Russell Brand is in talks with the BBC about presenting his first TV programme, a film about addiction, for the broadcaster since being forced out over a prank phone calls row in 2008.
The comedian – eager, it would appear, to mend fences after the scandal – has said he would waive any fee to forestall criticism of the proposed BBC3 programme.
Discussions are continuing, as the corporation weighs the sensitivities, but it is thought the film will explore the issue of addiction in a similar way to how Stephen Fry tackled depression for BBC2 in 2006.
Last year, after the death of his friend and fellow addict Amy Winehouse, Brand paid tribute to her, saying they “shared an affliction, the disease of addiction”.
Brand left the BBC in 2008 following a row over a prank phone call he and Jonathan Ross made to the actor Andrew Sachs about Sachs’s granddaughter. Since then Brand has gone on to appear in a number of Hollywood films.
He has returned to broadcasting in the UK – in 2009 he co-hosted a sports show with Noel Gallagher on TalkSport, and in 2010 appeared as a guest on Dermot O’Leary’s BBC Radio 2 show – but has not fronted a TV programme since leaving. His only recent appearance on BBC screens has been in BBC4 reruns of his BBC2 documentary, On the Road.
A BBC spokesman said: “We are working with Russell on a programme about addiction in the UK but it’s currently only in its early stages.”
Brand, who has spent time in rehab, has often called for addicts to be treated as “sick people in need of care”. He also said: “We need to review the way society treats addicts … we need to look at the way our government funds rehabilitation. It is cheaper to rehabilitate an addict than to send them to prison, so criminalisation doesn’t even make economic sense.”
Russell will be performing a run of 3 gigs of new material at L.A.’s legendary Improv Comedy Club.
These shows are being recorded as part of a feature documentary Russell is making for cinema release. By being part of the audience you consent to be in the film.
The dates and times:
Tuesday 18th Jan 7pm – book here
Wednesday 19th Jan 7pm – book here
Thursday 20th Jan 10pm – book here
Improv Comedy Club, 8162 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90046
Street artist Shepard Fairey and actor Russell Brand have found common ground in their renegade approach to fame and its trappings.
Shepard Fairey enjoys reaching out to people whose work he admires. When he also forms a personal bond with the person he has approached, he says it feels like “things in the universe are in their correct place.” Which is why the rebellious street artist who skyrocketed to international fame in 2008 with his ubiquitous Obama “Hope” poster is particularly tickled about his budding friendship with actor/comedian/provocateur Russell Brand.
Fairey traffics in the iconography of fame, and Brand, in his just-released memoir “Booky Wook 2,” is obsessed with fame’s machinations and implications. It’s little wonder then that the two men are on the same creative wavelength, but what is striking is the speed with which their personal relationship has developed and the depth of their creative collaboration. …
Russell Brand hosts Buy Love Here, a swap-meet-type event at the Beverly Center where guests can bring used goods and trade them for anything from clothing to electronics.
Brand created the event as a social experiment that will create a sense of community and reveal what people are willing to trade and what they find most valuable, as part of his documentary called Happiness.
Buy Love Here is a pop up exchange shop, where for one day money will have no currency.
The shop is the brain child of British comic Russell Brand and will take place between 2pm and 6pm on Thursday the 27th of May 2010, at The Beverly Center in Los Angeles.
The idea is to raise debate about the scale of consumer culture and to promote the re-use of products in a surplus society. It is a social experiment to examine shopping habits whilst providing an opportunity for Russell to speak directly with the public and gauge opinion.
The day will be filmed as part of an ongoing documentary Russell is currently filming about the pursuit of happiness.
Check out the Buy Love Here site and watch for more content to be added soon.
To me, that was the ultimate countercultural movement. Rock ‘n’ roll, hip-hop, punk all comes from that, that initial burst or explosion of dissent. … We still live in the ripples of that explosion. I think the way those ideas have been commodified and sold back to us and neutralized and homogenized is a failing. I hope this generation finds something in that spirit that can once again inspire those fireworks again, you know, ‘mad to live.’
Read an interesting article with more quotes from Russ on this topic here.
An official title and a more detailed synopsis of Russell’s documentary are given in this press release:
Los Angeles, California (PRWEB) May 18, 2010 — Russell Brand filmed his upcoming feature length documentary film The Pursuit of Happiness at The Playground with famed child acting coach Gary Spatz.
Russell Brand is a well known actor and comedian who will serve as the film’s main subject. He will help to investigate the components of happiness, while providing his own take on the topic. He will also give viewers an inside look at his own life. Brand is known for his work in feature films such as Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek and for hosting the MTV Video Music Awards. The Pursuit of Happiness is an exploration into the modern pursuit of “happiness.” The film will explore who we are, and how and why we have become this person through Brand’s personal experiences.
Gary Spatz and The Playground will serve as a narrative device in telling the story of Brand’s aspirations for stage and screen. Spatz will aid in telling the film’s tale of the pursuit of “happiness” through his own life and career experiences. The Playground is an on-camera acting conservatory for young actors located in Century City; Spatz is the founder and director. He is known for his work on hit shows such as Roseanne, Everybody Loves Raymond, and The New Mickey Mouse Club. He has worked with stars such as Dylan and Cole Sprouse of The Suite Life and The Suite Life on Deck, Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera and Ashley Argota of True Jackson, VP.
Russell performing as Aldous Snow in Get Him to the Greek
The following is a round-up of Russell’s known activities and projects that are in the works. This list will be re-posted whenever there are new additions or updates.
Filming the remake of Arthur (lead role: Arthur), pre-production, release date 2011, filming starts January 2010 in Los Angeles
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From The Guardian:
