Ricky Gervais’ full impact on TV comedy is hard to measure, but it says something that his later-in-life rise to fame 24 years ago co-creating The Office led directly to the heartfelt cringe of The Paper, which only premiered a week ago. Few projects have those kinds of legs, but there will certainly be plenty of legs on display in the Brit comedian’s newest Netflix creation, which is not at all what I was expecting.

Coming to streaming at some point after the 2025 Netflix schedule has concluded will be Ricky Gervais’ Alley Cats, in which the award-winning creative will take on the role of a domesticated-yet-feral cat who will presumably have strong personal opinions about hot-button topics. Such as milk saucers and where to hole up when it rains.

Unsurprisingly, Gervais won’t be portraying a live-action feline, and Alley Cats will indeed fall under the umbrella of adult animated comedies, with its “bold 2d animation style” being handled by Blink Industries. That studio worked on one of my very favorite series ever created: the surreal not-quite-kids show Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, as well as the spookily fun Netflix series Dead End: Paranormal Park. That alone is enough to get me in the door.

Here’s a logline of what to expect, straight from the streaming service:

• "Alley Cats is a slacker sitcom created by and starring the multi award-winning Ricky Gervais. The adult animation follows the trials and tribulations of a group of feral British cats from all walks of society, who seek companionship while ruminating on everyday life. From the funny to the absurd, the series is packed with Gervais’ signature style of heart and social commentary that audiences have come to expect."

I'm not sure if this means we'll be watching a bunch of cats debating the existence of God and the worthiness of cancel culture, but those wouldn't be unexpected topics for the UK comic, whose most recent Netflix stand-up special in 2023 sparked joke-related petitions.

The always quotable Gervais poked fun at himself in his statement promoting the new show, saying:

Where's the cat drummer performing a rimshot with a pair of fish skeletons?

Here's a first look at Alley Cats' characters, and I'll leave it up to everyone else to figure out which of the fat cats Gervais is meant to be playing.

Ricky Gervais, who is prepping for the impending release of a new stand-up special (Mortality), last brought his acting talents to the screen to voice a fish for this year's DogMan. (Flippy better watch out for his newest character.) His last original creation was the Netflix comedy After Life, which wrapped up its three-season run in 2022.

Stay tuned to see when Alley Cats will be available to stream via Netflix subscription. No purr-chase, necessary.

Ever since Grand Theft Auto made the jump to 3D back in 2001, the outrageously popular video game franchise has given gamers some of the most cinematic gaming experiences of all time. While the stories, graphics, and sandbox open worlds have certainly helped in this regard, a lot of that “cinema” quality comes from the games’ A-list casts.

Here are 32 celebrities who appeared in Grand Theft Auto games, be it as a protagonist (or antagonist most of the time) or as DJs for the franchise’s iconic radio stations. There is a lot to go over, so let’s get to it…

Samuel L. Jackson (Frank Tenpenny)

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas took the franchise to new heights back in 2004, and a lot of that was due to the show-stealing performance by Samuel L. Jackson as crooked Los Santos police officer and primary antagonist Frank Tenpenny. The corrupt cop, who made life miserable for protagonist Carl “CJ” Johnson, was a villain you loved to hate.

Ray Liotta (Tommy Vercetti)

Before the late Ray Liotta voiced Tommy Vercetti in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City in 2002, none of the protagonists had a voice, or personality for that matter. That all changed when gamers took control of the revenge-driven mobster and walked the neon-lit streets and crowded beaches of this landmark game.

Burt Reynolds (Avery Carrington)

The supporting casts in each of the Grand Theft Auto games have been just as legendary as the primary heroes and villains, and the late Burt Reynolds helped make Grand Theft Auto: Vice City one of the best in this regard. His portrayal of cowboy land developer Avery Carrington was lights out. It’s just a shame we didn’t get more.

William Fichtner (Ken Rosenberg)

In addition to showing up in most of Michael Bay’s best movies, William Fichtner has appeared in a pair of the best Grand Theft Auto games. First introduced as anxiety-ridden and paranoid attorney Ken Rosenberg in Vice City, Fichtner would reprise the role in San Andreas, where Ken was just as insane.

Joe Pantoliano (Luigi Goterelli)

Joe Pantoliano, aka Joey Pants, was just one of many actors known for playing mobsters to show up in Grand Theft Auto III with his portrayal of Luigi Goterelli. The club owner, who is the first to give silent protagonist Claude some work in Liberty City, was made all the better by Pantoliano’s explosive dialogue.

