Sacha Baron Cohen aka Ali G

[BobbyD 2]

Borat book could be too hot to handle

 

Pssst. Correspondent Borat Sagdiyev has too-sexy photos of his Kazakh countrywomen to show public Americans in book. But New York publishing czars worry supermarket won't let in barenaked ladies.

Translation: Comic Sacha Baron Cohen, whose movie, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," opens Friday, wants to write a book based on his pants-wettingly offensive character. But publishers fear that Wal-Mart and other chains won't sell it.

 

The trouble is the "100 compromising Polaroids" that Cohen wants to include. We hear that Cohen has hired models to pose as Kazakh women in various states of undress. Some of the photos are said to be quite explicit - which isn't surprising considering that "Borat" told David Letterman this week that one of his "hobbies is ... to take photograph of ladies while they make toilet."

 

British publisher Boxtree snapped up the book for the U.K., where the book Cohen wrote as his character Ali G was a best seller.

 

But the Ali G book didn't do so hot in the States, partly because it also features some pictures not suitable for family shoppers.

 

Cohen's Trident Media agent, Daniel Strone, didn't return calls. However, Kazakhstan Embassy spokesman Roman Vassilenko did have a few things to say about Cohen's proposed salacious depiction of its female citizens.

 

"Kazakhstan is a moral country, and women have always played an important part in society," Vassilenko told us. "The only true thing about Kazakhstan in the movie is its geographic location."

 

Gauhar Abdygalieva, a Kazakh student at George Washington University concurred. "I would say this kind of portrayal is absolutely inadmissible," she said. "He comes up with really bad-looking women [who] have nothing to do with real Kazakhstan women."

 

But Cohen's satire may prove a boon to the former Soviet republic. Sayat Tours, "a leading Kazakh tour operator," is inviting Americans aboard its "Kazakhstan vs. Boratistan" package.

 

Sayat's press release beckons us to visit "high-fashion boutiques, as well as trying kumyss, the deliciously tasting Kazakh traditional drink made from fermented horse milk."

 

Mmmm. You'll want a Polaroid of that.

[BobbyD 2]

Glorious moviefilm! ‘Borat’ shocks Hollywood

Net buzz proves correct this time, unlike with ‘Snakes on a Plane’

Double thumbs up: Sacha Baron Cohen has reason to smile after his movie won the weekend box office.

 

LOS ANGELES - Sacha Baron Cohen’s Kazakh alter-ego Borat made glorious returns at the box office, surprising Hollywood with a No. 1 debut.

 

“Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” 20th Century Fox’s big-screen incarnation of Cohen’s Kazakh journalist from “Da Ali G Show,” took in $26.4 million during its opening weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday.

 

“This picture was playing to full houses,” said Bruce Snyder, head of distribution at 20th Century Fox. “The planets aligned, the moons aligned, the stars aligned, and everything came together perfectly for us on this weekend.”

 

Box-office analysts had expected Disney’s “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause,” with Tim Allen returning as St. Nicholas, to win the weekend. It was No. 2 with $20 million, followed by the Paramount-DreamWorks animated comedy “Flushed Away” in third place with $19.1 million.

 

With great Internet buzz and a built-in following from “Da Ali G Show,” “Borat” succeeded where another cyber-sensation, “Snakes on a Plane,” failed. “Snakes” opened last summer to modest crowds despite months of Internet hoopla.

 

The raucous, raunchy “Borat” follows the adventures of British comedian Cohen’s TV journalist from Kazakhstan in a blend of fiction and improvised comic encounters as he travels the United States, meets and mocks Americans and reports back to his home country.

 

“It is what you go to the theater for,” said Hutch Parker, the studio’s head of production. “You get that infectious, outrageous, interactive experience. There are people yelling at the screen, there are cheers.”

 

“Borat” played in only 837 theaters, fewer than one-fourth the count for “The Santa Clause 3” and “Flushed Away.” Averaging a whopping $31,511 a theater, “Borat” easily outdistanced “The Santa Clause 3,” which averaged $5,784 in 3,458 cinemas and “Flushed Away,” which averaged $5,152 in 3,707 theaters.

 

Fox plans to expand “Borat” to as many as 2,500 theaters this Friday.

 

“The Santa Clause 3” pits Allen’s St. Nick against Jack Frost (Martin Short) as they battle for control of Christmas. “Flushed Away” features the voices of Hugh Jackman and Kate Winslet in the story of a pampered pet mouse forced to make his way among sewer rats.

 

The two movies split the family audience, but their opening weekends were solid starts for the holiday season. Disney and Paramount expect their movies to hang tough through year’s end, even with the Warner Bros. animated penguin tale “Happy Feet” coming just before Thanksgiving.

