Sacha Baron Cohen

OSCAR organizers are not, of course, \o7required \f7to reserve a role at the telecast for Sacha Baron Cohen. After all, there's always the chance that he may turn up in character as the bumbling, impossibly swarthy Kazakh reporter Borat Sagdiyev and unsettle the tuxedoed attendees by offering one of his heavily accented and characteristically inappropriate greetings, such as "Good evening, gentlemen and prostitutes!"

The actor best known as "Borat" tricked the Alabama National Guard into allowing him onto a post, giving him a military uniform and briefly letting him train -- all, supposedly, for a German TV documentary. The ruse, which included comedian Sacha Baron Cohen exposing his thong underwear while changing clothes, was going well until a young cadet recognized Cohen and notified older officers who weren't familiar with the actor. "It's an embarrassment to the Alabama National Guard," Staff Sgt. Katrina Timmons said Monday.

Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie is already getting the same sort of buzz and legal backlash that came with his last hit, "Borat." This time, though, a woman is alleging injuries far beyond just a bruised ego or reputation. Richelle Olson sued the 37-year-old actor-comedian and NBC Universal on May 22, claiming an incident at a charity bingo tournament that was filmed for the upcoming "Bruno" left her disabled. Olson claims she was severely injured after struggling with Baron Cohen and his film crew at the event in Palmdale two years ago. The lawsuit states she now needs a wheelchair or cane to move around.

Ukraine's Culture Ministry says it has banned Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie "Bruno" because it is immoral. The movie is centered around the adventures of a flamboyant gay fashion journalist from Austria. The ministry said this week that Baron Cohen's depictions of sexual organs, homosexual intercourse and language are obscene and improper. Some Austrian officials have spoken out against the film but have not taken any action against it. Baron Cohen's previous movie, "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan," was banned in Kazakhstan and Russia.

On Dec. 21, in an interview with the UK's Daily Telegraph, actor Sacha Baron Cohen announced the retirement of his two most popular alter egos -- hip-hop wannabe Ali G and Kazakh journalist Borat. Not everyone was heartbroken by the news. To begin with, there's the multitude of people pranked by his feature film, 2006's "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan"; Baron Cohen has jokingly estimated the number of resulting lawsuits as "about 3,000."

A judge in New York has tossed out a defamation lawsuit brought by a businessman shown in the movie "Borat" as he is chased down Manhattan's Fifth Avenue by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen. Federal Judge Loretta Preska says the term "newsworthy" -- defined in its most liberal and far-reaching terms -- can be applied to the 2006 hit movie. The lawsuit had sought unspecified damages for Jeffrey Lemerond, a Dartmouth College graduate and financial analyst. In the movie, Lemerond is shown running and yelling "Go away!"

Sacha Baron Cohen went undercover as his alter ego Bruno on Sunday by crashing a rally in support of a ballot measure that would ban gay marriage in California. The British comedian, who previously starred in "Borat," is working on a film based on the fictional character Bruno, a gay Austrian fashion reporter who conducted gag interviews on HBO's "Da Ali G Show." Baron Cohen, in disguise in a blond wig and preppy outfit, marched with demonstrators who support Proposition 8 while being trailed by cameras in a rally across from Los Angeles City Hall.

OK, so I have to admit -- it was a little disconcerting to see Sacha Baron Cohen without his "Borat" mustache.

British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen has signed a deal to make "Borat 2," a sequel to the hit film about an intrepid Kazakh journalist's road trip across America, News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch said Thursday. "He's signed up to do a sequel for us," Murdoch told reporters.