British Jew update

Jagshemash.

For bringing disgrace upon British Jews, the Board of Guardians of British Jews (The Voice of All Jews Since 1967) has voted to make excommunicated Sasha Ben Cohan. Harry Greenberg, president of the Board of Guardians of British Jews (The Voice of All Jews Since 1967), said the comic actor had been received fair warnings but … how you say … shoved them up his arse:

We gave Mr Baron Cohen an informal warning over six months ago about the Borat character and how it is causing problems with the Kazakhstan government and that this is bringing major embarrassment to the Jewish community. Mr Baron Cohen ignored our letters and phonecalls and therefore after consultation with our rabbis, we have taken steps to exclude Mr Baron Cohen and let people know he is not connected with The Board and has been banned from setting foot into any synagogue for six months.

The Board of Guardians of British Jews (The Voice of All Jews Since 1967) was forced to make these actives because the Anti-Defamation League in US and A has grabbed comment about the harm Mr. Bin Cohen is causing to US Jews.

This six-month expulsion from all synagogues is most serious penalty possible because British Jews are the most kosher in the world. After all, if they not keep kosher, they would have to eat British food, and who the hell would want to eat that muck. Borat could not be reached around for commenting, but in other flaps regarding this Mr. Ben Cohan, he has said:

In response to Mr. Ashykbayev’s comments, I’d like to state I have no connection with Mr. Cohen and fully support my Government’s decision to sue this Jew.

Now let’s have a rousing country-folk song.

Insane Central Asians update

Jagshemash.

Kazakhstan’s top media personality Borat Sagdiyev was unable last week to get American Premier George Walter Bush to attend premiere of upcoming moviefilm BORAT: A BUNCH OF MANGLED ENGLISH INCLUDING THE WORD ‘KAZAKHSTAN’ along with American dignitaries OJ Simpson and Mel Gibsons.

Then Uzbek propaganda spew itself out in response pretending to be government of Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan as a pubic-relationship offense. As the Musical Televisual News report last week:

The leaders of Kazakhstan wish Borat would just go away and that everyone would instead focus on the beauty of cities like Almaty, which they cite as having “sidewalk benches that seem perpetually occupied by trendy-looking teenagers.” The publicity effort for the country of 15 million went into full gear this week, beginning with a splashy, four-page, full-color advertising supplement in the A section of The New York Times on Wednesday.

But Borat know much more better than this. In statement of truth here:

If there is one more item of Uzbek Propoganda claiming that we do NOT drink fermented horse urine, give death penalty for baking baigels, or export over 300 tonnes of human pubis per year, then we will be left with no alternative but to commence bombardment of their cities with our catapaults.

And conservative American publications realize success of BORAT IN USA to tell truth about Kazakhstan and how it much more better country than Uzbekistan, run by Jewish leader Islam Karimov.

I am like … SO there, dude

I haven’t gone to the Virginia Film Festival, a four-day Thursday-Sunday fest in Charlottesville, since 2003. It’s not like Toronto or the DC FilmFest at all, which showcase new work. Instead, it has an annual theme and shows an eclectic mix on that theme — classics, new films from the festival circuit, some upcoming prestige releases, indies-and-documentaries, and a silent or two. But the 2004 fest was the weekend before the presidential election, and so getting the days off work was not an option. I forget why I didn’t go in 2005.

But this year — I. Am. Psyched. I got the brochure in my mail yesterday, and the cover page icon said “Revelations: Finding God at the Movies.” The Virginia fest is usually a much more relaxed fest than Toronto — there’s only about 4 or so films or presentations or events going on at any one time. But still, the lineup is so mouth-watering that there’s something worth seeing in every time slot, and dilemmas in a few. There’s classics I haven’t seen (DEVI, I CONFESS); classics I have seen but never in a theater (the DeMille KING OF KINGS, Bunuel’s THE MILKY WAY, and … ahem … ORDET); classics I never get tired of (LIFE OF BRIAN, THE SEVENTH SEAL, THE SACRIFICE), important recent films (THE APOSTLE and THE RAPTURE, which I have seen; IN YOUR HANDS and TRAVELLERS AND MAGICIANS, which I have not); upcoming films (10 CANOES, AMAZING GRACE, 10 ITEMS OR LESS) and several intriguing docs/experiments/presentations (ONE PUNK UNDER GOD, about Jim and Tammy Bakker’s son; GOD OF A SECOND CHANCE, about the black church in DC; the recreation of TRAPPED BY THE MORMONS; Hollywood on prayer; black religiosity)

If you live anywhere near Charlottesville, make plans to spend at least part of the weekend there. I live about 110 miles away; so I will be staying there in town, even though UVa has a home game that weekend.

ADDENDUM: I should make it clear that the festival clearly understand “God” in a very ecumenical way (which is obviously fine in programming a film festival), with films about Buddhism, Judaism, Islam, etc. But by my count, there’s also about six films that set off various of alarm bells in the descriptions and what you can find at the film’s Web site (like A FLOCK OF DODOS and KEEP NOT SILENT).

Mike Judge’s next film

Adam becomes the latest to weigh in in favor (at least somewhat) of Mike Judge’s dumped-on-by-the-idiots-in-suits IDIOCRACY.

Here’s probably what Mike Judge will have to settle for making next.