Bush to hold talks regarding 'Ali G' comedian

Martin · 09-13-2006, 11:02 AM

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

Bush to hold talks on Ali G creator after diplomatic row
Last updated at 16:11pm on 12th September 2006

US President George Bush is to host White House talks on British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen.
Cohen, 35, creator of Ali G, has infuriated the Kazakhstan government with his portrayal of Borat, a bumbling Kazakh TV presenter.
And now a movie of Borat's adventures in the US has caused a diplomatic incident.

The opening scene, which shows Borat lustily kissing his sister goodbye and setting off for America in a car pulled by a horse, had audiences in stitches when it was first shown last week.
But the film, which has just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, has prompted a swift reaction from the Kazakhstan government, which is launching a PR blitz in the States.
Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev is to fly to the US to meet President Bush in the coming weeks and on the agenda will be his country's image.

President Nazarbayev has confirmed his government will buy "educational" TV spots and print advertisements about the "real Kazakhstan" in a bid to save the country's reputation before the film is released in the US in November.
President Nazarbayev will visit the White House and the Bush family compound in Maine when he flies in for talks that will include the fictional character Borat.

But a spokesman for the Kazakhstan Embassy says it is unlikely that President Nazarbayev will find the film funny.
Roman Vassilenko said: "The Government has expressed its displeasure about Borat's representation of our country.
"Our opinion of the character has not changed.
"We understand that the film exposes the hypocrisy that exists both here in the USA and in the UK and understand that Mr Cohen has a right to freedom of speech.

"Nursultan Nazarbayev has taken Mr Bush up on an invitation to visit this country to help build our relationship with the USA.
"I cannot speak for the president himself, only for the government, but I certainly don't think President Nazarbayev and Mr Bush will share a joke about the film.
"The bottom line is we want people to know that he does not represent the true people of Kazakhstan."
The Kazakh government has previously threatened Baron-Cohen with legal action, for allowing Borat to, among other things, make fun of his homeland, demean women, slander gypsies and urge listeners to "Throw the Jew Down the Well."

Anti-Borat hard-liners have pulled the plug on borat.kz, Borat's Kazakhstan-based Website after his frequent displays of anti-Semitism and his portrayal of Kazakh culture.
Nurlan Isin, President of the Association of Kazakh IT Companies took the action after complaints.
He said: "We've done this so he can't badmouth Kazakhstan under the .kz domain name.
"He can go and do whatever he wants at other domains."
The row originally erupted in November 2005, following Borat's hosting of the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon.
The Kazakh Foreign Ministry was furious over Cohen's bad taste representation of the nation.

'No such thing as bad publicity'

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yerzhan Ashykbayev told a news conference: "We view Mr. Cohen's behaviour at the MTV Europe Music Awards as utterly unacceptable, being a concoction of bad taste and ill manners which is completely incompatible with the ethics and civilized behaviour of Kazakhstan's people.
"We reserve the right to any legal action to prevent new pranks of the kind."

Baron Cohen responded to Ashykbayev in character by posting a video on the Official Borat website.
In the video, Borat said, "In response to Mr. Ashykbayev's comments, I'd like to state I have no connection with Mr. Cohen and fully support my Government's decision to sue this Jew.
"Since the 2003 Tuleyakiv reforms, Kazakhstan is as civilized as any other country in the world.

"Women can now travel on inside of bus, homosexuals no longer have to wear blue hats, and age of consent has been raised to eight years old."
His blatant outpouring then prompted the Kazakh government to hire two public relations firms to counter the claims, and ran a four-page advertisement in The New York Times.
The ad carried testimonials about the nation's democracy, education system and the power and influence enjoyed by women. News of President Nazarbayev's upcoming visit has prompted experts to study the character's impact on US culture.
Sean R. Roberts, Central Asian Affairs Fellow at Georgetown University, has been studying the phenomenon.
He said: "I have found that more Americans are aware of Kazakhstan than four years ago when I last lived in the United States.
"The increased knowledge of Kazakhstan, however, is not due to the country's economic successes or its role as a U.S. ally in the war on terror.

"Instead, most Americans who have heard of Kazakhstan have heard of it through a satire of a Kazakh journalist named Borat.
"Borat certainly does not promote an image of Kazakhstan that is in sync with that which the government and its leader would like to promote abroad.

"As the old adage goes, however, 'there is no such thing as bad publicity.'
"If that is true, Borat is bringing much more publicity to Kazakhstan." Cohen's representatives refused to allow him or his alter ego to respond to the controversy because it's not close enough to the film's release date.

Swiss Miss · 09-13-2006, 11:19 AM

Good grief. That is a hilarous article!!!

I love that video where he responded to Ashykbayev...

