The Remote Island : House

Details On Kal Penn's White House Gig

Jake Kalish — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 21:35:00 GMT

So as you probably know by now, Kal Penn left House via self-inflicted gunshot wound (character, not actor - Kal's fine) in order to work for Barack Obama in the White House. Now Malia Obama taking lots of photos of Kal Penn during her daddy's inaugural concert is starting to make more sense. She probably knows Kal Penn, that's like her first big preadolescent crush. We just totally made that up, but we like it.

Anyway, this is very cool of Kal Penn. And now we know what, exactly, he'll be doing for Barack Obama...

A spokesman for President Obama tells PEOPLE that Penn, who was an active volunteer in Obama's campaign last year (and whose parents were Hindu immigrants from India), will handle the president's outreach to the Asian-American Pacific Islander community and the arts community. The spokesman was careful to clarify that, by arts community, they don't mean Hollywood – but rather, the type of organizations and activists that work to activate music programs in schools and keep community theater alive.

Wow. That's an important gig, with a lot of responsibility - and a great building block for a career in public service or politics. Could weed-loving Kumar be President Of The United States, say in 2024?

PREVIOUSLY:

Kal Penn Goes From "House" To The White House [VIDEO]

The HBO Inaugural Concert, Behind The Scenes

Tonight On "House": Guest Star -- Meatloaf. Yes, Meatloaf.

Kal Penn Goes from "House" To The Whitehouse [VIDEO]

Olivia Purnell — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 17:00:00 GMT

We didn't see this one coming.

We were all excited about Meatloaf's guest appearance on House last night. In preparation. We played "Anything For Love" as loud as possible on our tape deck. (Yes, we still own a Casio. It's pink. We have a Trapper-Keeper, too.) We watched Fight Club a few times, fastforwarding to Meatloaf's man-tit scenes and playing those in slow mo. It was magic. But we can't talk about it. That's the first rule.

We were so busy meatloafing that we did not prepare ourselves for the tragic end to Kutner's residency. We were blindsided when Kal Penn's character, Dr. Lawrence Kutner, commited suicide on House. Very sad. But not to worry, Kal is truly moving on to a better place. He's going back to work for Prez Obama.

Penn will be the associate director in the White House's Office of Public Liaison & Intergovernmental Affairs -- a similar job he had while campaigning for Obama last year.

Penn -- known for his role in the stoner comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle -- says he had been "thinking" about moving into politics "for a while."

He took several political science courses in college and even participated in an online international studies program at Stanford in 2006.

"I love what I do as an actor. I couldn't love it more. But probably from the time I was a kid, I really enjoyed that balance between the arts and public service," he says. "I thought this might be the right time to go off and do something else."

We didn't know if a couple of Poly-Sci courses and a stake in the ganja-ladden Harold & Kumar franchise qualified you for a career in politics, but apparently an odessey to White Castle is the new Supreme Court Clerkship.

Congratulations, Kal. But you will be missed on House. To prove it, Fox has posted the following unbelievably ridiculous video homage to Dr. Kutner:

wow.

(usweekly.com)

Previously:

The HBO Inagural Concert, Behind The Scenes

Tonight On "House": Guest Star -- Meatloaf. Yes, Meatloaf

"House" Viewers Hate Gay Sex?

House and Cuddy Finally Do The Deed

Tonight on "House": Guest Star -- Meatloaf. Yes, Meatloaf.

Lindy Parker — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 18:00:00 GMT

Apparently, someone at Fox said their prayers to the god of sex and drums and rock 'n roll...

Relishing his ability to vanish into a role, he says, "My ideal situation is for people to watch House ... and not even know it's me." Meat Loaf checks into the hit Fox drama as a long-ailing man whose caretaker wife has suddenly collapsed. (To play sick, the actor-rocker cops to taking pointers from Ted Danson on Damages.) Mysteriously, the husband gets better as his Mrs. gets sicker. It all makes for a good case for Dr. House. (TV Guide)

The best part about this guest appearance is that apparently, it lead to a future collaboration between Hugh Laurie and Meatloaf on the rocker's upcoming album...

