Borat

Celebs like Nicole Richie, Tara Reid, Ozzy Osbourne and others prove that just because you're well-known doesn't mean all of your parts should be.

Isla Fisher, who is engaged to Borat (aka Sacha Baron Cohen), picked up the tight La Perla powder blue swimsuit on Wednesday for her favorite faux-Kazakh, at trendy West Hollywood boutique, Le Bra Lingerie. The $89 trunks are the same body-hugging shorts that new 007, Daniel Craig, wore in the blockbuster film "Casino Royale." We liiike!

Here's a situation: A reporter from Kazakhstan goes to Ohio and says he's covering the elections and making a documentary for his home country. One of the guys on the crew is named "Bolat." Needless to say, they weren't exactly welcomed with open arms.

In the wake of Sacha Baron Cohen's reign of chaos as bumbling Kazakh reporter Borat, it seems that real crews from the central Asian country are having a hard time being taken seriously. The crew that went to Ohio was contacted by State Department officials and the FBI before they were finally cleared. Even then, people were skeptical.

Now, people in the fashion industry are going on high alert as well. Cohen recently made a $42.5 million deal to bring another of his characters to the big screen -- a gay Austrian fashionista named Bruno. With the worldwide success of the "Borat" flick, some critics feel he might be too recognizable to fool people into humiliating themselves again. We're betting it'll work.

So just what is Cohen contemplating in this Rodin-esque pose? How he's going to once again dupe the world as Bruno, the gay Austrian fashionista? What to do with all the filthy lucre he's going to make from "Borat," which just crossed the $100 million mark in the U.S. box office?

Or, perhaps, how f***ing annoying air travel can be?

Saying that he wanted his Borat film to win an Oscar "for best anti-Jewish film," he added, "there is of course very fierce competition from your Melvin Gibson."

And as not to offend his Aussie hosts, said, "I am a huge fanny of your country."

TMZ has obtained a copy of the release agreement signed by the ordinary people who appeared in the "Borat" movie, but even more significant than the release is the standard cover letter.

Two frat boys who appeared in the movie have sued the film's producers, claiming they were defrauded. They allege producers promised them that they were appearing in a Kazakhstani TV documentary that would never be shown in the U.S.

The release agreement that TMZ obtained is difficult to read, and the participant who supplied TMZ with the copy says his original is equally hard to read. Nevertheless, it is a comprehensive, standard release which basically signs away your first born.

The cover letter is interesting. It almost seems like it's written by Borat himself. It begins, "Dear Film Participant." The letter continues, "Thanks very much for your interest in appearing in our Film. We're glad that you want to appear in the film to share your views or insights with the public."

And it goes on: "Attached is our standard legal consent agreement. You'll see it explains that in addition to the chance to appear in the Film, you will get an appearance fee of $___., in return for your letting us have unrestricted rights to use your image and voice in our Film. As the agreement makes clear, you will be waiving all claims in relation to the Film."

There's a debate raging in Hollywood over the making of the "Borat" movie and whether producers deceived the people who appeared in the film. Well, if there was deceit, it could cost FOX plenty, but it's peanuts compared to the money the studio is raking in.

Two frat boys who appeared onscreen in a drunken, racial rant are now suing producers, claiming they were told the movie was a TV documentary authorized by the government of Kazakhstan and that it would never be shown in the U.S. A driving school owner also featured in the film told TMZ exactly the same story.

Here's the deal. If someone lies to you to get you to sign a legal document -- in this case, a release allowing producers to include you in a film -- whatever you subsequently sign may not be legally binding. It's called fraud in the inducement, meaning someone induces you to sign an otherwise binding contract under false pretenses.

TMZ has done some digging, and everyone we've spoken with, who was featured in the film, told us the same tale of woe -- that they were all led to believe their fellow "US and A" citizens would never know what they did on camera.

This could be a fascinating case if it makes it to court. On the one hand, you have producers who could look like greedy, double-dealing schmucks trying to bamboozle ordinary folk. On the other hand, how's a jury gonna feel about two racist frat boys who expected that their prejudices would be a secret protected by the Atlantic Ocean?

FOX has simply said the lawsuit is without merit. Here's the reality: The studio may end up paying off some of the featured "performers." Maybe they'll each get 25 grand. Compare that to a movie that could rake in hundreds of millions of dollars. If that's the cost of doing business, then sign everyone up.

Two anonymous plaintiffs are suing 20th Century Fox and One America Productions, claiming members of their college fraternity were interviewed to become part of the smash "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" film.

The plaintiffs -- listed as John Doe 1 and John Doe 2 -- were allegedly assured the film would not be shown in the U.S. and their identities would not be revealed.