Michael Madsen (Toni Cipriani)

The late Michael Madsen, best known for his work in some of Quentin Tarantino’s best movies, had a supporting role in Grand Theft Auto III. Madsen’s Toni Cipriani, a high-ranking member of the Leone Family crime syndicate, was a major player in the early goings of the game.

Cara Delevingne (DJ Cara)

Though Cara Delevingne’s character is never seen in Grand Theft Auto V, DJ Cara is one of the most engaging and hilarious DJs on the game’s vast collection of radio channels. Her transitions and commentary between tracks for Non Stop Pop FM are worth checking out, even if you don’t want to play the game.

Kyle MacLachlan (Donald Love)

Donald Love, the morally ambiguous owner of Love Media and Liberty City developer who gives the player some wild missions along the way, was voiced by Kyle MacLachlan in Grand Theft Auto III. Willing to do anything and everything to obtain power and money, Love was one of the strangest and most mysterious characters of the franchise.

Dennis Hopper (Steve Scott)

It’s hard to imagine anyone but Dennis Hopper providing the voice of Steve Scott in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The shark-obsessed and ambitious adult film director was one of the main allies Tommy Vercetti made along the way, even if his missions got out of hand!

Philip Michael Thomas (Lance Vance)

Lance Vance started as one of Tommy Vercetti’s most trusted allies, only to become his biggest rival in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City when he wanted a larger slice of the pie. Having the character voiced by Miami Vice star Philip Michael Thomas was just one of the many callbacks to the iconic ‘80s show.

Chris Penn (Eddie Pulaski)

Chris Penn played secondary antagonist Eddie Pulaski, one of the crooked C.R.A.S.H. officers, in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Officer Tenpenny’s right-hand man, this diabolical cop went to great lengths to get under CJ’s skin.

Debbie Harry (Doris)

Legendary punk and fashion icon Debbie Harry showed up in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City when she provided the voice of Doris. The Blondie singer did a great job of giving the Kaufman Cab dispatcher a whole lot of attitude, which led to some great interactions with Tommy Vercetti.

Danny Trejo (Umberto Robina)

Danny Trejo was already on his way to becoming one of the most well-known character actors in Hollywood when he portrayed Cuban gang leader Umberto Robina in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The crime boss gave Tommy Vercetti a number of missions throughout the midsection of the 2002 game.

Katt Williams (Himself)

Grand Theft Auto IV didn’t see as many celebrities voicing characters as previous iterations, but there were still a fair number of big stars in the game. In the case of Katt Williams, the comedian played himself in one of the in-game stand-up routines that protagonist Niko Bellic could watch throughout the game.

Jason Sudeikis (Richard Bastion)

Long before he played Ted Lasso (both in those wild NBC commercials and the popular Apple TV+ series), Jason Sudeikis played a very different type of American character in Grand Theft Auto IV. Sudeikis, who was still on SNL at the time, voiced Richard Bastion, the host of a right-wing call-in show on WKTT talk radio.

Wil Wheaton (Various Characters)

Stand By Me and Star Trek: The Next Generation star Wil Wheaton voiced various characters in the Grand Theft Auto universe. In 2004’s San Andreas, Wheaton was the voice of Richard Burns, a reporter for WCTR, a role he reprised in Liberty City Stories the following year. He would also voice an alien in Grand Theft Auto V.

Ricky Gervais (Himself)

Ricky Gervais brought his brand of comedy to the digital world in Grand Theft Auto IV when he performed an extended stand-up routine in one of Liberty City’s comedy clubs. The 10-minute in-game activity has the comedian’s signature wit and knack for telling uncomfortable jokes in a hilarious way.

Michael Rapaport (Joey Leone)

Michael Rapaport was one of the big-name actors who made the Grand Theft Auto III cast one of the best of all time when he played Joey Leone. The son of Salvatore Leone was one of the player’s earliest contacts, and his missions remain some of the best in the game’s early stages.

Robert Loggia (Ray Machowski)

Though he didn’t reprise his iconic Scarface role (or at least something similar to Frank Lopez) in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Robert Loggia did have a great part in Grand Theft Auto III one year earlier. There are some wild characters in the 2001 game, but corrupt police officer Ray Machowski was in a league of his own. Kudos to those who still have his bulletproof Patriot in the garages after all these years.

Will Forte (Martin Serious)

Saturday Night Live alum (and WWE Raw host) Will Forte showed up in Grand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and the Damned, the first of two DLC expansions for the 2008 game. In the game, Forte provides the voice of Martin Serious, a shock jock in the vein of Howard Stern on WKTT talk radio.

