I feel like Ricky Gervais’s performance as host of the last Golden Globes has become much bigger than it really was. He got up there and told some funny jokes, and he told some jokes that made some people uncomfortable, and people seemed to overreact to that in different ways. Some said Ricky was sticking it to the man, some said he was just mean. My favorite comment on Ricky’s performance came from Robert Downey Jr. as he was presenting an award that same night – “Aside from the fact that it’s been hugely mean-spirited with mildly sinister undertones, I’d say the vibe of the show has been pretty good so far, wouldn’t you?”

Anyway, at the time I felt the push-pull of Ricky’s performance. I’ve always thought he was funny, but I didn’t think the Globes performance was his best night. Everything that came after it, though, made me kind of dislike Ricky. He went overboard defending himself, listing all of the people who said they liked him, repeatedly telling media outlets that he had no plans to come back as host, and that was why he burned the house down (except he didn’t burn it down – he was just playing with matches, that’s all). It just seemed weak, in my opinion, like Ricky cared too much that he was being criticized, like he could dish it out but couldn’t take it, and like he was trying to pretend like all of it didn’t matter, like a kid who takes his toys away and plays by himself in the corner. It was immature, and he seemed petty and small.

So all of Ricky’s claims that he would never come back were BS. He’s coming back for host this year, officially. He confirmed it on his blog:

So it looks like I’m hosting The Golden Globes for a third and definitely final time.

It was a tough decision to be honest. There were many pros and cons. I loved doing it, but I was worried that I couldn’t improve on last year. I’m in LA anyway as I’m launching Life’s Too Short on HBO. But then I didn’t want the Globes to overshadow the series. I knew some people would be uncomfortable with me being host. (This was a pro by the way.)

What actually tipped the balance and made me say yes, was the fact that it would shut up all those f–king idiots who said that I’d never be invited back. Is that the wrong reason to do something? Ha ha. I think it is.

Now here’s the thing. The outrage I caused was of course, as usual, totally out of proportion to the things I said. I don’t think anyone had any right to be offended but they were. This year I’m going to make sure their offence is completely justified. The best thing about it is writing the gags. I love writing one liners. Particularly when they can’t be used in any other context. It gives them a special weight on the night if you know what I mean.

Follow me on Twitter and let me know your favourite targets for the monologue.
I’m enjoying it already.

[From Ricky’s blog]

It will be interesting to see where this performance falls – whether he tries to be nicer, whether he tries to be harsher, or whether he just keeps it off-balance throughout the night. People are saying the Hollywood Foreign Press just hired him back because the controversy will bring in ratings, and maybe more people will tune in, hoping to see him zing some celebrities.

Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame, The Observer, Humanist Mag.

Over the past few days, people have been reliving Ricky Gervais’s “controversial” appearance as host of the Golden Globes. Ricky started the kerfuffle when he claimed, in a British publication, that despite the widespread criticism of his performance, he had been invited back as host for next year’s Globes. In his words, “organizers asked me to consider a third year.” The Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s president issued a rebuttal: “We have not asked him to come back. Nice try, Ricky.” Ricky then back-tracked, claiming that NBC had asked him to come back, not the HFPA: “At no point did I talk to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. I’m absolutely sure they don’t want me back.” He then wrote this on his blog:

“The TV show organizers said they were happy with everything and asked me to not rule out a third gig. However, it is not entirely up to them. The Hollywood Foreign Press and various other committees need to meet and agree. I have no idea if they want me back again. It depends whether they care about fifty delicate egos in the room or the 200 million people watching at home who want a laugh. Also, even if they did want me back, at the moment I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t do it. But I’ll tell you this. If they do invite me back and I accept, I’m going to pull exactly the same s*** again or even worse.”