They were both selected to appear in the movie and, according to the suit, taken "to a drinking establishment 'to loosen up' and provided alcoholic beverages." They claim they signed the movie releases after "heavy drinking."

The suit claims both men were then taken to a motor home where they were filmed, all the while "encouraged to continue drinking."

The movie features a scene in a motor home where Cohen gets drunk with three frat boys who go on a racist rant about how they wished they had slaves and how minorities in the United States "have all the power."

According to the lawsuit, the frat boys only received $200 for the controversial appearance.

The plaintiffs claim they suffered "humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional and physical distress, loss of reputation, goodwill and standing in the community..." because the movie was indeed released in the U.S.

The suit asks for unspecified damages.

Sacha Baron Cohen, who wrestled a naked fat man in his big screen hit, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," has taken a blade to his signature moustache.

The newly clean-cut comic enjoyed a nice, quiet lunch at Pat's in Los Angeles yesterday (not once trying to order a glass of fresh horse urine), proving that he can live a normal life despite his skyrocketing fame. Cohen was seen scooting around L.A. in his Mini Cooper on Tuesday.

For the first time in months, the actor broke character in public, replacing his famous bumbling walk with a confident stroll through LAX.

After smiling and waving to fans, the most famous reporter in all of Kazakhstan was escorted into a vehicle -- which, for a change, took off without help of several farm animals.

Let the glorious second-guessing begin!

So, is Fox a) an over-cautious bunch of milque-toast wimps, or b) a brilliant group of cinema strategists whose elan we pierce at our own peril?

Well, maybe the answer is "Both, simultaneously."

As the trades couldn't help but note, as did anyone else who covers media, the "Borat" per screen average was massive, $31,000 from just 837 screens. Almost too massive.

Observed The Hollywood Reporter, "Even after the film generated one of the highest per-screen averages on an 800-theater rollout in recent memory, many industry insiders still questioned Fox's strategy, with some speculating that the narrow bow left money on the table."

And Daily Variety groused , "Monday morning quarterbacks will wonder whether Fox could have captured even more B.O. dough had the studio rolled out "Borat" more widely."

After the way the studio utterly mishandled Mike Judge's brilliant-but-controversial "Idiocracy," one can't help but be predisposed to choice a) -- but there's lotsa good reasons to think the answer actually is b) as well.

Here's why: Released on too many screens, "Borat" could have easily devolved into "Snakes on an Anti-Semite," wherein it's media hype could never have lived up to expectations, and Sacha Baron Cohen would be the Howard Dean of comedy -- all fizz; no fermented horse urine.

Or something. Make up your own Kazahki analogy.

But by keeping demand pent-up in the face of amazing reviews, Fox has insulated itself against the painful, second-weekend drop-offs that typify so many movies, even good ones. Consider DreamWorks's "Flags of Our Fathers." Favorable reviews, but despite opening on 185 additional screens, it was down 38% over the weekend.

By contrast, given the word of mouth on the movie, can anyone seriously imagine a scenario wherein those turned away from sold out shows of "Borat" (including yours truly) won't show up next weekend when it's on 2,500 screens?

The flip side of the coin is that Fox was opening "Borat" against some lame-ass Tim Allen movie that is the sequel to a sequel so bereft of creativity, it may have physically damaged some children for life. (And as a friend of mine said about a Wall Street Journal's shock at "Borat's" success, "have they spoken to any American male between the ages of 30 and 55 who doesn't frequent the Council on Foreign Relations?") Was there really anything for Fox to fear?

Daniel Smith had a stunning combination of seven drugs, including multiple anti-depressants and cold medicines, in his system when he died on Sept. 10 in the Bahamas, according to toxicology reports, four more than had been previously reported. Dr. Cyril Wecht confirmed the reports Wednesday on Court TV's "Catherine Crier Live" after he was confronted with the new information by reporter Michel Bryant. According to Wecht, the son of Anna Nicole Smith had the antidepressant Amitriptyline as well as two over-the-counter cold medications in his body along with the methadone, Lexapro, and Zoloft that had previously been found. Another source tells People that a mild over-the-counter sedative was also present in his body. Wecht thinks that the newly discovered medications are "insignificant and they don't mean a thing. They're of no consequence."

Sacha Baron Cohen's Borat character might make audiences roll in the aisles with laughter when he bumbles into theaters later today, but there's at least one person who doesn't think the faux-Kazahki journalist is such a gas. TV news producer Dharma Arthur is claiming that Baron Cohen's wacky antics cost her her job – and sent her into a deep depression.

