HFPA President Thinks Ricky Gervais “Crossed Line” With Golden Globes Jokes

by Alex Alvarez | 5:09 pm, January 17th, 2011

» 11 comments

Last night, we told you we were a bit afraid that Ricky Gervais‘ no-holds-barred jokes while hosting the Golden Globes Awards would lose him favor among some in Hollywood and, well. We were right: With big egos come thin skins.

Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Philip Berk, for one, was less than enthused about Gervais’ jokes during the awards show, which included jabs at Hollywood elite the likes of Tom Cruise and Angelina Jolie. Then, again, Berk pointed out, you don’t hire an irreverent comedian like Gervais with the expectation that he’ll wax poetic on the weather or fawn over stars:

He definitely crossed the line. And some of the things were totally unacceptable. But that’s Ricky.

Any of the references to individuals is certainly not something the Hollywood Foreign Press condones.

Berk also lent some interesting insight into how the sausage is made, so to speak, behind the scenes at awards shows. Usually, he shares, hosts have their speeches and jokes vetted before the show airs, but apparently Gervais wouldn’t allow such tampering. So when, for instance, you heard Gervais refer to Bruce Willis as “Ashton Kutcher’s dad” for the first time, so did Berk. Not sure about you all, but that makes us inclined to like Gervais even more than usual. (Which, as anyone else who has seen this before might tell you, is a whole lot.)

h/t THR

Golden Globes, Hollywood Foreign Press, Ricky Gervais, Ricky Gervais Monologue

http://www.facebook.com/people/Christopher-Koulouris/600917206 Christopher Koulouris

Which begs the bigger question, in a city where Hollywood actors make fantastical money and out of work actors down the road live in abject poverty, and let’s not even bother mentioning the downtown mecca that is skid row, nor those individuals watching from home, whom most of are still struggling for mortal survival in prolonged unsettling economic circumstances what exactly is appropriate?

The divide between the lavished and revered and those left to fend for themselves in an environment that offers little yield hasn’t been this wide in a while and sometimes it takes a comedian, especially a foreign one who secretly revels in letting America know that the joke is really on them.

So yeah, Ashton Kutcher is Bruce Willis’ make believe son, I bet the world is still laughing…oh dear.

http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2011/01/ricky-gervais-is-no-longer-welcomed-in-america/
Color Me Badd

Ricky Gervais thanked god for making him an atheist. That was pretty awesome.
MiddleRoader

Christopher Koulouris said:
http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2011/01/ricky-gervais-is-no-longer-welcomed-in-america/

I don’t know about anyone else, but I heard a lot of laughing and clapping coming from the audience. Like everything else, you can’t please everyone.
Gasket

Gervais is awesome.
nice_thought

True mr. Presidente! How could one make fun of gorgeous Angelina Jolie, or them scientologists ( this word is so self-serving, I dont know how or where to start), good boy Charlie sheen or some don’t-touch-us- we-make- so-much-money hollywood bunch. Lol. Ricky may be the best thing ever happen to raw in-your-face comedy. May be I’m stretching a bit. ;)
Cecelia

Color Me Badd said:
Ricky Gervais thanked god for making him an atheist. That was pretty awesome.

God replied, You’re welcome, my son.

Do better in this life and I’ll reincarnate you into a tadpole.
http://www.squidoo.com/lauriebethsgrotto Laurie Beth

He was brilliant.
BlackWidow

I loved it and especially his comment at the end.
Lou Ganis

Gervais did a great a job of telling the truth about the actors and put them back in their place. And he was hilarious at the same time.
CAconservative

His comment about Chere was spot-on.
Ivan in Phoenix

The audience laughed out loud over the joke about Hugh Hefner. But when Gervais took shots at some of their actor friends there was definitely a difference in the reaction. If they wanted to be fluffed like ‘People’ Magazine does to them then they should have hired someone that wouldn’t even think about pointing out their peccadilloes. The joke about the two gay scientologists was hilarious. I bet Tom & John don’t come back to the Golden Globes until Ricky is long gone. If it takes a decade for them to retire Ricky Gervais I’d be fine with that.