Sean Penn

Are Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn not only dating, but getting serious? According to reports, yes, after a short-but-romantic vacation getaway to Mexico.

"She thinks Sean is amazing," says a friend of ScarJo's to PopEater.

"Sure, he's an incredible actor, but there's depth. He's an amazing human being who cares about politics and the world. If she didn't have to return to work she would still be with him. She doesn't care about the age difference."

In fact, sources say Penn's age and maturity is what appeals to her.

Sources say after being married to someone "as childish as Ryan," it's nice to be with someone mature. Wow, that's quite a diss of Ryan Reynolds.

The pair were first spotted together four weeks ago at a party in L.A. celebrating Black Swan, and later seen eating together in public pre-vacation.

Both camps are mum on the budding courtship, but there are fresh reports that they planning might be a trip to Haiti together later this spring.

Penn's passion for humanitarian causes is another selling point.

"He's exactly the kind of guy she wants," the friend says. "They talk every day and can't wait until she has a break so she can run away with him."

See, people, helping those less fortunate does pay off...

Sources confirm to Us Weekly that jaw-dropping beauty Scarlett Johansson is dating legendary actor Sean Penn, with the initial spark between the pair going off due to the latter's humanitarian efforts in Haiti.

"Scarlett first reached out to Sean when she was planning to visit Haiti with Oxfam," says a source. "She knew Sean was living there in a tent and turned to him for advice."

Describing the actress as "smitten" with the Oscar winner, this insider says the pair - who are 24 years apart in age - first hooked up last month when Johansson was staying at the Chateau Marmont and filming We Bought a Zoo.

Both stars split from their spouses over the last year. Penn called it quits with Robin Wright in August, while Scarlett and Ryan Reynolds divorced in December.

UPDATE: Says the actress' rep: "Scarlett and Sean are not dating - they have been friends for years. Nothing more, nothing less. They have been talking over the last few months regarding Haiti Relief and Scarlett's upcoming trip to Haiti as Oxfam's Global Ambassador."

Wyclef Jean saw his hopes to be President of Haiti dashed last month, when officials ruled the artist ineligible for the position.

You'd think the singer would, therefore, concentrate his efforts on other ways in which he could help his native country. Instead, he's chosen to focus on a petty feud with Sean Penn.

At a concert in New York City on Friday, Wyclef remixed his 2004 single "President," as seen below, and included these lyrics: I got a message for Sean Penn/ Maybe he ain’t see me in Haiti because he was too busy sniffing cocaine.

Wyclef Jean Rap

The immature insult is a response to Penn's reasonable questioning of just how involved Jean has actually been in Haiti's recovery process from this year's fatal earthquake.

In a statement issued through his rep, the Oscar winner replied:

Continue Reading...

Earlier today, Wyclef Jean officially kicked off his campaign to be the next President of Haiti.

But the singer already faces opposition from an Oscar winner and well-known activist in the region: Sean Penn.

Asked by Larry King for his take on Jean's political ambitions, Penn cited allegations that Wyclef mishandled $400,000 in earthquake-relief donations and said the artist has been absent from his native country.

"This is somebody who's going to receive an enormous amount of support from the United States, and I have to say I'm very suspicious of it," said Penn, who runs a 55,000-person tent camp via his J/P Haitian Relief Organization, adding:

"I'm not accusing Wyclef Jean of being an opportunist; I don't know the man. One of the reasons I don't know very much about Wyclef Jean is that I haven't seen or heard anything of him in these last six months that I've been in Haiti."

Wyclef didn't respond by claiming he's been active in the nation itself, but instead says he's perfect for the position because he understands "the psychology of the Haitian people."

"What I want Sean Penn to know is, if I was not in Haiti after [former president] Jean-Bertrand Aristide left, if I did not create [my charity] Yéle Haiti to start stopping the violence, even him coming to Haiti would not have been possible today," replied the Grammy-winning musician.

Hopefully, these two will sit down at some point and hash out their points of view.

Sean Penn can relate to Angelina Jolie.

Both are A-list celebrities and Oscar winners. Both have also gotten deeply involved in humanitarian causes, and yet somehow face criticism for doing so.

In January, the actor brought 11 doctors to Haiti, helping to establish a private relief organization for the earthquake-ravaged nation.

But many cynics out there have argued that Penn ought to avoid such endeavors because they think he's doing it solely for positive PR. Moreover, they find it hypocritical for a star to complain about an injustice... and then return to his mansion.

To these critics, in an interview with CBS News’ Sunday Morning, Penn said:

"I haven't had an awful lot of time to pay attention to them. You know, do I hope that those people die screaming of rectal cancer? Yeah. You know, but I'm not going to spend a lot of energy on it."

We love the response.

Why? We wrote a similar defense of Jolie last month, but look: even if you wish to believe that these stars take part in charitable causes simply because it makes them look good (and you have zero evidence to back this up; it's solely a decision to be cynical)... who cares?!?

They still are donating their time and their money. The homeless in Haiti are still better off for their efforts. Aren't these results the most important thing?

In an age in which Snooki and Kim Kardashian are worshiped just because they have big breasts and appear on TV, it's nice to see Penn, Jolie and others actually do something positive with their celebrity. They don't just spout talking points and hollow cliches (hi, Sarah Palin). They take action.

If you choose to attach a hidden agenda to these actions, we don't hope you die from cancer. But we do pity you.

Less than a month after Robin Wright filed for divorce from Sean Penn, the actor was spotted numerous times with model Jessica White in New York City.

On The Tyra Show Wednesday, White, a former guest judge on Tyra Banks' America's Next Top Model Cycle 13, was grilled about dating the movie star.

"Can I say that? Is that OK, is that too much?" Banks asked.

