Brüno (character)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Brüno Gehard | |
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| First appearance | Shorts on the Paramount Comedy Channel (now Comedy Central UK). |
| Created by | Sacha Baron Cohen |
| Portrayed by | Sacha Baron Cohen |
| Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Age | 19 (according to himself) Appears to be mid to late thirties |
| Occupation | Fashionpolizei, interviewer for Austrian Gay TV |
| Family | Mother, father and brother |
| Children | O.J. (adopted) |
Brüno Gehard (pronounced "gay-hard"), sometimes written as Bruno or Brueno, is a fictional gay 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 released the film Brüno.[1]
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[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, he claims to be 19 years old. His mother was murdered by his father, who was a prominent cuckoo clock beak maker in Schleswig-Holstein before going to jail.[2] Brüno's first homosexual experience occured when he was 14 years old when his Uncle Wilhelm entered his bedroom late one night and performed fellatio on him. Brüno claims that this only happened as he was holding a knife to his uncle's neck at the time. Brüno's brother Durgel runs a laminating business in Salzburg.[3]
By the late 1980s, Bruno worked as a dancer, and he had a relationship with who he calls Milli of Milli Vanilli, presumed to be the late Rob Pilatus. In 1992, he was chosen to be one of the dancers in the video for Snap!'s Rhythm is a Dancer, but had to pull out the day before filming when he developed an eye infection from contact with dog faeces. He took a job at Klub Apartheid in Vienna, initially working as a urinal. After being urinated on by a producer from the ÖJRF Austrian TV channel, Brüno made a witty remark and his potential was noted. His first television show was Get Uber It, followed by Funkyzeit mit Brüno (Funkytime with Brüno) which has been running for eight years.[3] On this show, Brüno interviewed guests about topics such as fashion, entertainment, celebrities and homosexuality, with an emphasis on the last subject as each interview progresses. Brüno was fired from the show in 2008, but has since been reinstated.[3] The Brüno film 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.[4] 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 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.[5][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] Controversies
"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 told the New York Times.[8] "Some gay advocates are worried that Cohen could reinforce negative stereotypes about homosexuals."[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Hollywood Reporter "Uni wins 'Brüno' auction for $42.5 mil"
- ^ a b "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"
- ^ Newser "Eminem: I Laughed for 3 Hours Over Stunt" Arts & Living News Briefs, by John Johnson, Jun 3, 2009
- ^ Newser "Eminem Approved Bruno Butt 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
[edit] External links
- Official Da Ali G Show site
- Interview with Arnold Schwarzenegger
- Official Brüno MySpace Profile
- Brüno's Gayest Moments
- Brüno Interviewing Skinheads Video
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