Borat

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Post by Penelope »

From Radar:

Revealed: Borat's Son a Gay Porn Star

Borat Sagdiyev is not a real person, no matter how many media outlets treat him like one. It thus stands to reason that his over-endowed son, who's the subject of a major sight gag in the new Borat movie, is also not real. So who was that fellow whose impressive khrum inspired such an enthusiastic thumbs-up from his on-screen father?

His name is Adrian Cortez, but he's better known by his nom de porn, Stonie. According to his manager, David Forest, Cortez is a 25-year-old gay porn star who has appeared in around 65 films.

Borat's producers first contacted Forest in June 2005, he tells Radar. "They wanted to find someone who would look 13 or 14 but was actually of legal age and would do frontal nudity," he recalls. Cortez immediately sprang to mind, he says, because "he's a small-framed boy but has a large organ." How large? "About eight inches, and thick." As for his nickname, Forest says, "I guess it's because he was a stoner. I don't know."

The shoot took one day, and Cortez told Forest that Sacha Baron Cohen, the comedian who plays Borat, "was a lot of fun. Sacha is a crack-up." Forest won't say how much the job paid, exactly. "Let's put it this way: He earned far more for this photo session than he would've if it had been for an adult company. We got paid a good sum of money."

Neither Cortez nor Forest was invited to the Borat premiere, but it's been good for the actor's career in other ways, says Forest: "What's funny is he's always been famous for his ass, because he has this amazingly hot ass, and yet in this movie he's becoming famous for his dick." Oh, the irony.
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Post by Franz Ferdinand »

I'm just excited that the Friday numbers are so phenomenal. I was praying for an upset over the dreck of Satan Clause 3, and the people did not disappoint. I have never been part of a longer, or more packed, line-up than for Borat, to watch an 11:45 showing on a Friday night. The multiplex that played it had it only on two screens, and both were completely sold out. It was a rewarding experience to see it with a massive crowd of rowdy people roaring every minute, and I still think Cohen deserves an Actor nod. The balls it took to sing the "Kazakh" national anthem at that rodeo is method enough. Good call about a deserved Song nomination, Penelope!
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Post by The Original BJ »

I saw it at a 9:45 AM (IN THE MORNING!) screening this morning, which was absolutely packed.

I'll say this: the parts that are funny are REALLY funny, including the moment Penelope mentions, which is just hysterical.

But I thought the film overall missed more than it hit, and I can't agree that this is one of the funniest films EVER. The critique of American culture is dead-on, hilarious, (and sad), but I found a lot of the humor too obvious. Attempting to push the buttons of good taste isn't automatically funny to me, and while I wasn't particularly offended by the film, I wasn't laughing as much as I thought I should, or, as much as the rest of the audience was.

And this film is getting NOWHERE near the Academy. Not in a million years.
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Post by OscarGuy »

Borat isn't the kind of film the Academy recognizes. They didn't even given 40-Year-Old Virgin a screenplay nod last year despite many calls for it to do so (including plenty of critical support).
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Post by Penelope »

Saw it tonight with a packed audience. Unquestionably one of the most uproariously funny films ever. There is a moment in the film--and if you've seen it, you know which one I'm talking about--which resulted in the loudest, longest audience laughter I think I've ever experienced--I was losing breath, tears streaming down my face.

Is it too far out there for the Academy? I can't imagine them going so far as a Best Picture nomination, but is Best Actor nod possible for Cohen? Or Supporting Actor for Ken Davitian? At the very least, a Best Original Song nomination for the Kazakhstan National Anthem?
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Post by dws1982 »

Early estimates have this making almost $9 million yesterday on less than 900 screens! That should translate into about $25 million for the weekend.
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Post by Franz Ferdinand »

I was about 10 rows up in the middle of the theatre, it was packed!
I don't think I've ever laughed harder in my life than at this movie, it was a priviledge to have watched it.
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Post by 99-1100896887 »

I'm there. Where are you?
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Post by Franz Ferdinand »

It has finally arrived to near-mass-hysteria. I cannot wait to see it tonight! Anyone with me?
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Post by Damien »

KAZAKHA COUNTER COMIC WITH AD CAMPAIGN
September 29, 2006
The Associated Press


ALMATY, Kazakhstan
Gleaming hotels, the region's best pastrami sandwiches and the planet's largest population of wolves: these are things Kazakhs want the world to know about their country _ not the outrageous claims of the British comedian who portrays them as primitive and bigots.

Kazakhstan has placed ads in U.S. newspapers and on TV to get its message across.

Authorities say the campaign was meant to coincide with President Nursultan Nazarbayev's visit to the United States, where he met with President Bush on Friday. But it also comes as comic Sacha Baron Cohen, creator of a fictional Kazakh reporter known as Borat, was launching a full-length movie based on the character.

The homophobic, misogynistic, English-mangling Borat _ who portrays Kazakhs as addicted to horse urine, fond of shooting dogs and viewing rape and incest as respectable hobbies _ has mortified the government of this former Soviet republic.

