sacha baron cohen – The Comedy Bureau

TCB Debriefing 8/10/23: Ali G Doing Stand-Up, Ben Roy, El Conde, I Used To Be Funny, Blooper Reels?

August 10, 2023

ali g, ben roy, el conde, netflix, Rachel Sennott, sacha baron cohen

1. Apparently, Sacha Baron Cohen is not working on a new movie (because of, you know, the Strikes) and is, instead, working on a stand-up tour where his legendary character, Ali G, will make an appearance (Variety). Is the twist that he will be performing at whatever jail Trump might be going to?

2. Ben Roy‘s astounding and hilarious hour special, Hyena, is now streaming on YouTube here. If you need more convincing, read our thoughts here.

3. Pinochet reimagined as a vampire in what could be a period piece spin-off of What We Do In the Shadows set in Chile? Yes, very much, please. Get your first look at the latest from Pablo Larraín (No, Jackie) , El Conde, here. Due out on Netflix on Sept. 15th.

4. Rachel Sennott continues her well deserved ascent into comedy film stardom with the latest Sennott vehicle, I Used To Be Funny, directed by the amazing Ally Pankiw (director of what’s probably your favorite episode from the new season of Black Mirror) scoring a U.S. distribution deal at Utopia (THR).

5. Oh, so you’re resorting to blooper reels for promotional content now, AMPTP? Sounds pretty desperate to us.

Pick of the Day: Vanity Fair Cocktail Hour 4/13-4/15

April 8, 2021

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amanda seyfried, cecily strong, judith light, kathryn hahn, laura dern, maya rudolph, movie picture television fund, phoebe robinson, sacha baron cohen, vanity fair, ziwe

Vanity Fair is trying, with as much as they can muster, to put as much glitz on a virtual fundraiser festival in support of the Motion Picture & Television Fund, and, for what they’ve got lined-up, it’s pretty damn nice.

Billed as The Vanity Fair Cocktail Hour, it will be three days worth of “inspiring conversations, innovative gatherings, and irresistible beverages, all experienced in the comfort of your home.” Yes, there’s a tier of tickets that you can buy a “Grey Goose Essences Cocktail Kit”.

Those conversations will be between the likes of Sacha Baron Cohen, Ziwe, Kathryn Hahn, Cecily Strong, Judith Light, Phoebe Robinson, Laura Dern, Maya Rudolph, Amanda Seyfried, and so many more stars, intriguing voices, etc. along with host Radhika Jones. Of the conversations that you’re privy to these days, you really might not want to miss these. You can get a full schedule/details here.

This Vanity Fair Cocktail Hour is set to go live throughout Apr. 13th-15th and tickets range from $19-$49 (depending if you want an all access pass or not). Go snag them here.

Pick of the Day: American Cinematheque: A Virtual Conversation with Sacha Baron Cohen and Eric Idle 2/17

February 5, 2021

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When it comes to character comedy, Sacha Baron Cohen stands tall, both literally and figuratively, above so many others for his daring and commitment as Borat and Ali G in service of comedy and satire. Eric Idle remains a living legend as part of one of the most lauded comedy troupes of all time, Monty Python.

You’d very likely pay good money to see either of them do a Q&A, virtually or in-person. Lucky for you, American Cinematheque is hosting a special virtual conversation between Cohen and Idle this month where the two will dive into their work. Truly, it ought to be illuminating to see both just as themselves talking shop.

This virtual conversation is set for Wed. Feb. 17th at 6PM PT/9PM ET. Tickets for livestream access are FREE, but be sure to RSVP here.

The Comedy Bureau Field Report Ep. 33: Chad Damiani & Clowning/Idiot in a Pandemic

November 11, 2020

News, The Comedy Bureau Field Report

adult swim festival, chad damiani, clowning, idiot, long form improv, sacha baron cohen

Before COVID-19 took hold, a new form of “clowning” that was so much more rebellious and absurd than most other live comedy, or even any clowning you likely would have seen in the past, had really started to take hold in Los Angeles. Through the last few years, such inspired, spirited, and ingenious performers like Chad Damiani were instrumental into not only pushing the boundaries of what you could do with blending characters, improv, physical comedy, etc. on a live stage, but pushing the boundaries of what you could do with live comedy as a whole. Chad dives into the whole world of clowning/idiot, with TCB’s Jake Kroeger, as it was in 2019 going into 2020 and what the clowning/idiot community has had to do to adapt to the pandemic (a growing number of outdoor shows in parks). Also, some quick “hot” takes on Adult Swim Festival’s full virtual line-up and Sacha Baron Cohen setting his sights for Mark Zuckerberg.

