January 17, 2011
Celebs React to Ricky Gervais' Golden Globe Barbs
Naughty Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais appeared before a star-studded audience last night and let the wicked jokes fly!
The British comedian, known for his sardonic persona, joked that the only reason "The Tourist" was nominated was so Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp would attend the ceremony! Ricky also stung Robert Downey Jr. with an intro mentioning his troubled past with drugs and arrests, and called Steve Carell "ungrateful."
"Extra" was there to catch the celebrity reactions to Gervais' caustic hits. When asked if Ricky went too far, actor Bruce Willis, whom Gervais introduced as "Ashton Kutcher's dad," replied, "No, not at all, he's a brilliant comic."
Al Pacino, who took home a Golden Globe for HBO's "You Don't Know Jack," said, "When you're a comic like that in this kind of environment, you sort of can't censor yourself."
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Phillip Berk told The Hollywood Reporter that, "He definitely crossed the line. And some of the things were totally unacceptable. But that's Ricky," while the official HFPA statement said, "We loved the show. It was a lot of fun and obviously has a lot of people talking. When you hire a comedian like Ricky Gervais, one expects in your face, sometimes outrageous material. Certainly, in this case, he pushed the envelope and occasionally went too far. The HFPA would never condone some of his personal remarks. Overall, however, the show was among the best we've ever had and we were pleased."