I can't wait for this movie to come out. If anything regarding their public image that the Kazakhstan government will be successful in doing is showing the rest of the world that they can't take a joke. I look forward to these counter advertisements about Kazakhstan... people may just think that it's more advertisement for Borat! Why the hell is Bush going to get involved in this though? I mean, does he not understand that it's a joke too? And another thing... The Kazakhstan govn't wants to sue Cohen... but under what jurisdiction would they do that??

Good find, Martin.

Martin · 09-13-2006, 11:50 AM

It makes Kazakhstan look like even more of a Joke with their government so angry about this. lolllll... Plus it'll increase ticket sales.

RadioactiveMan · 09-13-2006, 12:10 PM

They're stupid to be bent out of shape over this. It's all in good fun- like poking fun at Canada in Canadian Bacon.

Big Red 11 · 09-13-2006, 03:26 PM

I can't wait until that movie. I don't understand why they think it kills their reputation, as if they had much of one to begin with. Anyone who believes Cohen is Kazakstani and that his portrayal of the country is true is too idiotic to fly anyway.

Swiss Miss · 09-14-2006, 03:03 PM

HAHAH... I have Borat on my myspace thing... and he sent out this bulletin:

Jagshemash! Hello MySpaces bestfriend it Borat here. I am sends this electrical letter for invite you come special screenings of my moviefilm date September 20. Please clickings here for instruction this

I like you, I hope you like my moviefilm. If it not success they will crush me! Chenquieh.

Who writes this crap for him?? Sadly, Orlando isn't on the map... :-(

Martin · 09-14-2006, 03:14 PM

Darn, how come that site doesnt list the exact location of each theater? Trying to find out which one in Philly will be showing it. I may just make the venture.

Swiss Miss · 09-17-2006, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin

Darn, how come that site doesnt list the exact location of each theater? Trying to find out which one in Philly will be showing it. I may just make the venture.

Yeah, I don't know how you could figure that one out... but if you're willing to drive to Philly then what difference does it make whiche theater? The closest to me is Miami and I'm not up for driving 3 hours to the movies.

This is the video of Borat's response:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...60467944829417

Too funny. In the description of that vid, it says:

Quote:

Borat responds to Yerzhan Ashykbayev.

Original statement about Borat: "We do not rule out that Mr. Cohen is serving someone's political order designed to present Kazakhstan and its people in a derogatory way. We reserve the right to any legal action to prevent new pranks of the kind. We view Mr. Cohen's behaviour at the MTV Europe Music Awards as utterly unacceptable, being a concoction of bad taste and ill manners which is completely incompatible with ethics and civilized behaviour."-Yerzhan Ashykbayev, Kazakh Foreign Ministry Spokesman

I can't believe he thinks there's a "political order" against the country... good lord.

