What follows is an actual conversation overheard this evening at Arsenal tube station in North London, as a (slightly inebriated) twentysomething couple stared idly at this international one-sheet for “Funny People.” I was so excited to hear strangers giving voice to my own musings that I began scribbling down a sneaky transcription. (Don’t judge me.)
Well, that was quick. The Guardian reports that, following the coinciding events of last night’s “Bruno” premiere and Michael Jackson’s tragic passing, a hasty — and possibly permanent — cut has been to the film. The scene in question pits Sacha Baron Cohen against Jackson’s sister LaToya:
The offending scene features Cohen, in the guise of Brüno, attempting to find Michael Jackson’s phone number on LaToya’s BlackBerry. After Brüno reads aloud what he claims to be the singer’s number, an apparently enraged LaToya terminates the interview and storms off the set. Reports suggest that the scene will not be restored for its official release on 10 July.
It would appear that the scene isn’t particularly derogatory about the late superstar, but the powers that be at Universal decided to remove it “out of respect to Jackson’s family.” Fair enough.
Ever since the detrimental Telecommunications Act, the world’s information sources have been owned by, what, five or six entities? It’s been the downfall of the press as we know it for over a decade. So if General Electric sells NBC/Universal to Time Warner (via Thompson on Hollywood), that’s lateral disaster. One more cat gets even fatter. The conglomerates hold sway. The apocalypse approaches.
I’m starting to buy into the old geezer mentality. Get a good seat. Grab the popcorn. Watch the doom and gloom unfold because that’s all we can do.