Los Angeles Unified School District officials are upset, the L.A. Times reports, that members of the Birmingham High football team participated in a photo shoot with “Bruno,” the flamboyantly gay character played by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. (Some photos below).
A slide show on the GQ website shows Cohen cavorting with the uniformed players while wearing shoulder pads, tight red shorts, an athletic cup and little else. In one shot, the “Borat” star is lying on top of a player he has evidently just “tackled.”
District officials, beginning with Supt. Ramon C. Cortines, were not amused. “We’ve allowed our students to be used, and not in the most glamorous circumstances, either,” he said.
I saw no photo of Bruno lying on top of a player, which could mean that GQ yanked it thinking it was inappropriate.
LAUSD officials need to lighten up. I guarantee the players were jazzed to spend the day with Bruno, and were not clueless enough to think he was something other than a character played by an actor. The pictures play on highly exaggerated stereotypes, which is the whole point of Bruno. The movie opens July 10 and I will reserve final judgment until I see it. Some gay groups are worried that the joke will sail over the heads of many and reinforce homophobic feelings.
You can view the slideshow and make your own judgment. Two photos from the GQ spread below:
on Jun 30th, 2009 at 6:54 pm
I defy you to find a High School male anywhere in the US who wouldn’t jump at the chance to hang out with Sasha Baron Cohen/Borat/Bruno/Ali G/et all.
I am sure no one of the football team feel ‘used’. Instead, there are probably bragging to everyone they can how they spent the day hanging out with Borat and are gonna be in GQ.
Seriously, it’s LA! The starfucker capitol of the world. The whole city revolves around being in, or at least near, every aspect of the entertainment industry.
on Jul 1st, 2009 at 1:31 am
It’s funny that the LA School Disctrict gets mad about this, yet allows their schools to post some of the lowest scores in the country, layoff teachers to balance a budget they can’t control, cancel summer school because they can’t afford it.
If they would get angry about the real problems in their districts, they just might solve them…
But don’t count on it…the lunacy of Bruno is only matched by Arnold
on Jul 1st, 2009 at 12:04 pm
THE CHILDREN! THE CHILDREN! These poor little helpless boys are now scandalized by hanging out with an A-List star, appearing in a national mag, and they have pics to prove it all.
Shaddup already! Sasha’s not really gay, he just plays one on TV (and in a movie).
on Jul 4th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
AMEN Kahuna! That’s what I can’t fucking stand about this country. They avoid the REAL problems and REAL issues by focusing on trivial things as this. Besides, there’s a little something called “ACTING” and that’s exactly what they were doing. Fuck the school district. If we keep eliminating educational programs for “budget” purposes then this nation is going to be in even MORE trouble.
And another thing, I’m so goddamned sick of hearing the powers-that-be spewing out the economy excuses. “Oh, it’s the economy. Oh, it’s the economy. Oh, it’s the economy.” It’s the same old bullshit rhetoric to royally fuck people up the ass (no pun intended) so that upper UPPER executives don’t have to choose between their yachts and private jets while “Joe Smith”, aka Employee #5555 down there in human resources loses his medical insurance for his child who has a chronic, possibly terminal illness.
I swear, this country’s politics are just so goddamned backwards.