09-13-2006, 11:02 AM	#1
Martin Administrator Join Date: Feb 2006 Age: 33 Posts: 247	Bush to hold talks regarding 'Ali G' comedian http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770 Bush to hold talks on Ali G creator after diplomatic row Last updated at 16:11pm on 12th September 2006 US President George Bush is to host White House talks on British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Cohen, 35, creator of Ali G, has infuriated the Kazakhstan government with his portrayal of Borat, a bumbling Kazakh TV presenter. And now a movie of Borat's adventures in the US has caused a diplomatic incident. The opening scene, which shows Borat lustily kissing his sister goodbye and setting off for America in a car pulled by a horse, had audiences in stitches when it was first shown last week. But the film, which has just premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, has prompted a swift reaction from the Kazakhstan government, which is launching a PR blitz in the States. Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev is to fly to the US to meet President Bush in the coming weeks and on the agenda will be his country's image. President Nazarbayev has confirmed his government will buy "educational" TV spots and print advertisements about the "real Kazakhstan" in a bid to save the country's reputation before the film is released in the US in November. President Nazarbayev will visit the White House and the Bush family compound in Maine when he flies in for talks that will include the fictional character Borat. But a spokesman for the Kazakhstan Embassy says it is unlikely that President Nazarbayev will find the film funny. Roman Vassilenko said: "The Government has expressed its displeasure about Borat's representation of our country. "Our opinion of the character has not changed. "We understand that the film exposes the hypocrisy that exists both here in the USA and in the UK and understand that Mr Cohen has a right to freedom of speech. "Nursultan Nazarbayev has taken Mr Bush up on an invitation to visit this country to help build our relationship with the USA. "I cannot speak for the president himself, only for the government, but I certainly don't think President Nazarbayev and Mr Bush will share a joke about the film. "The bottom line is we want people to know that he does not represent the true people of Kazakhstan." The Kazakh government has previously threatened Baron-Cohen with legal action, for allowing Borat to, among other things, make fun of his homeland, demean women, slander gypsies and urge listeners to "Throw the Jew Down the Well." Anti-Borat hard-liners have pulled the plug on borat.kz, Borat's Kazakhstan-based Website after his frequent displays of anti-Semitism and his portrayal of Kazakh culture. Nurlan Isin, President of the Association of Kazakh IT Companies took the action after complaints. He said: "We've done this so he can't badmouth Kazakhstan under the .kz domain name. "He can go and do whatever he wants at other domains." The row originally erupted in November 2005, following Borat's hosting of the MTV Europe Music Awards in Lisbon. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry was furious over Cohen's bad taste representation of the nation. 'No such thing as bad publicity' Foreign Ministry spokesman Yerzhan Ashykbayev told a news conference: "We view Mr. Cohen's behaviour at the MTV Europe Music Awards as utterly unacceptable, being a concoction of bad taste and ill manners which is completely incompatible with the ethics and civilized behaviour of Kazakhstan's people. "We reserve the right to any legal action to prevent new pranks of the kind." Baron Cohen responded to Ashykbayev in character by posting a video on the Official Borat website. In the video, Borat said, "In response to Mr. Ashykbayev's comments, I'd like to state I have no connection with Mr. Cohen and fully support my Government's decision to sue this Jew. "Since the 2003 Tuleyakiv reforms, Kazakhstan is as civilized as any other country in the world. "Women can now travel on inside of bus, homosexuals no longer have to wear blue hats, and age of consent has been raised to eight years old." His blatant outpouring then prompted the Kazakh government to hire two public relations firms to counter the claims, and ran a four-page advertisement in The New York Times. The ad carried testimonials about the nation's democracy, education system and the power and influence enjoyed by women. News of President Nazarbayev's upcoming visit has prompted experts to study the character's impact on US culture. Sean R. Roberts, Central Asian Affairs Fellow at Georgetown University, has been studying the phenomenon. He said: "I have found that more Americans are aware of Kazakhstan than four years ago when I last lived in the United States. "The increased knowledge of Kazakhstan, however, is not due to the country's economic successes or its role as a U.S. ally in the war on terror. "Instead, most Americans who have heard of Kazakhstan have heard of it through a satire of a Kazakh journalist named Borat. "Borat certainly does not promote an image of Kazakhstan that is in sync with that which the government and its leader would like to promote abroad. "As the old adage goes, however, 'there is no such thing as bad publicity.' "If that is true, Borat is bringing much more publicity to Kazakhstan." Cohen's representatives refused to allow him or his alter ego to respond to the controversy because it's not close enough to the film's release date.

09-13-2006, 11:19 AM	#2
Swiss Miss Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 160	Good grief. That is a hilarous article!!! I love that video where he responded to Ashykbayev... I can't wait for this movie to come out. If anything regarding their public image that the Kazakhstan government will be successful in doing is showing the rest of the world that they can't take a joke. I look forward to these counter advertisements about Kazakhstan... people may just think that it's more advertisement for Borat! Why the hell is Bush going to get involved in this though? I mean, does he not understand that it's a joke too? And another thing... The Kazakhstan govn't wants to sue Cohen... but under what jurisdiction would they do that?? Good find, Martin. __________________ "Typos are very important to all written form. It gives the reader something to look for so they aren't distracted by the total lack of content in your writing." - Randy K. Milholland

09-14-2006, 03:03 PM	#6
Swiss Miss Moderator Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Orlando, FL Posts: 160	HAHAH... I have Borat on my myspace thing... and he sent out this bulletin: Jagshemash! Hello MySpaces bestfriend it Borat here. I am sends this electrical letter for invite you come special screenings of my moviefilm date September 20. Please clickings here for instruction this I like you, I hope you like my moviefilm. If it not success they will crush me! Chenquieh. Who writes this crap for him?? Sadly, Orlando isn't on the map... :-( __________________ "Typos are very important to all written form. It gives the reader something to look for so they aren't distracted by the total lack of content in your writing." - Randy K. Milholland

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09-13-2006, 11:50 AM	#3
Martin Administrator Join Date: Feb 2006 Age: 33 Posts: 247	It makes Kazakhstan look like even more of a Joke with their government so angry about this. lolllll... Plus it'll increase ticket sales.

09-13-2006, 12:10 PM	#4
RadioactiveMan Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: B.C. Age: 19 Posts: 113	They're stupid to be bent out of shape over this. It's all in good fun- like poking fun at Canada in Canadian Bacon.

09-13-2006, 03:26 PM	#5
Big Red 11 Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 121	I can't wait until that movie. I don't understand why they think it kills their reputation, as if they had much of one to begin with. Anyone who believes Cohen is Kazakstani and that his portrayal of the country is true is too idiotic to fly anyway.

09-14-2006, 03:14 PM	#7
Martin Administrator Join Date: Feb 2006 Age: 33 Posts: 247	Darn, how come that site doesnt list the exact location of each theater? Trying to find out which one in Philly will be showing it. I may just make the venture.