Robert Davi (Juan Cortez)

Robert Davi, who appeared in movies like The Goonies and Raw Deal in the ‘80s, showed up in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as Juan Cortez, a retired Central American colonel and drug kingpin. The mysterious character, who admired Tommy Vercetti a great deal, provided for some wild (and difficult) missions.

Danny McBride (Duane Earl)

Danny McBride gave players one of the funniest radio DJs in the state of San Andreas when he voiced Duane Earl in Grand Theft Auto V. Host of the Beyond Insemination program on Blaine County Radio (this only became available after leaving Los Santos), Earl was right up there with McBride’s most well-known character, Kenny Powers.

Axl Rose (Tommy ‘The Nightmare’ Smith)

In addition to featuring Guns N’ Roses’ legendary “Welcome to the Jungle” track (it was also in the game’s trailer), Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas also had the band’s lead singer, Axl Rose, portray a radio DJ. Tommy “The Nightmare” Smith could be heard on K-DST radio, aka, The Dust.

Lee Majors (Mitch Baker)

Lee Majors gave his voice to one of the coolest characters in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City with his portrayal of “Big” Mitch Baker, the leader of a biker gang and owner of the Greasy Chopper bar. A major player late in the game, Baker worked with Tommy Vercetti for multiple jobs, including the Love Fist concert.

Tom Sizemore (Sonny Forelli)

On top of playing some of the craziest characters in Hollywood history, the late Tom Sizemore also voiced an unforgettable villain in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. Sonny Forelli, the primary antagonist and leader of the Forelli Crime Family, was willing to do anything and everything to make life messy for Tommy Vercetti, which ultimately cost him in the end.

Phil Collins (Himself)

Phil Collins, yes, the Phil Collins, played himself in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. The PSP game, which later came to PS2, featured the “In the Air Tonight” singer in a daring mission where the player had to thwart an assassination attempt. If the player beats the mission and pays $6,000 for a ticket, they can watch a full performance of Collins’ most popular song.

Ice-T (Madd Dogg)

Los Santos rapper Madd Dogg has one of the craziest and most unforgettable arcs in all of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. From having his lyric book and career stolen from him to thinking about ending things before going to rehab to becoming the biggest rapper on the planet, he goes through it. The story is made even better with rapper-turned-actor Ice-T bringing the character to life.

Faizon Love (Sweet)

Though Sweet may be the most annoying character in the entire Grand Theft Auto franchise (well, outside of Roman Bellic), Faizon Love’s performance in San Andreas is great. The Friday and The Parent ‘Hood actor went all-in with his portrayal of Sean “Sweet” Johnson, the older brother to the game’s protagonist. Sweet could be a lot at times, but Love added so much to the character.

James Woods (Mike Toreno)

Every Grand Theft Auto game has a character that’s so out there, they live in a world beyond good and evil. In the case of San Andreas, that responsibility falls into the lap of Mike Toreno, an undercover agent working for an unnamed and shadowy government agency voiced by James Woods. It’s hard to think of another actor who could play Toreno better than the Casino and Once Upon a Time in America actor.

Charlie Murphy (Jizzy B.)

Though we didn’t get to see too much of Jizzy B. before CJ took him out in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, this performance by the late Charlie Murphy made the owner of the Pleasure Domes nightclub a character many of us still think about 20-plus years later. The Loco Syndicate member was mean, vicious, and a little pathetic, but he was so much fun to watch.

Peter Fonda (The Truth)

The late, great Peter Fonda portrayed one of the wildest and most bizarre characters in Grand Theft Auto history when he took on the role of The Truth in San Andreas. A spiritual character who wasn’t shy of violence (or at least having CJ do his dirty work), the free-thinking and otherworldly ally was there for some of the game’s signature moments.

David Cross (Zero)

There’s a large portion of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas players who have never beaten all of Zero’s missions, so don’t even try to lie about it. Though most of us didn’t see his story to completion, the electronics expert and owner of Zero RC voiced by comedian David Cross is still beloved to this day. Just don’t ask us to beat the infamous “Supply Lines” level.

Comedy is a lot harder to pull off successfully than it's often given credit for. It makes sense that some of the best filmmakers in history began their careers as comics, or at least comedic actors, given how a great comedian's mind works. They see the world in completely different ways, and that way of looking at things often means great movies, like some of the best rom-coms of all time, but they aren't always comedies. Here is our list of great comics who became great filmmakers.

