Gervais jokes rattle Golden Globes
Updated on 18 January 2010
Cheeky quips from Ricky Gervais dominated the Golden Globes as the British comedian ripped into the great and good of Hollywood. Stephanie West reports.
Ricky Gervais flew the flag almost single-handedly as host of this most glitzy of nights in Los Angeles, but not for the usual reasons.
The star of The Office and Extras made a series of irreverent digs at the crowd of A-list celebrities, taking swipes at everyone from Mel Gibson to Paul McCartney as he fronted the ceremony.
He told the cream of Hollywood: "On a serious note - just looking at all the faces here reminds me of the great work that's been done this year - by cosmetic surgeons."
His jokes have been described as "off colour patter" and "banal generalities" in the US media, with only the showbiz website tmz.com praising his outbursts as "hysterical".
His acerbic remarks came in stark contrast to the low-key mood at the awards, as most celebrities took the chance to highlight the appeal to help survivors of the Haiti earthquake.
Many wore ribbons in support of the devastated Caribbean island as they arrived on the red carpet for the 67th annual awards in Los Angeles.
Actress Penelope Cruz summed up the mood of the evening, saying: "I think really tonight cannot just be about movies, cannot be about what people are wearing.
"It has to be a lot about what's going on in Haiti and I think if everyone can use an opportunity to remind people to do something, whatever anybody can do.
"Even if it's a little help. But everything counts."
George Clooney said the awards had provided a great opportunity to get out the word on next weekend's Haitian benefit telethon, which he is helping to organise.
The benefit, which Clooney and Haitian-born singer Wyclef Jean will host, will be aired on more than a dozen US broadcast and cable networks, and will invlude contributions from more than 40 celebrities.
Director James Cameron was the big winner on Golden Globes night, taking home the gong for Best Motion Picture for blockbuster Avatar.
But he too was focusing on Haiti and told reporters he planned to donate a portion of his proceeds from the film to the relief effort in Port-au-Prince.
It was a meagre year for British stars as Meryl Streep, Robert Downey Jr, Sandra Bullock and Jeff Bridges triumphed over the likes of Dame Helen Mirren, Emily Blunt and Colin Firth.