[From Ricky Gervais’s blog, via Access Hollywood]

I still have mixed feelings about this – while Ricky’s opening monologue at the Globes was mostly hilarious, most of his “introductions” of presenters were rather nasty and spiteful, as opposed to “clever” – which Ricky clearly thinks he is. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a fan of Ricky Gervais for years – but this whole Globes thing has been a real turnoff for me, and a big chunk of the turnoff is how Ricky is coming across like a big baby. It would be one thing if he had just come out after the Globes and said “Yeah, I burned the f-cker down. I’m not coming back, ever.” He tried saying that at first, then he whined about people critiquing him in several interviews, and even tried to justify his jokes by citing various examples of celebrities who thought he was funny. And then he does this big song and dance about whether he should host again when he clearly hasn’t been invited. Why so touchy, Ricky? Who has the “delicate ego” now?

So that was my mindset when I read this gossip blurb in the National Enquirer. I completely believe this happened:

Nasty as ever after his Golden Globes roast-fest, Ricky Gervais was entering a Starbucks on Santa Monica Blvd. when a woman pushing a baby stroller with one hand – and clutching a toddler walking beside her with the other – tried to squeeze past the controversial comedian as her tykes wailed.

Glaring at the harried mom, Gervais suddenly sneered: “Time to get the old tubes tied, luv, don’cha think?”

Shocked, the woman stoof in silent horror as gasbag Gervais nimbly walked past her and strutted into the coffee shop, whistling cheerily.

[From The National Enquirer, print edition]

Sounds like him, doesn’t it? I agree with Tom Hanks, Ricky was funnier when he was heavier. Losing weight and being hungry all the time has made him into a big bitch.

Photos courtesy of WENN.

We’re still talking about Ricky Gervais’s performance as host of the Golden Globes last Sunday. We’re still talking about it because new people keep coming out to talk about how butt-hurt they still are. The latest: writer/producer/director Judd Apatow, who was the MC of the weekend’s Producer’s Guild Awards (where The King’s Speech took top honors). Apatow decided to rip into Ricky’s performance during the event. Well… I say “rip into” but that’s not really what happened. Apatow made a couple of good points, but if you read over all of the quotes, it just seems like Apatow was trying to soothe and massage the oh-so-tender egos of Hollywood power players.

Producers Guild Awards host Judd Apatow built his opening monologue around a profanity-laced attack on the way Ricky Gervais handled his Golden Globe Awards hosting chores a week earlier in the same room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

“What did you think of Ricky Gervais?” he asked the black-tie industry crowd Saturday night. “I didn’t like him. I thought he was mean.”

Apatow, whose movies include The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up, knocked Gervais for his controversial jokes.

“He had that joke about the guy on Lost,” said Apatow. “He said he ate everybody else. Let’s be honest — Ricky Gervais just lost weight. Even now he’s four pounds away from not being allowed to do a joke like that. Did he lose weight just to make fat jokes? You think that’s how mean he is?”

Apatow had no problem with a Gervais joke about Charlie Sheen.

But Apatow added, “(Jay) Leno did it the week before.”

“I think he’s an OK target,” Apatow said of Sheen. “The people at CBS have said as long as he shows up on time, knows his lines, he can do whatever he wants.”

However, Apatow took exception to Gervais making a joke about The Tourist.

“(Gervais) says the characters were two-dimensional,” said Apatow. “Then he says he hasn’t seen The Tourist. So as a comedian, that’s not fair, is it? To make jokes about a movie you haven’t seen.

“I can’t do a joke about (Gervais’s movie) The Invention of Lying because I haven’t seen it. You haven’t seen it. None of us have seen it. So the joke would not work.”

Apatow also came to the defense of Cher, Hugh Hefner, Tim Allen, Tom Cruise and Robert Downey, Jr. – others who were Gervais targets.

“(Gervais) made a joke about Tim Allen who was standing next to Tom Hanks,” said Apatow. “Who looks good standing next to Tom Hanks? We all look like a piece of shit standing next to Tom Hanks. Warren Buffet would look like a piece of sh-t next to Tom Hanks. Tim Allen did 200 episodes of Home Improvement. He was in three of the highest grossing movies of all time. And his latest just crossed the one billion mark. Whereas The Invention Of Lying made $18 million dollars worldwide…Leave Tim Allen alone.”

