Sean, Robin Wright Penn Split

Turning away from stardom 'common sense,' says actor

(NEWSER) - Bad boy Sean Penn is at it again. The eternally angry actor is blasting celebrity as an "obscene disease." "I don't think it's an overstatement to say that it's an obscene disease of celebrity that's taken over far too much of the life we live. I think it's a disease that's diminished the quality of life," Penn told the Huffington Post in an interview plugging his latest movie. "It's clearly something that I've been compromised by. But for the culture at large, there is this kind of herd commitment. I think it's just become cheap." More»

Insiders say the two feuded over starting a family

(NEWSER) - Let the speculation begin over what killed Katy Perry and Russell Brand's marriage . Brand insiders tell the Daily Mail that it was all about family: He wanted her to leave work behind to focus on raising kids, but she wasn't ready. "This wasn’t one of those occasions when Russell was mucking about; he wanted to settle down and have a family," says the source. But "I don’t think that’s what Katy wants." More»

Source says she's fuming over Blake Lively romance

(NEWSER) - Apparently all it took for Scarlett Johansson to start regretting her divorce was for ex-hubby Ryan Reynolds to start dating another blonde bombshell. ScarJo "is pissed that he's not under her spell anymore," and equally unhappy that he has started dating Blake Lively , a source tells Us . "She realized what a great catch Ryan was." Reynolds would have happily reunited with Scarlett after she initiated their divorce, the source continues—until Scarlett " flaunted Sean [Penn] right after their split, and he was done." More»

Terrence Malick's 'The Tree of Life' divides audience

(NEWSER) - Terrence Malick's much buzzed-about film, The Tree of Life, was screened for critics and reporters at Cannes today to prolonged boos from certain members of the audience. But others countered with enthusiastic applause for the film, which stars Brad Pitt and Sean Penn and is only the fifth film Malick has made in a nearly 40-year career, the AP reports. More»

The latest from Woody Allen, Gus Van Sant, Pedro Almodóvar, and more

(NEWSER) - Cannes kicks off on Wednesday, and the Daily Beast rounds up 10 of the most buzzed-about movies featured at the 64th annual film festival:

• The Tree of Life: From filmmaker Terrence Malick, the story of a Texas boy (played in adulthood by Sean Penn) torn between the worldviews of his father, played by Brad Pitt, and his mother, played by newcomer Jessica Chastain.
• Melancholia: Danish filmmaker Lars von Trier's version of an Armageddon story, which centers around two sisters (played by Kirsten Dunst and Charlotte Gainsbourg) who are drifting apart.