April 10th, 2007 by dd
Kal Penn, star of the film adaptation of the best-seller “The Namesake,” would love his next role to be Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.
In the April issue of Spin magazine, Penn admits, “I’m a huge Freddie Mercury fan. I think it would be interesting to play him in a film. A lot of people don’t know that he was from Zanzibar and raised in India. He changed his name (from Farrokh Bulsara) so that he could fit into the whole … scene.” [Freep]
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March 29th, 2007 by dd
Kal Penn will teach two classes as a “guess professor” at the University of Pennsylvania in Spring ‘08. The actor will instruct two courses within the college’s Asian American studies program: “Images of Asian Americans in the Media,” and “Contemporary American Teen Films.”
The New Jersey native is currently commanding big screens in the excellent, not-to-be-missed film The Namesake - an adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s eponymous novel - but Penn is most famous for his role as “Kumar” in 2004’s racial identity-and-roach-clips hit Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Penn recently filmed Kumar 2, while simultaneously pursuing a graduate certificate in international security at Stanford. He received his undergraduate degree in sociology with a specialization in theater, film and television, at UCLA. [VIBE]
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March 21st, 2007 by dd
The Garden State is in Da House! Kal Penn flanked by The Namesake director, Mira Nair and author Jhumpa Lahiri
By now you may or may not have been bombarded with reviews and promotions for Kal Penn’s new film, The Namesake. If you haven’t read the book or seen the film, I suggest you do so. Warning: don’t expect Kumar on another White Castle hunt but rather a more nuanced adult role for one of Hollywood’s rising stars. We’re not going to reinvent the wheel by doing a review or going over the significance of the character’s evolution as a microcosm of the American immigration experience or development of the Asian American identity… you can Google all that fun stuff yourself or read this fun piece about Kal at the New York Times.
Howevah, what you do need to know is that my homeboy is a Jersey boy for life! For those of you who don’t know, “Bridge and Tunnel“, or “B&T” for short, is a snooty term Manhattan-ites use to describe those who commute into NYC to feel like life is worth living (yes, the Dumpling is a New Yawker). It’s not the most flattering term because of the inferences. So usually what B&T’ers say goes a little something like this:
Although currently living in Los Angeles, Mr. Penn says he still feels in touch with his East Coast roots. “Being from Jersey supersedes things like race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and age,” he said. “No matter where you are on the planet, when you run into someone from New Jersey, there is an immediate bond.”
It’s all good, Kal. Jus’ having some fun. Keep up the good work but please no more Van Wilder sequels!!!
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March 8th, 2007 by dd
Kal Penn, Pooja Kumar, Padma Lakshmi, Salmon Rushdie, and Mira Nair at the New York Premiere of The Namesake.
Not sure what the movie is like though the Dumpling is looking forward to seeing it but the book is excellent.
Click ‘Read the rest of this entry’ to view more pics from the movie premiere.
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March 7th, 2007 by dd
Mira Nair’s film The Namesake, based on Pulitzer-winning writer Jhumpa Lahiri’s eponymous novel, opens on Friday in US theaters, and the last thing she would have wanted is a controversy. But that is exactly what has happened with Kal Penn, the film’s lead actor, posting a spoof video review, done by actors dressed up as Ku Klux Klan members, on The Namesake’s official blog.
In the post, Penn is shown interviewing Klan members ‘Ed’ and ‘Larry’, who are actually actors from a sequel to Harold and Kumar, a comedy hit starring the Indian American actor. “That was probably one of the worst movies I have ever seen,” says one actor when Penn seeks his opinion. “I am waiting for a refund. I need my $7 back.” The other ‘Klansman’ says he loved the movie. Penn then say the Klan in Louisiana is divided, and asks the audience to decide.
A reader of the blog, who identified herself as ‘Disgusted’, commented: “As an African American I find it absolutely offensive that you would chose to make light of the KKK and what they mean in American society, simply for laughs. If you and your ‘friends’ took the time to understand not only what they symbolise but what they have done to men, women, and children, I can’t imagine you would have gone forward with this… This is despicable. Keep in mind that you are a direct beneficiary of the trials and triumphs of those people terrorised by the Klan. What a way to let them know that their suffering was in vain!”
Read Kal Penn’s response after the jump!
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