Is Bruno Worse For Gays Than Perez Hilton?

[TOOLZ]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-wellington-ennis/is-bruno-worse-for-gays-t_b_241715.html

...

In Perez Hilton's famous exchange with Carrie Prejean--the one-time Miss California, topless model and future Republican vice presidential candidate--Perez asked the Miss USA contender about gay marriage, leading to the remarkable new delineation as "opposite marriage." In the ensuing national uproar, as conservatives fled to the dense diva, celebrating her as a victim of intolerance for her intolerant ways, how did Perez Hilton advance the debate he had unwittingly launched? He called her "a dumb bitch." This did not do much to diffuse allegations that Prejean was robbed of her crown by queenie conspirators, or rise above the snark with actual insight, or stress that these are other people's lives Prejean so glibly oppresses, and that the issue is not about her or her archaic beliefs. Perez Hilton made it about her, and continued to, as only a myopic hack could do. Perez Hilton hides behind his insults, only without the alliteration, cutsey puns, or highfalutin vocabulary of Maureen Dowd.

Sacha Baron Coen's stand on gay marriage has received far less notice: Bruno actually tried to marry a guy in drag in the Norwalk courthouse, only to be rebuffed, illustrating the absurdity of enforcing prejudice in action.

....

[Richardo]

1. I don't think so - because no one is seeing that movie

I heard on NPR the other day that the fall-off in attendance from opening Friday to the NEXT DAY, Saturday, was in the double-digits (I'll see if I can find the number). Word's out that the movie is a must-miss.

[oldtime dfl_er]

2. Honestly?

I think that movie is a little outdated. I haven't seen it and I don't intend to, but it just seems to me that we've gotten past those ridiculous stereotypes, or at least have gotten past finding humor in them. Most of us, anyway...

[On the Road]

9. I Don't Doubt That the Movie is Outdated

but I bet the falloff in attendence is from "outdated" viewers. If they're like the ones in my theater, many of them are just not comfortable with the kind of images Bruno deals in. Not that much different from the wrestling fans in "Straight Mike Man-Slammin' Max Out."

[ingac70]

5. That movie was number one the first weekend. made 30 million

I laughed my ass off! I saw it opening night.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/sacha-baron-cohen-movie-bruno-number-one-at-us-box-office-14403736.html

[Richardo]

7. Here it is - tickets dropped 40% from Friday to Saturday....

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106742097

Sacha Baron Cohen's newest film Bruno is one such example. The film was marketed well, and audiences who were familiar with Cohen's previous film, Borat, gave Bruno big opening-night ticket sales. By Saturday, however, Bruno's box office numbers had fallen by 40 percent — an unheard of number, according to Horn.

"So what that says is that people came out of that movie and told their friends not to go see it," says Horn. "When movies are not recommended by their friends, they fall faster then they've ever fallen."

Horn says this phenomenon puts pressure on studios to make better movies, especially when ticket sales can go south within a matter of hours:

"People will come out of the theater so quickly, and share their opinion so fast, and that word will spread so virally, that if a movie is bad, the audience will know it by Friday night and the movie will be dead by Saturday."

[Heidi]

3. I believe Sacha Baron Cohen is satirizing our culture's collective position on human rights*,

just as his character, Borat, lampooned our culture's misogyny, racism and anti-Semitism.

[MADem]

4. This guy is a crappy blogger--he doesn't even spell COHEN's name right.

He may have a good thesis--or not, I dunno--but when someone makes such a basic mistake, it disinclines me from reading his argument.

[ingac70]

6. I thought it was worse for the people of Alabama...

than it was for gays.

[Bluenorthwest]

8. Perez Hilton isn't good for anyone

He's a self appointed celebrity, he holds no standing in terms of talent, and he is disliked by such a broad spectrum of the people that I think our mutual disdain for him might just prove to be the bridge to gay/straight unity.
Bruno, the movie, I have not seen. Bruno the character I have seen in action on Ali G Show years ago, and I loved him and what he was able to make happen.
It is very clear to me that Cohen seeks laughs and his intentions are of the best kind toward everybody but the bigots. Overall, I love his work. He makes me laugh. That other guy makes me puke.

[timeforpeace]

10. It's dropped to number 4, with $50 million total