Exclusive
La Toya's Cut Brüno Scene Surfaces, Makes Glorious Benefit of DVD
Comedy is all about timing. Unfortunately, Brüno's stank.
Days after Michael Jackson's June 25 death—just two weeks before Sacha Baron Cohen's raunchfest was set to premiere—filmmakers scrambled to remove a scene that could have been deemed distasteful, even by their standards. The flamboyant Austrian fashion plate lured La Toya Jackson to a Hollywood home, sat her on a Mexican laborer, made her eat sushi off the nude body of another, shanghaied her BlackBerry and read out Michael's number, all after asking her to impersonate him.
But what a difference four months makes.
Now, like Edward and Bella or Suri Cruise and seasonally inappropriate garb, Brüno and La Toya are once again back together, with the cut scene restored for the film's forthcoming home video release. But not before resurfacing exclusively right here!
Though if it all seems a little familiar, there's a good reason for that...
Exclusive
Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher to the Rescue, Doggone It!
Steve Granitz/Wireimage.com
Just call it puppy love for Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher.
The engaged funny couple not only found a lost dog wandering in traffic this weekend, but they even tracked down its owner.
Here's how their canine caper went down...
Fans Look for Brüno in Austria, but He's in France
INFphoto.com
Brüno may be banned in several countries, but the movie's fictional character's home country is applauding it.
Austrian tourism is drastically on the rise since the release of Sacha Baron Cohen's film. Everyone wants to see the Vienna hot spots where the fashion icon strutted the streets.
Only one problem with that—most of the scenes in "Vienna" actually were shot in Paris.
Oops!
The country may be a bit frustrated with Brüno constantly linking it back to Hitler, but tourism boss Norbert Kettner is only seeing the film's benefits. Hotel bookings from Britain are up 120 percent, he claims.
"I would like to say quite frankly, thank you, Brüno!" he told the U.K. press.
Vonder vat ze Parisians think about zat.
________
Brüno isn't the only person who gets to live it up around the world. Check out other globe-trotting celebs in our Global Party Pics gallery!
Update
Half-Blood Prince Crowns Brüno (and Everything Else)
Warner Bros
Harry Potter ruled. Brüno met Doom.
The weekend box office was the domain of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which followed up its big Wednesday opening with a big $79.5 million Friday-Sunday, per estimates, pushing its overall take to $159.7 million.
Sacha Baron Cohen's Brüno, meanwhile, saw ticket sales plunge 73 percent from last weekend, a drop that put the comedy in the inglorious company of all-time free-fallers such as The Real Cancun, The Adventures of Pluto Nash and videogame bust Doom.
Here's how Half-Blood Prince stacked up against its Harry Potter elders (and, for those ardent Edward Cullen boosters, Twilight, too):
Brüno Banned in Ukraine, Chopped in U.K.
Universal
Trendsetters, take note: Ukraine is the new Kazakhstan.
A week before it was scheduled to open in the former Soviet nation, Brüno has been formally banned by Ukraine from playing within its borders, after the country's Culture Ministry branded the film "immoral" and called its language and sexual imagery "obscene and improper."
Apparently, frontal male nudity, depictions of S&M swingers' parties and simulated sex acts with a ghost aren't what pass for entertainment in the Ukraine (on a related note, God bless America).
Brüno's Gay Dilemma Rages On
Art Streiber / Out Magazine
Sacha Baron Cohen's Brüno may have been No. 1 at the box office this weekend, but it's not at the top of some gay activists' must-see movie lists.
In fact, GLAAD issued a statement from its incoming president, Jarrett Barrios, on Friday, the day of the movie's release, expressing disappointment in Cohen's use of too many gay stereotypes...
Update
Does This Debut Make Brüno Look Fat?
Mark Schwartzbard / Universal Pictures
Brüno beat Borat. The rest is debatable.
Sacha Baron Cohen's latest experiment in button-pushing comedy grossed $30.4 million, per studio estimates, topping the weekend competition, and besting the debut for Cohen's 2006 surprise blockbuster.
Box office analysts cautioned that Brüno was already fizzling after a fast and fat Friday, while Universal Pictures basically maintained fast and fat ain't a bad thing.
"Certainly Brüno's Friday pointed to something higher than $30.4 million," Box Office Mojo's Brandon Gray said today.
Said Universal exec Nikki Rocco: "We're thrilled with the results."
