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Ricky Gervais' snark good for Golden Globes, ratings up from last year

By April MacIntyre Jan 19, 2010, 4:22 GMT

Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon - © Sophia Quach / PR Photos

The 2010 Golden Globes were full of awesome bad moments.  Host Ricky Gervais took it all in stride, pulled a lot of punches and tipped a few pints onstage to make the ordeal more pleasant, for him at least.

The red carpet was the staging area for the first round of head snaps.  

Mo'nique showing off her super hairy gams on the red carpet was just too Precious.

The pressroom at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at The Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 17, 2010. Pictured here is Mo'Nique Fame Pictures, Inc - Santa Monica, CA, USA

Then, an allegedly inebriated Julia Roberts was sloshing all over Billy Bush, gushing on birthday girl Michelle Obama, her own kids to slagging "in the toilet" NBC while playing off Bush's question about passing on the role (The Blind Side) that has made Sandra Bullock queen bee of the female A-listers again. All this charming behavior was capped off by the "not paying attention" Julia blurting, "Who's Natalie?!" to a flustered Bush.

The awards themselves were an awkward dance for most all the winners who navigated a Byzantine ballroom with no clear path to the stage, just tenacity and luck to get them there, it seemed.

Christina Hendricks courtesy of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA Sunday, January 17, 2010.

Then, later in the awards, Halle Berry and Christina Hendricks busted out their bodacious girls. 

Halle Berry, courtesy of the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA Sunday, January 17, 2010.

There was the uncomfortable Sheldon Turner and Jason Reitman moment onstage as the two collected "their" award...

The uncomfortable "Rachel from Friends" moment for Jennifer Aniston...

Then Felicity Huffman botched her lines, Christina Aguilera called the Best Score winner Michael Giacchino "Michael Giancino" and Julianna Margulies took her own swipe at NBC by thanking Nina Tassler (CBS) for believing in the 10 PM drama. 

Chloe Sevigny (damn your umlaut Chloe) ripped her dress getting to the stage; Mel Gibson rolled along with the punch drunk zinger, "I like a drink as much as the next man. Unless the next man is Mel Gibson" from Gervais, who was toting a pint onstage. Sandra Bullock confirmed what everyone was thinking, "Please don't let Ricky Gervais be right. Do I have to thank whoever bought this (award) for me?"

James Cameron urged everyone in the world-weary room to give themselves a hand. "We have the best job in the world, we really do," the filmmaker said in accepting Sunday's top prize. "I just want you to give it up for yourself. What we do is, we make entertainment for a global audience, and that's what the Golden Globes mean. Give it up for yourselves," he encouraged the room, already leaving in droves for the party rounds.

NBC revealed their Golden Globes broadcast won a 14 percent increase in viewers from last year.

The 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards won the time slot Sunday, drawing 16.9 million viewers.

This is up from 14.9 million viewers in 2009.

Originating from Los Angeles, the event was aired live by NBC in all time zones coast-to-coast, rather than delayed for prime-time broadcast in the West.