Students gather, Russell Brand a 'no-show' at pre-party event in his honor

Students gathered at Corner Pocket Thursday night for a "pre-party" event before Russell Brand's stand-up show. (Jake McLernon)

Mason's Office of Off-Campus Programs and Services sent out a hopeful tweet to Russell Brand (@rustyrockets) Wednesday, inviting the comedian to their "Pre-Russell Brand Party"  at the Corner Pocket, in the HUB, before Brand was slated to perform at the Patriot Center Thursday night.

At the Corner Pocket pre-party, free food was available for students and games including pool and ping-pong were available for play, many of them free-of-charge. The Mason Improv Association put on a performance for guests and information regarding other activities hosted by Off-Campus Programs and Services was also presented.

“We wanted to create an event that caters to a broad audience and there is a lot of activities you can do at the Corner Pocket to attract different people,” said Binh Ly, a senior and an off-campus student adviser.

The Office of Off-Campus Programs and Services invited Brand to the event Wednesday, Nov. 16, with the tweet, "Stop by our Pre-Russell Brand Party tomorrow at @GeorgeMasonU in the HUB! We are celebrating in your honor before the show!"

In response, Brand tweeted back, "I am coming to your pre-show party prepare delicacies and an adrenaline needle - you never know..."

As word spread on Twitter with a flurry of tweets and retweets and by word of mouth, students were excited at the prospect of meeting Brand.

“I was screaming before I even pulled up the Twitter page” said Ariel Fleisher, a junior and off-campus adviser, about her excited response to Brand’s tweet.

Stephanie Weed, a freshman off-campus student, said she heard about the pre-show party through friends and mostly attended because she heard Russel Brand was going to be there.

However, as anticipation rose for Brand's arrival at the event, prospects began to look dim that the comedian would make an appearance. By 7 p.m., guests realized Brand would not be attending the event before his show, scheduled for 8 p.m.

“I am disappointed that he didn’t come,” Fleisher said, “But I didn’t want to get my hopes up because he is a celebrity and there is nothing in his contract that says he has to come”.

Off-Campus Programs and Services will be hosting a variety of events later this semester, including an event at Noodles & Co. Nov. 29  and a Bollywood movie title “Dabangg” in the JC Cinema Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m.. According to Ly, the office hopes to put on even more programs next semester for off-campus students.

More information about the Office of Off-Campus Programs and Services can be found on their website: http://offcampus.gmu.edu/

UPDATE: Monday, Nov. 21 10:26 a.m.

Russell Brand responded Saturday to a C2M tweet containing a link to this story. The comedian provided three reasons why he couldn't attend the "Pre-Russell Brand" party.

Brand tweeted, "@connect2mason I was learning sign language! My trousers split! There was a brass wolf in my dressing room!"