"Borat" Turned Away From White House Visit
 

It you're one of those people who break out into gales of laughter every time you hear about the antics of British comic Sacha Baron Cohen, you'll love this story. But others may find it offensive.
The British comedian is famous for his role as rapper "Ali G", a clueless music star who asks celebrities and politicians completely ignorant questions. He also plays a supposed native of Kazakhstan named Borat, who works for a fictional TV station in that country.

Cohen is well known for never breaking character and attempting to meet up with his interview targets in the strangest places. But on Thursday, he met his match. Cohen, dressed as the Borat character, walked up to the gates of the White House and tried to get in.

When the Secret Service asked him his business, he responded in character, inviting "Premier George Walter Bush" to the screening of his latest flick called "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

The flick made its debut earlier this month at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The faux journalist also tried to get O.J. Simpson and a thespian he referred to as "Mel Gibsons" to attend.

Every actor tries to get attention for his latest project. But Cohen's appearance was specifically timed - it came just a day before the actual president of Kazakhstan was scheduled to meet with Bush.

The Borat character isn't winning a lot of favour with President Nursultan Nazarbayev. He's hoping to raise the profile of the oil rich nation in the west and counter the global impression left by Cohen's character that his country is filled with 'drunken anti-Semites who treat their women worse than their donkeys.'

Naturally, Cohen couldn't let the P.R. gesture go by unanswered, accusing neighbouring Uzbekistan of being behind a 'propaganda' campaign against him.

"If there is one more item of Uzbek propaganda claiming that we do not drink fermented horse urine, give death penalty for baking bagels, or export over 300 tonnes of human pubis per year, then we will be left with no alternative but to commence bombardment of their cities with our catapults," Borat claimed.

Is it funny, satire or bad taste and mean spirited? Fans are divided on that, but the Kazakh government is not amused.

"He is not a Kazakh," points out press secretary Roman Vasilenko. "What he represents is a country of Boratastan, a country of one."

i cant wait for that movie to come out. the previews look too damn funny :smilie_da