The difference about this year’s Golden Globes awards evening was that, although we all know it is bullshit, Ricky Gervais made a point to make viewers at home feel stupid for watching it for three hours. This is according to Daniel D’Addario who penned an opinion piece for Times where he denounced the host’s as bogging down the show, making it seem longer and less inspired.

The show, which moved relatively briskly by the standards of awards shows generally, felt bogged down by the Globes’ own standard. In recent years (specifically, the previous three, when the show was hosted by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler), the show felt joyful, odd and unpredictable, like a cocktail party whose hosts had planned thoughtfully.

The British comedian went so far in deflating the glamour of the evening that he put the audience in the uncomfortable position of defending the awards ceremony. Taking a bit of air out of Hollywood types’ egos is one thing. But Gervais wasn’t taking down Hollywood: He was telling viewers at home they were stupid even to be watching. It wasn’t offensive, which is what he wanted it to be. It was just a bore.

D’Addario noted how Ricky’s antics followed through the show, making the whole thing less enjoyable to watch. And, although he dissed the rich and wealthy that were sitting in front of him, he went one step further and dissed the audience:

Very few people watching actually think the Golden Globes are important. It’s meant as the sort of distraction Gervais himself has spent his career producing. And even those limited number of people who, for some reason, tuned into a three-hour awards ceremony despite their utter contempt for Hollywood celebrities, might wish for something more creative than Gervais just calling actors notionally being honored for their work “filth” or “scum.”

And D’Addario has a point. We, the audience, know that everyone has everyone else in their pocket – it just depends on whose interest is in whom for a guaranteed win. Yet it’s entertaining to watch, to see celebs act as normal people, the red carpet jokes and fashion statements.

If you want to watch Ricky Gervais’ jokes from the evening click HERE.

[source: time]