Web ‘Superbrain’ Predicts ‘House’ Plot Surprise

Last week’s episode of the Fox Network medical-mystery series House included a Big Event meant to shock the show’s viewers and send the story line in an interesting new direction, as one of the main characters of the series was killed. As it happens, the show’s fans figured out exactly who it would be, several days in advance of the program’s airing, as the kind of public conversation the Internet makes so easy enabled a mass pooling of information and instant critiquing of same. (more…)

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Tags: Entertainment Weekly, house, internet, Kal Penn, spoliers
Posted Apr 13th 2009 at 12:27 pm in Entertainment | 104882No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/stkarnick/2009/04/13/web-superbrain-predicted-house-plot-surprise/Web+%27Superbrain%27+Predicts+%27House%27+Plot+Surprise2009-04-13+19%3A27%3A02S.T.+Karnick

Television’s Lame Attack on Guns

When script writers run out of something else to say (e.g., there are only so many times they can say everyone is uninsured and miserable about it), guns and gun makers are easily available to demonize. “Life” and “House” have both gone after guns in recent episodes.

Life’s episode “Initiative 38″ has a fairly unbelievable plot: a woman working on an initiative to ban handguns is murdered and there is one major suspect, P&K, a gun company. Here is some of the dialogue:

Detective Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis): We are saying that someone came here to kill your wife. Can you think of who that might be?

Harold Amis: Yes, I can. Initiative 38.

Woman who works for Initiative 38: Initiative 38 is a comprehensive ban on handguns. Lisa was working to get it passed. (more…)

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Tags: Damian Lewis, guns, house, hugh laurie, Kal Penn
Posted Apr 13th 2009 at 7:25 am in Entertainment, Media Criticism, News | 103078No Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jlott/2009/04/13/cant-these-guys-think-of-better-material-some-lame-attacks-on-guns/Television%27s+Lame+Attack+on+Guns2009-04-13+14%3A25%3A33John+Lott

Kumar Goes to the White House II

Kal Penn’s character killed himself on “House.” Kal Penn didn’t commit career suicide by accepting a job in the Obama administration. Penn is merely taking Tinseltown’s love of politics to another level. While it’s not unprecedented for the stars of B-movies to find themselves in the White House, it certainly is unusual. Political activism didn’t hurt the careers of Oscar winners Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, and George Clooney. Their Oscars might be seen as recognition of that activism. After all, their awards came as a result of performances in rather politicized films. If Kal Penn felt typecast as a player in raunchy college comedies, he should have no such worries after his sojourn in Washington, DC. He will be a celebrity among celebrities. Roles will be there for the taking. Just watch: the critical acclaim that escaped him in ”Van Wilder” will have no trouble finding him, and Harold will be wishing that he had followed Kumar to the White House.

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Tags: harold and kumar, house, Kal Penn, Obama, White House
Posted Apr 8th 2009 at 7:08 am in Celebrity News, Politics | 10027016 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dflynn/2009/04/08/kumar-goes-to-the-white-house/Kumar+Goes+to+the+White+House+II2009-04-08+14%3A08%3A19Daniel+J.+Flynn

Kumar Goes to the White House

According to the Wall Street Journal (and linked in the headlines), actor Kal Penn–known best as Kumar, a pot-smoking, fun-loving, trouble-seeking character in the profoundly stupid Harold and Kumar series–is leaving Hollywood to work in the Obama administration:

Penn, best known for his roles as Kumar Patel in the “Harold & Kumar” movies and most recently as Dr. Lawrence Kutner on the television series “House” told EW.com that he will be associate director in the White House office of public liaison.

“They do outreach with the American public and with different organizations. They’re basically the front door of the White House,” Penn said. “They take out all of the red tape that falls between the general public and the White House. It’s similar to what I was doing on the campaign.” (more…)

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Tags: harold and kumar, house, Kal Penn, Malia, Obama
Posted Apr 7th 2009 at 11:51 am in Entertainment, Featured Story, Politics | 9949447 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/gbenson/2009/04/07/harold-and-kumar-go-to-white-castle/Kumar+Goes+to+the+White+House2009-04-07+18%3A51%3A49Guy+Benson

The Republican Bipartisan Myth

Shangri-la and Brigadoon and Bipartisan.  Three mythical places.  One of which few Republicans have seemingly ever heard.  Because if there is one thing we can take from the first weeks of the “New” Washington, it’s that the (liberal) Democrats are incompetent (old news, really) and the Republicans are disingenuous when it comes to bipartisanship.  Oh, sure, they talk up the swellness of President Obama every chance they get.  And will continue to do so as long as his approval numbers are above fifty percent.  But most GOPers tend to become like children who dance hysterically in a sandbox when it comes time to play with others.

Despite all the sit-downs Obama had with the Republicans – apparently too many for Speaker Pelosi’s tastes – and despite the fact that the House version of the Stimulus Bill contained specific tax breaks for which the Republicans had asked – though not to the degree they wished – not a single GOPer would break ranks, step up and vote for the bill.  A surprisingly “my way or the highway” attitude for the minority party whose eight years of good cogitating was a major factor in whipping America into the stellar fiscal shape we find ourselves. (more…)

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Tags: Barack Obama, Democrats, Economy, Gov. John Lynch, house
Posted Feb 14th 2009 at 6:45 am in News, Politics | 50394229 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jridley/2009/02/14/the-republican-bipartisan-myth/The+Republican+Bipartisan+Myth2009-02-14+14%3A45%3A20John+Ridley

Guns on TV: Missing The Mark

The Fox network’s “House M.D.” has never been very friendly towards guns. The last show of season 2 found House shot by a disgruntled former patient. In the ninth episode of season 5, someone demands medical treatment at the point of a gun. The just aired twelfth episode entitled “Painless” brings up guns again, though in a less dramatic and more subtle way with a character named Cuddy (Lisa Edelstein) going through the adoption process. When the child welfare official comes to check on Cuddy’s suitability to care for the young child, the first question the official asks is, “Any guns in the house?” The only other question was whether she had any pets.

Obviously the academic research shows that having an accessible gun in the home saves lives, but I had a more basic question: I decided to check to see if a question about guns was likely to lead the questions on one’s fitness to serve as a foster parent or to adopt a child. American Adoptions is licensed by the state of New Jersey to provide home study services for people preparing for adoption. Their home study guide has a lot of questions on a person’s criminal record (arrests and convictions), whether they have ever been reported for child abuse/neglect (seems more important than gun ownership), and marital status and history – but no questions about gun ownership. (more…)

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Tags: Cuddy, fox, guncontrol, house, hugh laurie
Posted Jan 29th 2009 at 6:21 am in Media Criticism, Video | 3201037 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jlott/2009/01/29/guns-on-tv-missing-the-mark/Guns+on+TV%3A+Missing+The+Mark2009-01-29+14%3A21%3A01John+Lott