"I have a song that is just piano, so I wrote [Hugh] a little note saying, 'This is a demo and I'd love for you to play on it.' I wasn't going to [pester] him and go, 'Did you hear the demo?' And the next day on the set, he said, 'Are you kidding me? Yes, I'll play.' So I'm hoping that happens." (TV Guide)

Awesome. We assume this is an opportunity for which Dr. House has waited a long time. How long, you ask? As long as the wheels are turning...Everybody!

As long as the fires are burning
As long as your prayers are coming true
You'd better believe it, that I would do
Anything for love...

Previously:

"House" Viewers Hate Gay Sex?

House and Cuddy Finally Do The Deed

"House" is Back in the, Y'Know, House

House and Cuddy Finally Do The Deed

Lindy Parker — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:00:00 GMT

And we say, it's about time -- House could afford to let the good times roll a little more...

Executive producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs finally revealed what has long been hinted at but never officially confirmed: House and Cuddy will have sex this season. "Yes, we have figured out the details surrounding Huddy having sex," declared Shore, adding that the duo will seal the deal before the end of the season. "There is a light at the end of the tunnel for fans of Huddy hoping for a hookup. It definitely won't be what people expect. We have to do things our way, the House way. We wouldn't want to have the characters do anything out of character." (The Ausiello Files)

Looks as though we can all rest assured that House and Huddy will finally do something about their ever-increasing sexual tension. Sidenote: we're not sure we ever imagined the executive producers of House using the word "Huddy."

5 Ways Real Doctors Can Be More Like TV Doctors

Jake Kalish — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:33:00 GMT

These suggestions will fix America's healthcare system.

1) Have sex with each other - Obviously, some doctors have sex with each other; they share a common interest. But you should all have sex with each other. Or, at least, if you're not actually having sex with each other, you should be consumed by a need to have sex with each other, to the point that you leave the emergency room operating table to express your feelings and act on your desire. I think I speak for all patients when I say: it's cool. We'll wait. We need that kind of passion in healthcare.

2) Bend the rules; Don't play by the book - Who says you should treat Adrenoleukodystrophy in a "conventional" way, or follow "standard" protocol? Squares, that's who. A doctor is half artist, half outlaw. Improvise, and don't let anyone mess with your creative mojo.

3) Lose the the forms and waiting rooms - You almost never see forms and waiting rooms on doctor shows, but that seems to be, like, 90% of one's time at the doctor. Lose all that stuff; it's not dramatic. Treat everything like an emergency, and rush us into an operating room while yelling directions to each other. Even if it's a routine checkup.

4) Work out more/Wear more makeup - A lot of you doctors are just not good-looking enough. Your humble correspondent's doc is smart, kind, and thorough. But he looks like Pete Seeger. That's not going to cut it. Now, no one's suggesting elective surgeries (although it's an idea) but you could hit the gym for, say, two hours a day and get really buff. And, especially if you're a female doctor (but also if you're male) make sure someone applies your makeup expertly. There's no more important time to look beautiful than when you're saving a life.

5) Don't let people die - You know how many people die in hospitals? When doctors are right there? It's ridiculous. Don't let people die, unless they're evil. Or have an important life lesson to tell us right before they expire, like "you don't know what you got 'til it's gone." If you don't have a life lesson, you don't die. That should be a rule.

Fox Crams Extra "House" Into New "Dollhouse" Promo

Bryan Christian — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:29:00 GMT

The rumors may still be true -- Fox may be needling Joss Whedon into creating another crash-and-burn fanboy fantasy, a la Firefly -- and yet, what concerns us most about the new trailer for Dollhouse isn't its weirdly stilted rhythms and staging, or the vague, unnsettling, and deeply disappointing sense that Eliza Dushku might not yet have the gravity to hold the center of show like this. No, no, what weirds us out is: it sounds like they pinched the opening theme from House and just shoved it right on in there!