Mel Brooks

You really couldn't have this list without Mel Brooks. His movies, which he's been making for an astonishing seven decades, never fail to disappoint. His career stretches back to the 1940s! He reinvented comedy on film with his early movies like The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein, and while he doesn't do as much directing these days, he's still killing it when he does.

Jordan Peele

Of all the comedians-turned-directors on this list, the biggest departure from his acting career to his directing career has to be Jordan Peele. He first entered our collective consciousness with his legendary sketch comedy show Key and Peele, but starting with Get Out in 2017, he's become one of the premier horror directors in modern Hollywood.

Amy Poehler

Like so many comedians over the last 50 years or so, Amy Poehler got her big break on Saturday Night Live. She left the long-running comedy show in 2008 to work on her next hit show, Parks & Recreation. In 2019, she directed her first movie, Wine Country, and followed that up with 2021's Moxie.

Christopher Guest

Some of the most quotable movies of all time have come from the collective minds of the ensemble casts that Christopher Guest has assembled for his movies, like Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind. He serves as the director, but he gives great leeway to his fellow cast members in all of the movies.

Paul Feig

Though he's best known as a writer and a director these days, Paul Feig started as a stand-up comedian when he first arrived in Hollywood in the 1980s. He struggled as an actor before scoring a role in Heavyweights in 1995. While working on that movie, he met writer Judd Apatow and the two co-created Freaks and Geeks. The rest is history.

Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller's biggest early break came in the Ben Stiller Show on MTV, which blended sketch comedy with music videos. From there, Stiller basically took over Hollywood to the point that it seemed like he was making a dozen movies a year! Okay, maybe not that many, but he was in a lot of movies, including many that he directed, like Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, and Tropic Thunder.

Mike Nichols

EGOT winner Mike Nichols directed some of the most iconic movies in Hollywood history. Movies like The Graduate, Working Girl, and The Birdcage. Nichols started his career as part of the comedy duo Nichols & May alongside Elaine May, who also became a filmmaker of some renown.

Charlie Chaplin

There are few people in Hollywood history who are as important to the growth of the industry as Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin wrote, starred, and directed almost all his major hits from the silent era up until A Countess from Hong Kong in 1967. He even scored many of his movies. He started in show business in the very early 20th Century in comedic roles on stage before movies were even invented.

Rob Reiner

As the son of the great Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner has comedy in his blood. His biggest fame early came as Mike "Meathead" Stivic in All in the Family, but for most of the last half-century, he's been known for his writing and directing, creating such movies as This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, and When Harry Met Sally..., among many others.

Chris Rock

Like many SNL alums, Chris Rock has had an incredible career in Hollywood. He started acting as a teenager in New Jack City, but he quickly became known for his stand-up act and his work on SNL. He's long been a writer and producer, and he started directing in 2003 with his directorial debut, Head of State. He's been busy directing ever since, in addition to everything else he does.

Judd Apatow

One of the most successful comedy directors in the last few decades is Judd Apatow. He's a one-man show, in many ways, writing, producing, and directing hits like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, The King of Staten Island, and This Is 40. He's also produced a whole slew of successful comedies, like Bridesmaids, Anchorman, Step Brothers, and Pineapple Express. That doesn't even get into the TV shows he's produced or co-created, like Freaks and Geeks, Girls, and Crashing.

Harold Ramis

Without question, Harold Ramis belongs on the Mount Rushmore of comedy writers and directors. The list of movies he's directed and written (or co-written) is amazing. Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, and Groundhog Day are just the tip of the iceberg. Like so many in his generation of comedians, he started in sketch comedy at Second City in Chicago.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais gained worldwide fame when he co-created, co-wrote, and starred in the original version of The Office in the U.K. He's created a slew of shows since, and could even be credited with helping create podcasts with his early podcast, The Ricky Gervais Show. The stand-up comedian started directing films in 2009 with The Invention of Lying.

Penny Marshall

We lost a lot when Penny Marshall died in 2018 at age 75. She began her career in comedic roles, most notably as Laverne DeFazio, first on Happy Days, then in her own spin-off, Laverne & Shirley. Before long, though, she transitioned to directing. Her first movie, Jumpin' Jack Flash, introduced the world to Whoopi Goldberg as a comedic actor (her lone previous credit was in the drama The Color Purple) and went on to direct beloved hits like A League of Their Own and Big.

Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane started mostly as a comedy writer, which is hardly a surprise. He then created the animated shows Family Guy and American Dad for Fox. He made his directorial debut with Ted in 2012.