 

“The Thanksgiving holiday is going to be just rocking,” said Disney head of distribution Chuck Viane.

 

The previous weekend’s top movie, Lionsgate’s horror sequel “Saw III,” held up solidly at No. 4 with $15.5 million, raising its 10-day total to $60.1 million.

 

However, the strong crop of new movies and holdovers did not quite stack up to the same weekend a year ago, when “Chicken Little” opened at No. 1 with $40 million and “Jarhead” debuted at No. 2 with $27.7 million. This weekend’s top 12 movies took in $116.2 million, down 3 percent from the same period last year.

 

© 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[mf'smom 0]

True story...my Dad doesn't much like to leave the house anymore...he's perfectly healthy and capable, but being a curmudgeon reading books looking out at Laguna Beach and the ocean is MUCH more fun. So, he calls me last night and he and Mom are on the phone asking how my daughter is (those with children will understand this) then tells me he's going to a movie. I say, what was there a fire? He says, no I saw this picture in Time Magazine and I have been laughing ever since. I guess he saw the "ball hugger" one piece suit Borat wore on the beach at the Cannes Film Festival. He says, I HAVE to see that movie. Is it funny? Well, I have not seen it Dad, but I suspect you will love it and and Mom will wish you left her at home. 75 year old guys want to see Borat....I'm not surprised it is doing so well.

 

Can't wait to hear if he liked it! (Besides the cost of the ticket, which he will bitch about for the next couple of months!!)

Edited November 7, 2006 by mf'smom

[Cutielb99 0]

"Thank you for photograph. I do not know who this boy is."

– Borat, when asked what he thought of Lindsay Lohan, to PEOPLE

[pitt-lover 0]

Borat Lawsuit -- High Five!!!

Posted Nov 9th 2006 6:00PM by TMZ Staff

Filed under: Celebrity Justice, Movies

 

How's this for the beginning of a lawsuit filed today in Los Angeles County Superior Court? -- "Sacha Baron Cohen is a prankster."

 

Two anonymous plaintiffs are suing 20th Century Fox and One America Productions, claiming members of their college fraternity were interviewed to become part of the smash "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" film.

 

The plaintiffs -- listed as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 -- were allegedly assured the film would not be shown in the U.S. and their identities would not be revealed.

 

They were both selected to appear in the movie and, according to the suit, taken "to a drinking establishment 'to loosen up' and provided alcoholic beverages." They claim they signed the movie releases after "heavy drinking."

 

The suit claims both men were then taken to a motor home where they were filmed, all the while "encouraged to continue drinking."

 

The movie features a scene in a motor home where Cohen gets drunk with three frat boys and the group watches the Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee sex tape while inebriated.

 

The plaintiffs claim they suffered "humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress, loss of reputation, goodwill and standing in the community..." because the movie was indeed released in the U.S.

 

The suit asks for unspecified damages.

[kappy22 1]

Borat Lawsuit -- High Five!!!

Two anonymous plaintiffs are suing 20th Century Fox and One America Productions, claiming members of their college fraternity were interviewed to become part of the smash "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" film.

 

The plaintiffs -- listed as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 -- were allegedly assured the film would not be shown in the U.S. and their identities would not be revealed.

They won't be anonymous John Does now after describing which scene they're in, will they?

[annabeast 24]

I had no idea who this person was, and we just got back from seeing Borat. I walked out, and I still feel sick to my stomach. I'm horrified this is so popular. Blast me if you want, but if it's hip to think this movie is cool, then I'm a perennial dork. I'd rather go see MI:III.

[GimmeSumSugar 0]

The movie features a scene in a motor home where Cohen gets drunk with three frat boys and the group watches the Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee sex tape while inebriated.

 

The plaintiffs claim they suffered "humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress, loss of reputation, goodwill and standing in the community..." because the movie was indeed released in the U.S.

 

The suit asks for unspecified damages.

 

Umm, okay wouldn't their standing be increased in the frat boy community by this very behaviour? We're not talking about these people moving within the upper echelons of society right? Or am I missing something. Oh no wait, hang on...I see the mighty dollar sign looming at the drop of a hat. Poor students, need money, someone puts 2+2 together in the back of the motor home and bingo bongo! Lawsuits at the ready!

 

Now I get it.

[mostlylurker 2]

tht frat doooooods will at least have some sympathy from the head of icon pictures who might become benefactor to them...

The movie features a scene in a motor home where Cohen gets drunk with three frat boys and the group watches the Pamela Anderson/Tommy Lee sex tape while inebriated.

