Cortines not the only one miffed by 'Bruno' photo shoot
A GQ photo shoot featuring a scantily clad Sacha Baron Cohen and a group of high school football players has Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. Ramon C. Cortines fuming.
The photos, which will be featured in the July edition of GQ, depict Cohen's 'Bruno' character in little more than shoulder pads and tight red shorts frolicking with members of the Birmingham High School football team. In one shot, Cohen can be seen straddling a player after "tackling" him.
News of the photos angered Cortines, who has vowed to find out who was responsible for authorizing the shoot. "We’ve allowed our students to be used, and not in the most glamorous circumstances, either," Cortines told reporters.
Cortines is not the only one who's upset, however. Many L.A. Now readers have expressed their own concerns about the photo op.
"I'm sorry but the Superintendent is right. This was totally inappropriate and both the principal and the athletic director should be fired. These are people's children. This is far more than PG stuff, and far more serious. Why would a principal lack so much judgement as to allow something like this and not even have veto power over the pictures? I can't believe how little class people have that they would think they are ok," wrote LA Teacher.
"Shame on all. Allowing these students to be used for this photo shoot is an embarassment to the LAUSD. Their job is to protect students from such exploitation, even if they are tough footballers in uniform. Someone needs to understand that they are not yet a charter school. One has to question Coates judgment. If she has proven anything, it is that she is not fit to provide leadership at a cherter school," added Arjay.
Some readers think that the controversy has been blown out of proportion.
"This is what he's steamed over? Not the thousands of district workers standing in unemployment lines, not class sizes that are bursting at the seams, not the threat of furloughing employees and sending thousands of kids out onto the streets next year, but a picture advertising a new movie with a bunch of football players. My God, what has this world come to?" said Brent Smiley.
"Doesn't LAUSD have a few bigger problems than some sophomoric Bruno humor. You think there might be a little outrage and embarrassment over school cleanliness, graduation rates, literacy tests and alike. Oops, those actually require real work," wrote Mike_S.
What do you think? Did the "Bruno" photo shoot cross the line?
-- Brendan Bigelow
Photo: Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, in his new guise as gay fashionista Bruno, poses during a GQ magazine photo shoot with the Birmingham High School football team. Credit: Mark Seliger / men.style.com/gq/