• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 16, 2007

LAS VEGAS -- NBC's mid-season strategy, in continuing its improved ratings performance this season, now comes with two words attached: anus and testicles.

This was part of Sacha Baron Cohen's speech at the Golden Globe Awards last night in winning an award for Fox Filmed Entertainment's "Borat." But we are somewhat saddened. That's because from a comedy perspective, Cohen's line gave away one of the best bits in the movie. After all, what can come after anus and testicles?

The serious question in all this is whether NBC, which broadcast the event, will be laughing, especially considering the rag and rant the Federal Communications Commission is on these days--especially for award shows. Fox, as you might recall, is being taken to the mat for airing two Billboard Music Shows in which Cher and Nicole Richie made profanity-laced comments, in separate incidents.

From an actual FCC point of view--in terms of specific words--it doesn't seem NBC would get any actual fine. Instead perhaps something more of a kick to its PR gonads, one of the few references to the area that Cohen didn't use. Watching the event at a viewing party here at NAPTE, we reporters--not an easy lot to offend--were wondering just how many references to Ken Davitian, Cohen's co-star in "Borat," and his ass we were going to get before NBC had the cameras searching for Prince again.

All this comes as entertainment reporters take note of Fox Filmed Entertainment's transition of its "Borat" publicity campaign, from having Cohen being interviewed in his politically incorrect character on "Letterman" and elsewhere--to Cohen being interviewed as his frank self.

Ratings-wise, Cohen's remark about his co-star's globes would seem to give NBC a nice lift. But we imagine NBC, long-term, wishes Fox, and other studios, would micro-manage actors' publicity stunts a little differently, letting them excuse themselves for the powder room when they need to.