Brüno (character)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brüno | |
|---|---|
 Sacha Baron Cohen as Brüno at the 2009 MTV Movie Awards |
|
| First appearance | Shorts on the Paramount Comedy Channel (now Comedy Central UK). |
| Last appearance | Brüno |
| Created by | Sacha Baron Cohen |
| Portrayed by | Sacha Baron Cohen |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 19 (according to himself) |
| Date of birth | 1990 (according to himself) |
| Occupation | Fashionpolizei, interviewer for Austrian Gay TV |
| Family | Mother, father and brother |
| Children | OJ (swapped for an iPod and got him back for a MacBook Pro) |
Brüno Gehard (pronounced "broo-noe gay-hard"), sometimes written as Bruno and Brueno, is a fictional Austrian fashion reporter portrayed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who first appeared during short sketches on The Paramount Comedy Channel in 1998, before reappearing on Da Ali G Show. 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.[1]
Sacha Baron Cohen's character Brüno, alongside his Ali G and Borat characters, has been retired.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Character backstory
Brüno was born in Klagenfurt, Austria, and he has quoted his surname as being "Gehard". Despite appearing to be a grown man nearing the threshold of middle age, he claims to be nineteen years old. His mother was murdered by his father, who was a prominent cuckoo clock beak maker in Schleswig-Holstein before going to jail.[3] Brüno's first gay experience occurred when he was fourteen years old when Uncle Wilhelm entered performed fellatio on him. Brüno's brother Durgel runs a laminating business in Salzburg.[4]
By the late 1980s, Bruno worked as a dancer, and he had a friendship with Rob Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan of Milli Vanilli fame. In 1992, he was chosen to be one of the dancers in the video for Snap!'s "Rhythm is a Dancer", but had to decline when he developed an eye infection from contact with dog feces. He took a job at Vienna kink establishment, Klub Apartheid, as a human urinal. After being urinated on by a producer from the ÖJRF Austrian TV channel Brüno made a witty remark and he was given the opportunity to host a show. His first television show was Get Uber It, followed by Funkyzeit mit Brüno (Funkytime with Brüno) which has run for eight years.[4] On the show he interviewed guests about topics such as fashion, entertainment, celebrities and LGBT issues with an emphasis on homosexuality and gay sex. Brüno was fired from the show in 2008, but has since been reinstated.[4] Brüno picks up the character's story just before he was fired from Funkyzeit in 2008.
The Austrian TV station that screens Funkyzeit is ÖJRF (revealed once as Österreichischer Jungen-Rundfunk, or in English, Austrian Boys Broadcasting). The name is similar to that of Austrian national broadcaster ORF (Österreichischer Rundfunk). Their logo often appears on Brüno's show in the upper right corner of the screen. Brüno has also claimed to be making the show for Austrian Gay TV, and encouraged a college wrestling team at Daytona Beach to send greetings to all viewers of the channel.[5] The show's theme song is "Crank It Up", by Scooter, from the album Our Happy Hardcore.
[edit] MTV Movie Awards
In May 2009, Baron Cohen appeared as Brüno 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 Eminem 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 Brüno 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.[6] Eminem revealed that the stunt had been planned and rehearsed beforehand; Baron Cohen had discussed the idea with Eminem, who is a fan of Baron Cohen's work and agreed to do the stunt.[7]
[edit] Reaction
Some LGBT groups have criticized the character as perpetuating LGBT stereotypes while simultaneously enlightening institutionalized homophobia issues.[3] "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 programs for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) told the New York Times.[8] The character was not well-received by The Guardian, who described Bruno as, "a product of Sacha Baron Cohen's bourgeois sexual neuroses."[9]
Cohen appeared as Brüno on Late Night with David Letterman[3][10], where he made reference to Ayman Abu Aita, a Christian charity worker, whom Brüno comically interviewed in the movie as a terrorist associated with Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade. 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.[11] 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.[12]
[edit] References
- ^ Hollywood Reporter "Uni wins 'Brüno' auction for $42.5 mil"
- ^ Yahoo News: Cohen puts Bruno to bed Yahoo, 18 July 2009
- ^ a b c "When Bruno Met Robbie", NOW, By Robbie Collin, May 7, 2009
- ^ a b c Times UK Online "Brüno: ich bin ein superstar" by Stephen Armstrong, June 28, 2009
- ^ Your Daily Media "Bruno Pranks Daytona Wrestling Team"
- ^ "Eminem: I Laughed for 3 Hours Over Stunt"
- ^ http://www.rapradar.com/qa/rr-exclusive-eminem-speaks-on-mtv-stunt-and-robbery-rumors.html
- ^ CNN Showbiz "'Vassup!' 'Bruno' hits the carpet for London premiere" by Mairi Mackay, June 18, 2009
- ^ "Bruno is a product of Sacha Baron Cohen's bourgeois sexual neuroses". July 9, 2009. http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/jul/09/bruno-sacha-baron-cohen. Retrieved July 11, 2009.
- ^ Sky News
- ^ the Guardian, 31 July 2009, The non-profit worker from Bethlehem who was branded a terrorist by Bruno
- ^ "Palestinian group threatens Sacha Baron Cohen." JTA. 28 July 2009. 28 July 2009.
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||
