Gervais roasts Hollywood as Golden Globes kick off
LOS ANGELES: Host Ricky Gervais opened the Golden Globes with a no-holds-barred monologue, startling A-listers with his signature cutting one-liners at the champagnesoaked gala, which kicks off Hollywood’s award season. Stars clad in couture gowns and extravagant jewels hit the red carpet under bright California skies before the outspoken British comic began the prize-giving ceremony, the first of the year building up to next month’s Oscars.
“Let’s go out with a bang, let’s have a laugh at your expense, shall we?” joked Gervais, who has said he is hosting the awards for the fifth and final time.
Gervais then tackled topics haunting the entertainment sector including #MeToo, lack of diversity, and the streaming wars, to name but a few.
“Look, talking of all you perverts, it was a big year – ‘Surviving R Kelly,’ ‘Leaving Neverland,’ ‘Two Popes’,” Gervais joked, referring to two documentaries about sexual abuse and one of this year’s best drama contenders.
An off-color joke about British actress Judi Dench and the critically slammed film ‘Cats’ was bleeped out by censors.
Victory at the Globes will ensure key momentum for films headed to the Oscars, which are a little more than a month away.
Netflix – which has disrupted the film industry in recent years – is far ahead of the traditional studios with 17 Globe movie nominations.
“This show should just be me coming out, (saying) ‘You win everything, Netflix, good night,” joked Gervais. — AFP