Sacha Baron Cohen may have been the only exciting and/or interesting thing that happened during last night’s Oscars. The comedian shamelessly promoted his new movie ‘The Dictator’ while walking the red carpet. He spilled an urn full with fake ashed of Kim Jong Il all over Ryan Seacrest on live television.
At least Ryan has a good sense of humor about the whole thing.
After it was reported yesterday that the comedian was banned from walking the Oscars red carpet on Sunday, the Acadamy Awards released a statement saying that it wasn’t true at all. Cohen is supposed to attend the awards show to promote his other film, ‘Hugo’ which is up for Best Picture.
Whatever the Academy’s decision, however, it was only a matter of time before Cohen General Aladeen responded to the “ban.” Obviously, he was not pleased.
“On behalf of the nation of Wadiya, I am outraged at being banned from the Oscars by the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Zionists,” exclaimed Aladeen. “While I applaud the Academy from taking away my right to free speech, I warn you that if you do not lift your sanctions and give me my tickets back by 12 p.m. on Sunday, you will face unimaginable consequences.”
Aladeen also makes an effort to campaign for some of Wadiya’s “classic” films that didn’t receive any Oscar recognition: “When Harry Kidnapped Sally,” “You’ve Got Mailbomb” and “Planet of the Rapes.” (Actually, there’s a good chance that second one is better than the original Tom Hanks/Meg Ryan flick.)
Anyway, whether Aladeen’s consequences refer to him kidnapping Uggie (please, no) remain to be seen. Whatever the case, both Cohen and Aladeen are getting a nice chunk of publicity out of this whole thing.
“The Dictator,” starring Cohen and Ben Kingsley, will hit theaters May 11.
Anna Faris plays the female lead in “The Dictator,” Sacha Baron Cohen’s film about a Hussein-like dictator who gets secretly replaced by a lookalike goat herder and now must find new meaning in a life in New York City. The movie, which is inspired by “Zabibah and the King,” a book about a benevolent dictator that was revealed to be written by Hussein himself, will feature the “Borat” star as both the dictator and herder, and Farris as the NYC organic store owner who opens his eyes to new possibilities.
Sacha Baron Cohen films a scene for “The Dictator” on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York. In the scene he steals a woman’s lunch from a restaurant and is chased down by one of the waiters who tackles Sacha into a scene mat.
The Huffington Post has this exclusive first look at Sacha Baron Cohen’s new Saddam Hussein-inspired character for his new film, The Dictator.
Debuting exclusively at The Huffington Post, here is the first image of Sacha Baron Cohen in his Saddam Hussein-inspired costume for his new film, “The Dictator.” About a Hussein-like dictator who gets secretly replaced by a lookalike goat herder and now must find new meaning in a life in New York City, the film is inspired by “Zabibah and the King,” a book about a benevolent dictator that was revealed to be written by Hussein himself.
Baron Cohen will star as both the dictator and herder, and last month, it was announced that Anna Faris will play the NYC organic store owner who opens his eyes to new possibilities.
The book itself is about a benevolent, beloved king who falls in love with a beautiful, victimized girl who was raped by her cruel husband. Believe it or not, it’s a subtle allegory for Iraq and the United States — the king (based, obviously, on Saddam) is the peaceful Iraq, while the cruel, rapist husband is the Gulf War-waging United States.
The log line from Paramount, the film’s production home, turns subverts the premise, saying, “The film tells the heroic story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.”
Directed by Larry Charles, the film hits theaters May 11th, 2012.
I love SBC, I can’t wait to see what he’s up to next!
According to Deadline.com, Sacha Baron Cohen has officially signed on to play Queen frontman Freddie Mercury!
Peter Morgan is already working on a script focused on the band’s formative years, leading up to Queen’s appearance at Live Aid in 1985. Queen’s performance is considered one of the rock’s all-time great live concert appearances.
No word on whether or not Cohen will sing, or if they’ll use Mercury’s voice. He had such a unique voice, getting someone to copy it would be very difficult.
Freddie Mercury died of AIDS on November 24, 1991, but his final days will not be covered in the film.
After a six-year engagement, Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher’s long-awaited wedding ceremony turned out to be the most intimate of affairs: Just six guests attended the traditional Jewish ceremony on March 15 in Paris.
And those six had to move quickly. In an effort to keep the celebration quiet, the bride and groom gave their loved ones “very little notice” ahead of the nuptials, according to Australia’s WHO magazine.
In an interview a year ago, Fisher revealed her yearning for a private ceremony. “It’s very important to me to have a beautiful ritual celebrated with my family and friends,” she said. “And when you are in the public eye, to keep that private and to make it happen without it being really visible is really difficult.”
Baron Cohen, 38, and Fisher, 34, have been together for about eight years, have a 2-year-old daughter, Olive. They spent a week at the Hotel Ritz in Paris and were photographed walking around the nearby Place Vendome wearing matching berets.
They are now back in London, where Fisher is filming new movie, Burke and Hare.
