Pugilistic Penn

Stories

11 Stories

January 2009
- Hey Sean, Put Down Your Pen
  
  New York Times | Jan 5, 09 10:36 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Sean Penn may be “the finest character actor around,” but he's “no journalist,” writes Roger Cohen in the New York Times . Penn’s recent “fawning tributes” to Cuban president Raúl Castro show the actor has “delusional, dangerous” beliefs about the dictator—a fact that “Penn as Harvey Milk gets,” while “Penn the foreign correspondent flails.” More »
December 2008
- LiLo, Sean Penn Talk Collaboration
  
  New York Post | Dec 10, 08 12:47 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Lindsay Lohan and Sean Penn may make a movie together, the New York Post reports. LiLo, out with girlfriend Samantha Ronson, was overheard talking shop with the actor and director Gus Van Sant. They discussed “possibly doing a film together,” an eavesdropper told Page Six. “Lindsay seemed like she was really into the idea.” Penn and Van Sant collaborated on Milk , a new feature film about gay-rights activist Harvey Milk. More »
- Penn Embraced Gay Love Scene
  
  New York Post | Dec 1, 08 10:19 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - As he got into the character of Harvey Milk, Sean Penn pushed for a more explicit sex scene in Milk, surprising his co-star, the New York Post reports. James Franco tells Elle magazine the one kissing scene he read in the original movie script turned into “a full-on love scene.” Franco says he asked Gus Van Sant what was going on, and the director explained, “'Well, it was Sean's idea.'” More »
November 2008
- Raul Castro Offers to Meet Obama at Gitmo
  
  Nation | Nov 27, 08 2:04 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Raul Castro wants to normalize trade with the US and he's eager to meet with Barack Obama in order to do so, the Cuban leader told actor Sean Penn in an interview in the Nation . Castro said it wouldn't be fair to expect either leader to go to the other's country first, and suggested a meeting on neutral ground—like Guantanamo Bay. More »
May 2008
- Penn Endorses Obama, Then Blasts Him
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | May 15, 08 2:09 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Sean Penn used his platform as president of the Cannes jury to express his excitement "by the hope that Barack Obama is inspiring," the Telegraph reports—though the firebrand actor-director also had some choice words for the Democratic candidate. Obama has much to live up to, Penn said, and accused the Illinois senator of a "phenomenally inhuman and unconstitutional" voting record. More »
- Stars Align as Cannes Kicks Off
  
  Daily Telegraph (UK) | May 14, 08 10:22 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Cannes Film Festival gets under way today with the premiere of Blindness , a new film by City of God director Fernando Meirelles that stars Julianne Moore. A jury led by Sean Penn will award the Palme d'or to one of 22 films. But as the Telegraph reports, paparazzi will be swarming to two premieres out of competition: Jack Black's Kung Fu Panda and the newest Indiana Jones film. More »
April 2008
- Penns Call Off the Divorce
  
  E! Online | Apr 10, 08 8:09 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn have apparently decided their differences are reconcilable after all, E! Online reports. The on-again, off-again celebrity couple have canceled a divorce petition filed last December and were spotted together at an Eddie Vedder concert earlier this week. Sean got on stage with his buddy and dedicated a song to his wife of 11 years. More »
January 2008
- Sean Penn to Head Cannes Jury
  
  AFP | Jan 3, 08 10:06 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Hollywood's favorite bad boy Sean Penn will preside over the jury for the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, AFP reports. The now twice-divorced actor and director "represents the independent American cinema as well as a vision of America which we like," said the festival's artistic director. Americans Clint Eastwood and Quentin Tarantino have previously helmed the Cannes jury. More »
December 2007
- Sean, Robin Wright Penn Split
  
  People | Dec 28, 07 1:00 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn are cutting the knot, People reports. After 11 years of marriage, two kids, and several movies, the Penns’ representative told the magazine the couple is breaking up but wouldn’t say why. “Marriage ain’t easy,” Penn once said, years ago, “but it’s great most of the time.” More »
- 'Into the Wild' Grabs SAG Nominations
  
  Associated Press | Dec 20, 07 11:10 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Sean Penn’s drama Into the Wild took the lead in this year’s Screen Actors Guild nominations today, with four nods, including lead actor (Emile Hirsch), and overall acting, the Guild’s equivalent of best picture, the AP reports. Other films noted for full-cast performance were 3:10 to Yuma , American Gangster , No Country for Old Men , and Hairspray , while Golden Globe powerhouse Atonement went unmentioned. More »
November 2007
- Sexiest Men: Salon Adds Steak to Sizzle
  
  Salon | Nov 15, 07 4:56 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - With only the the briefest nod to that other Sexiest Men Alive list, Salon offers its second annual alternative compilation of hot guys—proving that it all depends on what the meaning of hot is. Jon Hamm, Ira Glass, Jacques Pepin, Judd Apatow, and 22 others make the cut. And except for a few obvious throwaways (Matt Damon, Owen Wilson, Britt Daniel), they all come with rather unusual rationales. More »