In case you missed this tid-bit back in September, when hikers Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal were finally released from that Iranian prison where they sat for two years: Sean Penn claims some credit for negotiating their release. The actor/activist met with his dictator buddy (and leftist hero) Hugo Chavez in Venezuela last year and put a bug in his ear to talk to his pal Ahmadinejad and get the boys released, allegedly. And last week Penn apparently had a little gathering with the kids, including Sarah Shourd who had been released earlier, at his favorite haunt Tosca Café, as Leah Garchik tells us. more ›

If you live in San Francisco, you're more or less guaranteed to run in to Sean Penn at least once during your tenure. It's a rite of passage like drinking your first Fernet or spotting your first wild parrot. Unfortunately for Cuban actress Maria Conchita Alonso, who starred across from Penn in 1988's Colors, was less like a fun celebrity sighting and more like a public cursing match. more ›

Academy Award winning actor and quasi-Bay Area resident Sean Penn helped get Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer released by visiting Hugo Chavez. Penn reportedly visited Venezuela months ago to talk about the UC Berkeley hiker's imprisonment with President Chavez, a pal of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. more ›

Hark, a trailer for Sean Penn's new aging goth movie with the 80s new wave title: This Must Be the Place, in which Sean Penn plays the embarrassingly named retired rock star Cheyenne, who must go in search of the man who killed his father. It looks... sad? hilarious? Hopefully both, because that's more or less how the goth life looks to the outside observer. Which brings us to our next point: everyone in San Francisco has a Sean Penn story: more ›

The drama never ends with these two. Once again, all is not well in the Wright-Penn house. According to People, Robin Wright Penn filed for divorce from her husband Sean Penn last week. While the Marin-based celebrity couple have an off-again/on-again marriage, this latest development seems somewhat definite. "The papers, filed in Marin County, Calif., on Aug. 12, state that 'both parties have already agreed to [shared] custody' over their minor son, Hopper Jack, 16, and that 'the estranged couple have already agreed to division of all property.'" (Just who gets to call Tosca home away from home is still up in the air.) Irreconcilable differences is listed as the reason for the divorce. The two, married in 1989, have filed for divorce twice, as recently as May of this year. This also puts an end to rumors that Sean Penn might, in fact, be gay. He's not. With this kind of chronic drama, he is officially a lesbian. more ›

After filing for divorce iin 2007, then deciding not to, then filing again in late April on 2009, Bay Area residents Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn have decided not to file for divorce. Again. Just why, exactly, Penn has twice has rescinded divorce papers isn't know. But how DARE you pry into the lives of super famous Hollywood celebrities?! People asked L.A. divorce lawyer Lynn Soodik, who is not remotely involved with the case or the Penns, just what it this means. "This appears to imply that they're reconciling again," Soodik says. "It's unlikely Sean Penn would request a dismissal for any other reason." Way to earn your paycheck, Lynn. Anyway, feel free to make wild assumptions and hurtful reasons as to why in the comments. more ›

Two-time Academy Award winner and Marin resident Sean Penn filed for divorce from his wife, actress Robin Wright-Penn. Penn filed the papers on Friday. If you recall, Sean and Robin had planned on calling it quits back in December 2007, but reconciled. The thespianic couple, who have two children, starred in several movies together, including Hurlyburly (1998) and She’s So Lovely (1997). But the question remains, why are they breaking up? Who's to say. Maybe Penn and James Franco can finally be together? We can only hope. more ›

Since most of you think you're too smart to watch the Academy Awards, do let us cram them down your throat this morning. Especially since San Francisco got a major tip of the hat at last night's "excellence in cinema" awards orgy. more ›

Nominated for eight Academy Awards, Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic Milk took home two awards last night: Best Original Screenplay (Dustin Lance Black) and Best Actor (Sean Penn). This makes win number-two for Bay Area local Penn (first being for Mystic River) who jokingly called the audience "commie, homo-loving sons of guns" as he took to the stage to collect his booty. Heh. Yeah. That was kind of rad. more ›

The shirt, suit, and tie donned by Sean Penn in Gus Van Sant's Milk will be auctioned off online to benefit Variety - the Children's Charity of Southern California and the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School. Danny Glicker's created the outfit especially for Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic. The scene in which it is worn recreates the ensemble "November 7th, 1978, the Election Night on which he celebrated the statewide defeat of Proposition 6." more ›

Crazy-faced actor Mickey Rourke has accused Marin resident and thespian of note Sean Penn of being a big ol' homophobe. According to a text (allegedly) sent by Rouke to a studio executive, plastic man says, "'Look seans an old friend of mine and i didnt buy his performance [in Milk] at all--thought he did an average pretend acting like he was gay besides hes one of the most homophobic people i kno (sic).'" more ›

