Sacha Baron Cohen Makes an Ash of Himself

Comic Sacha Baron Cohen really pushed the envelope at Sunday night's Academy Awards -- and we aren't talking about the Oscar envelope. The Dictator star had been the source of much discussion last week as Academy executives debated over whether or not to let the prankster walk the red carpet as his alter-ego Admiral Aladeen. Apparently, they should have gone with their guts and stopped the shameless self promotion before it ever began. Baron made a total ash out of himself and E! News host Ryan Seacrest, who ended up being the butt of Cohen's prank. The American Idol host was doing a red carpet interview with Cohen, who was dressed to the nines in dictator garb. His get-up came complete with a container of what were supposedly Kim Il Jong's ashes. Seacrest quickly learned the importance of being urn-less when Cohen dumped the powder all over Seacrest's tuxedo. Cohen joked to Seacrest that if someone asked him who he was wearing for the evening, he could tell them Kim Jong- Il. Security immediately jumped in and forcibly removed Cohen from the area. Although Seacrest looked stunned initially, he admitted to E! News co-host Giuliana Rancic that he suspected that Cohen would be up to something. "I had an idea something was coming. I just didn't know in what form." The form was apparently ash. Seacrest kept his cool and later Tweeted, "My mom always told me to pack two jackets for red carpets, always wondered why. Now I know."