'Bruno' Enrages LA Schools Chief

LOS ANGELES — The chief of the nation's second-largest school district is fuming over comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's magazine photo shoot with high school football players.

Los Angeles Superintendent Ramon Cortines isn't amused by the GQ magazine photos shot at Birmingham High School that feature the "Borat" star in his new incarnation as gay Austrian fashionista "Bruno."

The GQ cover story features pictures of Baron Cohen wearing shoulder pads, tight red shorts, an athletic cup and little else as he poses with football players at the school in the San Fernando Valley.

Cortines says the district "allowed our students to be used." He says the photos violate the district's policy on use of the school's name, and he has punished the principal and athletic director. Cortines would not provide details.

Comments

[Ezzy666]

Shouldn't the LA school chief be worried about how the district is going to function this school year? I keep hearing that CA is having a very difficult economic time. Didn't they have to lay off teachers and drastically cut their budget. These were high school aged boys. Of course they knew who Bruno was. I'm sure it was a highpoint of their school years. They might not even get to play this year because of budget cuts. Cortines is just mad that the principal didn't figure out a way to make money off of the incident.

[Shzron1946]

(check Bruegel's painting, "The Wedding Dance")

[Shzron1946]

It's called a codpiece, people, and in renaissance times it was used to accentuate masculinity. Get over it.

[stagebandman]

I can't believe the gay community is not screaming foul over this insulting stereotype. Maybe "Queer Eye" and "Top Model" have made this vision acceptable. I think it's putting sexual equality back about 35 years.

[SkuddGobang]

Many of us are but straight people will only see a movie starring us if they can laugh at us or feel sorry for us. Sorry, no positive images for us.

[Jeanne Wagner]

I'm sure the kids who didn't want to be in it, weren't, the ones who WERE in it wanted to be, and for some of them it will be the closest thing to a "15 minutes of fame" that they will ever have. Politics have nothing to do with it, and where does even their ages come in? Some people think WAY too much; they must have better things to do.

[me again]

Who cares?

[emncaity]

Some parents do. Are you paying for their kids to go to school?

[Ada Soto]

OMG, didn't they knew who Bruno was? something like that should have been expected

[KennyFox]

Lighten up.

[emncaity]

Right, "lighten up." It's fine to have that particular bit of amoral comedy applied to every student regardless of how parents and family--ta­xpayers--s­ee it. Correct?

Listen, I think Cohen is a scream most of the time. But I also know in any group of students, not every one is going to think Bruno is just benign humor. To act like they're stupid or backward for thinking so is one of the biggest problems progressives have, and unless we stop doing it, we're only ever going to be a brief antidote to disaster, esp. when it comes to national politics.

[mrhla]

It is so funny how it is the outrage that calls attention to these kind of things. If Cortines had not protested very few would be paying much attention to this or thinking about the boys themselves. Instead of just letting them fall of into the background, he has brought the boys center stage.

[fbr79]

I think the school name is the last thing people are looking at in this picture.

[hydeparksq]

Looks like Bruno is doing his job...upsetting goons like Cortines. Lighten up!

[monty]

Oh dear, how will those poor football players ever recover after seeing "Bruno" in hotpants and an athletic cup. The outrage being sparked over this fictional character is hilarious and sad at the same time.

[hackerblaster]

If I see too much more of Bruno in the media I am going to have to change my mind and not watch his next movie. Getting sick of seeing him.

[Marnieblue]

I mean a bunch of adults not getting the joke would have been funnier than using under aged kids.

[Marnieblue]

It would have been funnier if they were college aged.