Hey, Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic Milk, which is pulling in phenomenal reviews and audience reaction, somehow managed to crack the top ten this with only a fistful of theaters screening the movie. more ›

, will open next week. In 1977, Milk became the first openly gay man to be elected to a major public office in the United States, only to be assassinated within his first year of serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. At turns tragic and exhilarating, the film chronicles the last eight years of Milk’s life (played by Sean Penn), when he worked on campaigns for public office and the protection of gay employees. more ›

Scores of Hollywood folk came to Davies Symphony Hall last night to remember Paul Newman, who passed away recently, by performing a staged reading of "The World of Nick Adams," an adaptation by A. E. Hotchner of some of Ernest Hemingway's early autobiographical stories. more ›

Yeah, yeah. We stuck this in Day Around the Bay, but we feel it merits its own post. (Besides, we'd hate for some local bloggers to go one day without bashing us in private for being "too gay now." We digress.) more ›

Sean Penn, the gingerphobic Gus Van Sant, and some tranny. What's going on here? more ›

Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief, citizen of the Bay Area. Tempestuous celebrity couple Sean Penn and Robin Wright-Penn have withdrawn their petition for a divorce. Apparently, the Oscar winning method actor took to the stage this past Monday night at some sort of Eddie Vedder cabaret revue and "reportedly dedicating a song to his wife." more ›

Well, it's been fun. The trailers, the megawatt celebrity sightings, the lights, the cameras, the not being invited to cast/crew parties -- SFist will miss it all. As most of you know, Gus Van Sant's biopic -- the story of assassinated San Francisco Supervisor and gay rights advocate, Harvey Milk -- started shooting in January. This past Sunday, the production came to an end. Alas. more ›

Noted Marin resident/incendiary actor, Sean Penn, and noted tsunami survivor/Russian Czech model, Petra Nemcova, noticeably attended last night's Academy Awards show together. It is presumed that the two of them have had sexual intercourse with each other. more ›

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Described as a wiki of stupidheads, jerks, and self-awareness-free men, the Wikipedia parody site lists notable dickslices such as homecoming queen murderer O.J. Simpson; sexist boor Donald Trump; the Gisele Bundchen-impaling Tom Brady; that fat Arctic bastard Santa Claus (mean!); and Marin County's very own Harvey Milk impersonator, Sean Penn. The nerve. more ›

This was the scene tonight in the Castro with hundreds of extras helping to make movie magic. more ›

Happening on Castro and State streets over the weekend, where Gus Van Sant's Milk is currently shooting, it started out with the words "Harvey + George" (with a hearts!), "The Penn is lying" (Leigh Wolf, say it ain't so!), and the oddly and for no reason URL-y "Dan White.com, faggotkiller." more ›

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Recreating Harvey Milk's campaign poster for SF Supervisor, Penn is downright adorable. And surprisingly endearing. more ›

Undergoing a procedure to erase 30 years from its face, the Castro neighborhood is going retro, circa 1978, for the filming of Gus Van Sant's Harvey Milk biopic, Milk, which starts shooting this week. Already the Castro Theatre, right, and boutique shop Given, formerly Milk's camera store / campaign headquarters, are being renovated to get that '70s vibe. Rumor has it that Castro Street between 18th and 19th streets (i.e., the staphicenter) will be closed on Thursday. We'll update with more info as it comes in. more ›

Well, this is some depressing news. Marin's very own Hollywood transplant power couple, Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn, are getting a d-i-v-o-r-c-e. At least according to People Magazine they are. more ›

Filled with a combustible mix of conceit and twink rage, Leigh Wolf, hot piece of ass and President of the College Republicans at SFSU, interrupted Sean Penn's Dennis Kucinich-endorsement speech on Friday. Basically, he quietly held up a sign that (incorrectly) whined about Sean "supporting the moral majority's America's Enemies, " or something inane like that. Meaning to impress someone more than make an important or clear statement, Wolf's protest... oh, who knows? But... more ›

It's not fair that our sister, LAist, gets all of the great writers strike coverage. Alas. But the Bay Area's own Sean Penn has joined the noble striking effort. He helped to create the above Writers Guild of America-conceived video for "Project Speechless," videos that feature A-list thespionic talent. What's more, they found a way of making Mr. Penn funny. (We kid, Sean. Please don't hit us. Not that you'll have the chance.) Anyway,... more ›

Quintin Mecke's long odds on becoming Mayor this year, per the "Xam more ›