I Am Over Ricky Gervais

As I have not had proper internet access for several weeks, and so I have missed a couple of stories that I have wanted to discuss on the blog, and I figured as I start pouring out a number of blog posts, I would include a few of those topics, as they just happened over the past few weeks and well, they’re at least somewhat relevant.

The first I’m going to discuss here is the announcement that Ricky Gervais and his announcement that he’d be willing to host the Academy Awards, but only if they followed “his rules” and that he would not have to be a “family entertainer.”

For me, with Gervais, this was the straw that broke the camel’s back.  It may seem an odd one, but I’ve been headed in this direction for a while.  It’s sometimes difficult to tell with certain comedians where their public persona and their comic persona begin and end, and in Gervais’s case, the smug, condescending jerk routine may very well be a routine, and he might be a lovely person in real life, but I don’t care.  I’m sick and tired of his attitude.

I mean, the Academy Awards are holy ground in my book, and any comedian would be lucky to be given the shot at a worldwide audience of that magnitude, Gervais included.  Legendary comedians ranging from Bob Hope to Steve Martin, Johnny Carson to Whoopi Goldberg have all taken the stage at one point or another, and it is a deeply respected night in Hollywood that is about celebrating artistry.

With Gervais, though, it’d be turned into a roast, a chance to make the likes of George Clooney and Julia Roberts squirm in their seats uncomfortably as he said cutting things, all the while acting as if he’s far too good to be there.  That works in moderation-invite the guy to present an award or two, and it was interesting his first outing at the Globes.  However, subsequent trips have proven that he’s just in it for himself, and has little respect for the actual point of the night, honoring those who have achieved excellence in the arts (and, fine, the dresses).

So when he says he needs to hand in his comedian credentials to be a family entertainer, and acts as if it were a chore, I say “who is forcing you to host in the first place?”  I mean, it’s not like you haven’t had to hand in your “sterling pedigree” for Spy Kids: All the Time in the World.  Not to be too unkind, but perhaps you’re a bit defensive because your contributions to the world of cinema are not remotely as impressive as your contributions to the world of television (again, that sounds like celebrity-bashing, and it may be a bit, but it’s nothing compared to some of the vile jabs he’s thrown out at the Globes through the years).

So Ricky, if you don’t think that same discerning taste that made you pick The Invention of Lying and Escape from Planet Earth is worthy of the biggest night in Hollywood, stay away from it.  It can survive just fine without you.