Sunday’s Golden Globes: Will Gervais Go For Hollywood’s Throat or Play It Safe … Again?
by Christian TotoRicky Gervais will not apologize for the jokes he’s planning to tell during this weekend’s Golden Globes telecast.
At least, that’s what he’s been explaining in one media interview after another to drum up interest for the show. Usually, the avowed athiest just does his shtick and gets out of the way.
Heck, if the folks behind the annual Globes telecast don’t want him back for another hosting assignment, so be it, he often says.
Lately, Gervais has been downright chatty in defending himself against charges that he’s far more cruel than funny. So, will this year’s event, to be broadcast 8 p.m. Sunday night on NBC, bring more of Gervais’s politically correct firepower – hitting addict celebrities, aging starlets and people of faith?
Can Gervais resist a Tebow crack?
Gervais finds himself in a predicament. If he’s not at least a little outrageous his performance will be seen as a letdown. But, in Hollywood, you have to be the appropriate kind of outrageous. That means you can only mock politicians on the right side of the ideological aisle. Christians are fair game, Muslims are not. The Kardashian jokes write themselves.
The alleged outrage over his antics is apparently as phony as Pamela Anderson’s decolletage. Every time Gervais uncorks an outrageous comment the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the group behind the Globes, releases a shocked statement. A few weeks later, the HFPA reconsiders and finds the number for Gervais’ agent once again.
To be truly cutting edge, Gervais could unleash a fair but biting commentary on President Barack Obama first three years in office, the kind that could easily lose the room in a matter of seconds. Is anyone else doing that in the comedy realm? Or, he could pick up a theme started recently by George Lucas about why so few films with people of color are greenlit each year.
Awkward.
If Gervais slams the usual suspects he’ll be nothing more than a huskier Simon Cowell, an insult hurler as predictable as many of the movies being honored this weekend. Let’s see if Gervais can really let loose as promised. Maybe all the explanations are setting us up for just that?
If so, Gervais will have to watch the 2013 Golden Globes telecast from the comfort of his own home.
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27 Comments
"If Gervais slams the usual suspects he’ll be nothing more than a huskier Simon Cowell, an insult hurler as predictable as many of the movies being honored this weekend."
Gee…was it REALLY necessary to insult Simon Cowell like that?
And…doesn't the 7 second delay that NBC is insisting upon sound a bit gimmicky?
"To be truly cutting edge, Gervais could unleash a fair but biting commentary on President Barack Obama first three years in office, the kind that could easily lose the room in a matter of seconds."
What a shocker. You want him to mock Obama. You would love him after that wouldn't you? You would praise him and recommend everyone to buy/watch his products.
They usually make fun of celebrities, not politicians.
No, to be truly cutting edge he could start in on a few of the Muslim DB's infesting the world. I won't bet on that ever happening. Picking on the fools in Hollywood is a safe bet. It doesn't matter anyway. I never watch the Awards shows. If I want to see more cartoons from Hollywood I'll watch something Disney.
And BTW, Omama can and should be mocked. It's an American tradition going back to the cartoons of Thomas Nast. After all, we were treated to eight years of GW Bush being called a chimp and moron so turn about is fair play – isn't it?
I had almost forgotten how peeved the Hollywood royalty got. Most entertaining. Especially in the following days, when they released statements, tweets and interviews full of (self)righteous indignation. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
Only if it is civil and non-racist. Truth to Power!
Sorry, I couldn't help myself.
I hope he goes after the spoiled hollywierdos full steam. It will be what the public will tune in to watch. Can't dissapoint your public Ricky. Slaughter the bums, they deserve it.
Here's the thing about funny people and award shows, you can't be funny. Not because of lack of edge of comedic talent, but those bleed the heart of any performance anyway. Namely because comedy as a function does work in that environment.
