Artyom will be pleased. Finally, I managed to track down a copy of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan on DVD in Yerevan. Up until now, shops only had it in Russian and it most definitely wasn’t shown at the cinema here.

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Blogian carries news that the BBC Russian site says Borat’s Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan will not be shown in Russia. Unfortunately, Simon thinks Armenia will follow suit and I guess he’s right. However, I live in hope that it will at least make it here on DVD and earn itself an underground following like South Park.

The decision comes after Kazakhstani, Jewish, Muslim (Azerbaijanis too?) and Gypsy groups and officials have talked against the movie. At least Armenians are not against, according to the report (since there is no mention of them).

I assume they will not show “Borat” in Armenia either. If they do, they will most likely (and I think they should) mute some Armenian words (at least one phrase) that are really offensive in the Armenian culture.

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With the Armenian President scheduled to make an official visit to Kazakhstan tomorrow, PanArmenian.net says that it will coincide with the second meeting of the Kazakh-Armenian Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. However, Artyom at iArarat jokes that all might not be as it seems.

And so the rumor has it, that after meeting Premier George Walter Bush and complaining about the Borat phenomenon and the adverse effects thereof, Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev is planning a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Robot Robert Kocharyan to raise the issue of Azamat Bagatov’s Armenian background and find out whether they can jointly execute the guy.

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Now that Artyom is back from Armenia and Karabakh, he’s posted news of an Armenian connection in the controversy that is Borat. The U.K.’s Guardian newspaper reports that as everyone’s favourite Kazakh journalist made his way around the U.S. for the mockumentry, Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, his sidekick, Azamat, was played by ethnic Armenian actor Ken Davitian.

The film involves Borat leaving his home in Kazakhstan to come to the United States and record a documentary at the behest of the Kazakh Ministry of Information. He leaves behind his mother, wife and the town rapist, bringing along his obese producer Azamat. While in America he watches an episode of Baywatch and falls in love with Pamela Anderson, so he buys a dilapidated ice cream truck and drives from New York to Los Angeles to have her vagin and make her his wife. Through the course of his trip he interviews people from across the country. Most of the movie is not staged; rather, Cohen, in character as Borat, interviews and interacts with people who do not know they are being filmed for a movie (they later sign releases allowing the footage to be used). In one scene, which rather worryingly is not staged, Borat goes into a gun shop and asks the man behind the counter: “Which gun would be best to shoot the Jews?” The man recommends to Borat a 9mm handgun without flinching. Some other comedic highlights include a naked wrestling match between Borat and Azamat which spills over into a crowded business seminar, and Borat’s appearance on a crowded beach wearing only a tiny green wrestling thong which stretches from his crotch over his shoulders. Also throwing a decorative bag over Pamela Anderson’s head to try to capture her to marry her. For the movie, Borat made a song called “You, Be My Wife” with spectacular and bizarre Croatian keytar player Belinda.

According to Wikipedia, while Borat, played by British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen from Da Ali G Show speaks Hebrew, Polish and Czech to Americans who can’t differentiate it from Kazakh, Davitian speaks Armenian. Anyway, as a big Ali G and Borat fan, I’m really looking forwards to seeing this film if it ever makes it to Armenia. The film’s official site here.