The Golden Globes Go Over The Edge

Cover of Ricky GervaisRicky Gervais' acerbic wit at last year's Golden Globe awards was such a hit with TV viewers that the producers of the show brought him back this year.  After Sunday night, now we know why people like Gervais don't usually get to host awards shows.  Because he's no suck-up artist.

Gervais made jokes at the expense of such Tinseltown luminaries such as Robert Downey, Jr., Angelina Jolie, and even the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (which sponsors the Globes)--much of it deserved, and most of them going over like a lead balloon in the star-studded Los Angeles ballroom where the Globes were passed out.

Indeed, the Globes are a poor cousin to the Academy Awards, with its questionable nominations and other allegedly less-than-savory practices.  But it has rehabilitated itself to the point where NBC now televises it in prime time, and where whoever wins the film awards (this year it was "The Social Network" and "The King's Speech") has a good shot at taking home Oscars come February.

(Aaron Sorkin, who won a Globe for screenwriting "The Social Network", used his acceptance speech to praise Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, for his promise to give away much of his fortune to charity.  Excuse me?  Sorkin depicted Zuckerberg as an anti-social jerk in the movie, and now he's the nicest guy in the world?  Guess money does change everything.)

Back to Gervais, who became known in this country as the creator and star of the original British version of "The Office" (methinks he's still bitter about the way the American version turned out).  It looked like he set out to host the Golden Globes in the worst way possible, and he may have succeeded.  Either that, or Hollywood can't take a joke.

Gervais' performance likely means the end of awards shows hosted by edgy comedians like himself, because the awards organizers and their TV partners would much rather have Ellen DeGeneres, Neil Patrick Harris or some other inoffensive entertainer fronting the proceedings.  The Oscars, which has been on ABC since the 1980s, are using actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco as co-hosts this year.  The Grammys, which have been on CBS almost since the event was first televised decades ago, hasn't used a host in years.  As far as we know, they don't plan on having one this year, either.

Whatever the ratings are, it looks as if Ricky Gervais will not be invited back to host the Golden Globes next year.  Which is unfortunate, because of all the bad publicity they've had over the years, any kind of buzz is better than no buzz at all.