After his awards-show version of “The Emperor Has No Clothes” last year, Ricky Gervais is returning as host of the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards this Sunday to poke more fun at TV and movie’s biggest stars. Unlike the Oscars, at which the host serves as court jester to revered Hollywood royalty who may as well be sitting on thrones, the celebrities at the Golden Globes will be mainlining martinis and praying their names will not be mentioned by the caustic comedian.
With such big stars as Angelina Jolie, Johnny Depp, Tom Cruise and John Travolta among the top targets of the bearded Brit’s barbs last year, no one in the audience will feel safe this Sunday night. Gervais has even hinted as much on his Twitter feed, warning his potential prey, “I keep having to write new jokes as I pick my victims, I mean targets, I mean presenters to introduce.”
So who will the English star of the original version of “The Office” hurl eggs at this Sunday night? Here are a few of our predictions:
Angelina Jolie: With six kids, hot movie star quasi-husband and hobby of visiting third world countries and looking sad, the earnestness of Angelina Jolie is too irresistible for Gervais to ignore. Last year he pounced on the pouty lipped actress for her role in “The Tourist,” mocking the movie’s flat acting. “It seems like everything this year was three-dimensional . . . except the characters in The Tourist,” he joked. This year, the comedian could make a controversial remark about whether Jolie stole the idea for Best Foreign Language Film nominee, “In the Land of Blood and Honey.” The first-time director claims she wrote the screenplay in two days while she had the flu, but a Croatian journalist has filed a lawsuit claiming she lifted many of the plotlines and characters from his book. Dare Gervais dip his toe into these salty waters and insult Ms. Jolie two years in a row?
Alec Baldwin: The “30 Rock” star, who could have easily beat out Charlie Sheen for the lead role in the upcoming TV sitcom “Anger Management,” was recently in the hot seat again after being booted from an airplane for refusing to turn off his phone. The actor was playing the popular game Words With Friends, but the flight attendants weren’t feeling the love when the frequent “Saturday Night Live” guest host disobeyed their direct order and later chided them on Twitter, joking that American Airlines recruited “retired Catholic school gym teachers from the 1950′s” to be their flight attendants.
Beyonce: Although the new mommy of Blue Ivy Carter will not be seated in the audience, Gervais could get his hooks into Beyonce’s recent royal kerfuffle with the commoners. The pop music princess was accused of hijacking a whole hospital and turning it into her personal palace while recovering from the birth of her new baby. Such “I’m a big star so I deserve VIP treatment” mentality is red meat for Gervais’ brand of celebrity roasting.
Marilyn Monroe: This Hollywood icon won’t be at the Golden Globes either, but her ghost will haunt the awards in the form of Michelle Williams, the actress who plays the blonde bombshell in “My Week with Marilyn.” Sure Marilyn Monroe has been dead for almost 50 years, but unlike the Rita Hayworths and Greta Garbos of the movie world, whom most people under the age of 40 never even heard of, the “Some Like it Hot” star can’t seem to stay out of the headlines. Aside from the recent movie about her, nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Comedy or Musical Motion Picture, NBC plans to air “Smash” next month, a new musical TV series based on a fictional Broadway show about her life; and a desperate Lindsay Lohan left jail and rehab just long enough to mimic the sex symbol’s sultry poses in this month’s Playboy magazine.
More From This Contributor:
Lindsay Lohan Mistakes Marilyn Monroe for Role Model
Why the Big Fuss Over Beyonce Getting Famous Celebrity Treatment?
Did Angelina Jolie Steal “In the Land of Blood and Honey” Movie Plot?