Let’s be honest. We have all wondered how do astronauts shit in Space! Well, NASA astronaut Mike Massimino told Kal Penn how they do it on The Daily Show last week.
Massimino did not go into detail. But he shared that they have to “potty train” for it before they go up in Space. That is because the toilet only has a little hole, so you have to match your asshole up with that hole.
So, the instructors put the astronauts in a room with a toilet. That porcelain throne has a camera in it so that the person can see when the holes match up on a TV that is in the bathroom with them. When the holes are together, they then have to memorize that position so that they can recreate it up there.
And now you know how they take a dump in Space. And they need a little hole because what goes down in Space then goes up. And you don’t want shit literally hitting the fan because you can’t open a window and air out the spacecraft.
Seriously though, I am in love with Massimino after his interview. So much so that I cannot wait to read his book Moonshot. Who wants to buy it for me for Christmas?
Also, watch the whole interview. Not only is he cool because he went to Space, but also because he is just naturally cool and says it like it is!
Here is a fun fact about Massimino. He is the first astronaut to Tweet from Orbit in 2009!
Before Kal Penn went to college with Van Wilder, he was in a study group with Sabrina the Teenage Witch. He looks the same now as he did when he was 23 in that 2000 episode.
Kal Penn went to Sesame Street. And he came out grouchier than when he went in.
That is because Oscar the Grouch put the actor in his place. As in, Penn was seen in Oscar’s trash can. And for some reason, the former White House employee doesn’t look happy about it? I don’t know why because they always have sunny days on Sesame Street!
Maybe all Penn needs is what Kumar had when he was on the way to the White Castle?
After several seasons of no new shows being pulled from the lineup before they aired all of their episodes that were produced, NBC went back to the old way. In other words, this Thursday will be the last time that Sunnyside will air on NBC proper.
Instead, the sitcom will be streaming on the NBC app every Thursday. The show was scheduled to do only 10 episodes, but now they will be doing 11. According to USA Today, the reason why the low-rated show was saved because it doubled its younger audience online.
It is a shame that more people missed out on this show that stars Kal Penn while it was airing on our TVs. The pilot episode was an explainer and maybe it explained too much for the audience. Had they stayed with it, they would have realized that this a great show about a family. Not in a traditional way but as in immigrants who are in a strange country and have no one here beside each other.
Hopefully, more people will find it online. The show found its way, so it deserves to find a new audience.
When it comes to what will replace it, Will & Grace is back next week for its final episodes for the second time.
I feel for Kenan Thompson because there is a lot on his shoulders with his upcoming sitcom. It might make or break NBC’s comedies.
When it comes to what show will be the next one to be pulled from the lineup, your guess is as good mine. No new show is standing out, even though there are some good ones. If I had to pick one, I will go with Emergence. I am watching, but I am trying not to fall asleep while doing so. What about you?
Kal Penn has a new show on NBC Thursday nights at 9:30p and Sunnyside is about becoming a citizen in America. Five immigrants (Diana-Maria Riva, Joel Kim Booster, Poppy Liu, Moses Storm and Samba Schutte) from all over the World hire Penn to help them study for the citizenship test. Immigration is a very hot topic in America now.
When it comes to Penn, back in 2009 he actually took a job in the real White House in Washington, D.C. Which makes you wonder, will we see what is going on in America today on the sitcom? During the first episode, one of the characters was taken away by ICE and tonight they are going to try to get him out of the detention center. Which looks nothing like the ones we saw Mike Pence and Lindsey Graham raise their snotty little noses at when they went to visit the one in Texas.
Anyways, I am not going to talk about politics. Will Penn do that on his show? That was one of the questions I asked the actor recently at NBC’s Summer Press Tour Day at the TCAs.
Will the current political climate about immigration make its way on to Sunnyside?
Kal Penn: Well I think neither. I think because the idea of this is five years old and really like the topic of immigration goes back to our country’s founding, even before our country’s founding. So, it’s not like we’re, you know we are definitely not a reaction to anything. Obviously, it is topical but the show’s inception and its creation and how it’s come together has never been a reaction to anything. And I think if I use that Harold & Kumar metric that’s so important to me is we just want to make everybody laugh. And comedy can be a vehicle for bringing people together and I think that’s so special and it’s why I think a lot of us hold dear about making audiences laugh. Of course we all have our own beliefs, as do our audience, but I think if we do it right we’ll be a show that everybody can enjoy.
What type of research did he do for the show?
Kal Penn: So [Executive Producer] Matt [Murray]’s wife has worked in the immigration space before. We’ve certainly looked into how long does this process take? I think there was a question about what happens if and when all the characters get their citizenship? We’re like oh hopefully that’s a nine-year process for our story purposes, but in reality yeah it can take a really long time. There are hurdles to jump through, there are tests, there’s a lot of bureaucracy that kind of makes our experience at the DMV seem innocuous. So I think there’s a lot of flavor there based on the reality, but at the end of the day, you know, like the second episode is about Hakim, Samba’s character, and Diana and I thinking that he’s a hit man. So we do go off the rails purposely in a lot of ways that are just way more universal than where the characters came from.
Would Penn go back and work at the White House?
Kal Penn: Well, I just have my literal dream happening in having a chance to create and sell a show to NBC a comedy at that. So I loved the two years plus that I had you know in the Obama White House, but I’m even more thrilled that I have to chance to make people laugh right now.
Laughing is what we do on Sunnyside and we need more people to watch it. Since it is a chilly Thursday night, what better thing could you be doing than watching Sunnyside? There is nothing better, so watch it. I promise it will put you in a good place for your Friday.