"Borat": The cheap shot heard 'round the world

The international incident known as the movie "Borat" is making headlines all over the world. The film — featuring comedian Sacha Baron Cohen (of "Ali G.") posing as a Kazakh journalist on the loose in the U.S. — has managed to aggravate moviegoers, officials in Kazakhstan, bystanders who appear in the film, and even a passel of Romanian villagers. Critics, however, have almost universally praised the movie. (Seattle Times reviewer Moira Macdonald, citing some reservations, called it "cheerfully tasteless.")

In the news: The United Kingdom's Daily Mail reports the Romanian villagers who depict Borat's home in Kazakhstan were paid about $6 a piece for their participation in the film. One-armed Nicu Tudorache said: "This is disgusting. They conned us into doing all these things and never told us anything about what was going on."

The residents of Glod only found out about the true nature of the film after seeing a Romanian TV report. Some thought it was an art project, others a documentary. The Mail on Sunday showed them the cinema trailer — the first footage they had seen from the film. Many were on the brink of tears as they saw how they were portrayed.

Britain's Sun cites an incident in which Cohen, in character as Borat, was beaten up by a passer-by in New York city after he said "I like your clothings. Are nice! Please may I buying? I want have sex with it." Actor Hugh Laurie ("House") reportedly stepped in for the rescue; the incident took place after Laurie and Cohen appeared on "Saturday Night Live," which ran on October 28.

Borat hits Australia, where they like his humor (so far).

Managing to turn this into a comic-think piece, The Australian sees this as a victory of Britcoms (British comedians) over a gullible American public.

This isn't the first time Baron Cohen has duped unsuspecting interview subjects; as one of his original characters, Ali G, he nailed ABC News' Sam Donaldson: "It was 'Waterworld' that brought down the president?" Cohen asked Donaldson in an episode of HBO's "Da Ali G Show." "Watergate," Donaldson told him.

A rare appearance by Sacha Baron Cohen as himself, on "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart.

Have you seen "Borat"? Was it for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan? Or Make Idiot of American Public?