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Oh Ricky you’re so fine

Conspiracy theories abound: was Ricky Gervais sacked halfway through his cheeky Golden Globes gig? Update: Ricky responds.

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If you book Ricky Gervais, you get Ricky Gervais -and that’s what the Hollywood Foreign Press Association got yesterday when he hosted the Golden Globe Awards.

But now some of Hollywood is asking if they got a little more Ricky than they bargained for.

After all he let rip into all sorts of targets: Charlie Sheen, the HFPA, Scientologists -just as he threatened to do.

‘It’s going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking. Or as Charlie Sheen calls it – breakfast. Wow, so let’s get this straight, so what he did was, he picked up a porn star, paid her to have dinner with him, introduced her to his ex-wife – as you do – went to a hotel, got drunk, got naked, trashed the place while she was locked in a cupboard, and that was a Monday. What does he do New Year’s Eve?

‘Talking of the walking dead, congratulations to Hugh Hefner, who is getting married at age 84 to 24-year-old beauty Crystal Harris. When asked why she was marrying him, she said, “He lied about his age. I thought he was 94.” Calm down. Just don’t look at it when you touch it.’

‘It was a big year for 3D movies. Toy Story, Despicable Me, Tron,’ he said. ‘It seemed like everything this year was three-dimensional. Except the characters in The Tourist. I already feel bad about that joke. I tell you what, I’m jumping on the bandwagon, because I haven’t even seen The Tourist. Who has? But it must be good because it’s nominated, so shut up, OK? And I’d like to crush this ridiculous rumour that the only reason The Tourist was nominated was so that the foreign press of could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. That was not the only reason; they also accepted bribes.’

‘I helped him off the toilet and popped his teeth in.’ (On Philip Berk, head of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.)

Berk replied: “Ricky, the next time you want someone to qualify your movies, go to another guy.”

Gervais had already warned he was going to push the envelope just to ensure he was never asked to do the gig a third time.

But now those that aren’t fuming over his repartee (and even a few who are) are asking why he was barely visible during the second half. Many on Twitter suggested he had been fired backstage. Twitter trending topic freerickygervais was a hot during the show.

“Others have joked but I think it’s getting to the point where it may be true,” wrote Hollywood publicist Lewis Kay. “Did [the Hollywood Foreign Press Association] fire Gervais midway through the show?”

Eventually he returned, with much of his firepower already having exploded.

While many of the stars were possibly more understanding of his schtick (he even thanked them for being good sports), Scientologists and the HFPA may have been less enthused.

In this post-wardrobe malfunction age, it seems highly unlikely that his gags hadn’t already been checked by producers and network.

But the media is going into overdrive, debating whether it was funny or not.

“Mr Gervais’s jibes at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association divided the room,” claimed the New York Times. “It was Mr Gervais’s second chance to host the Golden Globes; he may not get a third.”

He would probably turn it down anyway.

UPDATE: Ricky responds: “There just happened to be a long gap. This is because I was allowed to choose who I would introduce in advance. I obviously chose presenters who I had the best jokes for. (And who I knew had a good sense of humor).”

Source: Guardian, Yahoo

31 Responses

  2. the room was divided because the stars know who to take a joke or are used to being insulted and the handlers and publicists and other non famous people make a big deal about it!

    If Ricky makes money with his movies then they don’t give a s**t what he says they will approve them.

  3. I think Kurt Sutter, creator of Sons Of Anarchy, summed up the mood accurately:

    “if gervais wasn’t a brit, would’ve been ok to be a prick. but he’s still kinda an outsider,”

    Which I think makes sense, nobody likes to invite somebody to their house and then sit there as they insult everything about it. It’d be different if somebody like Chris Rock, Jon Stewart, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Conan O’Brien did it, they live there. They’ve earned the right to mock the place.

  4. They hire an assassin and then complain when he actually does the job. Get over yourself, Hollywood. He was the only thing that was worth watching at this year’s awards.

  5. Ricky seems to be getting a lot of praise for some really old jokes.

    *** ****** is gay?

    Robert Downey Jnr. was on drugs and got arrested?

    Hugh Hefner is old?

    About as edgy as a Jay Leno monologue from the 90’s.

    Here’s a joke for you – Ricky Gervais’ film career.

  11. I think he probably works to our humour a bit better generally, that sarcastic, insult-as-comedy thing isn’t as widespread or common in the US. I liked it, I thought it was funny – you have to be able to laugh at yourself.

  12. The Golden Girls seem to be labelled as more and more irrelevant as each year passes, so the HFPA would be secretly rubbing their hands together as everyone talks about the awards show controversy. I haven’t seen the awards, but from what I read it sounded hilarious. These award shows are usually boring, at least this kept everyone on their toes.

  13. Well he had me in stitches most of the time but I did think that his dig at Robert Downey was both mean and out-of-date, and the non-introduction for Tim Allen was just mean. Still, I’d like to see him host the Academy Awards.

  14. I love Ricky, but I have to say, I didn’t think he was as clever as he was hosting it last year. He was cutting but it didn’t have quite the same wit. I think he was going for harsh more than laughs. And celebrities are such easy targets, though, to be fair, saying all that to their faces would be unbelievably daunting. In any case, it was still great to watch – leagues ahead of the usual saccharine dross that pours out at award shows, as celebrities fawn over each other. The host should always shake things up – and he did, and therefore made it watchable.

  16. Ricky just doesn’t give a Fu**……that’s why the audience at home love him.These stars do take themselves too seriously and the Hollywood Foreign Press does take bribes..when the truth is said they go crazy.
    Our Logie award presenters should take note of this brilliant man

  17. Loved his performance. Thought Ricky was great. People who think he is mean spirited take life far too seriously. Hollywood actors should not raise themselves above others. They should be out there faults and all. We are all human. It added some colour to what is otherwise a boring telecast.

  18. Loved Ricky hosting he says the types of things everyone except the self obsessed “stars” are thinking. In the future would love Tina fey and or Steve carell to host that would be good

  19. And incidentally, the reader comments on the Washington Post’s story about Ricky pretty much say it all. The people loved him. The industry hated him. Egos may shortly be curtailed for business purposes 😉

  21. I love Ricky, but I think he set a very mean-spirited tone for the night. I actually cringed each time I saw him walk to the microphone. Roasting is one thing, but sniping without humour is unforgivable. I felt sorry for the presenters who had to follow his uncharitable introductions. When someone like “Mr Nice Guy” Tom Hanks has a go at you, you know you’ve gone too far.

  22. On Conan the other night, he claimed his plan for last year’s show was to come on stage at the start as Hitler, doing the salute, then curse himself for taking Mel Gibson’s costume advice 😀

    I do love it when these award shows get uncompromising comedians to host. It always goes badly – for the conservatives that run the show, that is 🙂

  23. I’m a big Ricky Gervais fan but I felt some of his targets were way off the mark. His jibe against Robert Downey and his time in jail and Betty Ford was a cheap shot – he’s done Sooo much since then to redeem himself and his career. Glad Downey had the opportunity to respond and he did it so brilliantly. His retort and his best female actress introduction was hilarious.

  24. Breathtaking in its audacity. Ripped apart what is usually a self-congratulatory, overblown w**kfest but I think we’ll probably never see the likes of it again. Ascerbically brilliant!

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