In four-page advertising inserts and 60-second television infomericals, Kazakhstan is touting its cash machines, sushi bars and high-tech conference centers _ all products of rapidly cascading oil wealth. The ads sing the praises of the energy-rich Central Asian country's nuclear disarmament campaign, its breathtaking natural resources and its breakneck economic growth.

Although the world's ninth-largest country by area, Kazakhstan has a population of just 16 million and has been a blank spot on the mental map of much of the world. Its very obscurity provides Cohen with an empty canvas to paint an outlandish portrait of a country emerging from the Soviet yoke.

"The country is unknown," Kazakh Embassy spokesman Roman Vassilenko acknowledged Thursday. "That's why perhaps he chose Kazakhstan as his fictional home country. But really what he presents is not Kazakhstan, as many people know, it is a kind of 'Boratistan'. It is a country of one. I mean people in their sane minds would probably know that any real country cannot be like what he describes in his show."

In typical fashion, Borat shot back at the nation's ad campaign _ and the embassy spokesman.

"Recent advertisements in television and in media about my nation of Kazakhstan saying that women are treated equally and that all religions are tolerated _ these are disgusting fabrications. These claims are part of a propaganda campaign against our country by evil nitwits Uzbekistan," Cohen, in his Borat persona, told reporters outside the Kazakh Embassy in Washington on Thursday.

"There is a man named Roman Vassilenko, who is claiming to be the press secretary of Kazakhstan," the comic added. "Please, don't listen to him: he is a Uzbek impostor, and is currently being hunted by our agents."

Kazakhs are proud both of their nomadic ancestry and their modern achievements.

The world's first satellite and astronaut were launched from the desolate Kazakh steppe. Kazakhstan boasts double-digit economic growth and immense oil reserves. It recently led an effort to proclaim the Central Asian region a nuclear-free zone.

The new ads also acknowledge some of the country's negative aspects: It suffers from high rates of cancer, apparently due to the aftereffects of decades of Soviet nuclear testing.

The government sees Nazarbayev's U.S. trip as its chance to cement Kazakhstan's place as the West's favorite partner in formerly Soviet Central Asia.

For his part, Borat claims the true aim of Nazarbayev's trip is to promote his film, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" _ and that he will be co-hosting a preview.

"This screening will be followed by cocktail party and a discussion of closer ties between our countries at Hooters," Borat said on his Web site.

Of course, the Kazakh government is horrified at the whole thing.

In December, it banned Cohen from using a Web site for Borat with the ".kz" domain name. Kazakhstan's embassies in the West have protested Cohen's character, and tried through the media to mend the damage to their image _ in some cases disputing, one-by-one, each barbaric habit Borat attributes to Kazakhs.

The movie, which debuted this month at the Toronto film festival, opens in U.S. cinemas in November. The Kazakh government says it isn't planning to ban it, but the manager of the nation's biggest cinema chain said it wouldn't screen the film.

"Didn't you see what nonsense it says about Kazakhstan? All our traditions and customs are distorted. It says that we still live in yurts and so on," said Ruslan Sultanov, referring to traditional tents made of skins or felt. "There's no point showing it. Spectators will not watch something like that."

But Paryz Baitenov, whose independent 31 TV Channel is planning to produce a report on Borat, looks at the character's antics differently. "I don't know any more brilliant promoter of Kazakhstan than Borat," he said.

"Of course it's not politically correct. But it's funny."
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Post by Precious Doll »

Ironicaly just as I was about to post this the news on television had the same story...

Borat's White House Assault

Borat, the fictional TV reporter from Kazakhstan, may have gotten under the skin of Kazakh officials but couldn't get past the gates of the White House today.

Secret Service agents turned away British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, in character as the boorish, anti-Semitic journalist, when he tried to invite "Premier George Walter Bush" to a screening of his upcoming movie, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.

Also invited to the screening: OJ Simpson, "Mel Gibsons" and other "American dignitaries".

Cohen's stunt was timed to coincide with an official visit by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who is scheduled to meet with Bush tomorrow.

Nazarbayev and other Kazakh officials have sought to raise the profile of the oil-rich former Soviet republic and assure the West that, contrary to Borat's claims, theirs is not a nation of drunken anti-Semites who treat their women worse than their donkeys.

Kazakhstan is expected to become one of the top 10 oil producers within a decade. A US ally with troops in Iraq, the country has drawn criticism for its deteriorating civil liberties and flawed elections.

Shortly after Nazarbayev dedicated a statue in front of the Kazakh embassy, Borat denounced an official Kazakh publicity campaign running in US magazines as "disgusting fabrications" orchestrated by neighbouring Uzbekistan.

"If there is one more item of Uzbek propaganda claiming that we do not drink fermented horse urine, give death penalty for baking bagels, or export over 300 tonnes of human pubis per year, then we will be left with no alternative but to commence bombardment of their cities with our catapults," Borat said.

Cohen, 35, who is Jewish, rose to fame through his Ali G character featured in his hit show of the same name.

In the show, Cohen becomes Ali G - a bad boy rapper straight outta Staines in the United Kingdom, near Windsor, where the queen lives.

