Will Ricky Gervais take a third swing at the Golden Globes?
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Will it be third time’s the harm for Ricky Gervais?
The cheeky British comedian, who provoked both cheers and boos when he made scathing jokes about several celebrities during his hosting gig at the Golden Globes last year, says he has been asked back by NBC to host next year’s ceremony.
Gervais, at the MediaGuardian Edinburgh International Television Festival, said that NBC, which broadcasts the awards, had asked him to return, according to the Guardian. It would be his third time hosting. But he hinted that he is not likely to step back into the lion’s den.
‘I love NBC,’ Gervais told interviewer Richard Bacon. ‘I love the fact that they stuck with me through it.’ But when pressed on whether he was considering the offer, he added, ‘I am, but I shouldn’t do it. It’s a second encore. Don’t do a second encore. I don’t think I should do it. What am I going back as?’
NBC declined to comment.
The comedian said he had ‘never expected the reaction’ to some of his remarks, which took shots at several A-listers.
In one joke, he said, ‘It’s going to be a night of partying and heavy drinkng. Or as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast.’
He also made fun of Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie and their critically lambasted ‘The Tourist,’ which was nominated for top awards. And he thanked God for making him an atheist.
Referring to the criticism, Gervais said, ‘Just because you are offended doesn’t mean you’re right. People fall into this myth that I’m a shock comedian. I’ve never been that. People said I crossed the line, but I didn’t draw the ... line.’
Gervais maintained his performance was for the 200 million people around the world watching the show, not for the star-studded crowd in front of him.
Said Gervais: ‘It wasn’t a roomful of wounded soldiers. It was the most privileged people in the world who spend all day pretending to be someone else. I teased them. I ribbed them.’
He also said that he had been approached about hosting the Oscars. But, he said, there’s no way.
‘It’s a thankless task for a comedian,’ he said. ‘They don’t want to hear jokes. They want to hear if they won the most important award of their career.’
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— Greg Braxton
