You know when someone "jokes" about something that actually makes you deeply insecure, and you're forced to laugh it off because it would be awkward to do anything else? Imagine it happening for hours at a nationally televised award show, and that's basically Ricky Gervais' method of hosting the Golden Globes.
As a result, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is delighted to welcome him back for a fourth time to host the Golden Globe Awards, which air 7 p.m. Sunday night on NBC. That's because even if Hollywood luminaries are secretly fuming in their seats as Gervais punctures their egos, the audience at home loves it.
Who doesn't love rich and famous people being taken down a peg? This is Twitter's dream -- and the press association hopes that Twitter can translate to more viewers.
However, celebrities aren't always thrilled by Gervais' jabs. "I've never understood the controversy around the Golden Globes. That stuff I did, I was shocked that people thought that was shocking," Gervais recently complained to the Hollywood Reporter.
"Genuinely. I thought, what have I said wrong? I didn't say anything outrageous or libelous ... it couldn't have been that bad."
Some stars would beg to disagree. Since it's been awhile since Gervais hosted the show, here's why some people fear the British comedian more than your average host.
He loves to make fun of personal demons. Remember Robert Downey Jr.'s past in jail and rehab? Gervais wanted to make sure everyone did in 2011 when he brought Downey onstage to present an award. Downey was decidedly not amused. "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?" Downey asked the crowd.
After all, that year's monologue had a particularly brutal stretch of jokes aimed at rumors about famous closeted Scientologists and a segment mocking Charlie Sheen's substance abuse and naked-porn-star-in-the-closet incident.
There there was his 2010 introduction for Mel Gibson, noting that he liked a drink as much as the next man "unless the next man is Mel Gibson," and his shots at other celebrity reputations: "One stereotype I hate is that all Irishmen are just drunk, swearing hell-raisers. Please welcome Colin Farrell!"
If your project failed, you're going to hear about it. Celebrities don't love hearing about their failures, but Gervais doesn't care about that. He'll happily rub salt in the wound, like the way he took great pleasure in skewering the failure of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie's flop, The Tourist.
"It seemed like everything this year was three-dimensional. Except the characters in The Tourist," Gervais said.
Tumultuous relationships are all fair game. Gervais won't hesitate to throw in a barb about relationship drama -- hey, he doesn't care if you get in a fight in the limo on the way home. Most notably, during his hosting gig in 2010, he referred to Paul McCartney's expensive divorce, while McCartney's new girlfriend sat next to him. ("I was worried about the Paul McCartney line," Gervais confessed later. "But then he came backstage and hugged me and said he loved it.")
But even if McCartney found it hilarious, something tells us that Bruce Willis wasn't thrilled to be called "Ashton Kutcher's dad," referencing ex-wife Demi Moore's new-at-the-time husband.
The Washington Post