Follow Chad @thechaddamiani on Instagram

The Comedy Bureau @thecomedybureau across platforms and please, please support TCB via GoFundMe, Patreon, or on Venmo (@jakekroeger).
Produced by Jake Kroeger
Music by Brian Granillo
Artwork by Andrew Delman and KT

Sacha Baron Cohen Tweets Pic of Trump and Mark Zuckerberg, Says “One Down. One to Go”

November 9, 2020

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With the release of Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm in the thick of this year’s General Election, Sacha Baron Cohen stirred up the sort of controversy that he has made an entire career out of and specifically targeted the Trump administration. Specifically, Cohen dressed up in a Trump costume while in character in Borat to interrupt a Mike Pence appearance in order to present his fictional daughter, Tutar, to Pence as a gift. Even more notably, Cohen duped current Trump legal counsel Rudy Giuliani into a similar situation.

Now that Trump has lost to Biden over the past weekend, Cohen has indeed tweeted, “One down. One to go.” with a picture of Trump shaking hands with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.

Supposedly, one facet of comedy is indeed speaking truth to power and, within that, ridiculing those whole abusively wield power. No matter how hard hitting a joke (or even just a line in a joke) might be, it’s hard to truly see what the effect might be. There are plenty of very, very shrewd political jokes that, ultimately, only preached to the choir and an aside during a set by Hannibal Buress led to an accelerated downfall of Bill Cosby. Then again, the words of George Carlin still ring very loud and very true as a wake-up call, even in 2020.

It’s curious to ponder if Cohen showing the ridiculous incompetence, ignorance, and prejudice of Trump cronies (and, by proxy, Trump himself) has affected anything. Four years of Donald Trump as POTUS has given more than enough proof of this. Really, his first 100 days should have been enough proof to show how bad his Administration was and would ultimately end up being. It’ll be great to see Cohen dupe Zuckerberg especially since he has him, as of this tweet, in his crosshairs, but how that will bring about the downfall of Zuckerberg/Facebook is a mystery at this point.

There is no doubting that Cohen is mastered in the art of satirical comedic performance and that showing ridiculous bigots to be ridiculous bigots can be very satisfying. We want to hope that whatever he has planned will actually dismantle the social media giant and other like them. If Cohen actually pulls that off, that definitely would cement his legacy in the art form of comedy and The Kennedy Center should automatically give Sacha the Mark Twain Prize for Humor.

One down. One to go. pic.twitter.com/eQYi1pBqku

— Sacha Baron Cohen (@SachaBaronCohen) November 7, 2020

Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm Trailer Has Arrived

October 1, 2020

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Of course, the movie that was officially entitled Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan would not simply have a title of Borat 2.

The follow-up to the original Borat will be indeed called Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm and it’s set for an Oct. 23rd release on Amazon Prime, just over a week and half away from the election. The trailer just dropped this morning and it would seem that there might really be some political implications with this sequel given Borat’s crashing a Mike Pence event.

As whispered about in announcements of Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm, Sacha Baron Cohen dons his famous Borat character, and then goes into other characters in different costumes as Borat (in order to not be recognized). Even though it still kind of sounds like Borat, Cohen amazes with what he’s still able to get away with.

See for yourself in the very first trailer for Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm here.

Borat 2 Will Be Streaming on Amazon Prime Right Before the Election

September 29, 2020

News

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(via Deadline)

It wasn’t too long ago that the news that the sequel to Sacha Baron Cohen’s breakout film Borat was already in the can, which was pretty surprising on its own. That means Cohen somehow fooled enough folks in some sort of amalgamation of characters and did in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following that, we figured it would take some time to stitch together, but, alas, that doesn’t seem to be the case either.

Announced today, the sequel to Borat will be released via Amazon Prime near the end of October, conveniently right before the U.S. General Election on Nov. 3rd. It’s no surprise that Cohen would have anything up his sleeve especially since he hoodwinked Dick Cheney on Who Is America?. It does make us wonder though if Cohen actually has some actual “October surprise” in store for us all that’s not unlike James Comey’s ill-timed letter about investigating Hillary Clinton’s e-mails.

If he indeed does, maybe it will, at least, be more substantive to the election than what Comey found.

We’ll just have to wait and see. Also, if you’re taking a stand against Amazon, it might be a good time, in a few weeks, to take on that free trial of Amazon Prime.

Borat 2 Is Reportedly Already In the Can

September 10, 2020

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(via Collider)

Given the break that Sacha Baron Cohen took before he did Who Is America?, one might think he would wait an inordinate amount of time before attempting any of his undercover characters that he’s so famous for. Yet, a sequel to his landmark film and character, Borat, has already wrapped shooting.

