Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes: Hurtful or Hysterical?

[Desert Tiger]

That was frigging hilarious.

 

[Woodsey]

Sounds like they were taking themselves a bit too seriously - he was obviously laying into everyone, and when that happens you've just got to laugh at it.

I did wonder if it was a divide in British and American humour, but perhaps not after seeing the celeb comments.

 

[MrGalactus]

He's a comedian, nothing he says should be taken seriously.

 

[garjian]

it hurts people i dont like, so im happy about it.
but i wouldnt call it hysterical, or funny.

so i guess hurtful, but in a good way.

 

[Lance Arrow]

He did kind of come across as a douchebag, but I couldn't help but laugh it his material.

 

[plunderbunny]

Personally I find it very funny that he has managed to wind them all up so much. These award ceremonies surround celebrities in a sychophantic bubble and Gervais went right on in there and burst it - nice one Ricky.

 

[mr_rubino]

Poor, poor celebrities. How dare they not be exalted as the deities they are. I mean, without people like Susan Sarandon, Michael Moore, Whoopi Goldberg or Tom Hanks how would we even know who to vote for?

F the Hollywood elite. They're all a bunch of crack whores and male escorts that happened to bang the right producer.

Now here is a rational man whose opinion should be listened to.
Dear God, grampa. Whoopi Goldberg and Susan Sarandon? Maybe you could share your thoughts on Errol Flynn and WC Fields's political leanings for us as well?

 

[D0WNT0WN]

Ricky Gervais at the Golden Globes: Hurtful or Hysterical?

Should I be allowed to use this terrible "Ricky Jerk-Face" pun, or no?

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For the record, Ricky Gervais is British. The sense of humour he shows in this is a very British sense of humour, and as such is common and indeed a staple of comedy here in the UK. I'm not sure how common such humour is in the USA, but in the UK that would be considered normal. Indeed, some of the best known and most successful comedians in the UK routinely get away with much worse, and British stars are mostly more than willing to take part in things that send them up in ways that would otherwise be considered offensive, for the sake of comedy. We may complain a lot as a nation, but we're also a nation who know how to take the piss out of ourselves, and out of other people, without actually being offensive.

And that, my friends, is basically all I have to say on the matter. The US and UK styles of comedy are somewhat different, and if people don't like hearing British humour then they should just hire a US comedian to do the awards next time.

This pretty much sums up my point. That was pretty tame to British Standards. If they wanted someone really offensive they should of just got Frankie Boyle up there.

 

[mr_rubino]

Ricky Gervais held a mirror to the Hollywood celebrity culture and the Hollywood celebrities didn't like what they saw in it. Personally, the sense of humour in Britain can involve a lot of banter, there is a fine line between banter and insults but I saw what he was saying, it was funny.

Get over it Hollywood actors, your Beverly Hills mansions should be big and private enough so nobody will hear you crying because the big nasty man said mean things about you. Get on with making films, and good ones too. Clever ones like Inception, not stupid ones where stuff just explodes with your face on it. You'll live.

Keep the class warfare alive, brosephus. Eat the rich! Down with this sort of thing!
Hey, didja hear Barbra Streisand is... a little vain? I hear she may also be a bit liberal. (It's a joke. Laugh.)

 

[teknoarcanist]

Ricky Gervais held a mirror to the Hollywood celebrity culture and the Hollywood celebrities didn't like what they saw in it. Personally, the sense of humour in Britain can involve a lot of banter, there is a fine line between banter and insults but I saw what he was saying, it was funny.

Get over it Hollywood actors, your Beverly Hills mansions should be big and private enough so nobody will hear you crying because the big nasty man said mean things about you. Get on with making films, and good ones too. Clever ones like Inception, not stupid ones where stuff just explodes with your face on it. You'll live.

Keep the class warfare alive, brosephus. Eat the rich! Down with this sort of thing!
Hey, didja hear Barbra Streisand is... a little vain? I hear she may also be a bit liberal. (It's a joke. Laugh.)

Interesting that you quoted me (received an inbox notification) and then changed the quote. Almost like...you had the class warfare thing in mind? And wanted to find JUST the right post to spring it on?