[From The Hollywood Reporter]

Here’s the thing – some of Ricky’s set was funny, and some of the points Judd Apatow made were right on. Ricky did a better job of hosting the Globes last year, and he’s not going to come back for a third try. Apatow, on the other hand, just seems to be whining overall. Whatever. I’m over this controversy, and I’m over both Ricky and Apatow.

Thanks to Gawker for the story!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

The last someodd 40 hours have been a whirlwind of controversy for Ricky Gervais, all because of his performance as host of the Golden Globes. It was a performance that had Scientologist jokes, career jokes, Mel Gibson jokes, Angelina Jolie jokes, and Hugh Hefner dick jokes. There are lots of little tidbits of information, and I’m just going to cover the major points, if I can. First of all, while the Hollywood Foreign Press hasn’t explicitly said whether or not they approved or cosigned Ricky’s comments, their president did say that Ricky had “crossed a line.” Also, it’s looking more and more like Ricky was either trying to get fired, or simply didn’t care that this was going to be his last Globes hosting duty. Ricky released a statement to TMZ:

Ricky Gervais doesn’t care if he’s ever asked back to host the Golden Globes”" … because he’s “not gonna do it again anyway.”

A smiling Gervais was weathering the storm in New York this morning — following his super-controversial statements at the awards show — when Ricky told us, “I think twice is enough.”

After the photog mentioned that Ricky’s fellow comics seem to be standing by the performance — Gervais replied, “Well, it’s nice to be loved by your peers … they stick by you.”

[From TMZ]

Ricky also took to his blog (which is having technical problems currently, probably from all of the people trying to access the header photo of Ricky in his gold mankini) to address some of the specific bitches and moans:

All the same conspiracy theories as last year too… “So and so was offended”… “hasn’t been invited back yet”… exactly the same as last time. “Paul McCartney was furious”… no he wasn’t. And nor was Tim Allen and Tom Hanks. I was drinking with them after.

Why do people have to embellish? They’re allowed to say they hated it. They’re allowed to say they didn’t find it funny, that it was tasteless, over the top, or whatever. But why do they speculate and make stuff up?

[From Ricky's blog, via Huffington Post]

Now, I haven’t really given my opinion about this Ricky stuff – CB covered it yesterday. I thought he was really, really funny in the opening monologue – like, uncomfortably hilarious. But then throughout the evening, it did seem like, to borrow a word from Robert Downey Jr., it got a bit “sinister”. Less about the jokes and more about out-right insulting people. The “joke” about the Hollywood Foreign Press president just seemed mean to me. James Wolcott at Vanity Fair had an interesting piece about the overall tone of the Globes, and specifically the WTF-remarks of Ricky and Robert DeNiro.

Header photo courtesy of Ricky’s blog.

Ricky Gervais was obnoxious during his hosting stint for the Golden Globes, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from him. People asked if he went too far when he hosted the Globes last year, (last year was the first time the Globes had had a host in 15 years) and this time he took it up a notch. I found him funny as hell, but I gossip for a living and love it when someone takes the piss out of celebrities. The best part of his opening monologue was when Ricky mimicked Crystal Harris jerking off Hugh Hefner. That was so over the top that I was crying laughing. He didn’t just do a quick demonstration, and went on with it for a while. There’s of course controversy over his intro, particularly a gay Scientologist joke he made, but that’s probably why they hired him. The Globes are getting more buzz than usual and he definitely made people laugh. Here’s what Popeater says about it:

Gervais started out by ripping into Charlie Sheen, admittedly an easy target, so easy that those jokes about Sheen being drunk by breakfast were given a pass. Who among us hasn’t laid into Sheen these past few months? It was an ample way to start.

But then Ricky went after a weaker target, ‘The Tourist.’ Sure it was a critical and commercial bomb, but Johnny and Angie aren’t exactly the kind of stars who laugh along with the joke. “I haven’t even seen ‘The Tourist,’” Gervais said. “Who has?”…

Gervais then mentioned that the special effects team from ‘Sex and the City 2′ should have been nominated for making the cast look younger on the movie poster.