Breaking down the numbers:
No Laughing Matter: Brüno Re-sued for Emotional Damages
Universal
At this rate, Brüno must think he's the one getting punk'd.
Yet again, the target of one of Sacha Baron Cohen's practical jokes is attempting to laugh all the way to the bank with the prankster's dough.
First, Richelle Olson sued the self-proclaimed fashionista for a bingo-based beatdown. Now she's singing a different tune and accusing him of wheelchair-binding "emotional distress."
We wish we were joking...
Are You Hot for Brüno?
Universal
Box-office analyst Jeff Bock has a theory about Sacha Baron Cohen's new comedy: "Brüno is going to teach a lot of people about gay sex whether they want to know or not."
And you know what that'll mean to ticket sales...
Review: Brüno Kinda Hilarious, Kinda Hard to Watch
Helene Wiesenhaan/Getty Images
Review in a Hurry: Sticking with the wildly successful Borat formula, Sacha Baron Cohen uses his guerilla tactics to "expose" the vanity and vacuity of Hollywood and the American South. His high-wire humor can be very funny, but here the groans often drown out the giggles.
Brüno's High School Football Brouhaha
Ze fashionpolizei is facing off with the football police.
The kids loved it and had a ball, but that didn't stop the Los Angeles Unified School District from punishing the principal and athletic director of a local high school for allowing its football team to pose for some hilarious photographs with Sacha Baron Cohen in the guise of Brüno.
Players from the Birmingham High School squad in Van Nuys are featured in a spread alongside the cinematic prankster in this month's GQ magazine, whose cover sports a naked Brüno.
Jackson Scene Cut From Brüno Premiere
Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Michael Jackson's sudden death sent Sacha Baron Cohen back to the editing room.
The Brüno star spoofed Michael's sister La Toya during her accidental cameo in his new movie and made references to her famous sibling. Just last week, it was still a part of the movie.
But at last night's Hollywood premiere, the scene was cut. "Out of respect for the Jackson family, the filmmakers have decided to remove a small scene involving La Toya Jackson," says a Universal Pictures spokesperson.
Sacha didn't tame any of the premiere antics, though. He arrived in character, straddling a huge bedazzled tank in short shorts, and sounded off on Brüno's celeb crush...
The Big Picture
Am I Still Famous? Hey, we were just puzzling out the same thing, Linds. We flipped a coin and...You are!
More PhotosMost Commented
- Rob and Kristen Stroll Arm in Arm! (885)
- Bitch-Back! What's Eating Angie? (702)
- Twilight Director Rewrites Robsten History? (650)
- Fall TV SOS: Save One Endangered New Show (588)
- Jensen's Engaged! So Is Jackles in Trouble? (583)
- Bitch-Back! Michael Lohan's a Good Guy? (563)
- Inside Rob and Kristen's Stunning Euro Slobberfest! (529)
- Rob Pregnant! Taylor Never Stripping Again! And Other Twilight Tall Tales (520)
- Overworked Rob Needs a Break! (366)
- Rob and Kristen Keep the Mystery Going (317)
Top 10 Stories
- Happy Doomsday! 2012 Blows Up with $65 Mil
- Rihanna and Chris Brown Battle It Out Via Music Video
- Week in Review: Taylor Swift and Carrie Prejean Blow Up in Very Different Ways
- DJ AM Survived Plane Crash—but It Killed Him Anyway, Family Says
- Eddie Cibrian's Ex Wants Him to Pay and Keep the Kids Away From LeAnn
- A Violent Past for Alleged Cindy Crawford Extortionist: Exes Claimed Abuse and Rape
- Balloon Boy Parents Plead Guilty, Are About to Become New York's Problem
- Taylor Lautner, Put Your Shirt On!
- France Goes Ahead, Makes Clint Eastwood's Day
- Need a Laugh? Urine Luck, Thanks to a Beaver and CBS
Fashion Police
Chin Up!Amid the infidelity rumors, a confident-looking Fergie carries on with the parties 'n' the funky duds
More Photos
-
Soup Week: Aaron Carter Boogies with Germs, Ray J Spills Beans, Tyra Talks Tapeworms and More!
The best five days of Soup ever! more >> -
-
Fun & Games
Latest Movie Reviews
Shop
-
All New Shop E! Online New site, new stuff!
-
Chelsea Lately Coffee Mug Check out the new Chelsea Lately section at Shop E! Online for more
Get Your E! News Now
