Sacha Baron Cohen, the brains behind Borat and Bruno is confirmed to play the late rock star Freddie Mercury in an upcoming biopic, according to Deadline.com. Mercury and his band Queen broke down barriers in life, and in death achieved great good. His story is tragic, beautiful and compelling.

Born Farrokh Bulsara, in Zanzibar to Parsi (Indian Zoroastrian) parents and raised in Mumbai, Freddie Mercury was a self-taught singer with a five octave range. Queen, the band Mercury co-founded, scored the first single over 4 minutes to get played on AM radio, “Bohemian Rhapsody;” the promotional film for the song is considered the first rock video. To date Queen has sold over 300 million albums worldwide, and is considered one of the greatest rock acts of all time.

Mercury was the first British rock star of Asian decent and the first major rock star to die of AIDS.  Though he did not deny his bisexuality, Mercury did deny having HIV/AIDS, which he is believed to have contracted in 1987.

Less than 24 hours before his death in 1991, Mercury issued a statement confirming what had long been rumored:

Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with me, my doctors, and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue.

Mercury spent the last six years of his life in a relationship with hair dresser Jim Hutton, who died in January of this year. The surviving members of Queen and the band’s manager, Jim Beach, along with Mercury’s former lover/lifetime friend Mary Austin founded the Mercury Phoenix Trust which has raised $15 million in the fight against AIDS and made over 750 grants to charities worldwide. Mercury Phoenix Trust began with 1992′s Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, which was seen by an estimated 1 billion people.

My first rock concert was Queen in concert in 1976, with Thin Lizzy opening–totally mind blowing!

FREDDIE MERCURY Carl Lender, creative commons

SACHA BARON COHEN Fikri Jermadi, creative commons

Sasha Baron Cohen’s faux Austrian fashionista Bruno dropped trou in a hotel room gave libertarian Ron Paul a view of his butt cheeks, the Texas Congressman told radio host Curtis Sliwa. Paul was expecting an intellectual discussion of Austrian economics, but instead after arriving in:

A studio situation where they had a lot of lights, burn and blaze and all kinds of commotion. They said — better get in this back room here. And all of a sudden, I was in this room, which they had it all fixed up as a bedroom. So, getting me there was sort of dishonesty. Getting me into the interview.

I was expecting an interview on Austrian economics. So, that didn’t turn out that way. But, by the time he started pulling his pants down, I, What is going on here? I ran out of the room. This interview has ended.

Paul admits he hadn’t heard of Sasha Baron Cohen and his alter egos Borat and Bruno, Now he is in an uncomfy position because of the conflicts:

When this all gets out, I’m probably going to have to apologize to my supporters because I think most of them are going to figure out why in the world didn’t I sock this guy in the nose?… Movies I used to see are ‘Sound of Music.’ Tonight, I was sitting here watching ‘Gone with the Wind.’ So, I don’t watch that kind of stuff. And I understand he makes a lot of money. But, if he makes a lot of money, I have to permit the market to do this.

 I cna understand how Ron Paul may not have wanted to see Borat, but how could he have missed out the movie’s box office figures (Over $26 million on opening weekend, over $128 million total)?

I don’t like the idea that he lies his way into an interview. That to me is fraud. But, the fact that he has raunchy material and people buy into it, it’s sort of sad that that is a reflection of our culture. To me, it’s a real shame that people are going to reward him with millions and millions of dollars for being so crass.

What the market will bear…