Comments on Austria is the New Kazakhstan

Yes, but while Borat exposes racist, xenophobic, rural "rubes", Bruno will likely embarrass pretentious, self-involved, citified libertines (uh oh). I wouldn't be surprised if this persona skips the backwaters entirely in favor of urban targets.

i hope he avoids doing the same thing again...i think cohen is a funny guy, but he keeps going to the same well...borat was just an extended episode of the ali g show...

Um, no, he went for the backwaters as well with Bruno, at least when he used the character on The Ali G Show. At one point he comes very close to getting himself killed.

Oh, and the one where he gets a bunch of students, I think in Florida, to go through all kinds of increasingly rowdy behaviour, including baring their asses to the camera, and then at the end tells them to shout "Hello Austrian Gay TV!" is just priceless.

Also Austria, IMHO, *is* full of people who quietly wishing the war had gone the other way. The atitude to the war is certainly very different from the mortifications of the Germans.

The Ali G Show has already featured several episodes with Bruno vs. homophobes, and the threat of violence is always just below the surface. Check out the episode where he cheer leads for a U of Alabama football game, or when he interviews a bunch of college wrestlers in Daytona Beach for spring break. Just as funny as Borat.

@4 is most likely correct.

Of course Arnie will think this is great.

To me, the key difference is that the Borat character is funny.

oh well, i guess i've outed myself as someone who doesn't really watch "da" ali g show. regardless...

"HELLO, AUSTRIAN GAY TV!"

@5 - or how about when he goes to the british skinhead music festival?

Say what you like, the guy definitely has balls of steel to do some of that stuff.

He already survived this encounter:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6293546195304088042&q=bruno

In the show, Bruno usually made fun of urbanites.

I have to say, the Ali G show stuff was gold. Re: Bruno, do you guys remember that one episode he's interviewing this conservative pastor? Seriously, thats one of the episodes where Cohen's genius really shines thru..

(on the subject of homosexuality..)
Pastor: "It says here clearly in Romans chapter.."
Bruno: "I LOVE Romans!"
...
I about fall off my chair when he goes into the 'achiya/nitsch-nitsch' routine'

Ok,

Bruno is by far my favourite Cohen - you guys have to go out and buy I think it's season 2 DVD Ali G (or rent…) He's the over the top fAAAaaabulous fashion correspondent who makes fun of the overly faaaabulous and fashionistas.

But when everyone speaks the same language it's mesmerising. At one point he prompts a fashion guy with (paraphrase) "Fashion does more for people than doctors, don’t' you think?" to which the guy replies "oh definitely…"

Not to mention when Bruno visits a gun show (or is it an NRA rally) in the deep south - talking about the importance of freedom - for the gun heads its freedom to bear arms - and Bruno says (paraphrase) "Freedom is soo important - you know like the freedom for me and my boyfriend to walk down the street in Austria holding hands….. " The gun guy doesn't have a clue what he's got himself into but DOES know " as long as you don’t try and convert me or any of my family we won't have no problems… but if you do….."

Simply Amazing - I heart Bruno

Here's the clip with the spring breakers. This was the first Cohen bit I ever saw and it had me in tears.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8Ec8J4erkU