This publicity stunt just gets better and better, and funnier and funnier. Sacha Baron Cohen Today ShowThis morning Sacha Baron Cohen, posing as Middle Eastern General Alladeen from his upcoming movie The Dictator, released a video to me with his much-anticipated statement about the Oscars ban.
From the Republic of Waddiya Media, it said: “I am outraged at being banned from the Oscars by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Zionists,” he said, “while I applaud the Academy for taking away my free speech.”
He warned of “unimaginable consequences” if his 84th Academy Awards tickets were not returned to him by 12 pm Sunday.
He also complained that he’d paid actress Hilary Swank $2 million to be his date “and she won’t give back a penny”. (That’s a reference to Swank’s paid appearance at tyrannical Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov’s birthday party.) He also takes a swipe at director Brett Ratner, who was supposed to produce the Oscars and then bowed out for bad behavior. Baron Cohen concluded by chanting, “Death to the West. And death to America. And good luck, Billy Crystal.
Fantastic!” it’s safe to assume now that the moment Baron Cohen mentioned the words ‘Academy’ and ‘Zionists’ in the same sentence that he wouldn’t be allowed within 2 miles of the Academy Awards on Sunday.
