Do I amuse you?

An interesting report was published 18-months ago that confirmed once-and-for-all an alarming prejudice. The UCLA-Harvard study analysed almost 20,000 films and determined that the odds of Oscar success heavily favour dramas over comedy. More specifically the researchers found that actors were nine times more likely to be nominated for acting in a drama than any other genre.

The annals of film history are littered with great comedy performances that have gone unrewarded. The best that most performers can hope for is a nod in the supporting category - take a bow Whoopi Goldberg for single-handedly making the otherwise awful Ghost at least watchable.

So spare a thought for Sacha Baron Cohen, a man whose commitment to method acting makes Robert DeNiro look like Ben Affleck. Often dismissed as little more than a trickster comedian, Cohen is actually an extraordinarily committed actor. Think about it - his performances as Ali G were so believable that he actually managed to convince otherwise intelligent people that he was in fact black, despite all evidence to the contrary.

Then came Borat in a bright green mankini, fooling the credulous and the cretinous all over the US with his bushy moustache, disarming naivete and casual racism. All it took was a new outfit and a different approach to facial hair to completely transform Cohen into an unrecognisable Kazakhstani journalist.

When that movie grossed over a quarter of a billion dollars, film studios were desperate to sign up Cohen for more of the same. But there was concern that with Cohen now Hollywood's hottest enfant terrible, he would be unable to dupe the public all over again in a new guise. But they underestimated his chameleonic commitment.

So now we find ourselves anticipating the imminent release of Bruno, charting the adventures of Austria's pre-eminent flamboyant fashion doyen. Throwing himself into the role with gusto, Cohen risked life and limb to expose the homophobia lurking in America's heartland.

As well as sneaking naked into an unsuspecting hunter's tent, simulating sex in a hot-tub and offering Dr. Paul Cameron, chairman of the Family Research Institute, a blow job, Cohen has also stayed in character long after the film's completion.

In doing so, he has turned the film's staggered premières into a kind of experiential showcase that further blurs the boundaries between fact and fiction. But given the uncomfortable issues he scrutinises in his films, perhaps that's exactly what's needed. Let's just hope that Oscar is paying attention...

Brüno gets the horn

It's almost impossible to visit a website or open a paper at the moment without seeing Sacha Baron Cohen's notoriously waxed derriere in some kind of ridiculous outfit. Tackling the country-by-country unveiling of his new movie Brüno as a small scale world tour, he's notching up the column inches in typically controversial style.

Although the press are falling over themselves to applaud Cohen's (hairless) balls, not everyone is so pleased about the impending film's release. For a start there's Richelle Olson, who's suing Cohen for $25,000 in damages for brain injuries she claims to have suffered when she fell during a scuffle on stage with 'Brüno'.

Given the fact that Universal Studios are confident that the video footage shows that Olson was never touched by Cohen, it seems that this is just another opportunistic exercise in wishful litigation. Although credit to Olson for getting in there before the movie is released, the Borat lawsuits didn't descend until after the movie came out and hit big at the box office.

Far more interesting though, is the 'concern' expressed by the gay community, who worry about the impact that the film will have on perceptions of homosexuality. Despite the fact that Cohen's intention is to hold a mirror up to US society's discomfort with the love that dare not shop at Primark, that's not good enough for some people. Nor is the fact that significant reshoots were conducted to avoid any potential upset.

At a recent industry event in honour of Dustin Lance Black, some prominent (but conspicuously anonymous) people commented that Cohen's portrayal was comparable to a white actor appearing in black face. Of course, no-one bothered to mention that Robert Downey Jr scored an Oscar nomination for doing precisely that earlier this year for his performance in Tropic Thunder.

The point here, is that there's a difference between an ignorant, uninformed portrayal of a minority community, and one which demonstrates an informed understanding of life's complexities. The more 'challenging' elements of Bruno dare to address some of the extremes of the gay lifestyle, that understandably give people pause for thought.

This is something that spoof news source The Onion accurately captured years ago in a brilliant article entitled 'Gay-Pride Parade Sets Mainstream Acceptance Of Gays Back 50 Years'. If we want to be accepted and respected, we have to be understood. Even if that means occasionally we’re forced to acknowledge some of the more distasteful elements of our cultural identity. If we're happy to laugh at ignorant rednecks' intolerance, we can't complain if occasionally the joke's on us.

Can I please stand up, please stand up?

Poor Eminem. After battling his demons and finally launching his big comeback with new CD 'Relapse', he settled into his seat to enjoy Sunday's 2009 MTV Movie Awards. But part way through the show, Sacha Baron Cohen took to the stage in character as Bruno, and Eminem was left with more than just egg on his face.

The thing is, Bruno likes to make an entrance. And did so, suspended on cables, wearing a jockstrap and angel wings. As he flew across the auditorium he demanded to be let down, and was dutifully dropped straight into Eminem's lap. Bottom side up.



After much writhing and tussling, Eminem was finally freed by his entourage, and supposedly stormed out of the theatre with a face like thunder.

Now, I hate to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but Eminem had to have been in on the joke. Wirework is notoriously difficult to pull off at the best of times, and the precision programming needed to drop Cohen right on top of Eminem would have taken a good deal of preparation. This was a carefully choreographed stunt from the get-go. And although Eminem played angry about the whole affair, his response was a little too muted to be genuine.

But the funniest thing about the whole affair was the reaction of fans. Half of them refused to believe that Eminem would stoop to being teabagged at an awards ceremony, whilst the other half thought MTV went too far. My favourite response was posted on www.wwtdd.com by Bill03:
"I can’t imagine eminem was in on this stunt. No thug life black rapper would go for being tea-bagged on tv and since eminem is white and has to act extra black to be accepted into the thug life community he would never go along. He get’s major bitch points for this..."

Whether Marshall Mathers III was in on the joke or not will no doubt be settled soon enough. Given that he performed a duet with Elton John to answer accusations of homophobia, and his fondness for smutty sex-based humour, I'm hoping that he's not too put out at getting up close and personal with Baron Cohen waxed sack and crack.

As for Bruno, he got some great extra footage for his forthcoming movie, once again showcasing America's tendency towards gay panic.