“Girls, we know how old you are. I saw one of you on an episode of ‘Bonanza’!” Apparently, Ricky’s mom never told him the two taboos in comedy are still a woman’s age and her weight.

His most shocking joke of the night came when he mentioned that Jim Carrey and Ewan McGregor were heterosexual actors who played gay characters in the film ‘I Love You Philip Morris.’

“So the complete opposite of some Scientologists, then,” Gervais said. He admitted his lawyers had vetted that joke. Even that didn’t settle the groans echoing throughout the ballroom.

Later in the show, Gervais introduced Bruce Willis as Ashton Kutcher’s dad. Come on, that one is just dated.

Introducing presenter Robert Downey Jr., Gervais went through a list of the actor’s films and added, “But many of you in this room probably know him best from such facilities as the Betty Ford Clinic and Los Angeles County Jail.”

Downey Jr., felt compelled to dig back at Ricky on behalf of his fellow celebrities.

“Aside from the fact that it’s been hugely mean-spirited with mildly sinister undertones, I’d say the vibe of the show has been pretty good so far, wouldn’t you?” Downey Jr. sniped back.

[From Popeater]

Popeater’s Jo Piazza concludes that Gervais “didn’t play to the room” and “went after soft targets with some hard jokes.” The crowd was really responding to him, so I don’t agree with that conclusion. I love it that he didn’t kiss ass, and the fact that he was willing to go after so many people made the show much more interesting. We’ll get more than enough brown nosing during the rest of Awards season, and like Gervais mocking Crystal Harris, we’ll look at our watches and wonder when it will end.

Here’s the Hulu version of Ricky’s opening monologue. (Only works if you’re in the US)

And here’s a YouTube version for people outside the US [via Huffpo]

Ricky Gervais is sensitive about his weight. You can tell he’s sensitive, because he’s used public and media criticism of his weight in his stand-up acts and in his scripts. He’s trying to get to the criticism before the critics, but you can tell that it bothers him. Call me crazy, but I’ve always loved that Ricky is a little fluffy, and I think he wears his weight well. So he’s got a belly… more to love! Anyway, Ricky has lost some weight recently – he still looks a little fluffy, and he’s still cute, but his image does seem a bit sleeker and tighter. The British tabloids noticed that Ricky had lost the weight, and they began reporting (in a snotty way) that Ricky had “gone Hollywood” and lost weight because he wanted to be a bigger star. So, when The Telegraph finally got Ricky for an interview, and got to ask him questions about his weight loss, Ricky sort of went off about how much he hates all of the Americans who want him to get skinny, fix his teeth and be our next big British import.

Ricky Gervais has launched a withering attack on Hollywood over suggestions he dramatically slimmed down to kick start his film career. Gervais, 48, said he would never ‘starve himself’ just to land a part and insisted his loss of three stones in weight is due to a new fitness regime following the installation of a gym at his home in Hampstead in north London.

In an interview to promote his new film Cemetery Junction, Gervais said: “The Hollywood pressure is that you do have to be of a certain standard or a certain type. I see everyone doing it, even good character actors. I think, ‘Why are you starving yourself?’ The pressure is there to have white, straight teeth…”

Warming to the theme, Gervais, who has recently bought an apartment in Manhattan with his long-time partner Jane Fallon, went on to rant against the Hollywood system, sprinkling his language with swear words.

In an interview with The Times newspaper, Gervais said: “What is in America? I don’t give a **** what they think and if I don’t get a film role because my teeth are crooked, then **** them, I don’t want it. I just go, ‘It’s ridiculous.’”

“I hate them, and I hate that people think that I would. It makes me angry. I remember when a newspaper said, ‘He’s lost three stone for Hollywood.’ I went, ‘No, I haven’t lost three stone and I would never ******* do it for Hollywood. I did it ‘cos I work out and I wanna be fit.’ And that annoys me.”

Gervais shot to fame with the television comedy series The Office which was then followed by the highly acclaimed Extras. He has since switched to movies.

Cemetery Junction, which opnes on April 14 and is co-directed and co-written by gervais and Stephen Merchant, stars Gervais alongside Emily Watson and Ralph Fiennes.

