Rosie O'Donnell Has a Crush on Brand

Rosie O'Donnell demanded Russell Brand be her first guest on her new TV talk show after falling in love with the Brit during an airport meeting.

The actress admits she first met funnyman Brand at Lax airport in Los Angeles and she immediately became a fan.

She tells news show Nightline, "I think he is epically, epically genius, and his life story is fascinating... He's my new sort of boy crush".

And O'Donnell, whose new show debuts on Oprah Winfrey's Own network on Monday evening (10Oct11), is encouraging her new favourite to hit the road with comedian Robin Williams.

She adds, "I think like he and Robin Williams together, I think that the universe would explode. I mean Robin Williams, by American comic standards, no one is as fast as him.

"It's like he has a computer that works 10 times faster than the normal person. And that's Russell as well".