Katie Jacobs

As I mentioned in today's rundown, Kal Penn has decided to trade House for the White House. Today, the actor-turned-political outreach liaison and his former bosses, House executive producers David Shore and Katie Jacobs, hopped on the phone to talk about Penn's decision, Kutner's death, and what it all means for the show going forward. Here are some key things to know:

• Penn's interest in politics is nothing new. "Growing up, I always had two passions, one being public service and the other being the arts and acting," said Penn, who described himself as "formerly a very cynical independent" (now less cynical, but still an independent). During President Obama's campaign, he worked on outreach for young voters, Asian Americans, and the arts, and he'll now be doing something similar in an official capacity.
• He was surprised to hear about Kutner's suicide, too. "I loved playing Kutner, and there was more than a little bit of shock and loss when I found that out," he said. And he said he liked the mystery with which his character went out: "People did feel types of loss and anger and confusion about [Kutner]," he said. "I don't think you would have gotten that same feeling if it had been a very Kutner-heavy episode where you see his trials and tribulations. . . . I asked if there was anything in his background that might have indicated [he'd be suicidal] or any warning signs. The answer generally was no. It's kind of tough [as an actor] to know that he was obviously tormented by something but didn't share it with anyone."
• Kutner's death will have a lasting impact: "It'll resonate at least through the end of the season," Shore said. "It's a question House can't answer, and he has an answer for everything. That's what was really exciting, the unexpected nature of it."
• The element of mystery was key to Kutner's exit: "Had we seen some major dilemma in his personal life, we couldn't have done this story the way we did," Shore said. "If he'd just broken up with a girlfriend, even though the answer would have been much more complicated than that, that would have been something that somebody could just hang on to."

For which characters will have a significant reaction to Kutner's death, just read more

Between the House/Cuddy kiss, the train wreck that is Thirteen, and the rekindling of the House/Wilson bromance, things are really getting good on House these days. The show has some big things planned for sweeps and beyond, and executive producer Katie Jacobs kindly hopped on a conference call with reporters last week to help sort out some of the things to come. Here are some highlights of what she shared:

• On the "unorthodox" love affair of House and Cuddy: "You’re right to say "unorthodox," and at the same time, I think it’s probably more real than any other love relationship on TV insofar as relationships are complicated. House and Cuddy work together. There’s obvious chemistry; there’s obvious respect, but there’s barbs, and there’s jousting. It is unorthodox and, at the very same time, incredibly real."
• On how their story will unfold: "I don't think that it will go on in a predictable, 'OK, now everything is shifting, and this is the story' kind of way. Hopefully, we explore it in a very House-ian way, which is, it's there, and now, what do we do? But, don't expect to see dates and they go to the movies. It's not going to unfold like that."
• On the chemistry between House and Cuddy, House and Cameron, and more: "I certainly hope we go for as much chemistry as possible. I think what it is, is House, as a character, has a hole, has an emptiness. What most of these women want to do is somehow see if they can ease his pain because everybody knows on the inside, or they think on the inside, that there’s a lot of pain and if they can somehow be the one to make House smooth out those rough edges, wouldn’t it be sweet? It's mostly going to be up to House. He could have a relationship with any one of them, but he's got to be in the mind space and be at a place where he's ready to make himself vulnerable. I don't see him as being at that place entirely at the moment. At times, we’ve seen glimpses of his getting closer."

For more from Jacobs (including some hints about upcoming plotlines — consider yourself warned), just read more

• FX has canceled Courteney Cox's tabloid drama Dirt, TV Guide reports.
• The Weinsteins have acquired the rights to adapt Allison Winn Scotch's novel Time of My Life for the big screen, writes ComingSoon.
• Meanwhile, Variety has the news that House executive producer Katie Jacobs has nabbed the rights to the New York Times bestseller Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon — And the Journey of a Generation.
• Amber Tamblyn has taken the lead in an ABC drama pilot called The Unusuals, about the crazy characters at a New York police precinct, Zap2it reports.
• If you want AC/DC's new album, you'll have to go to Wal-Mart to get it, Billboard reports.
• Despite declining ratings, TV networks are actually bringing in more money from advertisers after this year's upfronts, writes the Hollywood Reporter.
• The Chicago Tribune finally found a premiere date for the final season of The Shield: Sept. 2.
• According to Variety, David Schwimmer will head to Chicago to star in a stage production of Our Town.

Photo courtesy of FX

When the "House" cast members weren't enjoying the rides at the Santa Monica Pier this week — yes, that's Hugh Laurie in a bumper car in that photo on the right — they were dishing details left and right about the upcoming fourth season of the show. The actors, along with executive producer Katie Jacobs, spent their panel at the TCA press tour dribbling out information about who's leaving, who's changing, and who's coming back to Princeton-Plainsboro. They addressed the season finale's big cliffhanger and the addition of five new doctors — among other goodies. There's great stuff here, but beware of spoilers ahead if you read more