Albert Brooks

The legendary Albert Brooks started his career in sketch comedy in collectives like The Credibility Gap and appeared on variety shows in the late '60s and early '70s as a stand-up. His first directing gig was as part of the first season of SNL, before directing his first feature, Real Life, co-written with his buddy Harry Shearer. His later movies include classics like Defending Your Life, Mother, and The Muse.

Keenen Ivory Wayans

The Wayans brothers have certainly left a huge mark on Hollywood over the years, and the oldest sibling, Keenen Ivory Wayans, is the one who got them all started. He created and directed In Living Color, which made him a household name, but he had already directed I'm Gonna Git You Sucka before that. His biggest success, of course, is the Scary Movie franchise.

Carl Reiner

Carl Reiner got his start as a writer and actor in comedy sketches on two shows starring Sid Caesar, Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. He then teamed up with fellow writer from the shows, Mel Brooks, and together they released comedy albums in the early 1960s. By the end of the decade, he was directing movies, with his two most notable hits, The Jerk and Oh! God, coming in the late '70s.

Cheech Marin

One of the biggest comedy duos of the '70s is, of course, Cheech & Chong. Before long, Cheech Marin was directing movies without his partner, including his directorial debut, Born in East L.A., in 1987.

Woody Allen

WE couldn't have this list without Woody Allen. Setting aside any personal feelings people may have towards the actor for his questionable personal life, Allen is, hands down, one of the most successful comedy film directors in Hollywood history. The list of movies he's written, directed, and starred in is far too long to list here. He developed his famous persona while working as a stand-up comedian in New York in the 1960s.

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton was one of the most successful comedic actors of the 1980s with movies like Mr. Mom, Beetlejuice, and Johnny Dangerously. He started taking on more dramatic roles as the decade came to a close, and of course, he starred as the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's Batman. He made his directorial debut in 2008 with the drama The Merry Gentleman and, more recently, directed the underrated Knox Goes Away in 2023.

Bob Odenkirk

Along with David Cross, Bob Odenkirk first broke big on Mr. Show with Bob and David, but that was after years in sketch comedy on shows like SNL and The Ben Stiller Show. He has gained his biggest fame more recently as the character Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and the spinoff Better Call Saul (which somehow never won an Emmy).

Jerry Lewis

His comedy might not have been for everyone, but you can't argue with Jerry Lewis' incredible success over decades in Hollywood. Of course, he started as part of a duo with Dean Martin, but he soon took off on his own with movies like The Nutty Professor and The Bellboy. He directed both those movies as well, and would continue to direct his own movies throughout the '60s.

Donald Glover

While still in college, Donald Glover started doing sketch comedy in New York City. After graduating, he became a writer on 30 Rock first came to the public's attention in Community on NBC. His biggest critical success came with the show he created and produced the show Atlant,a in 2013. His first feature film directing gig came with Bando Stone & the New World, which is a companion piece to his album of the same name.

Jeff Garlin

For most people, Curb Your Enthusiasm is where they first saw Jeff Garlin, but his career goes back further than that. He also starred in The Goldbergs before abuse accusations led him to leave the show. Over the years, he's directed a number of movies, like the indie rom-com I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With and 2017's Handsome, which you can watch with a Netflix subscription.

Buster Keaton

Like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton was a huge figure in the silent era of Hollywood. Also like Chaplin, the comedian started in theater at the dawn of the 20th century and then began writing, directing, and starring in his own films in the teens. He was one of the biggest stars of the early film industry, making more than a dozen hits in the 1920s.

Bob Saget

Not only is one of the dirtiest comedians of all time (and his version of The Aristocrats joke proves it), Bob Saget was also so beloved TV dad and wholesome host of America's Funniest Home Videos. Saget's first directorial credit came in the hilarious and underrated Dirty Work, working with Norm McDonald and Artie Lang on what must have been just a wild film shoot.

Aziz Ansari

Aziz Ansari had his breakout role as a member of the cast of Parks and Recreation, but he was already an experienced stand-up when that show took off. He directed his first film, Good Fortune, which he also wrote and stars in.

Jerrod Carmichael

Jerrod Carmichael is one of the most popular stand-up comedians in recent years and got his first major exposure with The Carmichael Show on NBC in 2015. He made his directorial debut in 2021 with On the Count of Three, which he also stars in alongside Christopher Abbott and an ensemble cast that includes Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove, and Henry Winkler.

Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham made his name as literally a one-man show with his musical comedy YouTube channel that he started in 2006 (the very early days of YouTube). His first job as a director came in 2018 with Eighth Grade, which he wrote and stars in, as well.

Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend was groundbreaking as a Black comedian-turned-filmmaker in the 1980s when he wrote, directed, and starred in movies like Hollywood Shuffle, The Five Heartbeats, and Meteor Man, which is a comic book movie that deserves a reboot.

Bobcat Goldthwait

Without a doubt, one of the strangest movies mentioned in this list is Shakes the Clown, which was the first film directed by legendary stand-up comedian Bobcat Goldthwait. He's directed seven independent films since Shakes and they are always unique and funny.

Following the announcement of the 2025 Golden Globe nominees, the countdown to the award show has begun, and host Nikki Glaser is doing her homework for the live event set to air on the 2025 TV schedule. However, while she absolutely killed during the Tom Brady roast and has proven her ability to play a room, she's still learning and seeking out advice for this new gig. So, she reached out to former host Ricky Gervais, and he shared some solid guidance with her.

With the 82nd annual Golden Globes just around the corner, the comedian and actress sat down with CBS Mornings to talk about the event. When chatting about the ceremony, they brought up some of the best hosts in the biz, including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Ricky Gervais, and asked if she sought advice from them. The I Feel Pretty alum said she immediately reached out to some of them and Gervais had some great words of wisdom, as she said:

The simple but blunt response is exactly right, and so on brand for The Office UK star. A crowd–virtual or in person–can tell if someone on stage is being real, and it's great to know that Gervais made the point very clear to Glaser.

She then explained some of his other words of wisdom, which again, are realistic and to the point:

There’s a reason why Gervais was asked back time and again to host, he understood what the show needed to succeed. So, his advice is solid and should be taken, and it seems like that's exactly what Glaser is doing.

Gervais and the others Glaser reached out to all seemingly mentioned that the room in person is noisy too. They shared that it's more important to talk to the audience at home instead of waiting for the in-house crowd to quiet down, which the 2025 host seemed to be thrilled about. I’m sure that it’s more essential than one may seem to think, especially if the comedian is used to performing to an attentive audience. However, I'm positive the stand-up will thrive in this environment.

Overall, I am excited to see Glaser get up on that historic stage with solid advice in hand and guide the annual good time award show into its 82nd year.

So, while she continues to prepare for her big gig, you can prep too by checking out our list of what to watch if you want more of the upcoming Globes host. And make sure to tune in on January 5th to catch the 82nd Golden Globes at 8 PM ET on CBS ( you can also stream it with a Paramount+ subscription with a Showtime add-on).

Hollywood is a tough place to get your big break. Many actors struggle for years before they finally hit it big. These stars put in the effort and stuck with it until they finally became huge stars after they turned 40. Stars like Steve Carell, Kathy Bates, Alan Rickman, and many more actors like them are household names now, but it took them years to get there.

Steve Carell

Like so many other people Steve Carell started his career at Second City in Chicago. He then kicked around television for a while, with roles on the Dana Carvey Show and eventually at The Daily Show. It's when he left that show to head the cast in The Office that his career exploded and he became one of the most beloved stars on earth.

Samuel L. Jackson

Samuel L. Jackson has one of the most impressive resumes in Hollywood, but it took him a long time to get there. His first credit came in 1972 when he was 24, but it would take another two decades or so, after a series of smaller roles in the late '80s, that he would land the role of Jules Winfield in Pulp Fiction and have his career completely explode.

Alan Rickman

The late, great Alan Rickman started acting in theater in the mid-70s, finding regular roles throughout the early '80s. Then, in 1988, at age 42, he made his feature film debut in a little movie called Die Hard. To this day, Hans Gruber is a legendary villain. He would go on to star in dozens of movies, most notably the Harry Potter films, before passing away in 2016 at age 69.

Betty White

Though Betty White had a little success in her 30s with her eponymous TV show for NBC in the '50s and minor hit Life with Elizabeth in the same decade, it really wasn't until after her 40th birthday in 1962 that she really rose to big stardom. After her 50th birthday, she was cast in the Mary Tyler Moore Show, and after her 60th birthday, she teamed up with Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty in the role she's probably best known for today in Golden Girls.

Morgan Freeman

Morgan Freeman was born in 1937, but it would take almost 50 years for the legend to truly break out in film. After working here and there as a dancer and as a stage actor in the 1960s and '70s, he scored his breakout role in 1987's Street Smart, starring alongside Christopher Reeve. His performance earned him the first of his Oscar nominations and by 1989's Glory, Freeman was a bonafide star.