In the movie, as Newsweek reports (via FOX News), Borat appears on a live noon-hour news show on WAPT in Jackson, Miss., and proceeds to do his usual havoc-wreaking schtick with the anchorman and the weather guy, mixing in plenty of sex and toilet humor and disrupting the weather report. Arthur was the producer who booked Borat – and was subsequently let go as a result. "Because of [Baron Cohen], my boss lost faith in my abilities and second-guessed everything I did thereafter," she writes in Newsweek. "I spiraled into depression, and before I could recover I was released from my contract early."

Start rolling out the punny headlines – CBS "Early Show" weatherman Dave Price is being touted as the replacement for "Price is Right" host Bob Barker, who just announced his imminent retirement on Tuesday. Page Six speculates that CBS chief Les Moonves had to pay Barker off to retire, because, as one former co-worker put it, "Bob always swore he would die on that show. He had a unique contract where it was for life – and if he left unwillingly, the show had to go dark for a year effectively killing it." Plus, Moonves apparently loves wacky weatherguy Price, who had been threatening to jump ship to Fox, which he left to come to CBS. Indeed, in September, reports the New York Daily News, Price was trying out Barker's job in a run-through at the "Price is Right's" production company's studio. And well-placed TMZ spies tell us that Price has just inked a long-term contract with the network so Moonves can place Price on "Price" with no problem. And we're further told Price is "chomping at the bit" for the gig.

Jay Leno's supposedly comic material at the Carousel of Hope gala – a benefit for juvenile diabetes – raised eyebrows, as the funnyman made fat jokes to a crowd trying to fight a disease tied closely to obesity, and with Jason Davis, the rather, um, robust grandson (and brother of Brandon) of the hostess, Barbara Davis, sitting in the front row. As the Los Angeles Times notes, Leno made jokes about Dairy Queen, Domino's Pizza, and this instant non-classic – "Scientists now believe obesity is caused by a virus. Does that mean you can now call in fat to work? 'Sorry boss. I can't make it today. My ass is as big as a house.'" – that elicited loud groans from the high-roller crowd.

Bush-bashing country trio Dixie Chicks think that what Kanye West did during the Hurricane Katrina benefit – criticize the President -- was "brave." The particularly strident Natalie Maines tells Playboy magazine, "That was one of the greatest television moments of all time ... I would have chickened out." ... Wyclef Jean fell over flat on his face in his gorilla suit on his way to welcome Cuba Gooding, Jr. to the Halloween party at PM, say Rush & Molloy, looking like "King Kong after he fell from the Empire State Building." Cuba teased him, calling him "Shakira, Shakira." ... Robert De Niro and 50 Cent are teaming up to star in a police corruption drama called "New Orleans" which was originally set in LA but will now be set in the Big Easy, post-Katrina, says the Hollywood Reporter ... The big-budge "Halo" movie from "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson has been delayed. It was originally slated for summer 2008 but with financial backing dissolving, Microsoft says it will push off the much-buzzed-about project until later.

The bumbling journalist paid a visit to American radio personality Howard Stern this morning and spoke freely about his deep love for Mel and his even deeper love for the ladies (he has had syphilis 15 times). Listen to the audio clip for Borat's words of Kazakhstan wisdom.

"Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" will make sexy time with American screens this Friday.

The Kazakhstani journalist, played by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, was on "The Late Show with David Letterman" last night raving about his long-awaited return to the single scene while bashing his deceased spouse.

Borat claims he's already on the hunt for someone to fill her shoes. His type: "I like yellow hairs, little plow experience and preference little or no history of retardation."

In case his movie doesn't succeed, Borat has already devised another money-making scheme -- selling children to Madonna.

At Wednesday's London premiere of "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,' the bumbling journalist told reporters about his grand plan.

"I have come here with Bilak, my 11 year old son, his wife and their child, and we are hoping maybe to put some chocolate make-up on the child's face and sell him to Madonna. I am hoping that Madonna will be a very good father for it."

Borat's other backup plans: Ice maker, gypsy catcher or animal sperm collector -- specializing in camels.

Here's hoping he doesn't quit his day job.

Break out the horse urine, it's a celebration of all things Borat.

The "journalist" from Kazakhstan played by Sacha Baron Cohen transformed the red carpet premiere of his new film into a scene from his home country yesterday -- complete with a parade of hookers, peasants and a horse drawn stationwagon.

After being carried to a stage by a "woman" who resembled a linebacker with a five o'clock shadow, Borat greeted the crowd on Hollywood Blvd. with "Good evening gentlemen and prostitutes."

As "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" gets ready to open across the country next week, Borat says he's expecting big things from the film. "["Borat"] will take top spot from you Hollywood movie King Kong, which has been number one movie ever since it was released ... in 1932."

Borat and his Kazakhstani choir also treated the crowd to a rousing rendition of his country's national anthem -- though we're pretty sure the official version doesn't include the verse, "Kazakhstan is the greatest country in the world, all other countries are run by little girls."