Leather Daddy
Sacha Baron Cohen’s Bruno experienced one of the fastest freefalls in box office history, dropping a staggering 73% in its second week of distribution. Unlike Cohen’s “Borat” which gained steam week after week, Bruno took only days to brick in to obscurity and certainly fast tracked this homophobic bomb into it’s rightful DVD and cable fate.
Universal Pictures paid a cool $43 million for rights to Bruno and they equaled that amount in an effort to market the film worldwide, however, those attempts were futile as moviegoers jumped ship at an alarming rate as word of mouth shouted and something called the “Twitter effect” tapped very clearly to “stay away” from Bruno.
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oops
It’s not everyday I get a press release from someone claiming to be a “Terrorist Leader,” and it’s even rarer (by that I mean never) I get PR from a terrorist leader claiming to be pissed-off about being duped in a movie about a fake, super-flamboyant Austrian television host. There’s a first time for everything.
The list of folks looking to sue, Sasha Baron Cohen, for fooling them in his new movie, “Bruno,” is starting to grow, and now we can add “terrorist” to that list.
Ayman Abu Aita, who interviewed in “Bruno,” released a statement calling Cohen, “a big liar” who “made up stories.” Aita said he was “pursuing corrective remedies,” after learning he had been unwittingly cast in Cohen’s latest.
In the scene with Aita, Cohen’s Bruno, attempts to recruit a terrorist group to kidnap him in an effort to become famous. Aita fell for it, hook, line and sinker.
Let’s define “Ter·ror·ist” ‘Somebody who uses violence or the threat of violence, especially bombing, kidnapping, and assassination, to intimidate, often for political purposes, who just got punk’d’
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Welcome back to the working weeks folks. We’re almost at the middle of July, have you done everything you’ve wanted? August is almost here, people. Time to plan out those road trips and massive barbecues. Time waits for no one. Speaking of looking forward, here are some developing stories sure to make news today.
Here are some upcoming stories to count on for Monday, July 13:
- The weekend box office numbers are in. Of course, Bruno came in at number one but there is some doubt that the film will be as successful as expected. The term “front-loaded” is being tossed around a lot. We’ll see what the studios and pundits say about the final numbers today. Did anyone see it over the weekend? Your thoughts?
San Diego Comic Con
is only a couple weeks away. Comic Con will provide sneak peeks and glimpses at the biggest upcoming movies and television series. This is a gigantic media event. The schedules are now out and the internet is abuzz with reaction and rumors. Expect people to talk about what’s worth camping out for and what’s worth skipping. As always, there is sure to be plenty of news coming from San Diego this year.
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Give me your money, America
Now that Sacha Baron Cohen has created a movie for each of his popular characters, you’ve got to wonder what he’ll do next. Looking at Friday’s box office, one thing is apparent: Bruno is going to be a success. So it’s reasonable to assume that Universal will be knocking at Cohen’s door very soon asking for another movie. I doubt he’d do a sequel to either Borat, Bruno or Ali G so I’m curious to see what he’s got planned. After being impressed by all of his films so far, I’m excited.
So Bruno did well yesterday with a very strong $14.2 million. That’s a great number, considering how offensive and in-your-face the film is. It’s also hilarious so it deserves it. I Love You, Beth Cooper didn’t fare so well, earning only $2.1 million. Ouch. Sorry Hayden. Transformers, Ice Age and Public Enemies also continued to deliver. We’ll see if word-of-mouth is bad for Bruno, which is sure to make many theater-goers uncomfortable. I’m sure its first weekend will still remain pretty strong, especially for an R-rated comedy.
Next week brings us the release of that little movie about teen wizards or something. Anyone heard of it?
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Not surprisingly, GLAAD, The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, is giving Sasha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno” poor marks for its portrayal of gays, stating the film reinforces negative gay stereotypes.
Universal Pictures, who released “Burno” invited members of GLAAD to screenings of the movie to get their input, however, none of the scenes GLAAD voiced concern over ended up on the cutting room floor.
One such scene pictures Bruno, in a hot tub with two other men, who are engaged in a sex act, while Bruno tends to his adopted infant son.
Oh course, Bruno’s purpose is to show the obscurity of these stereotypes in America. I don’t think GLAAD would approve of any approach Cohen took to his new movie.
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Good morning, folks. We’ve made it to Hump Day. Doesn’t Friday feel within your grasp? Just a couple more days and then the weekend is here. Well, let’s take a look at the stories that are bound to be on the pop cultural radar today.
Here are some upcoming stories to count on for Wednesday, July 8:
- Obviously, people will still be talking about Michael Jackson’s memorial today. It’s all over now but you can bet that the media and blogosphere will still be discussing it all day. Expect highlights and first-hand accounts from many people, including some right here on The Count. It’ll definitely be an interesting retrospective.
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Senator
- Comedian and former Saturday Night Live writer Al Franken is officially a senator. He was sworn in by Vice President Biden Tuesday morning and today will be his first day in the Senate chambers. Do you think he’ll liven the place up with some comedy? That place could use a dose of humor.
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Bruno (and horse)
The New York Post has a fascinating article interviewing some of the subjects of Bruno, Sacha Baron Cohen’s sure-to-be comedy smash. They reveal how these folks (doctors, cops, agents) were duped into being on film face-to-face with Bruno. Alas, they weren’t able to get any word from Ron Paul.
Also highlighted are some of the methods that Cohen and company used to trick people into being in the movie. They convinced them that the film would only be shown in Germany and Austria (but had them sign waivers for any international release), they hid Bruno from this guests to prevent any last minute walk outs, they kept the director incognito. This was a well-funded, incredibly smart group of people trying to make the most awkward, over-the-top comedy ever. From what I’ve been told by those who’ve seen it, they may have succeeded.
Head on over here to have a look at the piece and see just how Bruno became Bruno.
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Bruno, please come to Hollywood for a premiere!
Bruno the Bull
Bruno pose
Bruno pose 2
Bruno
Sacha Baron Cohen’s new film, Bruno, hasn’t even opened yet but he’s already stirring an awful lot of controversy. Universal Studios has already been sued by one woman who claimed to be harmed during filming and now comes some serious concern from the gay community regarding Bruno’s incredibly flamboyant demeanor.
E! Online has a more detailed look at the story, including GLAAD’s desire for certain scenes to be cut or for a pro-tolerance message to be added to the film. Some of the eyebrow-raising scenes include Bruno and a male partner dressed in bondage and a baby sharing a hot tub with two men who are engaging in some very personal acts.
“This movie does not unmask stereotypes by showing pictures like that, they enforce them,” said GLAAD’s senior media director. We all remember when Borat opened and scores of people were concerned that the film portrayed Kazakhstan unfairly. Sure, it was offensive, but to everyone: Kazakhs, Americans, women, college students, Jews, the list goes on. Still, as someone who really enjoys the comedy of Sacha Baron Cohen, I hope this gets solved quickly and doesn’t cause too big of a mess. I really want to see this dang movie!
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