 

The plaintiffs claim they suffered "humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress, loss of reputation, goodwill and standing in the community..." because the movie was indeed released in the U.S.

 

The suit asks for unspecified damages.

 

Umm, okay wouldn't their standing be increased in the frat boy community by this very behaviour? We're not talking about these people moving within the upper echelons of society right? Or am I missing something. Oh no wait, hang on...I see the mighty dollar sign looming at the drop of a hat. Poor students, need money, someone puts 2+2 together in the back of the motor home and bingo bongo! Lawsuits at the ready!

 

Now I get it.

 

[BobbyD 2]

'Borat' Star Becomes Britain's Highest-Paid Actor

 

Sacha Baron Cohen has instantly become the highest-paid actor in the U.K. after landing a deal at Universal that reportedly will pay him at least $30 million, the London Daily Mail reported. The figure is based on Cohen's salary for the upcoming Bruno, based on his gay fashion writer character, plus 15 percent of the box-office gross. The deal propels him well above No. 2 on the list of high-paid British actors, a position held by both Ewan McGregor and Keira Knightley, who reportedly earn about $20 million per year.

[sanlee 49]

SACHA BARON COHEN: SPLIT PERSONALITY

 

The holidays are here and we feel obligated to warn hosts inviting Sacha Baron Cohen to Hanukkah festivities that the Borat star is very particular.

 

Cohen has a lot to celebrate because an LA judge just refused to halt the DVD release of Borat because of the college boys lawsuit against him. Back when Sasha was better known as Ali G, he was invited to a Jewish holiday meal and the day before the dinner, Cohen interrogated the host about the food.

 

The actor needed to establish that the food would be absolutely kosher and he asked many questions including what kind of plates the edibles would be served on. The host admitted a few of the dishes weren't strictly kosher and Cohen thanked him and chose to eat elsewhere. It's hard to believe this is the same guy who wears a day-glo thong.

 

 

Janet Charlton

[BobbyD 2]

Sacha Baron Cohen has been trying to call Borat to tell him about their film's two Golden Globe nominations. Unfortunately, Cohen says, "for the last four hours, both of Kazakhstan's telephones have been engaged. Eventually, President Nazarbayev answered and said he would pass on the message as soon as Borat returned from Iran, where he is guest of honor at the Holocaust Denial Conference."

[mf'smom 0]

Sacha Baron Cohen has been trying to call Borat to tell him about their film's two Golden Globe nominations. Unfortunately, Cohen says, "for the last four hours, both of Kazakhstan's telephones have been engaged. Eventually, President Nazarbayev answered and said he would pass on the message as soon as Borat returned from Iran, where he is guest of honor at the Holocaust Denial Conference."

Awesome quote. Sasha is a God...so is Borat.

[sanlee 49]

Comedy central Asia

 

 

The glorious nation of Kazakhstan has launched an unintentionally hilarious public relations campaign, to make benefit after the caning it got in the spoof hit "Borat."

 

 

A full-page ad the country took in the Dec. 16 Economist reads like it could have been written by Sacha Baron Cohen himself.

 

 

Headlined "Kazakhstan: Formula of peace and progress," the text waits until the second sentence to fawn over the country's dictator.

 

 

"The far-sighted strategy of Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the initiator of many integrations and reforms, is aimed at improving people's lives," it says, before outlining the president's thoughts on global peace, poverty and religion.

 

 

The central Asian republic also scored a recent story in The Times that favorably cited its public health initiative to iodize salt for the prevention of birth defects. Expect to read about Nazarbayev, partying sans panties at Marquee with Britney and Paris, any day now.

[BobbyD 2]

Cohen Defends 'Borat'

 

 

Sacha Baron Cohen has defended himself against claims from people who appeared in his Borat movie that they were duped into making racist comments. "This wasn't Candid Camera," in which people were caught off-guard by hidden cameras and microphones, Cohen told today's (Tuesday) Los Angeles Times. "There were two large cameras in the room." Moreover, he remarked, "I don't buy the argument that, 'Oh, I wouldn't have acted so racist or anti-Semitic if I'd known this film was being shown in America.' That's no excuse." Meanwhile, it was reported Monday that Borat will debut on DVD on March 6 with no deletions from the theatrical version. The DVD, however, will include scenes that did not make the theatrical cut, as well as scenes from news conferences in which Cohen appeared as Borat to plug the movie.

[BobbyD 2]

Borat" nominated for Writers Guild award

 

Faux documentary film "Borat" gained more Oscar momentum on Thursday as the smash hit about a boorish Kazakh TV journalist was nominated with four other comedies for the 2006 Writers Guild of America Awards.

