Weed-happy movie star Kal Penn will host Convention live webcast on Thursday... Kal Penn became an aide to President Obama in 2009, putting aside an acting career in which he was best known for his role as 'Kumar,' a stoner obsessed with the White Castle burger joint in the Harold & Kumar film series. He'll be hosting a live web-only Democratic National Convention special on BarackObama.com on Thursday, Sept. 6th. The Obama campaign on Monday released a video promoting the event, starring the President, Penn, and his Harold & Kumar co-star John Cho. (Above: Cho, left and Penn in the video)
In the video, the President telephones Penn, and asks if he can be "counted on." The camera pulls back to reveal Penn chatting on his cellphone with the President as he watches TV with Cho on a couch, surrounded by a mess of pizza, soda, and chips. No weed is present, but it replicates a scene from the Harold & Kumar films. Penn's livestream on Thursday begins at 8:00 PM ET at BarackObama.com/live.
"This is Barack,” the President says on the phone. “Listen, I need to know if you’re on board. Okay, good. Cause I’m counting on you — everybody is. We have to get this right.”
Penn was in Charlotte, North Carolina with First Lady Michelle Obama on Monday afternoon as she visited the Time Warner Cable Arena to check out the venue, ahead of her own convention speech at 10:35 PM ET on Tuesday. Mrs. Obama declined to speak with reporters. The First Lady's official Convention schedule.
Penn also had a recurring role on the TV show House, and went to work at the White House after working on Mr. Obama's 2008 campaign. He left Washington to return to his acting career.
*Obama for America video
