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News & ArtsSunday, January 15, 2012
TV / Film Feeding the Trolls at the Golden Globes
Posted by David Schmader on Sun, Jan 15, 2012 at 1:44 PM
So tonight brings the TV broadcast of the Golden Globes, hosted by Ricky Gervais, whose hosting of the ceremony last year involved such prolonged and merciless mockery of Hollywood and its players it seemed certain he'd never be invited back.
But he was! And this year's Golden Globes is running with a "Uh oh! What's gonna come out of Ricky Gervais' mouth this year??" theme. Clearly, Gervais' truly biting comedy of last year (and the media hubbub that followed) was the most interesting thing ever to happen at the Golden Globes, with the benefits of the controversy outweighing the hurt feelings of megastars, and the Globes want more of that sweet Gervais poison. Which is great—I'm sure Ricky Gervais will be shockingly hilarious as always. (I love him, especially his outspoken atheism.) But NBC's cutesy handling of "the dangerous Gervais!" carries of whiff of both back-patting and troll-feeding.
But so what? Ricky Gervais being paid to mock everything America holds dear on prime-time television equals hurrah. Also, the Golden Globes have that interesting split between dramatic films and comedy/musical films, with each category calling for the traditional five-plus nominees, which enables enjoyable things like 50/50 and Bridesmaids being nominated for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) and necessitates dumb things like Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet being nominated for Best Actress (Comedy or Musical) for their work in the godawful Carnage.
Shit goes down tonight at 5pm on NBC (with all the good bits popping up on YouTube soon after).
1
So excited to see Ricky Gervais tonight I went and got one of those digital antenna thingies. Hooked it up and what do I see on NBC this moment? Ice skating stars, Johnny Weir and Nancy Kerrigan included, performing while the superannuated Styx plays a medly of its ancient hits at one end of the rink. Oh dear.
2
@1, well didn't YOU luck out!
I think it's because there's NFL playoffs on another channel so the others are running with their "least likely to appeal to football meatheads" programming right now. I'm surprised they're not going with "Ru Paul's Project: Tutu".
I like the Golden Globes simply BECAUSE they're a little trashy and drunken, and because they actually represent the full extent of Hollywood, and not just the pious uplifting bullcrap that the Oscars are always neck-deep in. The GGs are much better than the Oscars, and a little worse, too.
As Tom Shone wrote recently on Slate:
I think it's because there's NFL playoffs on another channel so the others are running with their "least likely to appeal to football meatheads" programming right now. I'm surprised they're not going with "Ru Paul's Project: Tutu".
I like the Golden Globes simply BECAUSE they're a little trashy and drunken, and because they actually represent the full extent of Hollywood, and not just the pious uplifting bullcrap that the Oscars are always neck-deep in. The GGs are much better than the Oscars, and a little worse, too.
As Tom Shone wrote recently on Slate:
The question the [Academy] awards are concerned with is not “what film marks the greatest artistic effort?” but “which film can best be defense against the charge of philistinism?”And Ricky Gervais is PERFECT. I hope his stuff burns going down tonight.
3
Shame Gervais is such a dick towards disabled children, though. Not to mention staging an entire sitcom around the idea that it's hilarious that Warwick Davis is short.
5
@4, I'm sorry but Fnarf's guess was spot on - when I posted about that goofy ice skating rock show Fox was showing the Giants-Packers game. Still on, it's 23-13 Giants in the fourth right now. Unless you meant some other kind of no game tonight.
6
I think you've got this exactly backwards, David. In this context, NBC and Gervais are the trolls. They're creating controversy for attention.
It's kind of like what you guys do with Mudede.
It's kind of like what you guys do with Mudede.
7
I liked Gervais better before he became a publicity/controversy creating troll. Still, I don't take any of the award shows seriously so it's nice to hear them being torn apart for the joke that they all are.
9
@8, I figured you might have leapt ahead, but Fnarf and I were talking about the programming decisions going on at the time we were writing. Didn't mean to confuse.
11
Can anyone tell me why Idris Elba got an award? I missed the category and can't find any evidence of him even being nominated. Thanks!
13
Apparently he learned his lesson last year - he has been pretty reserved so far.
If the Goddam Globs were smart they would pay writers to come up with zingers for the stars to shoot back at Ricky. That would make the whole thing like a bunch of friends teasing each other instead of a bully picking on the stars.
If the Goddam Globs were smart they would pay writers to come up with zingers for the stars to shoot back at Ricky. That would make the whole thing like a bunch of friends teasing each other instead of a bully picking on the stars.
15
The hilarity is of an awards show so pathetically boring that it relies upon hiring its own profane satirist to make brutal fun of itself.
Still, I don't mind the "golden globes" of Claire Danes and a few others.
Still, I don't mind the "golden globes" of Claire Danes and a few others.
17
@16, seeing as how my DVR decided to have the sound cut in and out (mostly out), I don't know. Still watching now, but I've missed at least half the jokes. FOOOOCK.
18
@17 it was an average GG year, aside from Morgan Freeman and Sidney Poitier. Fucking pure, utter class. Think I got something in my eye. Onions. ALSO they showed TWO Prince of Thieves clips. Huzzah. Gervais wasn't even half the level of firepower of last year it felt like.
For the NFL people: FUCKING GIANTS. I am still half unable to believe it. I thought we were so dead and done for.
For the NFL people: FUCKING GIANTS. I am still half unable to believe it. I thought we were so dead and done for.
19
The Descendants was the highlight of my moviegoing year, so happy. But asshole Rupert Murdoch forced Alexander Payne to sit by him so he could be on camera for the winning moment. Deal with the devil stuff right there. And Jane Fonda, such star power, except it shouldn't have been backless darling. In other seniors news Poitier....wins...........the............slow.............talking..............icon............award. Best eye makeup Zooey Deschanel, best look overall TIlda Swinton, her bracelet my sweet jesus. Clooney using his acceptance to compliment Fassbender on his dick was a delight.
20
Bored. Was hoping for controversy and shit going down but Gervais had a total of 6 minutes talking and he didn't go anywhere near too far. I didn't watch last year but thought I'd get the whole thing this time around but was majorly disappointed. Yay for his one atheist joke, but they kept him in the back room almost the whole time.
21
@19, thanks for the tip, though I wish I could have caught the whole thing... >:)~
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQZU3RwyP…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQZU3RwyP…
22
All those Hollywood types looked and acted as though they were attending the church spaghetti feed tonight.
What weird speeches by Madonna and Streep. That would never happen at the Oscars -- which is what makes the GG's so fun -- it gets more and more campy as it goes along.
What weird speeches by Madonna and Streep. That would never happen at the Oscars -- which is what makes the GG's so fun -- it gets more and more campy as it goes along.
25
I watched about an hour of the GG and honestly it was the boring fucking thing I have ever seen. I could barely stay awake.
27
I would probably enjoy Gervais more were it not for the fact that, in the past fifteen years, the most notable English export to America has been public sadism. Simon Cowell. Gordon Ramsay. And now Rickey Gervais. It's probably unfair to read Gervais into that. There's much more to him. Also, no one needs to go feeling sorry for a bunch of comically self-important movie actors. And I don't. I'm just tired of all the English spankers. That bully-boy, schoolmaster sensibility gives me gooseflesh.
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