It is set in the 1970s in reading in Berkshire where Gervais grew up.

[From The Telegraph]

Note: Ricky isn’t saying he hates Americans in general or America in total. He seems to be limiting his obscenities to “the Hollywood system”. And of course he has a point – the Hollywood system that promotes homogenous “beauty” gives way to monstrosities like Heidi Montag. I’d much prefer to look at Ricky’s crooked teeth and Buddha belly than people like Heidi or Kellan Lutz or any of the people we’re told we should find “sexy”. Now, all that being said, it seems to me like Ricky is a little sensitive about why he lost weight, which makes me think that part of the reason might have been for health reasons, but part of it might just be simple vanity. Vanity isn’t against the law, you know.

I am in love with Ricky Gervais. I think he’s funny, I think he’s sexy, I think he’s lovely. He’s promoting his new HBO series, The Ricky Gervais Show - which will begin this month. He’s got other stuff going on, but in this new interview with Ricky, there’s some weird stuff. Even though I’m 90% sure he’s saying a bunch of crap just be provocative and funny, there’s still 10% of me that like “Hey, dude, not cool.” Ricky is discussing parenthood, and who society should allow to breed. Now, Ricky is not a father. He and his longtime girlfriend/partner have no children, and that might be contributing to some of this (full article here):

Gervais on his Paul McCartney at the Golden Globes: “Yeah, I was worried about that joke. I didn’t want McCartney to think I was taking the piss and I was worried when the crowd gasped. But he came backstage and I said, ‘Do you hate me?’ And he said, ‘Oh, I loved it, man,’ and gave me a hug. So it turned out okay.”

On the Mel Gibson joke: “But he pretended to be drunk after I said it and anyway, I’d warned his agent… Not only do I not care what the critics say. I don’t even care if they’re right because I’m enjoying myself. I don’t want to do anodyne stuff about the difference between men and women and cats and dogs and why doesn’t it rain when you take an umbrella out.”

On moving back to New York: He’s also probably going to move to America, too. New York, he says, is “a magical place” that — unlike middle America — totally “gets” him. New Yorkers were all over him after the Globes, “like a war hero. Free champagne and puddings. Artists are more revered there”, he sniffs. “People aren’t offended by the word ‘penis’, or beer.” A few months ago he wouldn’t have contemplated a move, “but now, yeah. New York beckons. We’ve got a place there already. I love it more and more and we miss it when we’re here”.

On marriage to his partner of 25 years, Jane Fallon: “Don’t see the point,” he says curtly. “We are married for all intents and purposes, everything’s shared and actually our fake marriage has lasted longer than a real one … but there’s no point in us having an actual ceremony before the eyes of God because there is no God.”

On his “very religious” childhood: Gervais realised he was an atheist at the age of eight. Previously he had been “very religious”, he says. “Went to Sunday school. For a working-class mum, Jesus is an unpaid babysitter.” One day, however, his brother Bob asked him: “Why do you believe in God? And my mother said, ‘Bob!’ and I just knew. I knew she had something to hide and he was going to tell me.” All religions are “rubbish”, he says. “They’re all arguing, my god’s bigger than your god. And they can’t all be right, can they?”

On children: “Just didn’t fancy it. Too much hassle. Not something either of us wanted to do. We just … didn’t fancy dedicating 16 years of our lives. And there are too many children, of course”.

On the population problem: “Yes, but it’s where it’s condensed. It’s not too many people, it’s too many people with nothing, too many unwanted children, too many people who are poor and struggling, as opposed to too many people. If they all had a good quality of life, no one would complain. What there is, is too many useless people. Too many people who shouldn’t have children.”

On sterilization: “Yes, based on … stupid, fat faces,” he snarls. “If there’s a woman in leggings, eating chips with a fag in her mouth, sterilise her.” You think we should sterilise chavs? He laughs: “You said ‘chavs’; I didn’t. I described an irresponsible parent. Chavs could be included in irresponsible, though.”

On Twitter: “I don’t want to engage with a million people and besides there’s something rather undignified about celebrities talking to each other in public”.

