British comedian Russell Brand is back for a second consecutive year as the host of the MTV Video Music Awards. This year's show takes him to New York, where he will no doubt bring his signature style and taste for controversy. Just in case you can't recall the finer points of Brand's performance, here the top five moments delivered by the host during the 2008 version of the show.
Russell Versus Virginity: Last year's biggest performance belonged to the Jonas Brothers, but before they stole the show with their faux-brownstone set, Brand took their purity rings to task. "I'd take it a little more seriously if they wore it on their genitals," he said, creating the first of many awkward moments on stage. He even sparked a bit of a war between purity ring wearers and himself. He smoothed it over with an apology, though.
Under The Sheets With Madonna: Brand didn't just talk about the Jonas Brothers' sex lives — he brought Madonna into the conversation as well. He addressed the then-rumor that the Material Girl was having an affair with New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez. In referencing Madonna's performance of "Like a Virgin" at the very first VMAs, he said, "Maybe [Alex] had something that made her feel like a virgin again — like a baseball bat!"
The Resurrection Of Britney Spears: Last year's big winner was Britney Spears, who treated the 2008 Video Music Awards as the first step to her big comeback. So dramatic was her return that Brand compared her to another famous comeback, referring to Spears as "the female Christ."
Russell Overthrows The President: Though Brand is from the U.K., he weighed in on last year's presidential election, imploring everybody to vote for eventual winner Barack Obama. He even went as far as calling former President George W. Bush "that retarded cowboy fellow."
Russell Versus Dry, Chapped Skin: Clearly, one of Brand's favorite performers from last year's show was Katy Perry, who famously wore a banana-peel dress and sang her hit "I Kissed a Girl." Brand claimed he was taking Perry's advice and going through nine cherry Chapsticks a day, and that his "penis has never felt more moisturized."
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