Don't believe us? Have a look -- and a listen -- for yourself.

PREVIOUSLY:
“Dollhouse”: Stop Playing With Our Emotions
Uh-Oh... "Dollhouse" May Be in Trouble

The Weekly Rewind: Seriously, Is This Election Over Yet?

Ben Kallen — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 21:30:00 GMT

Nope, not yet! TV's still all about politics -- and, on the other hand, distracting ourselves from politics -- as we'll find out when we recall the highlights of the week.

We watched hot Sarah Palin on SNL, and she was funnier than the average guest host. Coming soon: Ellen Show dancer Barack Obama. Too bad one of these two will be elected soon -- we smell comedy team! (Don't forget to add this guy.)

Opie Cunningham came back through time from 30-plus years ago! (To, um, tell us how to vote today.)

We watched the season premiere of 30 Rock -- before it aired on TV! The Internet is cool.

We heard that someone still doesn't like the looks of Dancing With the Stars' Cheryl Burke. Someone crazy.

...Or else maybe Dancing is cursed.

We set Lance Bass against Joey Fatone, and Dwight against Gareth. Remember, no talking about Fight Club!

We heard that Lindsay Lohan's having problems -- and this time, it's personal.

We saw the new CSI tech naked, which probably means she'll be murdered off soon.

We heard that William Shatner got into a spat with George Takei. Did you know they used to work together?

Just like Desmond, we predicted what's going to happen next on Lost.

We saw a preview of 50 Cent's new show, and it was kind of like business school. Heck, the guy's name is money.

We got mad at Fringe for being too much like other shows, but then realized that without other shows, it wouldn't be about anything.

What the hell, AMC? You say you're bringing back Mad Men, but neither the creator nor the actors have contracts yet? Is that any way to treat the best show on TV?

We wondered why anyone would want to dress like this lady anyway.

More Dexter, yay! More Knight Rider -- huh?

We saw Se cond Becky give a loud kiss-off to Ted on How I Met Your Mother. We love ya, sister, but please do not get back with J.D. on Scrubs.

And we noticed that House and Gray's Anatomy have figured out what we really want in a medical series: girl-on-girl action.

But not this kind.

Previously:
The Weekly Rewind: Everyone's a Comedian

Wake Up And Smile: "That's What She Said" Edition

Bryan Christian — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 13:30:00 GMT

-- What is a "Clois"? Why, it's what Smallville fans refer to as the whole "Lois and Clark" dynamic so they don't have to actually say "Lois and Clark." Because no one likes being reminded of Dean Cain. (That's what she said!)

-- HBO renews True Blood for another season after only two episodes, mixed reviews, and middling ratings, while House and Fringe proved to be a solid team Tuesday night, with House delivering 14.4 million viewers -- and Fringe retaining 93% of them. (That's what... huh?)

-- Speaking of House, if you thought it was hot that Jennifer Morrison-and/or-Spencer was up for a threeway with House and Cuddy, often bi-playing hottie Olivia Wilde sounds like she might be open with getting it on with Lisa Edelstein too. (Wait, she said that?)

-- Last weekend's SNL season premiere and and a writers panel yesterday prompts Defamer to ask an interesting question: has Saturday Night Live quit the business of producing biting political satire by trying to remain impartial? Or to put it another way: do they care too much whether Sarah Palin liked their Tina Fey sketch or not? (Cause that is what she said!)

-- Paris Hilton's been giving interviews about her new reality show, claiming that over 300,000 people tried to become her New BFF. Guess when it comes to lies, she likes 'em big and hard to swallow. (Oh, that's too easy.)

A Haiku for the Return of "House"

Ben Kallen — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:25:00 GMT

Though everything seems

out of whack, not much has changed --

Wilson? He'll be back.

Image: Fox

Previously:
More Haiku Reviews

Wake Up And Smile: A "Human Giant" Performs A One Man "Entourage"

Bryan Christian — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:32:00 GMT

But wait there's more! Click on through House's Jennifer Morrison, a Dirty Sexy Money marathon, and what a couple of your favorite Battlestar Galactica castmembers will be up to after the series finale.

