Let me see if I understand the rules: If you’re an American celebrity, it’s permissible to criticize the president, but not if you do it overseas (see: Dixie Chicks). Now, it appears, there’s a converse rule: It’s also not permitted for a foreign celebrity to come to our shores and criticize our president and tell us how to vote. Judging by the firestorms that have erupted on our comment boards (here and here), that’s the gist of the complaint against VMA host Russell Brand (pictured) for his blunt political advocacy during his opening monologue and throughout last night’s show. In particular, he urged Americans to vote for Barack Obama and called George W. Bush a "retarded cowboy" who, in the U.K., wouldn’t be trusted with even a pair of scissors. (Doesn’t he know that you can’t say "retarded" in this country anymore?) The anti-Brand complaint seems to be: You have no right to come over here from Limeyland to tell us how to vote or to mock our president — that’s our job. Then again, many commenters thought Brand was hilarious and spoke truth to power.
Brand also courted controversy by repeatedly making fun of the Jonas Brothers’ virginity pledges (and using them as an excuse to make teen pregnancy jokes about Bristol Palin and her fiancee). He issued a sort of non-apology apology about that later in the show, as if someone had twisted his arm backstage, but then threw in an R. Kelly joke, as if to say he wasn’t repentant at all. Finally, in stepping on Robert Pattinson’s introductory remarks, he alienated untold numbers of loyal Twilight fans.
Now, while I actually agree with most of what Brand said about politics, even I thought his remarks were tacky. So were his jibes at the Jonas Brothers (though Jordin Sparks’ response, that promise rings are okay because "not every guy and a girl wants to be a slut," was equally tacky). Still, complaining about tackiness at an MTV production is as futile as complaining about lip-synching or product placement. And Brand’s political remarks seemed to play well in the room. Which is why I predict that his controversial emceeing turn may actually have done him more good than harm.
Brand has a history of destroying his career through his own outrageous behavior, and if public sentiment is any guide, he could have done it again last night. But the Hollywood types in attendance on the Paramount lot last night seemed to enjoy him, and their opinion may matter more than ours in terms of his job prospects. Besides, last night’s VMAs were as mediocre as ever, but no one can stop talking about Brand, who two days ago was a virtual unknown in America. He’ll certainly be a solid test case for the theory that there’s no such thing as bad publicity.
Tell us, PW-ers, did Brand commit career suicide last night, or will his controversial performance serve as the calling card that lands him bigger and better gigs on this side of the pond?
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Quit WHINING Gary! EVERYONE in Hollywood bashes the president. What are you talking about, ‘it’s not allowed’? Who are you kidding? It’s practically the status quo; maybe some people are just sick of it.
It’s the MTV VMA’s not CNN or PBS, it’s supposed to be controversial. Maybe if the last 2 ceremonies weren’t such a snooze people wouldn’t be so shocked.
If you’re offended, then he’s not for you. Oh well, flip the channel and have fun watching something else.
He actually MC’d the event, rather than just reading boring script, he rolled with the punches and made it interesting.
I loved it! MP3s are up here: http://www.entertonement.com/collections/2954/Russell-Brand-VMA-Monologue?page=1
Sorry, Gary, I think I was a little harsh.
Not suicide at all. Unlike many of the teenyboppers (who seem to be sensitive about things named Jonas and purity rings), I thought he was an absolute stitch! Better than those so called ‘live performances’. Does anyone else remember Jovi singing with laryngitis 20 years ago? That was a performance!!!
Russell Brand already has a career in Britain where the general sense of humor is much dryer and lighter than it is here. This will have no effect on him what-so-ever. I’m Switzerland about his performance. The whole show sucked.
I thought Brand was awesome. It goes to show that Bush is hated all over the world. The whole world wants a change.
There is so many retarded people in the US and in all the other countries in the world!If you are retarded you should be called retarded! And a joke is a joke! How boring would the world be if everybody was PC???no south park no Familly guy no Dave chapelle no chris Rock…no HBO, NO Laughter no FUN!
I could handle a little one-sided humor IF it was funny. What a waste of my time… glad I flipped to Entourage. And where were they filming? The Sheraton Century City ballroom?
My comment? The VMA’s are irrelevant, MTV is irrelevant, Pop music is irrelevant, and Russell “Jesse Camp of the week” Brand is irrelevant. Most pathetic of all, however… snarky liberal entertainment bloggers who make a living by actually documenting this flash in the pan nonsense.
free speech isn’t just for US citizens…unless the current administration changed things overnight. we make fun of the royal family all the time so if we can give it, we should be good sports and take it, no? btw, i don’t think it was career suicide.
I thought Brand did a great job. He was the only thing interesting on that otherwise insufferable show. Hopefully the backlash won’t harm his career, cause that kind of irreverency is welcome in my livingroom and I want to see more of it. I was cracking up at his subtle sarcasm describing each performance and presenter as fabulous and wonderful and what a great show it was. I don’t even know who the heck the Jonas Brothers are but I was fine with him taking a shot at the Disneyfication of MTV. As for his political comments, I hate to say this but he probably knows more about the election and the candidates than the majority of registered voters in this country. Myself included.
as a non American, living in a world so completly affected by the American government, I think Brand’s jokes came from desperation.
