Hollywood likes to imagine it can poke fun at itself, but Ricky Gervais’ hosting of the Golden Globes last night proved to be a step too far as he ripped into the star-packed audience with his usual relentless zeal. Despite promising beforehand to “go just close to the edge but not go over it”, Gervais’ material at several points elicited loud gasps from the crowd as he laid into Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, the nomination of The Tourist (good on him), Tim Allen and certain unnamed Scientologists. The gags in any normal context wouldn’t have been especially controversial, but fired straight at the people he was so gleefully tearing apart – people with the power to end his career, let’s not forget – the bravery was undeniable.
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Hollywood likes to imagine it can poke fun at itself, but Ricky Gervais' hosting of the Golden Globes last night proved to be a step too far as he ripped into the star-packed audience with his usual relentless zeal. Despite promising beforehand to "go just close to the edge but not go over it", Gervais' material at several points elicited loud gasps from the crowd as he laid into Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, the nomination of The Tourist (good on him), Tim Allen and certain unnamed Scientologists. The gags in any normal context wouldn't have been especially controversial, but fired straight at the people he was so gleefully tearing apart – people with the power to end his career, let's not forget – the bravery was undeniable.{{page_break}}
Funnier still were the huffy reactions both from the audience and fellow presenters, many of whom tried to retort with limp quips that came off as sour grapes. Robert Downey Jr, introduced by Gervais as someone the crowd might know "from such facilities as the Betty Ford clinic and Los Angeles County Jail", offered: "Aside from the fact that it's been hugely mean-spirited, with mildly sinister undertones, I'd say the vibe of the show is pretty good so far, wouldn't you?" HFPA [Hollywood Foreign Press Association] President Philip Berk, also subject to one of Gervais' barbs (suggesting he had to help Berk "off the toilet and pop his teeth back in") was even more irate, complained to The Hollywood Reporter that: "He definitely crossed the line and some of the things were totally unacceptable. But that's Ricky."
Not everyone suffered such an abject sense of humour failure though: 30 Rock's Alec Baldwin was captured crying with laughter, while Robert De Niro – who'd have thought it – was also pictured cracking up. After the show, King's Speech director Tom Hooper said: "I thought he was hilarious but will he ever present another award show again? I don't know but if he went out, he went out burning."
Read Gervais' best jokes after the jump.
- "It was a big year for 3D movies. Toy Story, Despicable Me, Tron. It seems like everything this year was three-dimensional, except the characters in The Tourist. I already feel bad about that joke. I'm jumping on the bandwagon, because I haven't even seen The Tourist. Who has?"
- "I Love You Phillip Morris stars Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor – two heterosexual actors pretending to be gay. So, the complete opposite of some famous scientologists. Probably. My lawyers helped me with the wording of that joke."
- "Talking of The Walking Dead, congratulations to Hugh Hefner, who's getting married at the age of 84 to 24-year old beauty Crystal Harris. When she was asked why she was marrying him, she said 'cause he lied about his age. He told me he was 94."
- (on Scarlett Johansson) "Our first presenter is beautiful, talented and Jewish, apparently. Mel Gibson told me that, he's obsessed."
- (on Jennifer Lopez) "She's just Jenny from the block. If the block in question is that one on Rodeo Drive between Cartier and Prada."
- "What can I say about our next two presenters? The first is an actor, producer, writer and director whose movies have grossed over $3.5bn at the box office. He's won two Academy Awards and three Golden Globes for his powerful and varied performances starring in such films as Philadelphia, Forrest Gump, Castaway, Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan. The other… is Tim Allen."
