Jason Merritt/Getty Images; Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty ImagesYou gotta admit, Scarlett Johansson and Sean Penn make a pretty sultry pair, especially when you line up their gossipy pasts! But are they, in fact, a real item, as Us Weekly attests?
And sure, that's some age gap—she's 26, he's 50. Not even Ashton and Demi are that far apart!
But all this scandalous talk about older love finding newer adoration is all crap, according to Scarlett's reps:
"Scarlett and Sean are not dating—they have been friends for years," he insists. "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."
Sean's side hasn't been so quick to deny the dating scuttlebutt, but, we expect a denial...soon?
For the record, for those of you confused about Sean and Scarlett having other partners right now, it's perfectly understandable—both sexy stars are freshly out of their marriages (Robin Wright for him, Ryan Reynolds for her).
Also, you might be thinking you've heard this younger-thing about Sean before? Well, don't worry, you're not imagining things, you did. Mr. Penn has a way of getting pretty girls to act all come-hither with him, and, well, people do like to notice.
Maybe it's because he's got an Oscar, is a great humanitarian and he's actually trying to help the world heal, particularly in Haiti!?
Perhaps. I think, certainly in the case of Ms. Johansson, it has more to do with eligibility: Who in the world is going to fill stud-muffin Ryan's shoes, now that Scarlett seems to be done them, and him?
To measure up to a hunk like that, guess it would take a dude with a still-handsome smile and maybe two Oscars, to boot?