 

"Borat" star Sacha Baron Cohen and three collaborators will vie for best adapted screenplay against the writers of two other comedies, "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Thank You For Smoking," as well as two deadly serious dramas, "Little Children" and "The Departed."

 

In the category of best original screenplay, "Little Miss Sunshine" will compete against fellow comedy "Stranger Than Fiction" and three dramas: the globe-spanning saga "Babel," royal family portrait "The Queen" and the September 11 thriller "United 93."

 

The list comes out less than two weeks before nominations for the Academy Awards, Hollywood's top honors, are announced. The Writers Guild awards are regarded as a key bellwether for a film's Oscar chances, especially in the screenplay categories.

 

For Cohen's film, fully titled "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," the WGA nod gives greater legitimacy to a work heralded by many as a breakthrough in the satirical "mockumentary" genre popularized by such films as "This Is Spinal Tap."

 

Chronicling the exploits of the title character's cross-country U.S. road trip, "Borat" is driven by Cohen's largely unscripted, improvised encounters with ordinary people who become his unsuspecting foils.

 

The film previously garnered Golden Globe nominations for best comedy and for best actor in a comedy for Cohen.

 

The Writers Guild Awards will be presented on February 11 in simultaneous ceremonies in New York and Los Angeles. The Oscars, whose nominations are revealed on January 23, are handed out on February 25.

[plick 1]

From imdb.com today...

 

Borat Passes On Presenting Oscar

 

Sacha Baron Cohen will not be a presenter at Sunday's Academy Award ceremony, because he could not appear as his famous character Borat Sagdiyev. Baron Cohen has been reluctant to make appearances as himself, preferring to do interviews as the star of the faux documentary Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan. Oscar broadcast producer Laura Ziskin tells the Los Angeles Times, "He was asked, but he declined." There had been speculation that the comedian's participation in the ceremony would bring a welcome shot of excitement to the broadcast. Baron Cohen's acceptance speech at the Golden Globe ceremony last month was one of the most talked-about events of the night. When he won an acting award, he paid homage to his co-star Ken Davitian's naked backside, which was part of a memorable moment in the film. Although Baron Cohen passed on presenting, he could still appear on stage if the film wins for Best Adapted Screenplay.

[mf'smom 0]

From imdb.com today...

 

Borat Passes On Presenting Oscar

 

Sacha Baron Cohen will not be a presenter at Sunday's Academy Award ceremony, because he could not appear as his famous character Borat Sagdiyev. Baron Cohen has been reluctant to make appearances as himself, preferring to do interviews as the star of the faux documentary Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan. Oscar broadcast producer Laura Ziskin tells the Los Angeles Times, "He was asked, but he declined." There had been speculation that the comedian's participation in the ceremony would bring a welcome shot of excitement to the broadcast. Baron Cohen's acceptance speech at the Golden Globe ceremony last month was one of the most talked-about events of the night. When he won an acting award, he paid homage to his co-star Ken Davitian's naked backside, which was part of a memorable moment in the film. Although Baron Cohen passed on presenting, he could still appear on stage if the film wins for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Wouldn't you say that Hollywood totally wussed out on this one? Borat at the Academy Awards? Would have been priceless, but the "stars" were too worried that he would insult them, I bet. He would have, and they would probably have deserved it. Can you imagine him talking about Britney? Or Anna? DAMN.

[purplemyst 0]

In my ideal world, Borat would have outted the GMD!

[BobbyD 2]

Blubber-free

 

KEN Davitian - who horrified viewers with his naked, bouncing-blubber wrestling match against Sacha Baron Cohen in "Borat" - has been lying low since that infamous scene. But that will change tomorrow when he makes an appearance, mercifully fully clothed, in a skit for Joel Surnow's satirical "The 1/2 Hour News Hour" on Fox News Channel at 10 p.m. Davitian makes a public service announcement about child obesity - a subject he might know something about.

[BobbyD 2]

All AP News

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

`Borat' on Human Rights Victims List

 

Fictional gay cowboys and a faux reporter from Kazakhstan suffered human rights abuses in 2006 as crackdowns on flesh and blood victims were extended to the Internet, award-winning films and noted plays worldwide, the State Department says.

 

From the movies "Borat" to "Brokeback Mountain," foreign governments banned or restricted access to a variety of big and little screen entertainment as well as live events, the State Department says.

 

British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen creator of Borat, the crass Kazakh chronicler of the American condition and the gay cowboy love story that won three Oscars were hit with what it deemed violations of freedoms of speech and expression.

 

So were the "The Da Vinci Code," "The Vagina Monologues" and even the popular Google Earth Web site, according to the department's annual survey of global human rights practices released this week.

