Posted on 09/29/2006 7:39:59 AM PDT by DCBryan1
White House gates shut to 'Kazakh reporter' comic
Fri Sep 29, 2006 8:46am ET
Borat goes to Washington:
PLAY VIDEO
By Andy Sullivan
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Borat, the fictional TV reporter from Kazakhstan, may have gotten under the skin of Kazakh officials but on Thursday he couldn't get past the gates of the White House.
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: O.J. 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 on Friday.
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 U.S. 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 U.S. magazines as "disgusting fabrications" orchestrated by neighboring 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, recently co-starred in the recent U.S. box office hit "Talladega Nights" and has appeared in TV comedy series "Da Ali G Show" on U.S. cable channel HBO and Britain's Channel 4. Cohen, 35, who is Jewish, recently co-starred in the recent U.S. box office hit "Talladega Nights" and has appeared in TV comedy series "Da Ali G Show" on U.S. cable channel HBO and Britain's Channel 4.
Cohen's "Borat" comedy routine 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.
Cohen's "Borat" comedy routine 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.
"Official" Letter and Invitation to Premier George W. Bush of the US andA.
As funny as I think this is, how long before someone from Kazakhstan assassinates him?
Dunno, but from the looks of the above picture, it looks like he has a heavyweight security detail. No wonder what they have under their bubushkas.
LOL, I think it may be the moneymaking movie of the year.
I take it you've seen the trailers . . . it looks to be A+.
Throw the who down the what???
Borat for UN Secretary-General!
Sorry, his schtick is wearing thin. Actually, that happened a year or so ago.
Lighten up, Francis.
But not to those for whom English is a second language.
OK
I watched about 10 minutes of his show and found it had no appeal to anyone who had attended school.
Another words, his comedy appeals to the ignorant chattering class.
Do you mean to say, "in other words?" Did you skip English classes in school? Who do you consider funny comics?
LOL
"Premier" Bush's approval ratings would skyrocket if he would meet with Borat and attend his movie.
Cohen is incredibly funny and talented in all the various roles he plays, whether it be an English wanna-be gangsta, a goofy Kazakh reporter, or a gay French NASCAR driver.
I am also more than a little jealous of Cohen because of the hot young redhead he is dating (she was in the film Wedding Crashers).
I'm really looking forward to this Borat movie. It is going to be hilarious.
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