June 29, 2007

Tyrese, Busta Rhymes, More Geek Out On Transformers Premiere Red Carpet

By Shawn Adler, with reporting by Liz Hernandez (MTV.com)

"I can't even believe that I'm looking at what I'm looking at," Transformers actress Rachael Taylor exclaimed. "It is so epic. And I would challenge someone to top [it]."

OK, so the 22-year-old Aussie was talking about the blockbuster movie, but from our perspective Wednesday night on the Transformers red carpet, we think she could have just as easily been talking about the premiere itself, an outrageously grand affair that took over Westwood, California -- transforming the bustling college community into robot central.

But the biggest transformation of all may have been saved for the celebrities in attendance, all of whom were smiling, laughing and joking around on the carpet -- and even breaking into song or dance.

For some of the younger stars, the carpet was a trip down memory lane. Surrounded by real-life, giant robots, awed by the crowd and enthusiasm, the premiere was a chance to goof off and relax. Without knowing it, they had been transformed back into kids.

"I watched the cartoon, I had the toys," former Backstreet Boy AJ McLean exclaimed. "This is too badass, this is awesome. I feel like I'm 10 again."

"I think I was probably 5 or 6 when I got my first Transformer. It was the coolest toy," said Linkin Park frontman Chester Bennington. "It still is!"

"[I've been a fan] since the second grade," chimed in Busta Rhymes. "Rocking the Underoos!"

Any red carpet that has celebrities admitting to wearing Underoos has got to have more going for it than just a highly anticipated movie. But take a beloved franchise that reminds people of their youth, and no leap of the imagination is too big -- even becoming a Transformer yourself.

"I'd be like a 1972 Gremlin that turns into a giant robot -- missiles, shoulders that shoot off, maybe some kind of guns on my waist," Dane Cook said of his look if he were to become a Transformer. "[My] rib cage [would] open up."

So epic was the carpet, we began to wonder if it could ever be topped.

"If anyone could do it," Taylor said, "it [would] probably be [director] Michael [Bay]."

We'll just have to wait for Transformers 2.