Brüno Gehard

Brüno Gehard (; sometimes spelled ''Bruno'' or ''Brueno'') is a satirical fictional character portrayed by English comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. A flamboyantly gay fashion reporter from Austria, Brüno first appeared during short sketches on Paramount Comedy 1 in 1998, before reappearing on a 2003 episode of '' Da Ali G Show''. Following the success of '' Ali G Indahouse'' and '' Borat'', Universal Studios gained the rights to produce and release a 2009 feature film about the character, also called ''Brüno''. The character has since been retired.Yahoo News: Cohen puts Bruno to bed
Yahoo, 18 July 2009

Eminem incident

In May 2009, Brüno appeared at the MTV Movie Awards, dressed as an angel with wings strapped to his buttocks as he descended on wires 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 in a 69-esque position, with his exposed buttocks in Eminem's face. Members of D12 helped to remove Brüno. Eminem and D12 then stormed out of the ceremony. Eminem appeared surprised and angry about the prank, but both he and Baron Cohen later claimed that the incident had been staged and rehearsed by the two. Eminem told reporters that he laughed uncontrollably for three hours in his hotel room afterward. While the prank is widely accepted as being staged, some commentators have questioned the extent to which Eminem was in on the joke.

Reaction

The 2009 feature film Brüno was well received by ''The Guardian'', who described him as "howlingly funny, staggeringly rude, brutally incorrect and very often just brilliant".

LGBT response

Some LGBT groups have criticized the character as perpetuating LGBT stereotypes. "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 programmes for the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) told the ''New York Times''.

Ayman Abu Aita lawsuit

Baron Cohen appeared as Brüno on the ''Late Show with David Letterman'' in July 2009, where he made reference to Ayman Abu Aita (whom Brüno interviewed in the movie) as a terrorist. Abu Aita was identified in the film as a member of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a Palestinian terrorist organization responsible for numerous suicide bombings. Abu Aita claimed that he was never a member of the group, though he had identified as such in a 2002 ''Boston Globe'' article. He had also served two years in an Israeli prison for his role in the Second Intifada. Abu Aita made plans to sue, saying that he was misled and that he did not sign release forms for the footage of him that appeared in the film. Baron Cohen increased his security detail after ''WorldNetDaily'' claimed to receive a statement from al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades threatening his life following the premiere of the film. In December 2009, Abu Aita sued Baron Cohen and Letterman at a federal court in Washington, D.C. In November 2010, the lawsuit was dismissed in D.C. so it could be refiled in the Supreme Court of New York,Supreme Court Records Online Library
case 102524-2011 which also dismissed it in July 2012.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gehard, Bruno
Male characters in film
Male characters in television
Comedy television characters
Fictional Austrian people
Television characters introduced in 1998
Fictional gay males
Sacha Baron Cohen
Ethnic humour
Fictional interviewers
Fictional reporters
Fictional television personalities
Fictional LGBT characters in film
Fictional LGBT characters in television
Fictional people in fashion