PLEASE stop electing these neo-con politicians who only alienate you further from the rest of the world.
…and I concur with these other comments
it’s the MTV awards – aren’t they SUPPOSED to be controversial?
I really couldn’t care less about what Russell Brand had to say. In fact, I wasn’t paying attention, because I was trying to figure out his hair. Yuck!
I am a Repub and while I cringed at Brand’s comments…what else is new? What I couldn’t figure is out was MTV having 15 year old performers and artists sitting in the audience…while having an R-rated host.
i find it so odd that Americans tout free speech as one of the defining democratic attributes but then they freak out when some comedian calls their president a retard. Bush has been called worse things.. just usually not on tv in front of millions of people. your president is BAD. if you cared about your country at all, you would elect Obama because only he has the slightest chance of restoring some respect for the US among the international community!
I thought Brand was great. What i can’t understand is how people are ok with hosts making fun of the “sluts” of the music industry but the one host that makes fun of the “virgins” of the same community is being called tacky. The hypocracy is laughable. Just look at Miley Cyrus and her virtue ring.
Brand is ultra-famous in Britain, and is as popular a tabloid target as Posh and Becks. I don’t think he’ll suffer because of this. Seriously, if he’s blacklisted because he cut Cedric Diggory off, well, much odds about those people anyway. He also has quite a successful stand-up career, both overseas and in the US. This is like complaining that Sarah Silverman told some distasteful jokes on the show she hosted….of course Brand was like this..it’s how he makes his living. Personally, I think he’s hilarious and sexy, and would love to see more of him in movies and on tv.
I didn’t watch, but from what I’ve read and seen about Russell Brand, it’s nothing to be surprised about…he’s built his career on being outrageous. Personally, I think everyone can say what they want about our government. Americans certainly have plenty to say about other governments, for good and ill, so turnabout is fair play.
Gary, you said it best: his comments, while politically in line with my own, were tacky and unnecessary. However, I was less offended by the political comments than I was by the very fact that he was simply NOT FUNNY. I had high hopes for Brand going into last night’s VMA’s, given that I heard he was considered a comedic god across the pond. I was thoroughly disappointed by him performance, not from a political aspect, but from a performance aspect.
I pretty much enjoyed Brand. He was actually one of the only things I did enjoy. I might not have agreed with every statement, but I’m not going to let that get my knickers in a twist. C’est la vie.
Overall, I thought the performances were pretty much crap and that giving Britney Spears three awards for that video put another 6 feet of dirt on the coffin of what used to be an interesting spectacle of a show that has turned into two hours of commercials with three minutes of crotch grabbing and ego-stroking thrown in as content.
I agree, I think Brand is pretty funny. But I really don’t think political commentary (unfunny, completely one-sided) belongs on an awards show, particularly one as completely ludicrous as the VMAs. It would have been great on the Daily Show or Comedy Central in general.
As I recall, Chris Martin of Coldplay bashed President Bush at the 2004 Grammys during an acceptance speech for Record of the Year. It seems his career has been moving along very nicely, thank you!
Thanks, EW, for creating a separate blog about the boy blunder Brand. Consider this, all those of you who are rushing to join the Brandwagon Fan Club: If a tweaking stammering UK comedian “who is really famous” across the lake can’t be bashed for his incredible poor performance, then you lose the argument you are making on his right to bash anyone else.
Ooh, controversial, speaking truth to power. Please. He’s at an MTV get together; if he wanted to be controversial, he’d have endorsed McCain.
Frankly, I’m delighted; I can think of few better ways to get people to vote for McCain than for some dimwitted foreign d-bag to call on people to vote for Obama.
And I have to say that his appearance was informative: I never knew that British dentists also did hairstyling.
Russell Brand was fresh. He brought an outsider’s opinion to American viewers and pretty much, more or less, certified what we think the rest of the world thinks about Americans. I thought his monologue was fresh and new, and all the jibes at Bush just felt like a yo’ mama joke. If you can joke about your friend’s mom, Europeans can joke about our president like we joke about their leaders. The only negative thing I have to say is with regard to Bland cutting off Robert Pattinson- not cool, but I see why he did it. And Robert’s got a movie coming out–if I want to hear Robert speak, I’ll go watch that movie ten times over or I’ll watch the trailers online if I’m that upset and sobbing over not hearing his voice. Puh-lease; seeing him was enough for me!
I thought his monologue was weak, but he excelled at the introductions and ad-libbing. It seemed like he was more comfortable being himself as the night wore on, rather than trying to be liked by Americans. I saw his act at Just Laughs in Montreal this summer and believe me, he’s a brilliant and hilarious performer. I honestly dont think that British humour plays nearly as well with Americans.
funny??? my grandma makes funnier jokes about Bush than this clown did a “retarded cowboy” like that joke hasn’t been used over and over and over. its been eight years and this is the funniest stuff he can come up with i think he needs better writers. at least kayne west had some different material when he bashed Bush plus he had Michael Myers standing next to him which i think made the whole thing even funnier.
LOL VILF!
He was funny!
So funny!
he was the highlight of the evening(not Britney for winning 3 awards…makes me wonder who she’s sleeping with????
He is the definition of a loser. Self-proclaimed drug and sex addict. Not funny, crass and disrespectful.