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Bruno (character)
Encyclopedia
Brüno Gehard sometimes written as Bruno and Brueno, is a fictional character portrayed by English
comedian
Sacha Baron Cohen
. The character, a flamboyantly gay
Austrian fashion reporter, first appeared during short sketches on The Paramount Comedy Channel
in 1998, before reappearing on Da Ali G Show
with his partner Adrian Chan. Following the success of Ali G Indahouse
and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
, Universal Studios
gained rights to make and release a feature film
.
Cohen's character Brüno, alongside his Ali G
and Borat characters, has been retired.
who was seated directly beneath him. Brüno landed in Eminem's lap with his exposed rear end in Eminem's face. Members of D12
, including Swifty, Kuniva, and Bizarre
all helped to remove Brüno after Eminem said "Yo, get this motherfucker off me, man!" Eminem and the rest of the D12 members left the Awards, with Jesski shouting "Is the Real Slim Shady going to stand up?" Eminem appeared surprised and angered about the prank the whole time, but told reporters how he "laughed uncontrollably for about three hours" in his hotel afterward. Eminem revealed that the stunt had been planned and rehearsed beforehand; Cohen had discussed the idea with Eminem, who is a fan of Cohen's work and agreed to do the stunt.
groups have criticized the character as perpetuating LGBT stereotypes
while simultaneously enlightening institutionalized homophobia
issues. "Sacha Baron Cohen's well-meaning attempt at satire
is problematic in many places and outright offensive in others," Rashad Robinson, senior director of media programmes for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
(GLAAD) told the New York Times. The character was not well-received by The Guardian
, who described Brüno as, "a product of Sacha Baron Cohen's bourgeois sexual neuroses."
Baron Cohen appeared as Brüno on the Late Show with David Letterman
, where he made reference to Ayman Abu Aita whom Brüno comically interviewed in the movie as a terrorist. Ayman Abu Aita served in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an organization responsible for numerous suicide bombings from 2000 to 2003 and served two years in prison on charges relating to shootings against Israeli soldiers. However Abu Aita claims he is no longer active in the group and has been misrepresented in the film. Aita has said he plans to sue, saying that he was misled and that he did not sign release forms for the footage of him which appeared in the film. Baron Cohen has increased his security detail after World Net Daily claimed to receive a statement from Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade threatening his life following the premiere of the film.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
comedian
Comedian
A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience, primarily by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing situations, or acting a fool, as in slapstick, or employing prop comedy...
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Baron Cohen
Sacha Noam Baron Cohen is an English stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and voice artist. He is most widely known for his portrayal of three unorthodox fictional characters: Ali G, Borat, and Brüno...
. The character, a flamboyantly gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
Austrian fashion reporter, first appeared during short sketches on The Paramount Comedy Channel
Paramount Comedy 1
Comedy Central in the United Kingdom and Ireland is a localised version of Comedy Central which first began in the United States in the 1990s. The television channel is available through the Sky, Virgin Media, TalkTalk TV in the United Kingdom, Sky Ireland, UPC Ireland and Magnet Networks in the...
in 1998, before reappearing on Da Ali G Show
Da Ali G Show
Da Ali G Show is the name of two related satirical TV series created by and starring British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen and featuring the character Ali G....
with his partner Adrian Chan. Following the success of Ali G Indahouse
Ali G Indahouse
Ali G Indahouse is a British comedy film directed by Mark Mylod and starring the fictional character Ali G, who is performed by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen...
and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, often referred to simply as Borat, is a 2006 mockumentary comedy film directed by Larry Charles and distributed by 20th Century Fox...
, Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
gained rights to make and release a feature film
Bruno
Bruno is a male given name. It is derived from the Germanic word brun meaning "brown". It is also one of the most frequent Italian surnames. It also occurs very frequently in continental Europe and parts of Brazil as a given name for men and boys...
.
Cohen's character Brüno, alongside his Ali G
Ali G
Ali G is a satirical fictional character invented and performed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Originally appearing on Channel 4's Eleven O'Clock show, Ali G is the title character of Channel 4's Da Ali G Show, original episodes of which aired in 2000 and on HBO in 2003–2004, and is the...
and Borat characters, has been retired.
MTV Movie Awards
In May 2009, Brüno appeared at the MTV Movie Awards dressed as an angel with wings strapped to his buttocks hanging from the ceiling. As part of a prank, after an alleged equipment malfunction, he was lowered onto rapper EminemEminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
who was seated directly beneath him. Brüno landed in Eminem's lap with his exposed rear end in Eminem's face. Members of D12
D12
D12, an acronym for The Dirty Dozen, is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. D12 has had chart-topping albums in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia...
, including Swifty, Kuniva, and Bizarre
Bizarre (rapper)
Rufus Arthur Johnson , better known as Bizarre is an American recording artist best known for his work with Detroit hip-hop group D12. His songs are often about subjects which create shock value such as rape and drugs.-Early life:Bizarre was born as Rufus Arthur Johnson on July 5, 1976 in Detroit,...
all helped to remove Brüno after Eminem said "Yo, get this motherfucker off me, man!" Eminem and the rest of the D12 members left the Awards, with Jesski shouting "Is the Real Slim Shady going to stand up?" Eminem appeared surprised and angered about the prank the whole time, but told reporters how he "laughed uncontrollably for about three hours" in his hotel afterward. Eminem revealed that the stunt had been planned and rehearsed beforehand; Cohen had discussed the idea with Eminem, who is a fan of Cohen's work and agreed to do the stunt.
Reaction
Some LGBTLGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
groups have criticized the character as perpetuating LGBT stereotypes
LGBT stereotypes
Stereotypes about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people are conventional, formulaic generalizations, opinions, or images about persons based on their sexual orientation or gender identity. Stereotypes and homophobia are a learned outlook, i.e...
while simultaneously enlightening institutionalized homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
issues. "Sacha Baron Cohen's well-meaning attempt at satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
is problematic in many places and outright offensive in others," Rashad Robinson, senior director of media programmes for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation
The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation is a non-governmental media monitoring organization which promotes the image of LGBT people in the media...
(GLAAD) told the New York Times. The character was not well-received by The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, who described Brüno as, "a product of Sacha Baron Cohen's bourgeois sexual neuroses."
Baron Cohen appeared as Brüno on the Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman
Late Show with David Letterman is a U.S. late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and is produced by Letterman's production company, Worldwide Pants Incorporated. The show's music director and band-leader of the house band, the CBS Orchestra, is...
, where he made reference to Ayman Abu Aita whom Brüno comically interviewed in the movie as a terrorist. Ayman Abu Aita served in the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an organization responsible for numerous suicide bombings from 2000 to 2003 and served two years in prison on charges relating to shootings against Israeli soldiers. However Abu Aita claims he is no longer active in the group and has been misrepresented in the film. Aita has said he plans to sue, saying that he was misled and that he did not sign release forms for the footage of him which appeared in the film. Baron Cohen has increased his security detail after World Net Daily claimed to receive a statement from Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade threatening his life following the premiere of the film.