The Chron’s editorial page yesterday included a letter from actor Sean Penn of Marin County who was upset by a humorous article by Peter Hartlaub on celebrity interest in Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. Penn, who went to Iran in 2005 for the Chronicle, called the paper “increasingly lame-brain paper.”

Penn objected to the Chron’s use of the word “dictator” to describe Chavez, who Penn points out was democratically elected. The AP said Chron Editor Phil Bronstein took the criticism in stride, calling Penn, “a great actor and a great director.”

“People get riled up about a lot of things, particularly in this day and age; they get to express themselves. We were more than happy to print his letter,” Bronstein said.