Sean Penn's publicist, Mara Buxbaum, is speaking out in defense of her client.
Penn has been criticized as a "stooge for left-wing dictatorships" as he's been known to meet with douchebags like Hugo Chavez and Fidel Castro and then "write nice things about them."
If you recall, Penn was even hanging out with Chavez just this past October.
His rep, Buxbaum, says in Penn's defense that "Sean does not endorse dictators. Like him or not, Hugo Chavez is a democratically elected official."
She incredulously adds that "Sean is a champion of civil rights."
Yea, you go Champion!
Despite what his publicist says, Penn continues to praise the Castro and Chavez regime. Sean even said, "Chavez may not be a good man. But he may well be a great one."
WTF?!?
Buxbaum also stated, you "may not always agree with Sean, who aggressively questions and challenges the status quo in ways that aren't always polite." But Sean "asks questions, and questions the answers he gets."
It snagged three year-end awards, including best film. Its star, Sean Penn, was named best actor by voters and his co-star, Josh Brolin, won the best supporting actor award.
Here are the rest of the winners:
Best Actress: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Screenplay: Jenny Lumet, Rachel Getting Married
Best Cinematographer: Anthony Dod Mantle, Slumdog Millionaire
Best Animated Film: WALL-E
Best Director: Mike Leigh, Happy-Go-Lucky
Best Supporting Actress: Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association awarded its 2008 best picture honor to Pixar's WALL-E.
Other award winners include,
- Sean Penn , best actor for Milk
- Sally Hawkins , best actress for Happy-Go-Lucky
- Heath Ledger ,best supporting-actor winner for The Dark Knight
- Penelope Cruz, best supporting-actress choice for Vicky Cristina Barcelona
- Danny Boyle, best director for Slumdog Millionaire
- Mike Leigh, best screenplay for Happy-Go-Lucky
The 2009 Spirit Awards nominations were announced Tuesday morning and a couple of our favorites made the list!
The awards show will be televised February 21st on IFC and are a great indicator of who may be receiving Academy Award noms.
And the Spirit Award nominees are….
For Best Feature:
- Ballast produced by Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh
- Frozen River produced by Chip Hourihan, Heather Rae
- Rachel Getting Married produced by Neda Armian, Jonathan Demme, Marc Platt
- Wendy and Lucy produced by Larry Fessenden, Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani
- The Wrestler produced by Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin
For Best Director:
- Ramin Bahrani for Chop Shop
- Jonathan Demme for Rachel Getting Married
- Lance Hammer for Ballast
- Courtney Hunt for Frozen River
- Thomas McCarthy for The Visitor
Best Female Lead:
- Summer Bishil, Towelhead
- Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married
- Melissa Leo, Frozen River
- Tarra Riggs, Ballast
- Michelle Williams, Wendy and Lucy
Best Male Lead:
- Javier Bardem, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
- Richard Jenkins, The Visitor
- Sean Penn, Milk
- Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker
- Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler
Best Supporting Female:
- Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona
- Rosemarie DeWitt, Rachel Getting Married
- Rosie Perez, The Take
- Misty Upham, Frozen River
- Debra Winger, Rachel Getting Married
Best Supporting Male:
- James Franco, Milk
- Anthony Mackie, The Hurt Locker
- Charlie McDermott, Frozen River
- JimMyron Ross, Ballast
- Haaz Sleiman, The Visitor
Sean Penn wanted more out of the Milk script than just a possible Oscar and a kiss from co-star James Franco.
In a new interview with Elle, Franco reveals that he was surprised by a revised version of the script sent to him a month after Van Sant asked him to be in the film.
While the original script featured only one kissing scene, the new script contained a full-on love scene.
When Franco asked Van Sant about it, the director replied, "Well, it was Sean's idea."
It was a typically windy day in San Francisco for the world premiere of Gus Van Sant's new film, Milk, on Tuesday night.
The movie - which recounts the life of California's first openly gay elected official, Harvey Milk - screened at the legendary Castro Theatre, amid a crowd of No On Prop 8 supporters.
Milk stars Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, and Diego Luna were in attendance, braving the blustery conditions.
We're so excited to see this film!
A Gay Rights activist, Harvey Milk was such an important figure. He was the first openly gay man elected to a public office in the United States. He served on San Francisco's Board of Supervisors until he was tragically assassinated in 1978. Only a decade before, Martin Luther King, Jr., also a prominent leader for Civil Rights, was assassinated.
Most of the time we really like it when celebrities get politically involved, regardless of their views.
But, sometimes, it makes us cringe!
Sean Penn was recently in Venezuela for his second visit hosted by TyrantPresident Hugo Chavez as a freelance journalist. The pair rode in an open jeep flanked by adoring fans as they went to visit a natural gas pipeline on Sunday.
Penn, who has strongly opposed Bush's policies, praises Chavez as a man who works toward the good of his people.
In turn, Chavez has praised Penn's outspokenness.
Although the Venezuelan President has hosted visits from other celebrities, such as Danny Glover, Kevin Spacey, and Naomi Campbell, critics say that Sean Penn is really just being used by Chavez for political gain, as Chavez's dedication to his promises has been questionable at best, implementing a system riddled with crime and corruption and infinite re-election.
