The Sprout

What Globes Controversy?

Posted by archifCLICarchive from National - Published on 19/01/2011 at 11:37
5 comments » - Tagged as Comedy, Culture, Movies, People, Topical

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Yn Gymraeg

Sub-Ed Note: The views in this article are those of the author, not necessarily those of theSprout. Sorry to get all Switzerland about this, I just don't want to be sued by some Hollywood mega-star. Although that would give one heck of a dinner story. In jail.

Ricky Gervais hosted the Annual Golden Globes for a second year running and as part of his act, took a swing at Hollywood’s A-Listers.

There were jokes on celebrities regarding some controversy or another they’d been involved in and the fun-poking session kick-started the ceremony. Someone might want to explain then, exactly what all the fuss is about.

From the comments on newspaper articles and chat shows following the ceremony, you’d think Gervais made heroes out of the Nazis. No, he cracked a few jokes to keep the mood light.

What were people expecting? Some surgically preserved, tanned, blonde, blue eyed presenter gloating the A-listers to further facilitate their beliefs of being the bees knees?

That’s just arrogance. People need to stop living in the stuck up Victorian Age (Ironic really, when most of those offended, have been taking wisecracks themselves at British humour. Or is it humor?), where a simple joke would be looked upon as indecent and improper.

In all honesty, if Robert Downey Jr. found Gervais’ jokes unacceptable, then how do you justify his jokes implying he’d slept with all five women nominated for the award? Or the one implying he’d have sex with all of them on stage, with the world watching, let alone his wife? It was in light spirit. Or perhaps it is only valid when you’re American.

Phillip Berk, of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, seems to be the brattiest on this occasion, jumping on the bandwagon of common opinion, and condemning Gervais’ jokes on him.

Hugh Hefner on the other hand possibly the subject of the most offensive joke of the night seemed to take it with a pinch of salt. His tweets suggested, he thoroughly enjoyed the jokes and didn’t mind them as they were ‘part of the territory’.

So what makes the rest of Hollywood elite so special? The larger than life pay-cheques seem to have blown their heads up so wide, that they think they’re protected from being the butt of mild jokes.

If the jokes are scrutinised (as they have been, but for all the wrong reasons) none of its bases were untrue. Mel Gibson renowned for his struggles with alcoholism and racist outbursts. Robert Downey Jr. his battles with drink and drugs have got him equal publicity as his work on screen. Angelina Jolie has picked up a reputation of adopting children from third world countries. Charlie Sheen charged with domestic violence offences, convicted of assault and battery, attended rehab for alcohol abuse, for drug abuse, even for sex, the list goes on

All being true, even a bit of joking is too much for their delicate senses is it? Perhaps those finding Gervais’ jokes to have gone too far, need to consider the possibility of taking a look at our motto and just enjoy a laugh. No one was singled out, like a bully in a playground would.

It was humour, at its very best come to think of it. They were moulded in brilliantly with the rest of what he said and hardly anyone was spared. He didn’t even limit it to Americans. Sir Paul McCartney was as much a butt of his jokes as others were.

So at the end of the day, what is all the fuss about? They were jokes, not serious topics of conversation, not something Gervais personally held and displayed against them, not something to discriminate against those mentioned. A simple set of brilliantly laid out jokes.

Talking of jokes, that’s what you expect when you hire a comedian to host a show isn’t it? Or perhaps that is another concept lost in trans-Atlantic translation, like humour in general.

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