In the series, Ali G interviews a host of famous stars, including Mohammed Al Fayed and the Beckhams, conning many of his star guests into believing his character is for real, despite asking questions like "What was it like to walk on the sun?" of astronaut Buzz Aldrin.

He also asked the former head of the FBI to cast his mind back to the grassy knoll and ask himself "who really shot JR?".

The Borat character was also born on Da Ali G Show, but the character's latest offering has drawn legal threats from the Kazakh government, which keeps a tight lid on criticism in its news media.

Kazakh press secretary Roman Vasilenko said he was worried that some may take the Borat routine seriously.

"He is not a Kazakh. What he represents is a country of Boratastan, a country of one," Vasilenko told Reuters.

Earlier this week, the government of Kazakhstan took out four-page ads in the New York Times and International Herald Tribune.

The expensive ads - which made no mention of Borat or the movie - kicked off with a large photo of the Kazakh president and Bush shaking hands at the White House five years ago.

They included headlines like: Bolstering ties with the United States, and Growing economy attracts international hotel groups.

But one article on the first page seems to target Borat's claims that Kazahtstan is heavy with anti-Jewish and anti-gypsy bias.

"Religious tolerance," it says, "is another one of the hallmarks of the nation ... Kazakhstan is home to over 40 religions".

The Kazakh government has also produced ads to be shown on US television.
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Post by Sonic Youth »

Precious Doll wrote:No doubt 'Nomad' will be Kazakhstan's entry for 'Best Foreign Film' either this year or next year. Appartently the Weinsteins have picked up the US rights.

Er, not so sure about that... I just looked up Nomad on imdb, and the cast includes:

Oraz - Jason Scott Lee

Mansur - Kuno Becker (Mexican actor)

Sharish - Mark Dacascos (star of CSI)

Erali - Jay Hernandez (co-starred with Kirsten Dunst in Crazy/Beautiful)

At least the leading lady and female love interest is Kazakh. That's my guess, anyway. Know of any American actresses named Ayanat Yesmagambetova?
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Post by Precious Doll »

No doubt 'Nomad' will be Kazakhstan's entry for 'Best Foreign Film' either this year or next year. Appartently the Weinsteins have picked up the US rights.

Kazakhstan's Borat damage control - Sydney Morning Herald 25 September 2006.

It's an epic battle, setting the stage for publicity money can't buy.

In one corner is the sleazy, moustachioed Borat Sagdiyev, a fictional TV reporter played by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.

In the other is the dashing 18th-century warrior Mansur, born to unite the tribes of Kazakhstan and set them free from the Jungar occupiers of western Mongolia.

At stake is the pride of a Central Asian republic.

The unlikely contest came about after Kazakh leaders took a particularly dim view of the satirical barbs hurled in their country's direction by Cohen's foul-mouthed character, whose new film, Borat: Cultural Learnings of America Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, has proved a hit at preview screenings.

Either that, or the leaders just didn't get the joke.

In response, Kazakhstan has invested $53 million in making the historical epic, Nomad, to counter what it sees as the damage inflicted upon the nation's reputation by Borat.

An English version of Nomad, the most expensive Kazakh film ever made, is to be released in the US this year.

The Times newspaper in London reported that Kazakhstan had also bought airtime on US and international satellite channels to show advertisements presenting a better image of the country.

The ads are planned to coincide with an official overseas trip by the President, Nursultan Nazarbayev. He is expected to visit Britain next month about the time of the British premiere of Cohen's film.

The Times reported comments by a Kazakh Foreign Ministry spokesman, Yerzhan Ashykbayev: "We understand that Borat is a kind of satire, but it is just a pity that Mr Cohen chose Kazakhstan as the origin of his hero ... As far as I know, he has never been to Kazakhstan, although there have been efforts on the part of some people here to invite him so that he can see what our country is really like."

The grey-suited faux reporter's bigotry knows few bounds, with gays, Jews and women among those on the receiving end of his less than politically correct jibes.

His new movie is a mockumentary about his travels across America in search of his dream woman, Pamela Anderson, she of the red Baywatch swimsuit.

He portrays his homeland as a country where women can now travel on the inside of buses and homosexuals no longer have to wear blue hats.

"We have incredible natural resources, hardworking labour and some of the cleanest prostitutes in Central Asia," Borat says in a video on his website.

Late last year, Kazakh leaders threatened to sue the British comedian, who also created and starred in the wildly popular Da Ali G Show.

Borat's video response: "I have no connection with Mr Cohen and fully support this government's decision to sue this Jew."
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Post by Penelope »

Certainly not, and I meant no offense to them. I mentioned a week or so ago that the Best Actor category is not quite as full as the Best Actress category is this year; which is why a) I think a case could be made for Brad Pitt going Lead in Babel and b) it would be kicky fun to see Cohen make the list, too.
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Post by Hustler »

Penelope wrote:but given how dire the Best Actor category is this year.
Do you think Penelope that O´Toole, Griffiths and Whitaker seem to conform a dire category?
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