FROM NEWSROOM.MTV.COM: Russell Brand is a recovering sex and heroin addict. He’s been kicked off the BBC thanks to a poorly received prank call last year. Oh, and then there’s the time he showed up dressed as Osama Bin Laden at his old MTV gig back on September 12, 2001. That one didn’t go over well at all.

So maybe I wasn’t completely surprised when our shoot with him this afternoon went bonkers. Russell is at his best when he’s off the cuff, just riffing with strangers, so we decided to throw him right into a mess of people. To my knowledge, we conducted the first interview ever to take place in an actual working MTV elevator today. And yes, Russell struck up awkward and amusing chats with security men and every lovely young lady who happened to stroll in.

Watch the video of Russell Brand let loose at MTV at Newsroom.MTV.com….

Did “Dark City” rock your world (I swear that’s my last “Rock of Love” reference in this blog) as much as it did mine? Well if it did then you’ll understand why it took me about a nanosecond to say yes when the gang at Summit asked if I was interested in moderating an event with director Alex Proyas.

This guy’s got the chops. “Dark City,” “The Crow,” hell even “I, Robot” was kick-ass entertainment in my opinion (yeah I know it’s not for Asimov purists but come on…). Proyas’ latest is a creepy as hell Nic Cage thriller called “Knowing.” I got a chance to see it last week and it delivers more than enough jolts to make you scream for your mommy and beg for mercy. Oh and it’s got an ending that’ll leave plenty of room for conversation afterwards.

So come on out to the Apple Store in Soho Tuesday night (7PM) in New York if you can. It’ll be you, me, and Mr. Proyas. I’ll have questions. You’ll have questions. Hopefully he’ll have a few answers. Come on over! Here athe details on the location.

And the big ‘Twilight’ rumor of the day is…?

Nary a day goes by these days without some big ‘Twilight’ news, whether it’s bogus Madonna rumors or Robert Pattinson hitting the Oscars red carpet.

Well today the news involves ‘Eclipse’ and the search for a director. According to Entertainment Weekly, Summit is in talks with a small group of potential directors to helm the third installment in the franchise, including none other than Drew Barrymore.

Now there’s a name that’s seemingly out of nowhere, isn’t it? Or is it? Read more…

FROM NEWSROOM.MTV.COM: I’ve got a pretty bizarre job. I know this, because my friends and family constantly tell me this whenever my Facebook updates casually mention encounters with the likes of Charlize Theron and Stephen Baldwin (in my mind, all celebrities are created equal).

(Check out behind-the-scenes photos from this year’s Oscars here!)

Still, the crazy and surreal meter went into overdrive for me last night when I stepped onto my first Academy Awards red carpet. First of all, don’t be too jealous; my feet barely touched the carpet before I was relegated to the press area that literally was behind a 4-foot shrub. I can’t blame the Hollywood elite. If I were Sean Penn, I’d want a barrier between me and Nancy O’Dell at all times too.

Continue reading our behind-the-scenes Oscar diary at newsroom.mtv.com…

If this latest report is to be believed, Sunday night’s Oscar ceremony will welcome a new and welcome face for many a young fan. Sure, you’ll get your Brad and Angelina fix this weekend (both are nominated of course) but who cares about the world’s most famous couple this side of Barack and Michelle when Robert Pattinson is involved.

Yes, HitFix claims they have confirmed the recent rumors that “Twilight” star Pattinson will indeed present an award at the Oscars. The report doesn’t indicate what award Pattinson will present nor whether his “Twilight” co-star Kristen Stewart will be by his side as he bestows a statuette to a lucky winner. Read more…

I really am torn over these latest shenanigans by crazy-town actor supreme Joaquin Phoenix. Is his supposed retirement from acting for real? That part isn’t so far-fetched but the rap career? And having it all documented by Casey Affleck? It’s all got my BS sensor working overtime. And then there’s the instantly infamous appearance on “The Late Show with David Letterman.” Riveting television, yes! But what is it? A man in the midst of a meltdown or performance art (his “Two Lovers” director claims the music switch is for real). Again, my jaded mind is leaning towards the latter.

It all has me thinking back to my last encounter with Joaquin. Phoenix is a notoriously horrible interview. By all accounts he hates talking to the press even more than watching himself on screen (he never watches his own films if you didn’t know). When I chatted with him about “Reservation Road” at the end of 2007 I couldn’t resist bringing up one of my childhood faves, “Spacecamp.” He didn’t take too kindly to the trip down memory lane. The result? The interview earned a spot on our Most Bizarre Moments show. Take a look. Cringe. And tell us what you think.

Is Joaquin losing it or is it all just an act? What do you make of the star’s supposed retirement from acting?

Everyone’s got their Christian Bale imitation going right now. But you and I are not Method Man, are we? So when Meth himself broke out a little impromptu Bale riff in the middle of our Greatest Movie Badasses panel at Comic-Con, we let out a hearty laugh. As we say in the clip, nothing is more badass than a meltdown on the set, right?

Whose meltdown do you prefer? Christian’s or Meth’s?

If you couldn’t make it to MTV News’ Greatest Movie Badasses of All Time event on Friday night at New York Comic-Con, fear not. We’ve got the next best thing. By now you probably know that we’ve spent the last couple months searching for the ultimate badass. On Friday night we revealed the top ten list. We announced it at a hilarious panel featuring Method Man and Judah Friedlander that you can watch in its entirety here. But if you’re the kind of badass lover who likes to cut to the chase, check out our surprise reveal of the Greatest Badass below.

We’ve made our picks but that doesn’t mean you missed your shot to weigh in. Tell us what we got right AND wrong! After all, a true badass would never go down without a fight.

Okay, I’m going to be frank. The talent at New York Comic-Con this year isn’t quite on par with last year. Still, we’ve been having a blast talking to top comic creators, actors, and filmmakers galore. And every so often an awesome familiar face shows up unexpectedly. For instance, this afternoon Stephen Baldwin dropped by our skybox overlooking the convention floor completely unannounced. He dropped off copies of his new comic, “The Remnant,” and was gone in a flash.

I wasn’t there at the time but when I came by the booth and heard he had just been there I hit the floor to talk to the man himself. Needless to say he was awesome. You’ll see plenty of the interview soon enough so just calm down. For now enjoy the below photo.

Does it really suprise anyone that’s watched Christian Bale’s work that he’s got a bit of a temper lying just beneath the surface? Still, we were as appalled/amused as anyone when TMZ uncovered his tantrum on the set of “Terminator Salavation.” Mental note: do NOT get in the way of Mr. Bale when he’s at work. And a note to all of you, do not get in my way when I’m trying to write a blog entry about actors going loco. I just might LOSE IT! Watch and learn, ass.