On his autonomy: “And beholden to no one. You have to be a complete fascist in art… Yeah, if you don’t want to do it my way. But I don’t apologise for that.”

[From Times Online]

Okay, you have to read the whole piece to understand something: whoever interviewed Ricky was a f-cking snob. The whole piece was littered with derogatory, nasty little asides about Gervais, and I think Ricky comes across as such an a-hole probably because he was being an a-hole to a guy (or girl) who was an a-hole. That’s the way I like to think of it. Because otherwise, I really hope Gervais isn’t this much of a jerk.

Ricky Gervais in London on February 1, 2010, and on January 29, 2010. Credit: WENN.

I thought Ricky Gervais was a lovely host for the Golden Globes. I was expecting him to be on more, and for his jokes to be more cutting, but I thought he found a nice balance of respect, self-deprecating humor, drunkenness, and the odd bit where he actually took a celebrity down a notch. One of the most notable times was when he was introducing Mel Gibson, more than half-way through the show. Ricky, who was drinking beer at the podium, confessed to the audience that he’d had “a couple” of beers, and then he remarked, “I’m not going to lie to you, I hope I’ve not offended anyone — It’s not my fault. I like a drink as much as the next man, unless the next man is Mel Gibson!” To Mel’s credit, he took it in stride, smiling at Ricky and acting pretend-drunk for a second, showing that he can take a joke, thank God.

The other moment that seemed to draw groans and gasps was when Ricky made a reference to Sir Paul McCartney’s divorce from Heather Mills. Ricky pointed out McCartney in the audience and said: “We actually came over on the same flight. I didn’t get to speak to him because I was up the front in first class. He was behind me in coach. Saving money. He spent an awful lot last year.” When people groaned, Ricky defended himself: “I don’t think we have to feel too sorry for him. He’s doing alright.” I didn’t think McCartney looked too thrilled with that joke, honestly. He also looked a little pissed that he lost the “Best Song” to T-Bone Burnett and the song from Crazy Heart.

What other good jokes were there? I liked the one about Colin Farrell: “One stereotype I hate is that all Irishmen are just drunk, swearing hell raisers. Please welcome Colin Farrell.” I liked this one too: “Just looking at all the faces here reminds me of the great work that’s been done this year… by cosmetic surgeons. You all look great.”

Ricky also took a funny hit at Angelina Jolie, who wasn’t there last night: “Actors aren’t just loved here in Hollywood, they’re loved the world over because they’re recognizable. You can be in the Third World and you get a glimpse of a Hollywood star and it makes you feel better. You can be a little child, a little Asian child, with no possessions, no money – but you see a picture of Angelina Jolie and you think, ‘Mummy!’” Another notable joke was at Gerard Butler and Jennifer Aniston’s expense (who seemed to be there together?), when Ricky said something about actors wanting to be chameleons and then introduced Aniston and Butler as “Rachel from Friends and the guy from 300.” Fair hit, in my opinion, but both Gerard and Jennifer looked peeved.

There were penis jokes and Jay Leno jokes, and surprisingly, no Clooney jokes. Clooney is usually a favorite of hosts, especially on the Oscars, so I wonder why Ricky didn’t go after him? All in all, I thought Ricky did well, and it’s nice to the Globes with a host – they haven’t had one in forever. The official critics are giving Ricky mixed reviews, though. So… he probably won’t be back.

Ricky Gervais has been confirmed as the host of the 2010 Golden Globes, to be held in January. In the past few years, the Golden Globes have gone host-less, opting instead for just straight category presenters and a disembodied voice announcing whoever or whatever. It’s been 15 years since there was a real “host” of the Globes, according to People. Part of the reason the show works well without a host is because the setting is more like a fancy dinner than an awards show – food and copious amounts of alcohol are served, and by the end of the evening, the last Globe winners are usually slurring their words a bit.