Think of it this way do you really think a bunch of actors, the self entitled self interested masses who reward themselves for pretending to be other more interesting people, pay attention to the stage? Short answer no. Everyone's talking to the people at their tables, or across the room for that matter, sweating over who gets to take home this years set of golden phallus's, scratching at their plates for that last piece of free range chicken etc. There's virtually no audience feedback in that room, an analogy would be a comic on stage where the audience does absolutely nothing for the entire show. Unless you're doing a show with other people, ala a play or something, a single person on stage who doesn't have that connection with an audience and thus will inevitably blow by some measures even if the material is funny because their no energy in that room from the crowd.
It doesn't help that the stage is horrifically stacked against comedy, from a stand ups perspective. There's no smoke to build ambiance and atmosphere, which a smack ton of filmed or theater comedy events will d for such reasons. It's brightly lit and twenty camera's pointed every which way to get audience reactions, which again works against the established rules of stand up where you want an audience hidden in the dark so they feel safe about laughing at things they think their neighbors wouldn't like, not to mention most anyone on camera puts on a pretty strait faced facade just because they know this video goes strait to the internet these days.
I can't go on record saying this will gargle goat testicles, but that odds aren't stacked in the favor of funny.
Daniel Tosh auditions to host the Oscars
Why would anyone watch if there's a 7-second delay? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of having him return? Sounds like NBC is trying to have it both ways: use Gervais' return to grab an audience, yet censor his remarks so he doesn't embarrass the celebrities attending on a national stage. Lame.
I think it'll all be anti-Christian only b/c he's an atheist of the Hollywood kind. They tell themselves bigotry against Christians is PC.
And anti-Republican with the excuse that they're running.
Since the only courageous thing he could do would be to be the first person to take on a current Prez as would happen to anyone else, it won't happen.
Riiight . . . They NEVER go after politicians. Why, I never heard one dig at Bush during an award show.
Twit.
He'll go after Christians and he'll go after Tebow. Those are the only givens.
Nope, it'll be nothing new. I'll catch the Youtube clips if I'm wrong. Gervais has gotten so smug it's unbearable. Please don't tell me how I should react if I don't find sex/masterbation/anti-religion jokes funny. That isn't pushing the envelope, but rather snore-inducing. "Been there, done that".
I remember people on BH boards hailing RG for skewering hollyweird. I thought he was bitter and tasteless in his 'jokes'. Regardless of how I feel about the majority of hollyweird, a lot of his jokes were way below the belt, even for me. The highlight of the night was Robert Downey Jr's comment about RG's hosting efforts.
I will not be watching this year because I refuse to give revenue to an org that would employ such a talentless hack whose only restraint is the five pairs of spanx he is wearing under his tux.
Might as well make the most of it and play chug-a-lug. Buzz words: Tebow, Iron Lady, Kardashian, God, and the F-bomb (bleeped, but easily lip-read).
Everybody drink!!
No, Sheila. They tell themselves bigotry against Christians is NOT PC.
When of course it is.
True Political Incorrectness is slamming Muslims. Or Atheists. Or Liberals. Or Barack Obama.
Which of course, Hollywood is loath to do.
Ricky Gervais-comedic food poisoning. The HFPA couldn't get Jim Rome?
or Cheney, or Palin, etc.
Gosh, if we're doing a drinking game involving Gervais, maybe I should buy more beer – I only have 3 cases…!
Yup. He's only shown originality in his situation-comedies. His stand up (anti-Christian –he wouldn't dare insult Muslims, pro-masturbation, anti-conservative) is booooooooooooooring!
I always wonder about the "casting couch" that Corey Feldman talked about…
I agree. I thought that joke where he introduced Bruce Willis was just plain mean.
I still don't understand why a host has to be part of the "entertainment"–know what I mean? Why can't they just be charming and maybe have a few witty quips but not try to propagate their own political beliefs? Why do they have to be funny or mean? Better yet, why do we even have award shows? It's so stupid.
Such an unpleasant fellow.
The Golden Globes are on tonight??!! Hmmm…I suppose I'll be busy doing something else, and miss it…AGAIN!!
I don't think I could last an hour playing that game.
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