[video via The Sound of Young America]

-- Does House's Jennifer Morrison really think that House should get with both her and Cuddy? (More importantly, does she go by "Jennifer Spencer" in these E! Online videos because she finally married her co-star Jesse Spencer after some break-up drama last year?)

-- Dirty Sexy Money marathon September 27th on SOAPnet. All 12 Season One episodes, in case you wanna get prepped for Season Two and they blocked ABC.com at work.

-- Happy birthday, Rusty Venture!

-- You can expect to see Starbuck in a Dick Wolf-produced crime show sometime in the next few years, unless of course it sucks. Which, well, it's called Lost and Found, so it might.

-- Meanwhile Dualla herself, Kandyse McClure, will be playing the Linda Hamilton role in Sci-Fi's remake of Children of the Corn. Will it suck also? Well, the guy playing Malachai is kind of cute; sounds like a "Yes"!

(Thanks Scanner Emily for the BSG cast items!)

"House" Is Back in the, Y'Know, House

Ben Kallen — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:25:00 GMT

Don't forget, everyone's favorite pill-popping misanthropic lifesaver returns to the air tonight....

...And the new season is already garnering rave reviews. So let's congratulate star Hugh Laurie -- not just for his terrific performance in the title role, but for getting a big, fat raise from $50,000 to $400,000 per episode. That's Charlie Sheen money!

Previously:
Top 10 Returning Shows: House
Charlie Sheen Makes Way More Money Than You Do

Top Ten Returning Shows: #8 - "House"

Bryan Christian — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 13:30:00 GMT

The new fall season is almost here. Starting next week, the cable and broadcast networks will be begin rolling out new episodes of all the shows that survived the writers-strike-afflicted 2007-2008 season, giving us the chance to get acquainted with some old friends -- and reacquaint ourselves with more than a few characters who we met only fleetingly last fall. Here, then, are the top ten returning shows that were most looking forward to seeing.

Look, we know: it's the same show every week. Somebody gets sick, their bf/gf/spouse demands "the best," House gets called in and promptly insults them, then he tortures his underlings spitballing cures -- three of which wind up to be wrong -- and then at 9 minutes to the hour, somebody says something offhand about something totally unrelated to the mystery malady but part of some sort of personal confession, causing House to stare just off-camera and eureka-ize us into the denouement. Der. We already knew that.

Here's what we don't know: why do we keep watching? Is it really just that Hugh Laurie is so magnetic week after week? 'Cause there aren't *that many* hotties on the show, and the jokes aren't all that great.

Seriously: we need to know the answer. Any chance we can get Dr. House to solve that little mystery?

House (Tuesdays at 8PM EST) premieres September 16 at 8PM on Fox.

TOP TEN RETURNING SHOWS FALL 2008

#1. "30 Rock" & "Terminator"
#2. "Dexter"
#3. "Gossip Girl"
#4. "Pushing Daisies"
#5. "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia"
#6. "Heroes"
#7. "Dirty Sexy Money"
#8. "House"
#9. "Entourage" / "Californication"
#10. "The Shield"

Watch Hurley, "Desperate Housewives" Stars Rock Out

Ben Kallen — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 20:51:00 GMT

Band From TV, an actual rock group made up of performers from a bunch of TV shows, played a benefit for Netflix LIVE! last week. In addition to instrumentals by the likes of Heroes' Greg Grunberg and Adrian Pasdar, as well as House's Hugh Laurie (with extra vocals and emcee duties performed by Hayden Panetierre), lead vocals came from Lost's Jorge Garcia and Desperate Housewives' James Denton and Teri Hatcher. We've seen some shaky video of the event, and the verdict is: Garcia's really good (and actually looks kind of like the singer from The Commitments), Denton does an okay Elvis, and Hatcher shouldn't quit her day job.

