"I couldn't possibly fail to disagree with you less."
9 December 2006Borat was hereObviously I can't keep track of everything that happens in this town — I have a day job and the occasional need to sleep — but I do regret missing Borat Sagdiyev's address to Oklahoma City officials. Yes, really. Carrie Coppernoll reports:
[Sacha Baron] Cohen made a stop here in Oklahoma City under the guise of his character in 2004, and his film crew documented the entire painful display. Early that year, Borat attended, of all things, an Oklahoma City Traffic and Transportation Commission meeting. I would bet most of Oklahoma City has never attended an Oklahoma City Traffic and Transportation Commission meeting.
During a 17-minute ramble to the commission, Cohen talked about democracy, women and his love interest in one of the female commissioners. He then asked for 10 minutes of silence to remember a Soviet massacre that he’d made up. Cohen also visited the Oklahoma Republican Party Headquarters and learned how to give a speech from Gary Jones, who was then Republican Party chairman. Sadly, none of his shenanigans were part of the movie. What did Borat say? For the benefit of those of us in the US and A who missed it, here's a transcript of his speech before the city fathers, complete with audio — the meeting, as usual, was broadcast live over cable channel 20 — and a brief news clip (audio only) from KWTV which identified Sacha Baron Cohen in the context of Da Ali G Show. And City Council requests that members of the general public limit their speeches to three minutes. Purely coincidental, I'm sure. Posted at 4:04 PM to City SceneGoogle video: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4662401462752366412 Posted by: Don at 2:08 AM on 10 December 2006Here is a video clip of the segment on YouTube. I've known Gary Jones since his first run for auditor and have spent plenty of time at the Oklahoma Republican HQ, so it's awfully strange to see Borat walking into the Dewey Bartlett Center and prostrating himself before Gary. I thought Gary acquitted himself admirably. Posted by: Michael Bates at 2:10 AM on 10 December 2006Great minds think alike (and suffer from insomnia, evidently). Posted by: Michael Bates at 2:15 AM on 10 December 2006Hey, I'll take all the great minds I can get at this point. I know two people who appear in the video. What a weird surprise! Posted by: Patrick at 11:59 AM on 10 December 2006 |