Ricky Gervais Tells Me: Not Sure About Hosting Golden Globes

My favorite comic iconoclast, Ricky Gervais, tells me that he’s not sure about hosting the Golden Globes and that nothing has been settled. Ricky was a guest performer last night at Bob and Lee Woodruff’s 5th annual Stand Up for Heroes show at the Beacon Theater. Before the show–which Caroline Hirsch and Andrew Fox produce as opening night of NY Comedy Festival–Ricky and I spoke about the Golden Globes. It turns out he did have lunch with the new HFPA president in Paris, along with Doug Vaughn from NBC. “NBC wants me to do it, and they’re still convincing the HFPA. But I’m not sure if I want to do it,” Ricky said. Why? “I did it, and how could I do it better?” he asked rhetorically. “How do you top that?” I reminded him that with Leonardo DiCaprio playing J Edgar Hoover, a silent black and white film “The Artist” as a front runner, and Lindsay Lohan in and out of jail, there’s plenty of fodder for jokes. “Ah yes,” Ricky said, with a grin. “There is a lot, isn’t there?” So, no decision yet, but my bet is he’ll do it, and the HFPA will get big ratings as they dodge his slings and arrows.