Indian American Penn says White House shift not the end of his acting career

July 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Indian American actor-turned White House associate director of public engagement, Kalpen Modi, has said that he spent the first day in political office getting started on some "serious" work. Under sharp questioning about his routine, comedian Modi revealed: "I brushed my teeth, I did floss, used mouthwash.

July 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama's American Indian adviser on public engagement and comedian, Kal 'Penn' Modi, has said that he has no plans for taking on a full time career in politics any time soon. The New York Daily News quoted Penn, who is the associate director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, a gig he landed after working his way up through Obama's campaign operation, as saying: "I have no plans to run for office anytime soon", before rushing off to his first big White House meeting.

June 15th, 2009 Obama appoints American Indian adviserWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will have an American Indian adviser in the White House to counsel him on tribal issues, a new post he promised while campaigning on Indian reservations last year. Obama on Monday appointed Kimberly Teehee as a senior policy adviser for Native American affairs, saying she will provide "a direct interface at the highest level" of his administration and will ensure a voice for American Indians as policy decisions are made.

June 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack has named Vinai Thummalapally, an Indian-American businessman and a former college friend who raised over $100,000 for his campaign, as ambassador to the central American nation of Belize. Colorado-based Thummalapally was among the "Top Indian-American Bundlers" - people who gather contributions from many individuals, who are not allowed to contribute more than $2300 for each election, and present the sum to the campaign - during the presdential poll.

May 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The White House has picked four Indian Americans among the 30 finalists for the White House Fellows Programme, considered America's most prestigious programme for leadership and public service. The four Indian Americans who have made it to this coveted list are Sudip Bose, Anish Mahajan, Raj Shah and Manish Sethi.

April 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Actor Sean Penn has filed for legal separation from his wife of 13 years, Robin Wright Penn. He filed the papers last Friday, Extra first reported.

April 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Imagine creating vehicles as tiny as a molecule, billions of which could fit into a millimetre and be powered by sugar. The concept is nearly unthinkable, but it's exactly the kind of thing occupying National Science Foundation (NSF) supported researchers at Penn State and Rice University.

April 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US President Barack Obama Monday lifted all restrictions on Cuban Americans travelling and sending money back to their home country as part of a much-anticipated reversal of US policies toward Cuba. In an executive order, Obama will also allow humanitarian gifts to be sent to Cuba in what the White House billed as an effort to encourage a Democratic transition on the Communist island.

April 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - New Jersey-born actor Kal Penn, who played a stoner Guantanamo Bay escapee in the movies and a doctor on TV's "House," has been appointed an associate director in the White House Office of Public Liaison, administration officials confirmed Tuesday. The Indian-American film star will be an emissary to the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, along with arts and entertainment groups.

April 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Kal Penn, Indian American star of Mira Nair's 'The Namesake' and a long time supporter of President Barack Obama, is joining the White House as a liaison between the administration and Asian constituents. Born Kalpen Suresh Modi to Indian immigrant parents from Gujarat, the 31-year-old actor who had a recurring role on Fox's popular TV show 'House' would join the White House staff as an associate director in the Office of Public Liaison, CNN reported.

April 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama has appointed Indian American management consultant Anju Bhargava, who is also an ordained 'pujari' (priest), as the member of a faith-based advisory council of the White House. The council is part of the White House Office of Faith Based and Neighbourhood Partnerships and includes religious and secular leaders and scholars from different backgrounds as its members.

March 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Oscar winner Sean Penn has been roped in to star alongside Jim Carrey in comedy film 'The Three Stooges', about the slapstick antics of Moe and Curly Howard and Larry Fine. While Carrey is in negotiations to play the role of Curly, Benicio del Toro is the front-runner for the leader, Moe.

March 23rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Sean Penn has blasted rumours that he had demanded his role in new movie 'Crossing Over' to be cut because of a controversial scene in the film. However, the two-time Academy Award winning actor has insisted that his part in the film was just "experimental".

March 18th, 2009 WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama's Indian American chief information officer Vivek Kundra, who was on leave because of an FBI investigation, has been reinstated. White House officials confirmed to The New York Times that Kundra was reinstated on Tuesday.

March 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - American actor Sean Penn is said to be in talks for a role in upcoming movie "Cartel". The movie is about Ed Marker's journey to protect his son after his wife is brutally murdered in the gritty world of Mexican cartels, and it had taken root at Imagine as a remake of 1993 Italian film "La scrota", reports Variety.