TVSquad

Kal Penn, best known for playing Kumar in the flick Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, is going to be hanging around the University of Pennsylvania campus next spring. And not to search for the perfect American meal, Philly-style.

Penn, who just wrapped Harold & Kumar 2 and was most recently seen on TV playing a teenaged terrorist on 24, will be teaching two courses tentatively named, "Images of Asian Americans in the Media" and "Contemporary American Teen Films," according to a UPenn press release, which said his real name is Kalpen Modi.

Yesterday, magician Penn Jillette's wife gave birth to their second child, Zolten. "Zolten" is his wife's maiden name. In a scenario that was quite suitable to the magniloquent magician, his wife actually started giving birth at the hospital while Penn was doing his radio show. Halfway through the show Penn was forced to leave it in the hands of his co-host as he bolted from his home studio and drove through Las Vegas traffic, staying connected to the radio show via his cellphone while his wife and her doctor made calls to the radio show to let Penn and everyone listening know how things were going. You can listen to the chaos in all its glory by clicking here and then clicking on the "May 22" show.

Once while watching a movie with a friend of mine, one he had already seen, he turned to me halfway through and said, "I'm not going to tell you what happens in the movie, but just know that nothing is what it seems right now." I wanted to explain to him that saying that was just as bad as revealing the ending to me. Now, no matter what happens in the movie, I'm not going to be surprised because I now expect everything. I think this is why magicians, even the really great ones, never really impress me. I know it's going to be a big set up, and then, ta-da, some great reveal. Lather, rinse, repeat.

That's why I've always had a fondness for Penn and Teller, who know it's not enough to just do tricks, but to really make the audience squirm while doing so. Oh yeah, and later this month they'll be guest programmers on TCM. On May 22 the duo will join Robert Osbourne to introduce and talk about four of their favorite films, one of which, Tod Browning's Freaks, happens to be one of my favorite movies, as well. The four-movie marathon will begin in May 22 at 8 p.m. with the Marx Brother's At the Circus. The marathon will also include F for Fake and The Sunshine Boys.

While many of the networks will undoubtedly keep a lot of crap on the air for another two seasons, this is actually good news. Showtime just picked up seasons four and five of Penn & Teller: Bullshit! The program is along the same lines as their live show, except, instead of debunking magic tricks, they debunk all sorts of things like magnet therapy, reflexology, Feng Shui, Ouija boards, baby myths, and chiropractors (don't shoot the messenger!). Season four of the show starts April 3 on Showtime. New episodes include examining the death penalty, prostitution and virginity.