Penn, O'Reilly Trade Barbs

Jan. 3 -- The way Sean Penn talks about Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly, you'd think O'Reilly was a paparazzo.

Penn, currently starring in I Am Sam, told the February issue of Talk magazine, "I think that people like the Howard Sterns, the Bill O'Reillys and to a lesser degree, the [Osama] bin Ladens of the world are making a horrible contribution."

"He's a grumpy, self-loathing joke," the actor said ofO'Reilly. "There's a long history of people who capitalize on thelowest common denominator of people's impulses. Adolf Hitler beingone of them. Not everybody wants to hit the wall in a violent rageand break their knuckles, so he does it for them. ...

"These guys — Joe McCarthy, Bill O'Reilly — die like everyoneelse. And when they do their legacy is one of damaging the spiritof good things, and they become rather broken, pathetic figures.And it is going to happen to him."

'Madonna Told Me Not to Worry'

O'Reilly, who previously went toe-to-toe with George Clooney over a fund set up to help victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, responded Wednesday on his show, saying he has no idea why Penn has it in for him.

"Penn didn't say what the source of his disenchantment with your humble correspondent is, but apparently he's upset about something," O'Reilly said. "It might be ridiculous, but The [O'Reilly] Factor has made quite an impression on Hollywood and we're going out there soon, so maybe he'll be out there and I'll see him."

O'Reilly said he planned to highlight Penn's quotes as his "most ridiculous" news item of the week. He added, "Madonna called me up and told me not to worry about it." Penn wed the pop queen in 1985 but they divorced after four stormy years.