 

Amid a litany of deadly crackdowns on dissent, extrajudicial killings, torture and arrests, the report suggests that traditional censorship of overtly political works of art, literature and film may be entering new territory.

 

Baron Cohen, who has vexed the authoritarian Kazakh government with his mocking and rocketed to fame in the film "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," became a victim when Kazakhstan moved against his satirical Web site.

 

Specifically, it took control of the registration of .kz Internet domains in 2005 and then revoked Baron Cohen's Borat domain, since relocated, because it deemed his site offensive, the report said.

 

The movie depicting Borat's pseudo-documentary wanderings across the U.S. became an unlikely hit and earned Baron Cohen a Golden Globe award. It also generated complaints that he duped his American subjects into making racist and sexist remarks and portrayed Kazakhs in an unflattering light.

 

Borat, for example, asserted that Kazakhs are addicted to horse urine, enjoy shooting dogs, view rape and incest as respectable hobbies and are fond of "running of the Jew" festivals. Baron Cohen is an observant Jew.

 

The State Department report made no mention of the contents of the film or the Web site but said Baron Cohen's banishment was symptomatic of repression in Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic in central Asia.

 

It accused the government of monitoring dissident e-mail and Internet activity, blocking or slowing access to opposition sites and planting propaganda in Internet chat rooms.

 

While Borat came under fire in Kazakhstan, Ang Lee's "Brokeback Mountain" was banned in the Bahamas, where censors said it lacked public value and depicted extreme homosexuality, nudity and profanity, the report said.

 

Eve Ensler's acclaimed feminist play "The Vagina Monologues" failed to pass censors' muster in Uganda, which claimed it promoted "unnatural sex acts, homosexuality and prostitution," the department said.

 

The film version of Dan Brown's best-selling novel "The Da Vinci Code" sparked action by government officials in at least two countries Egypt and Samoa who felt its assertions of a centuries-old cover-up of Jesus' alleged bloodline could prompt religious unrest.

[Trizzie 0]

usmagazine.com:

 

Isla Fisher: Is She Or Isn’t She?

Thursday March 29, 2007

 

 

 

Thismorning on "On-Air with Ryan Seacrest" on 102.7 KIIS FM, Seacrest’s sidekick Ellen K reported that Isla Fisher is expecting a child with her fiancé, Borat's Sacha Baron Cohen.

 

Adding to the rumors that Fisher is pregnant is the fact that the petite actress showed up to the March 26 NYC premiere of her new film The Lookout, sporting a jacket and loose-fitting frock.

 

So far, her camp is mum on the subject. “If or when Isla becomes pregnant, she and her fiancé will decide if an announcement is necessary,” says her rep.

[leaivory 2]

BORAT IS FREDDIE

By Ryan Parry 04/05/2007

 

SACHA Baron Cohen is set to play Queen singer Freddie Mercury in a big budget movie about his life.

 

The Borat star, 35, elbowed Johnny Depp from the role after winning over producers and band members.

 

An insider said: "Film makers are working flat out to get the best possible script. Sacha loves the idea he can get away with playing Freddie after modelling Borat's look on him."

 

Mercury died of an Aids-related illness in 1991 at 45. The biopic will portray his legendary partying.

 

 

http://www.mirror.co.uk/showbiz/latest/tm_...-name_page.html

[Hoyaheel 1,874]

We watched a biography thing on Freddy Mercury over the weekend--pretty good! Wasn't Johnny Depp in the running for this at one point? I think with SBC's ability to totally morph into his character that he could do a fantastic job on this.....But can he sing??

[BobbyD 2]

Borat to Pen Travel Guide

Reporter will give hints about how to have a sexy time in America

May 24, 2007

 

Borat plans to use his cultural learnings to make benefit both Kazakhstanis and Westerners alike.

 

The cinematic alter ego of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen will write a travel guide thanks to a book deal with Flying Dolphin Press, reports Reuters.

 

The imprint of Random House Inc.'s Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group has signed a deal with Cohen to create a two-in-one humor guide book for Kazakhs trying to navigate the U.S. and Americans visiting Kazakhstan -- or at least the strange, fictionalized version of Kazakhstan depicted in the hit film, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

 

The book will feature a similarly complicated dual title: "Borat: Touristic Guidings To Minor Nation of U.S. and A." and "Borat: Touristic Guidings To Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

 

The film, which grossed more than $250 million worldwide, featured the fictional Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev as he traveled across America on a cross-country mission with his documentary producer Azamat (Ken Davitian). Borat was based on a character from Cohen's TV series "Da Ali G Show."

 

"Borat" earned a best adapted screenplay Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe for Cohen's comedic performance.