Where are those "million things" that need to be done concerning Obama?
dotonbuttocks Says
I heard the administration found him disqualified. He actually paid his income taxes.
Logic&Reason Says
Wow.. people are quick to critize the admin and Penn... I wonder why it takes so long.. o yea perhaps a full background check ? maybe involving a security investigation? There are a million things to do before you actually get "appointed" that people don't know and yet everyone is quick to jump on the Admin and Penn bashing bandwagon... if any of you have been or worked in government you know about the miles of paperwork that you have to do before getting anything done... you don't just point and say i want that (Irq) and it's done... this is not the Bush administration...
Logic&Reason Says
Wow.. people are quick to critize the admin and Penn... I wonder why it takes so long.. o yea perhaps a full background check ? maybe involving a security investigation? There are a million things to do before you actually get "appointed" that people don't know and yet everyone is quick to jump on the Admin and Penn bashing bandwagon... if any of you have been or worked in government you know about the miles of paperwork that you have to do before getting anything done... you don't just point and say i want that and it's done... this is not the Bush administration...
Ron Harwell Says
It sounds like the WH does not intend to bring him on board now for whatever reasons--They are giving a typical non-answer when a decision has been made counter to what was promised. I liked him on the series, much better than some of the other characters; however, that being said, it is clear he has his plate filled and his life is filled as well. I hope he does get the position as it is also clear he wants to do this with sincerity and believes in Obama. It would be a real crime for his bubble to be burst by politics.
Paperdoll Says
The death WAS explained: it was definitely a suicide. House wanted to believe it was a murder because then he could try to "solve" it, whereas a suicide out of nowhere has no rational explanation (which is impossible for a super-rational mind like House's to accept, and started driving him crazy). Come on, don't try to make it sound like it's still open for debate—the case is closed.
Suzy Says
WHole thing is suspect.... sounds like he really doesn't have a new job.... I wonder if he can still get his 15 minutes of fame back after the Obama administration abandons him. Methinks that too many references to Harold and Kumar might have the Administration rethinking the idea of using him.... funny they pick a popular young actor who is Indian, to be the "point man" for all things Pacific Islander.. As a Chamorro, I am perplexed and dismayed. India is not considered the Pacific Rim. Should have picked someone who knows about Micronesia and Polynesia... Jeez, at least a Haole who lived on island would be a better choice.
Suzy Says
WHole thing is suspect.... sounds like he really doesn't have a new job.... I wonder if he can still get his 15 minutes of fame back after the Obama administration abandons him. Methinks that too many references to Harold and Kumar might have the Administration rethinking the idea of using him.... funny they pick a popular young actor who is Indian, to be the "point man" for all things Pacific Islander.. As a Chamorro, I am perplexed and dismayed. India is not considered the Pacific Rim. Should have picked someone who knows about Micronesia and Polynesia... Jeez, at least a Haole who lived on island would be a better choice.
Doug Ramsey Says
This is funny, but in a sad way. People believe Obama can do anything, they believe he can fly, they believe that if you want a job at the White House you can get one if you ask and was a supporter and yes, went on Larry King supporting him. But it's just a dream and the reality is sad and picturing this guy standing outside the gates to the White House and not allowed in makes me sad.
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