No mocking Michael Jackson in «Brüno»

A scene in «Brüno» in which Latoya Jackson and Sacha Baron Cohen make fun of Michael Jackson has been cut from the movie.

Michael Jackson's death was announced last Thursday in Los Angeles, a few hours before the premiere of «Brüno».

Under pressure from Universal Studios, Sacha Baron Cohen hurried to the editing room to spare audiences one bit of irreverence too many in his new movie «Brüno»: a scene in which the English comedian interviews Latoya Jackson, making fun of his high voice and white gloves, and asking her to phone the King of Pop for him.

It remains to be seen whether the cut was made to all copies of the movie, which will premiere all over the world between July 8th and 10th. Cutting the scene from these prints would certainly be expensive, but the potential damage to Cohen¹s image from negative audience reaction would be worse.

Even though audiences are big fans of Cohen's taste for tacky and politically incorrect humor, which makes equal fund of racists, ethnic minorities, homophobes, gays, trailer trash and the bourgeoisie, they won't yet be ready for jokes about Michael Jackson. A question of timing.