Bingo Lady Claims 'Bruno' Assaulted Her

PopEater
posted: 62 DAYS 1 HOUR AGO
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filed under: Gut Reactions, Movie News, Troublemakers, WTF?
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Now that you've finally gotten the image of Sacha Baron Cohen's crotch in Eminem's face out of your head (oops, there it is again), you can digest this latest bit of controversy swirling around the 'Bruno' and 'Borat' star.
TMZ is reporting that Richelle Olson is suing the prankster and NBC Universal in a claim that in 2007 Cohen, dressed as his flamboyant character Bruno, "offensively touched, pushed and battered" her during a charity bingo game she was running for the elderly in Palmdale, CA.
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Sacha Baron Cohen

    Sacha Baron Cohen's latest stunt as gay fashion reporter Bruno was the undisputed highlight of the MTV Movie Awards on May 31. As you know, he landed bare-cheeked on Eminem's face in a staged bit ... Click next for THAT photo.

    Matt Sayles, AP

    Yipes.

    Matt Sayles, AP

    Cohen bleached all the hair on his body for his role in the upcoming film 'Bruno.' But it left him with a bad rash, for which he sought medical treatment. Of course, he's not the only victim of this film.

    Universal

    Posing as Bruno, Cohen convinced Paula Abdul to do an entire interview ... sitting on a Mexican gardener, Page Six reports.

    WireImage / Getty Images

    Cohen somehow infiltrated a taping of the show 'Medium' as an extra, and continuously disrupted the show, EW's Michael Ausiello is reporting.

    Getty Images

    This would be the first in a string of public pranks Cohen has pulled off in the name of 'Bruno,' his upcoming film.

    Steve Granitz, WireImage.com

    Cohen is seen here crashing the runway wearing layers upon layers of clothing at the Agatha Ruiz de La Prada fashion show in Milan, Italy.

    AP

    Partially amused and angered, security is seen tugging on his cloak to remove him from the stage. 'Bruno' is set to be released some time in 2009.

    AP

    Cohen's Bruno character passes himself off as a gay German reporter. In the past, like Cohen's Borat character, Bruno has had his way -- comically speaking -- with frat boys, historians and politicians.

    Everett Collection

    For the 'Bruno' movie, Cohen has already reportedly worked his magic on California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as a former Israeli Mossad agent. During the latter questioning, he confused the Palestinian political group Hamas (suicide bomb advocates) with hummus (delicious chickpea spread).

    HBO, New York Times / AP

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According to Olson, Cohen (as Bruno) had been billed as a celebrity who would appear and call numbers for the game. But after he began using "vulgar and offensive language," she tried to take the microphone away from him and that's when a "physical struggle ensued" that led to her falling to the ground.
At that, members of the film crew rushed the stage and "attacked [her] for a period of one to five minutes to intentionally create a dramatic emotional response ... while [they] recorded her humiliation and embarrassment."
Olson then claims she passed out and hit her head and was rushed to the hospital with a "diagnosis of two brain bleeds." She has been confined to a wheelchair ever since. According to the TMZ report, she and her husband are suing for unspecified damages, including loss of marital relations.
The actor was presumably shooting scenes for his latest film 'Bruno,' where he plays a gay fashion reporter from Austria. As he did in 'Borat,' Cohen shot the bulk of the film by traveling around America, creating reactions from unsuspecting people.
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2009-06-03 09:02:50
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