All that being said, I’m totally thrilled Ricky will be hosting. He’s the highlight of any awards ceremony, he’s brilliant, he’s hilarious and he’s naughty. He’s the kind of host a crowd of drunk actors will fully appreciate. At this year’s Globe ceremony, he stopped his presenting duties to congratulate his friend (and Extras guest actress) Kate Winslet for her win for The Reader. Ricky, referencing her part on Extras, said “Well done Winslet! I told ya – do a Holocaust movie, the awards come, didn‘t I? Trouble is with Holocaust films: There’s no gag reel on the DVDs. There isn‘t.” Here’s the video:

He’s provided memorable moments on the Golden Globe awards in the past – and this year Ricky Gervais will have the chance to do so again. The British comedian will host the 67th Annual Golden Globes in January, PEOPLE has confirmed.

“Not only is this the biggest Hollywood celebration of the industry, which includes both film and TV, but also an environment where I feel I can get free reign as a host,” Gervais said Monday. “I have resisted many other offers like this, but there are just some things you don’t turn down.”

This marks the first time that the telecast has had a host since 1995

“We are delighted to have Ricky Gervais as the host on our show,” said Philip Berk, President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

A four-time Emmy winner, Gervais has also won three Golden Globes. In 2008, his HBO show Extras was named best television comedy at the Globes.

The Golden Globes will be broadcast live on NBC on Jan. 17 from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles (8 p.m. ET). Nominations will be announced on Dec. 15.

[From People]

A while back, I said on some post or another that Ricky should be asked to host the Oscars. While I hope that does happen some day, I do think Ricky should get his feet wet hosting shows like the Golden Globes and the Emmys. Do those shows for a few years, and then move on to the Oscars. He’ll be brilliant!

At the 2008 Emmys, Ricky had one of the best moments too – he called out Steve Carrell for taking his Emmy the year before:

Here’s Ricky outside the BBC 1 radio studios on September 28th. Images thanks to WENN.com .

Last night was the Los Angeles premiere of The Invention of Lying, the Ricky Gervais film costarring Rob Lowe, Tina Fey, Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner. Jennifer, Ricky and Rob showed up for the premiere, and it seems like all anyone could talk about was how great Jennifer looked, and how thin Ricky is getting. First, Jennifer – her strapless dress is Gucci, black silk with blue embroidery. The fit is excellent, and the dress is pretty righteous, in my opinion. Simple, yet stunning. I wish she would do something different with her hair, though. She looks like she needs a trim, or maybe she should have just pulled it in a bun.

As for Ricky, maybe it’s not that he looks thin, but he just looks healthier and in shape. Ricky told journalists on the red carpet that he was “flattered” that people noticed that he has been working out, saying “I have been working out more because I’ve got a gym in my house…I think I’m exactly the same weight but I’ve probably turned a bit of flab to muscle. I’ve lost about an inch, I’m still a 36-inch waist so I’m hardly Posh Spice!” Still, Ricky says that he’s not dieting, admitting that “I’ve had pizza two days running in my hotel!” I think he looks great – but I love that man, no matter how in-shape or out-of-shape he is. I’m totally biased about Ricky.

Last night, Jennifer appeared on The Jay Leno Show, and Jay made her disrespect the Red Sox. I have literally no idea what any of this sports crap means, but People had a good summary:

Pardon the pun, but Jennifer Garner hit a home run on The Jay Leno Show Monday night when forced to recite the starting lineup for the Boston Red Sox in order to earn the right to plug her new flick, The Invention of Lying.

“Just to annoy” husband and diehard Sox fan Ben Affleck, Leno not only forced her to don a rival New York Yankees cap, but she also had to hold a photo of “her least favorite” Yankee player, Derek Jeter.

Impressively, Garner pulled off the challenge with commentary about her favorites – hey, she admits they watch every game! – but refused to give the Jeter photo to Affleck “as a gift,” proving just how smart she really is.

[From People]

Oh… burn? Will Ben be mad about that? I hope not. The Invention of Lying is about a world in which lying doesn’t exist… until Ricky Gervais invents it, all for personal gain. Garner if his love interest, and the film does look good. I’ll see it just because Ricky Gervais is awesome.

Here’s the trailer for The Invention of Lying. It’s out in the US next week, on October 2.

Photo credit: WENN.com