NOT MY BRAND OF ENTERTAINMENT

I was surprised to read positive reviews of Russell Brand's hosting job of the MTV Video Music Awards (one such review is here). I thought he did a terrible job. He was incoherent at times, and rarely, if ever funny or entertaining. Most of the positive reviews I read took little digs at the fact the show was hosted in Los Angeles. I'm sorry, but just because you couldn't hack it here doesn't mean you have to dog the city every chance you get.

But putting this Angeles-hating aside, Brand was lousy. Chelsea Handler praised his performance as the, "only rock and roll thing about the evening," noting that, "the Republican Party [Convention] rocked harder than the VMAs." She kind of has a point... the RNC played AC/DC, Heart and other rock music. The VMAs featured a partially acoustic (lame) set from the Jonas Brothers, whom Russell also took to task for their pro-virginity Promise Rings.

American Idol winner Jordin Sparks came to the defense of the squeaky-clean "rockers" later saying, "not everyone wants to be a slut." Russell promptly apologized - not a rock and roll thing to do. But then again, he was trying to win over American audiences and launch a state-side career. (Not much chance of that after his "debut" in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, a film audiences stayed away from in droves.)

Well, MTV, there's alway next year!