Golden Globes: Ricky Gervais takes his shots

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Ricky Gervais wasted no time taking aim at the Golden Globes room Sunday evening, coming out in his opening monologue and firing salvos at the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. and NBC, the two principals behind the night’s festivities.

‘The Golden Globes are just like the Oscars but without all that esteem,’ he zinged, offering that the show is Kim Kardashian to the Oscars’ Kate Middleton. ‘A bit louder, a bit trashier, a bit drunker and more easily bought. Allegedly. Nothing’s been proved,’ he said.

He later added that ‘Boardwalk Empire’ featured a load of immigrants who came to this country and engaged in ‘bribery and corruption. But enough about the Hollywood Foreign Press.’

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He took a shot at the Oscars too, referencing the recent Eddie Murphy resignation. ‘When the man who said yes to ‘Norbit’ said no to you, you know you’re in trouble.’ [We’ll continue our Gervais-watch through the evening.]

And he got a few off at the network telecasting the awards, saying that the HFPA do ‘an awful lot of for charity. And they’re a nonprofit organization. Just like NBC.’

Gervais took the expected quick detours to some crasser jokes, referencing Justin Bieber’s virility and Jodie Foster’s ‘Beaver,’ playing off a double entendre.

Last year, of course, Gervais generated laughter and controversy when he made cracks about the evening’s backer, noting that he “had to help the HFPA president off the toilet and pop his teeth back in.’ He also took shots at Scientologist actors, Robert Downey Jr.’s addiction and Hugh Hefner’s age. Downey later came onstage and called the tone ‘mean-spirited and ‘mildly sinister.” He was joking. Sort of.

Gervais, making his third consecutive appearance at the annual kudos-fest, is expected to let loose this year: It’s not as if anything he can do will get him disinvited. In fact, he called out that elephant in the room with the line that ‘the Hollywood Foreign Press have warned me if I insult any of you they’ll … definitely invite me back next year.’

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--Steven Zeitchik

http://twitter.com/ZeitchikLAT