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Golden Globes 2013: Michael Haneke on his parody Twitter account

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In what has been one of the strange joys of this awards season, a parody Twitter account attributed to Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke has become a treasure trove of comedy gold with its digs at Terrence Malick, pictures of cats and general sense of levity that is at odds with the super-serious nature of the filmmaker’s work. That Haneke’s “Amour” has been winning prize after prize, including the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and five Oscar nominations, plus a Golden Globe on Sunday night, has made it seem even better.

The Twitter account first appeared in early November. On the morning of the Golden Globes nominations in December, Michael Barker, co-president of “Amour” distributor Sony Pictures Classics, said they were waiting until Haneke came to the U.S. to tell him about it. “I’m sure he won’t be pleased about it,” Barker said at the time.

Among some of the recent messages posted to the account, which has adopted an idiomatic patois all its own:

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“tryin 2 decide which black turtleneck i shud wear 4 the golden globes 2nte. ps does any1 no how 2 get rid of a hickey lol”

“if i had a skittle 4 every time terruns malick txts me about a “spiritual experience with a tree” id die of eatin 2 many skittles lol”

“i jst got an amour tshirt made. it says ‘i made a film about strokes + all i got was this tshirt, a parms dorz + 5 oscar nominayshuns’ lol”

The account even gave an “interview” to the British newspaper the Guardian, declaring a love of “Sex and the City” -- “lately ive been such a samantha.” Of frequent Haneke collaborator Isabelle Huppert, the interview said, “izzy huppert always speeks the truth even wen shes high.”

The fake Haneke account has frequently sent messages to the actual account of director Brett Ratner. Worlds collided on Saturday night when Ratner tweeted out a photo from the Los Angeles Film Critics Assn. awards dinner of himself with his arm over the shoulder of the bearded, bespectacled, real-life Haneke. (“Amour” had won best film of the year from the critics group.) The parody Haneke Twitter account then posted the photo as well, saying, “i lost the award in hooters.”

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On the Golden Globes red carpet Sunday night, the real Michael Haneke was asked at last about his hard-partying online doppelganger. “My students said there was a weird Twitter account,” the 70-year-old Haneke, who teaches at the Vienna Film Academy, said through a German translator. “But I’m not that interested in that kind of thing. It’s not for me.”

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Follow Mark Olsen on Twitter: @IndieFocus

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