Hugo Chavez Collects A-List Friendships

The independent press has been highly critical of the media clampdown, and many accuse the Hollywood actors who come for photo opportunities with Chavez of being, at best, naive about the reality of living in Venezuela under his rule.

In their eyes these celebrity visitors get their information from government cronies and rarely get the chance to speak to Venezuelans outside the organized events.

"On one hand these visits from these stars give [Chavez] a certain legitimacy," said Villamizar. "Clearly Sean Penn has been shown all the wonders and marvels of the setups, and he's buying up what they're selling him, and when he goes abroad he sells our president as a marvelous man."

And it's not just the journalists who are complaining. In September, two staff members from the NGO Human Rights Watch were expelled from Venezuela just hours after presenting a report that detailed Chavez's methods of jeopardizing democratic institutions and human rights guarantees in the country.

With this uncomfortable backdrop, Chavez's cozy chats with the famous have been branded by critics as a fawning front to prevent them from seeing the reality behind the tours. And often, they claim, it is to the detriment of Venezuelans.

"The visits serve to draw attention to ordinary Venezuelans who are so far away from Hollywood, of the unreachable, so every time we see these guys here we think 'wow!'" Moreno told ABC News. "But what we don't know is how much a visit from one of these celebrities is costing the country. We can't even discuss it as we don't have any information about it!"

Chavez Pledges Money for Glover Film

Danny Glover's visits in particular have provoked a strong reaction. During one trip to see the recently opened Villa del Cine film studios, Venezuela's answer to Hollywood, Chavez reportedly pledged more than $18 million to finance Glover's directorial debut. The film, a depiction of the historical Haitian figure Dominique Toussaint Louverture, was not met with approval in Venezuela.

Venezuelan filmmakers claim that Chavez, in his position as patron of the revolutionary arts, denies homegrown moviemakers the same degree of patronage as the big Hollywood names.

Observers also note that it would be very difficult for the likes of Glover -- a strong supporter of Chavez and his policies -- to publicly criticize Chavez for his repressive tactics when Chavez has been so generous with his money.