AP - America, meet Russell Brand.In his native England, he's a comedy giant — instantly identifiable by his Einstein-like tousle of black hair and formfitting, chest-baring, glam-rock clothes — a television host and standup comic with his own radio show and weekly column in The Guardian. In the U.S., he's that British guy who was in the movie "Forgetting Sarah Marshall."

But that all could change Sunday, when Brand hosts the MTV Video Music Awards — the TV institution that lured millions of viewers with Britney Spears' fumbled comeback last year and her fabled kiss with Madonna before that. Brand said he has no intentions to hijack the awards for his own promotional purposes, but he knows the show will serve as his introduction to a broad American audience.

"It's amazing, because obviously I'm not known in this country, so it's a really unusual situation to be in," said the 33-year-old, noting that past hosts have been "really, really famous." "I think I'd be insane if I wasn't anxious, although I've clinically been declared insane on several occasions. Perhaps my slight apprehension is a mark of my return to sanity."

Brand might not be exaggerating about his diagnosis. At home he's known for his hedonistic tendencies and drug-addled past, and he sought treatment for drug addiction and sex addiction. He detailed his storied history in "My Booky Wook," a memoir that was a best-seller in Britain and is due to be published in the U.S. in February. Read more...