Bea Arthur

Like her Golden Girls co-star Betty White, major success came later for the great Bea Arthur. Though she was a steadily-working actor starting in the 1940s, it wasn't until she played the character Maude Findlay, first in All In The Family, then her own spinoff called Maude, that Arthur reached the heights of fame. She was nearly 50 at that point, but her star never faded after that.

Brian Dennehy

Brian Dennehy didn't set out to be an actor. After serving in the Marines and graduating from Columbia University in 1965 with a degree in history, he caught the theater bug and started working in regional theater. In 1983, after a few smaller roles, he scored his first big role as the sheriff in First Blood at age 45.

Kathryn Joosten

Kathryn Joosten is best known for playing the beloved Mrs. Landingham in The West Wing and like her character, her real-life story is truly inspiring. She spent the first half of her life first as a nurse, then as a stay-at-home mom, raising two kids. At the age of 42, after divorcing her husband, Joosten began working in local theater in her hometown of Chicago. At age 53, she moved to Orlando and became a performer at Disney World. Soon after she moved to Hollywood and started landing parts in TV. Amazing.

Kathy Bates

Though she made her film debut in 1970, it would be more than two decades later, after working in theater and in bit TV parts, before Kathy Bates would become a star. It was, of course, he now-legendary performance as Annie Wilkes in Misery that would vault her to stardom. Truly one of the best female villains in Hollywood history.

Bryan Cranston

Most people certainly think first of Breaking Bad when they hear the name Bryan Cranston and with good reason. Cranston was 52 when he first starred as Walter White. Of course, that wasn't his breakout role, which came eight years earlier when he starred as the dad in Malcolm In The Middle ]. While he has been acting in movies and TV for years, it was that role, after his 40th birthday, that really put him on the map.

Viola Davis

EGOT winner Viola Davis found success on the stage first, winning two Tonys before turning 40. In 2008, at age 43, she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Doubt, but it was 2011's The Help, for which she was nominated for another Oscar, that vaulted her to superstardom.

Rodney Dangerfield

Rodney Dangerfield has one of the best stories of perseverance in Hollywood history. Though technically his career started in the 1930s, his stand-up was so bland that he eventually gave up and became a salesman. In the 1960s, he re-invented himself and his act and it was a hit, with some of the best one-liners of all time. Suddenly the guy that got no respect was getting respect by talking about how he got no respect! It wasn't until 1980, at almost age 60, that Dangerfield landed his first starring role in a movie, in Caddyshack.

John Mahoney

John Mahoney started his career as the "old guy" at the Steppenwolf Theater in Chicago. After years as an English teacher, the future Frasier star gave up his career and started acting in his late 30s. By the late 80s, well into his 40s, he was landing roles in movies like Say Anything... and Moonstruck.

Jane Lynch

It's easy to say that Glee was the project that really made Jane Lynch famous, but she got her big break before that when she found her way into the Christopher Quest universe, where she was responsible for some of the wittiest one-liners in Best In Show.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais took a roundabout way to comedic fame. He started in music, moved to radio, and eventually found his way onto the popular British show The 11 O'Clock Show. It was in 2001, however, at age 40 when he co-created and starred in The Office. The rest is well-known history.

Michael Emerson

Michael Emerson took the very long trail to fame, and his story is inspirational. He struggled for years as an actor, first in New York, then later in Florida where he taught acting as well. He stsarted landing work in the theater in the late '90s, but got his big break in a guest spot on The Practice in 2001. Of course, he's best known for playing Ben on Lost.

Peter Dinklage

Though he found steady work in the early '00s, Peter Dinklage really shot to superstardom when he was cast as Tyrion Lannister in Game Of Thrones when he was 42. Today, that character is still, and will likely always be, one of the most beloved in TV history. Tyrion also happens to the character who appeared in the most episodes of Game of Thrones.

Larry David

Larry David's career had a lot of ups and downs in the early years. His first major gig was as a writer on SNL, though he didn't find much success there. At age 42, in 1989, he co-wrote a TV pilot for what became Seinfeld and his career took off. On screen, after playing a few minor roles onSeinfeld, he found even more fame with HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Melissa McCarthy

While she did have some big supporting roles in her 30s in Gilmore Girls and Samantha Who?, Melissa McCarthy's career exploded when she started as Molly in Mike & Molly, in 2011, at age 41, she co-starred in Bridesmaids, where she completely stole the show, earning an Oscar nomination in the process.

