Week in review: Golden Globes hires Ricky Gervais; ‘Breaking Dawn’ debuts

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Ahh, popularity. It’s one elusive beast, and one that makes people do funny things. Like hire Ricky Gervais.

The British comedian’s popularity with audiences was the primary reason why the organization behind the Golden Globes, the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., decided to bring him back to emcee its 69th annual ceremony Jan. 15. Despite the acerbic barbs he delivered as host of last year’s show, which came at the expense of both the A-list stars in the audience and the heads of the HFPA, Gervais is back, likely to appease NBC, a network looking for a ratings bump for the telecast.

The popularity of the ‘Twilight’ series will again be widely talked about this weekend, as the fourth movie in the blockbuster film series adapted from author Stephenie Meyer’s bestselling novels debuts worldwide. Times’ writers Nicole Sperling and Steven Zeitchik talk about the machinations behind the series and why director Bill Condon, who won an Oscar for his screenplay for ‘Gods and Monsters,’ signed on for the two-part finale of the highly commercial series.

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-- Nicole Sperling