'Hop' movie premiere: Russell Brand, James Marsden and the Hoff

Married life sure has turned Russell Brand into a sweet little bunny -- or, wait, maybe that's the work of "Hop," which features Brand as a teenage bunny along with James Marsden in a movie that blends animation, live action, Easter and rock 'n' roll.

 

 

 

The two stars were among those who turned out Sunday for the Universal CityWalk premiere of the movie, which finds Marsden's out-of-work slacker Fred O'Hare involved with Brand's E.B. after the latter flees Easter Island for Hollywood to become a drummer instead of going into the family business.

Hugh Laurie, who provides the voice of E.B.'s dad, was on hand in Universal City, as was Kaley Cuoco, who plays Fred's younger sister Sam. Marsden brought his wife, Lisa Linde, while David Hasselhoff, who plays himself in the film, hosted daughters Taylor Ann and Hayley Amber.

Also spotted from the cast: Django Marsh, Tiffany Espensen, Gary Cole, Elizabeth Perkins and Hank Azaria, who brought his son Hal. Director Tim Hill showed, as did writers Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul. Click the pics for more photos from the premiere.

Easter may not be until April 24, but "Hop" hits U.S. theaters Friday.

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photos: Russell Brand poses with a young fan, left, and James Marsden poses with massive baby chicks at the "Hop" premiere in Universal City on Sunday. Credits: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images; Phil McCarten / Reuters

PREACH IT! Introducing the Bristol Palin's Gams Fan Club!

If you saw "Dancing with the Stars" on Monday night, you caught some extraordinary surprises, not the least of which involved Bristol Palin. We're not talking about Palin’s mom, who apparently bailed on her daughter at the last minute after sending the "DWTS" studio into a DefCon-1-style security beef-up.

We are, however, talking about the younger Palin's getaway sticks.

Palin certainly is no dancing superstar, but she more or less held her own, footwork-wise. (Her from-the-waist-up shimmy, for the record, was a different story. Some things, as they say, can never be unseen.)

We're not alone in being caught unawares by Bristol's passable legwork.

The Washington Post declared her to be "not the worst dancer." And, while Bristol was certainly no Jennifer Grey, Parade pointed out that Palin’s score of 18 out of 30 puts her in the "mid-level."

Not everyone was pleasantly surprised; Vanity Fair has advised Bristol to take some inspiration from ...

Bristol Palin scores a TV show before Levi Johnston does [poll]

What's Bristol Palin got that Levi Johnston only wishes he had? A reality TV show, that's what. Think he's sorry now?

"Dancing With the Stars" has named its next set of contestants -- in addition to Alaska's best-known single mom, we'll also be seeing Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino of "Jersey Shore," David Hasselhoff and Florence Henderson tripping the light fantastic.

"This season, some of the names make you chuckle, others you're surprised about, and others you think you know, but you're going to see them in a different light," casting head Deena Katz told The Times' Maria Elena Fernandez.

Click the photo of recent winner Nicole Scherzinger at right to see the new contestants, and visit our friends at Show Tracker for the "DWTS" casting chief's take on each star.

Here's Katz's take on Bristol Palin, whom she says she's talked to a lot: "She’s very mature for ...

PREACH IT! A Mueller-Sheen divorce? Gird your loins!

New rumors are bubbling to the crusty, slimy surface of the whole Charlie Sheen mess. We already know that Sheen faces charges in Colorado -- allegations that he did some domestic violence on That Lady He Married, including holding a knife to her throat. Now, it seems, Sheen’s wife, also known as Brooke Mueller, wants a divorce as soon as the criminal court matters get tidied up.

Sheen’s past includes rehab, fun with injecting cocaine, the accidental shooting of a former fiancee and other drama. Mueller, for her part, reportedly has a substance abuse problem as well, a problem that has apparently landed her in rehab at least five times.

If these two do go through with a divorce, it’s likely to be the biggest celebrity Ragnarok in quite a while.

How big exactly? Let’s take a look at the marital cage matches we’ve seen thus far, and how they might stack up to a Mueller-Sheen matchup:

Howie Mandel is the new David Hasselhoff? Wait, what?

David Hasselhoff said Wednesday that he was leaving the judging ranks of "America's Got Talent" to follow his dream, he told People, "to do my own TV show, which will be announced very shortly."

And who better to take over for him than ... Howie Mandel? Pardon the Ministry's confusion, but, Howie Mandel? Hey, that's what NBC announced Sunday. Maybe a few execs were all hanging around the NBC offices over the weekend shooting the breeze, so why not fix more than one problem?

Jeff Gaspin, entertainment chairman for NBC Universal Television, wasn't actually in the office Sunday morning (we made that up; could you smell the sarcasm?), but rather sitting on a Television Critics Assn. panel when he said of Howie: “If you think about an expertise, Howie has had a Las Vegas show for years, and he constantly performs in Las Vegas. So we actually thought — not only is he a great communicator, but he’s actually an expert.”

Well, that clears it up right there. 

Susan Boyle sings with Elaine Paige, crushes on Hasselhoff -- and will perform for Michelle Obama?

When Susan Boyle first appeared on "Britain's Got Talent," she told judge Simon Cowell that her dream was to be as successful as Elaine Paige.

Seems that's working out OK for for Susan -- she and the "first lady of musical theatre" just sang "I Know Him So Well" together for "I Dreamed a Dream: The Susan Boyle Story." The special airs this Sunday. 

Cutest thing -- according to the Daily Mail, the duet was kept a secret from Susan until shortly before the performance. 

There's also word via Britain's Daily Express that Boyle has been invited to sing at the White House on Jan. 17 for First Lady Michelle Obama's birthday, in a "small, intimate gathering" at the private residence.

But what's her most memorable moment, to date, during her rapid ascent to fame?

(Remember, the world met SuBo only this past April).

It was, she says on her YouTube channel, when she appeared on "America's Got Talent" and got to meet Piers Morgan, Sharon Osbourne and "the Hoff -- he's a nice wee hunk."