It’s no surprise that this news comes after Cohen has finished filming since he already has to go to extremely great lengths to obscure his identity. However, one can imagine that there is no way that he could just do Borat and donning other characters might have been just Cohen’s angle this time.

Who Is America?, while effective in its execution and presentation, was a reminder of the dystopian America that many who tuned in were well aware of. The prospect of seeing Cohen’s damning, unapologetic, taking-a-long-hard-look-in-the-mirror style of satire at a time when the fractures of the world are more visible than ever will be a curious case while lockdown continues in 2020.

Sacha Baron Cohen Teases His New Undercover Interview Show “Who Is America?” Coming to Showtime

July 9, 2018

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Well, it turns out that Sacha Baron Cohen had gone deep into character yet again over the last year to shoot his latest show, but done so in a way that is being touted as “undercover”.

We’re guessing that being undercover is the only way he’d get to talk to Dick Cheney as shown in this teaser and tweet (in which Cheney apparently signs a “waterboard kit”). You’ll notice that Cohen has donned yet another voice, though we’re not quite sure what ridiculous get up he’s in this time and what satirical angle he’s playing.

What we do know is that the show is called Who Is America? and is going for a rather short season and it will actually be premiering on Showtime this Sunday, July 15th at 10PM. We’re guessing there will be some satire of Trump, though we’re curious to see if Cohen will bring something else that we haven’t seen yet from the mountains of content that has been made parodying the Trump Administration.

We’ll all have to wait and see this weekend.

So, Sacha Baron Cohen Might Have a New Show Coming Soon

July 6, 2018

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sacha baron cohen

So, Sacha Baron Cohen Might Have a New Show Coming Soon

A mysterious tease and reports of one of the biggest provocateur satirists around shopping a possible new show (currently in talks at Showtime) are very intriguing.

However, there are almost no details outside of that and whether Cohen will be diving deep into a ridiculous character like he’s done in the past or trying his hand at being himself and pointing a mirror back at society from a new angle.

In any case, with the likes of Nathan Fielder around in addition to Baron Cohen’s reputation of Borat, Ali G, and Bruno being pretty well established at this point, he’ll have to up his game if he’s going to pull another large scale prank performance.

Bono Thinks That Chris Rock, Amy Schumer, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Their Comedy Should Be Deployed Against ISIS

April 13, 2016

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amy schumer, bono, chris rock, daesh, isil, isis, sacha baron cohen, subcommittee hearing, u2, us senate

While you might think this this celebrity fueled clickbait, take note that Bono from U2 did just go to a U.S. Senate subcommittee hearing and suggested that comedy be employed in taking down terrorist group ISIS, specifically Amy Schumer, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Chris Rock.

That’s one of the world’s most well known musicians giving credence to the power of comedy and recommending comedy in fighting the narrow minded extremism over other art forms that are more often highly regarded for their political activism.

So, Schumer, Cohen, and Rock should be doing an ISIS roast?

Sacha Baron Cohen Tells The Story of a Deleted Scene of “Borat” That Involved a Disastrous Porno Shoot

March 3, 2016

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For some reason, upsetting a real porn director on a real porno shoot where you’re a porn star seems like a relatively normal day in the life of Sacha Baron Cohen.

Watch the full story told on Conan here.

Matt Damon Does His Darndest (Including Some Help from Ben Affleck) to Get on Jimmy Kimmel Live

February 29, 2016

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Nothing quite summons the performer out of Jimmy Kimmel quite like his on-going bit of continuing to postpone Matt Damon from being a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Their latest quarrel came after The Oscars when Damon got the closest he’s ever gotten to being on the show without kidnapping Jimmy.

Even as an Oscar nominee, Matt Damon had to sneak into the background of another interview and ask a huge favor from Ben Affleck to make it on to Kimmel’s post-Oscars show.

May the “war” between Damon and Kimmel continue forever so Damon cameos at Kimmel like this one will keep happening.

Sacha Baron Cohen Sets Up His Own Production Company, Spelthorne Community Television

October 7, 2015

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(via Variety)

Yes, that’s an Ali G reference.

Sacha Baron Cohen along with his company partner Andrew Newman have started their own production company Spelthorne Community Television that will, as you’d expect, develop bold and ambitious comedy.

Right now, they’ll be based in the UK with a bit of a stake from UK network Channel 4, but don’t be surprised, given Cohen’s success in the U.S., to see series from Spelthorne Community TV stateside in the not so distant future.