"No, it's not too much," White said.

When Banks showed photos of Penn and White, who was dating Terrell Owens earlier in the summer, holding hands in September, White played it cool.

"I hold hands with my friends," said the model, trying to keep it coy, but to which Banks excitedly replied, "Ooooh, she's dating Sean Penn!"

"No, I didn't say that," White says. "[We] used to, past tense."

Despite cooling things off, White still thinks fondly of the actor.

Says the model, "He is a very sweet guy."

That clears up this piece of breaking news that we're sure had you on the edge of your seat. You may now return to discussing other issues of the day, such as Robsten's undying love, Kourtney Kardashian's pregnancy or the Newsweek Palin cover.

Remember when Bill O'Reilly ignited a feud with Jessica Alba? That was funny.

Now, the Fox News host has singled out another actor, one that possesses a few more acting chops than Alba.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter this week, O'Reilly said he won't watch Sean Penn movies, due to the actor's political views.

"He's a great actor, and if you hire him, you'll get a good performance," O'Reilly said. "I'm just not going to give a guy who gives aid and comfort to people like [Iran president Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez and Saddam Hussein, when he was alive, my 10 bucks. That's my right as an American."

Are you sure, Bill? Milk was really, really good.

Are you on Team Bill or Team Sean?

Mickey Rourke revitalized his career with an Academy Award-nominated role in The Wrestler. He was beaten out for Best Actor, however, by Sean Penn in Milk.

They're two of the best in the biz - but how does their sense of style stack up? Which of these actors will win more acclaim for his appearance at the Oscars?

Who looked better at the Oscars?

Rapper and actress Eve was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after she crashed her gold Maserati on Hollywood Blvd. around 2:45 AM this morning, when she hit the center divider, totaling the front of her car.

TMZ, of course, was on the scene, and observed that after cops arrived, they placed her in handcuffs, and a "visibly upset" Eve was put inside a squad car.

The multiplatinum-selling Grammy winner, who starred with Vin Diesel in "XXX" and had her own self-titled sitcom on the UPN, posted bail and was released from Los Angeles County Jail a few hours ago.

Hard time couldn't have been that bad for Eve, though - she got an early morning celebrity visit from... Oscar-winning actor Sean Penn! Talk about getting special treatment!

But seriously, what the f*%k is Sean Penn doing visiting Eve in jail? That is up there with Suge Knight professing his support for Britney Spears and berating a Kevin Federline look-alike.

Okay, not quite. But same ballpark.

Penn arrived shortly after the rapper was booked by police on suspicion of driving like Nicole Richie under the influence. After his jail house visit, Sean Penn was seen leaving in a taxi cab close to 4:00 am.

Police sources tell TMZ, "He came to see how Eve was doing."

Right, of course he did. No word yet if Sean and Eve had been hanging out together before her accident, but we do know she was seen at a club with the likes of Nicole Richie, Kimberly Stewart and Lindsay Lohan.

Once we learn more, we'll share it with you. And once we come across an Eve mug shot, we'll post it in our gallery along with that of Sanjaya Malakar's mom.

The Hollywood Gossip is proud to bring you Tale of the Tape, in which we break down prospective matchups within the celebrity world that you might never have considered. Because they are pointless, and above all, not real.

Our inaugural edition is a rare three-person showdown of Sean P's. Who will emerge victorious when Sean Preston (first spawn of Britney Spears), reggae / rap star Sean Paul and actor Sean Penn collide in a 10-category battle? Let's take a look:

1. COOLEST FULL NAME:

Sean Preston: Sean Preston Federline
Sean Paul: Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques
Sean Penn: Sean Justin Penn
Edge: Paul

2. ETHNIC BACKGROUND:

Sean Preston: Trailer park
Sean Paul: Mostly Jamaican, some Chinese/British
Sean Penn: European, Jewish/Roman Catholic mix
Edge: Even between Paul, Penn

3. TRADEMARK STYLE:

Sean Preston: Whatever Britney chooses
Sean Paul: Cool dreads, ill threads
Sean Penn: Porn mustache, circa 1986 shades, suits
Edge: Preston

4. SEXUAL PRIME:

Sean Preston: He just turned one!
Sean Paul: In full effect
Sean Penn: Long gone.
Edge: Paul

5. LITTLE-KNOWN FACT

Sean Preston: Is actually smarter than dad Kevin Federline
Sean Paul: Former member of Jamaican national water polo team
Sean Penn: Studied auto mechanics and speech at Santa Monica Coll.
Edge: Paul

6. SIBLINGS

Sean Preston: Sutton Pierce Federline (2006- )
Sean Paul: Only child
Sean Penn: Michael (1958- ), Chris (1965-2006)
Edge: Preston

7. SOCIAL CAUSES

Sean Preston: Needing to be changed
Sean Paul: Getting properly crunked
Sean Penn: Ending any and all wars
Edge: Penn

8. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Sean Preston: Esquire's Worst Dressed Man of the Year 2006
Sean Paul: 2004 Grammy for Best Reggae Album
Sean Penn: Married Madonna, won 2003 Academy Award for Best Actor in Mystic River
Edge: Penn

9. FUTURE PROSPECTS:

Sean Preston: God help him
Sean Paul: More platinum records
Sean Penn: Arrests for non-violent protests, smoking in public
Edge: Paul

10. MEMORABLE QUOTES

Sean Preston: "Waaaaaah!"
Sean Paul: "Legalize it"
Sean Penn: "F**k you"
Edge: Penn

THE SKINNY: Despite a late surge by Penn, Sean Paul takes it with 4.5. Sean Penn claims 3.5 and little Sean Preston brings up the rear with 2. Bet you he wants a rematch.