It's not class warfare -- well, that guy's post might have some of that -- but I think for most of us it's just a matter of perspective. They're A-list celebrities, and someone hurt their feelings. Whoop de fucking doop.

Seriously.

"A comedian made fun of some people?

IN 2011?!!?!?!?!

STOP. THE GODDAMN. PRESSES."

 

[mr_rubino]

(Possibly eaten post?)

The only people "hurt" by this are celebs.....since he hits the nail on the head....


Free Speech.....bwhahaha you dont have it
(and no dont play the "he is a British actor etc etc"

Um... do even you know what you just said?

Interesting that you quoted me (received an inbox notification) and then changed the quote. Almost like...you had the class warfare thing in mind? And wanted to find JUST the right post to spring it on?

Now this makes me laugh more than Ricky Gervais ever could.
Good to know that there is a place for self-importance in this world. From the "Hurrhurr celbrities. Its funny cuz its insultating!" posts, you'd think otherwise.

 

[teknoarcanist]

Guess the post got eaten. Mah bad brah

But yeah. It's just a matter of perspective for me. I didn't find the act all that funny but...who...gives...a shit?

A comedian ripped some celebrities. Perhaps in poor taste . . . but I think they'll survive :|

 

[mr_rubino]

I'm pretty sure Kate Winslet liked the Holocaust movie joke. Or maybe she was drunk.

 

[Ubermetalhed]

Ricky Gervais can be very irritating but he was truly hilarious at the golden globes. And what he is doing IS a standup routine.

He's paid to do that and what a great job he did. Very critical but excellent.

 

[PorkChopXpress]

Gervais saved this show. Actors already got it made with ridiculous paychecks they get for pretending, traveling to (sometimes exotic) locations, and playing dress up. Seriously, no one deserves millions of dollars to be an actor, I don't care how fucking good you are. So thank you Gervias, take the pretentious assholes down a peg or two...or three.

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/666/9b2kf.jpg

 

[lewiswhitling]

I find it deliciously ironic to see Ricky Gervais' descent into overwhelming egoism.

This man wrote and starred in one of the most powerful meditations on the cult of celebrity and how damaging it is (The show "Extras," if you haven't seen it, you should watch it! It's tauted as comedy, but I wouldn't go as far to call it funny so much as soul-crushingly honest, but excellent either way,) and is now everything he was rallying against.

FANTASTIC! Karma shall bite this man in the proverbial arse one day, and I shall giggle to myself when it does.

This was a routine standup... it was nothing to do with what he actually thinks and feels - it's done for humerous purposes. He is also known to make mean fun of disabled people in his routines, but also happens to be good friends with his producer of the office, who happens to be disabled.

 

[justnotcricket]

Well...they did hire Ricky Gervais...his humour can be like that. He said he'd outdo himself, and he did.

I'm not saying that it's *good* when anyone, even a comedian, falls onto the 'tasteless abuse' side of comedy, but...I mean...Ricky Gervais? What were they expecting?

 

[BloodSquirrel]

For the record, Ricky Gervais is British. The sense of humour he shows in this is a very British sense of humour, and as such is common and indeed a staple of comedy here in the UK. I'm not sure how common such humour is in the USA, but in the UK that would be considered normal. Indeed, some of the best known and most successful comedians in the UK routinely get away with much worse, and British stars are mostly more than willing to take part in things that send them up in ways that would otherwise be considered offensive, for the sake of comedy. We may complain a lot as a nation, but we're also a nation who know how to take the piss out of ourselves, and out of other people, without actually being offensive.

And that, my friends, is basically all I have to say on the matter. The US and UK styles of comedy are somewhat different, and if people don't like hearing British humour then they should just hire a US comedian to do the awards next time.

I watched the video, and it's pretty tame. I see far, far more pointed barbs from US comedians all the time. Go track down some of Comedy Central's roasts, if you want to see some. I'm not sure where Elizabeth Grunewald is getting that this was out of line, but then again I've seen her as a bad columnist in general whose articles are pitifully short of anything resembling insight, research, or substance.

 

[Greg Tito]

Ricky Gervais, you are no Norm MacDonald. Some of Norm's jokes are pretty dated since it was 1998, but this is how you do a takedown.

Dude, thank you so much for posting that. I loved Norm back in the day, although no one seemed to get his humor at the time.