"Could I please ask of you, people of America, to please elect Barack Obama. Please! On behalf of the world," Brand said after introducing himself to the audience and assuring those who did not recognize him, "I am famous in the United Kingdom."

After making numerous jokes about President George W. Bush, as well as about Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin's pregnant teen-age daughter and her boyfriend, Brand said this year's VMA show was intended to celebrate the past and offer a look at the music and performers of the future.

"New music, new president, brand new America," he said. "You people deserve it after eight years of Bush."