Click through to have a look for yourself:

Previously:
Video Fun: Adam Sandler Spoofs the Who

Showtime Attempts To Succeed Where Mike Myers Failed, Announces Studio 54 Show

Bryan Christian — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 20:25:00 GMT

You ever get the feeling that this blog is basically "Pay Cable Today"? We sure do. Like, we've announced somewhere between 12 and 20 shows currently under development for HBO and Showtime in the last few months. Where are they gonna find the time to show them all? Are they gonna become the new Fox or something, and show original programming 2 hours a night? Who can say.

Well, here's one show that we're pretty sure we can skip, unless the cast winds up being wickedly profoundly pants-ignitingly hot: Studio, the story of Steve Rubell and Studio 54, as told by Showtime. We don't care if Bryan Singer, one of the principle players in bringing House and the good X-Men movies to the screen, is behind it. He's also the Bryan Singer who gave us Superman Returns and an ill-fated American remake of Footballer's Wives. Besides, between all the disco movies of the late '90's and VH1, are we not a little tired of this story? Look, as we say: if the people are hot enough, we'll give it a shot -- but Lord knows that didn't make 54 any more watchable.

Well, ah-ha! says the New York Observer...

Studio won't be another docu-drama like the movie 54. The show will use Studio 54's co-founder Steve Rubell as a fictional character and recount the months leading to the club's April 1977 opening, according to the Reporter. But none of the other characters on the show will be based on a real person and the plot will be fictional.

Ah, we see; they're gonna take the broad-stroke circumstances of one actual dude and wrap a sex-laden, entire totally bullshit story around him? Hmm.. so basically it's The Tudors with coke? Pass.

Now here's a "Studio" somebody should make a show outta.

PREVIOUSLY:
HBO, Showtime Announce New Original Programming. Guess Whose Show Sounds Better.

TV Critics' Smackdown: "Lost" Good, "Moment of Truth" Bad

Ben Kallen — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 15:33:00 GMT

TV Week has come out with its semiannual poll of TV critics' favorite and least-favorite shows, this time from the first half of 2008. And while most of the results were just what you'd expect, there are a few things worth arguing about.

Here are the 10 best shows, according to the critics:

1. Lost

2. The Wire

3. 30 Rock

4. The Office

5. Friday Night Lights

6. House

7. Battlestar Galactica

8. Breaking Bad

9. John Adams

10. In Treatment

And the 10 worst:

1. The Moment of Truth

2. The Return of Jezebel James

3. Quarterlife

3. (tie) Living Lohan

5. Big Brother

5. (tie) Cashmere Mafia

7. Secret Talents of the Stars

7. (tie) Farmer Wants a Wife

9. American Idol

9. (tie) According to Jim

It would be hard to disagree with the bulk of these top-10 shows. Sure, Lost was uneven, but the season as a whole was fantastic. So were most of the other series the critics loved. (Okay, John Adams was -- let's face it -- a bit of a bore. And we might have moved Breaking Bad down the list a little, maybe to make room for How I Met Your Mother.)

As for the bottom 10: The Return of Jezebel James was an interesting experiment by talented people that didn't work, unfortunately. Quarterlife was a worthwhile attempt to see if people would watch Web content on TV. (The answer: Not if it consists of whiny slackers with boring problems.)

As for the reality shows that make up the majority of the worst list: Well, the whole point of these programs is that they're trashy, right? If they were any good, they wouldn't be any good. (TV Week quotes Fox reality honcho Mike Darnell as saying he was relieved when he heard that the critics hated The Moment of Truth. "Generally speaking, if you have a critically acclaimed reality show, it’s not a big hit.") And while American Idol is on the worst list, it's number 20 on the best list, too, so we'll call that one even.

Then there's the strange case of According to Jim.... Millions of people are watching it, so that must mean something, right? And someday, we hope to meet one of them.

The full list is here (PDF file).

Photo: ABC

Previously:
Lost? It's Complicated

Farmer Wants a Wife? We Want More!