Amazon Orders “Highston” Comedy Pilot From Bob Nelson

April 23, 2015

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amazon, bob nelson, comedy pilot, highston, jonathan dayton, sacha baron cohen, valerie faris

(via Deadline)

Screenwriter Bob Nelson is making the jump from indie hit Nebraska to the open TV pastures of Amazon.

Amazon Studios is continuing to rack up their talent pool that already includes Jill Soloway, Woody Allen, and now Nelson.

Not only is Nelson writing “Highston”, but the ever-industrious and mischievous Sacha Baron Cohen will be producing it, and the Little Miss Sunshine team of Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris are set to direct.

Needless to say, we’re incredibly intrigued to see how all these folks mesh together on a coming-of-age comedy online.

The 4th Annual Wayne Federman International Film Festival Might Be The Best One Yet

February 22, 2015

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cinefamily, ghostbusters, international film festival, klown, macgruber, paul scheer, sacha baron cohen, wayne federman, will forte

How does Klown presented by Sacha Baron Cohen or Ghostbusters presented by Paul Scheer sound? Something that’s both great and you would’ve never imagined happening you say?

Well, luckily, The 4th Annual Wayne Federman International Film Festival, the festival that brings comedians and their favorite films together at Cinefamily, has both of the aforementioned events as well as MacGruber star Will Forte presenting a screening of none other than MacGruber.

Every year Federman gets together a great handful of these screenings, but this year’s line-up seems primed to be especially great.

The 4th WFIFF runs from Thurs. Mar. 5th-Sun. Mar. 7th at Cinefamily and you can and should get tickets now.

Rebel Wilson Joins Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Grimsby”

June 13, 2014

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Rebel Wilson Joins Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Grimsby”

Sacha Baron Cohen’s upcoming spy farce Grimsby is coming together quite nicely. Already, there’s an intriguing grouping for the cast including Ian McShane, Gabourey Sidibe, Johnny Vegas, and Mark Strong.

Now, Rebel Wilson is joining on the ensemble, which might get to be as big as Paul Feig’s spy comedy Spy.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Grimsby’ Adds Ian McShane, Gabourey Sidibe, More

June 12, 2014

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Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Grimsby’ Adds Ian McShane, Gabourey Sidibe, More

Sacha Baron Cohen’s latest film, currently over at Sony, has just rounded out its cast with a good handful of dramatic actors in Ian McShane, David Harewood, and Gabourey Sidibe. Johnny Vegas will balance the scales a little bit being an English comedian, but the premise behind Grimsby seems dynamic enough to have this mix.

In Grimsby, Mark Strong plays a spy on the run that has to deal with his “football hooligan” brother played by Cohen, which definitely should be a fun duo to watch along with the rest of the supporting cast.

Sacha Baron Cohen Re-Ups His First Look Deal at Paramount as His Movie ‘Grimsby’ Moves To Sony

February 17, 2014

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Sacha Baron Cohen Re-Ups His First Look Deal at Paramount as His Movie ‘Grimsby’ Moves To Sony

Sacha Baron Cohen’s landmark character Ali G is already making a return with Ali G: Rezurection next week on FXx and now Sacha just renewed a first look deal at Paramount with projects he’s developing while simultaneously having his upcoming movie soccer hooligan comedy Grimsby going to Sony Pictures.

Looks like Sacha Baron Cohen might have quite a good 2014.

First Promos for Sacha Baron Cohen’s Ali G Rezurection

February 5, 2014

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Sacha Baron Cohen is finally getting back to his break out character Ali G on FXx in Ali G Rezurection on Wed. Feb. 26th.

Watch two brand new, wicked promos right here, right now.

Sacha Baron Cohen’s Production Co. Gets First Look Deal/Da Ali G Show: Rezurection Will Air at FX/FXx

November 2, 2013

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Sacha Baron Cohen’s Production Co. Gets First Look Deal/Da Ali G Show: Rezurection Will Air at FX/FXx

FX has possibly nabbed it’s next big comedy star in Sacha Baron Cohen. Already having the likes of Louis C.K., Jim Jefferies, the gang from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia at FXx, Sacha Baron Cohen has inked a deal to give a first look at his TV projects at FX/FXx as well as to bring back old episodes of Da Ali G Show on the air.

That’s a pretty great move, FX/FXx.

Sacha Baron Cohen To Receive Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award From BAFTA/LA

September 9, 2013

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Sacha Baron Cohen To Receive Charlie Chaplin Britannia Award From BAFTA/LA

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts in Los Angeles is bestowing their highest honor in comedy to none other Sacha Baron Cohen.

As Cohen is definitely a star of this latest era of comedy, you might be tempted to think such a distinction might be a little premature, but do realize that Ali G was on the air 15 years ago.

So, booyakasha.