Ricky Gervais: Too hot to handle

British comedian will return as host of the Golden Globe awards that will air on January 15 on NBC.

British comedian Ricky Gervais, who made quite a controversial splash with his crude one-liners at the Golden Globes last year, will return as host of the awards that will air on January 15 on NBC, according to a tweet by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

Due to his most recent and most controversial showing — in which he skewered everything from Scientology to Charlie Sheen to the entire Hollywood Foreign Press — the organisation took a long time to decide whether to invite Gervais for the third straight year. But apparently, the comedian did a good job of convincing the producers that he wasn’t going crazy but was only trying to have a laugh.

“After weeks of rumours it’s finally official — Gervais will be back to host the Golden Globes for a third year,” a statement posted on the HFPA’s website read. “While many welcome Gervais’s return, not everyone is happy with the decision because last year his blunt one-liners targeting big-name celebrities caused anger and resentment in some quarters,” the statement added.

With Gervais in the scene, the unpredictability level of the Globes has reached a whole new level, as the President of HFPA Philip Berk comments, “When you hire Gervais, you expect the unexpected.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 18^th, 2011.