Margo Martindale

Margo Martindale has become one of the best character actors in Hollywood, but it took her a long time to get there. She worked in community theater for years before she regularly started landing TV roles in her late 30s. After her 40th birthday, her career took off with dozens of memorable supporting roles in both film and TV.

Leslie Jones

Saturday Night Live is generally thought of as a young person's game. Most cast members join very early in their careers and by the time they are 30, they are moving on to other things. Leslie Jones is an exception to that. She didn't join the cast until she was nearly 50, but she made an immediate impact. Since leaving the show, she's continued to star in things like 2016's Ghostbusters and Coming 2 America in 2021.

Ty Burrell

Modern Family took the world by storm when it debuted in 2007 and one of the leads of the show, Ty Burrell, became a huge star. This came after years in Hollywood in supporting roles and, eventually, a starring role in the short-lived show Out of Practice. It was Modern Family that made him a household name.

Octavia Spencer

Octavia Spencer started landing bit parts and supporting roles in the mid-90s, but it was 2011's The Help that put the Academy Award-winner on the map, after her 40th birthday. Not only did she win for her role in The Help, but she's been nominated for others as well, including for her work in Hidden Figures and The Shape of Water.

Patrick Stewart

While Patrick Stewart steadily found work in the theater and in smaller supporting roles in TV and film, it wasn't until he was cast as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 that he became a household name. He was 47 at the time and he's only gotten more famous as he's gotten older.

Billy Bob Thornton

Billy Bob Thornton basically made his own fortune in Hollywood after years of smaller supporting roles, he wrote, directed, and starred in Sling Blade. The movie was a low-budget masterpiece and he's been starring in big roles and winning awards ever since.

Hannah Waddingham

Many actors get their start in the theater, just like Hannah Waddingham. With a fantastic singing voice and wonderful acting chops, it makes sense that this is where Waddingham would first find success. It would take a couple of decades for her to equal that on screen with roles in shows like Game of Thrones, and, of course, her greatest claim to fame, Ted Lasso.

Richard Farnsworth

Without a doubt, the late Richard Farnsworth had one of the most incredible careers in Hollywood history. He had uncredited roles in some of the most famous Hollywood epics including Gone With The Wind, The Ten Commandments, and Spartacus. He didn't earn his first credited role until he was 46 in a movie called Texas Across the River in 1966. Then in the 1970s, he became a well-known character actor in projects like Roots, The Natural, and Misery.

F. Murray Abraham

After scoring a handful of supporting roles in movies in the 1970s, F. Murray Abraham became a household name after his Oscar-winning performance as Antonio Salieri in 1984's Amadeus. It was truly a career-making role and one that is still loved today by fans.

Liam Neeson

Liam Neeson was 41 when he starred in one of the greatest movies ever made, even if it's a movie you can only watch once. As Oscar Schindler in Schindler's List, Neeson immediately became world famous. It's safe to say that role will always keep him famous, too.

Lucille Ball

It's really hard to believe that Lucille Ball was over 40 when she became famous on I Love Lucy, but it's true. The comedian worked in show business for decades before she and her husband Desi Arnaz created the now-legendary TV show and her fame never faded for the rest of her life.

Tommy Lee Jones

Like a lot of actors from Texas, Tommy Lee Jones does things his way. The Harvard grad worked for decades, even winning a Golden Globe and an Emmy before he truly found fame and became a leading man in the 90s with movies like The Fugitive and Under Siege.

Ken Jeong

it's not often that someone switches careers from medicine to drama, but that's exacting what Ken Jeong did. Though he always had a love of acting, he originally pursued a more traditional career as a doctor, while acting and doing standup on the side. By the mid-2000s he was earning enough to leave medicine behind, and in 2011, at age 40, he broke out in a huge way in the Hangover.

Ricky Gervais became a worldwide star when he wrote and starred in The Office on the BBC. He's gone on to host award shows, do his stand-up around the world, and of course star in other shows like Extras and The Ricky Gervais radio show and podcast. Here are just a few of the times he's made us laugh over the years.

When people say to me: would you rather be thought of as a funny man or a great boss? My answer's always the same, to me, they're not mutually exclusive. - The Office

When Ricky Gervais dies, the first line of this obituary will be about The Office on BBC. Not only did it become a massive hit in the English-speaking world, it spawned different versions in at least 14 different countries. All the variations feature a cringe-worthy boss, but none are as cringy as Gervais' David Brent. 

Are you having a laugh? - Extras

Gervais' second hit show, Extras, he basically plays the straight-man to everyone else in the show. He does get a few moments where he gets to shine however, including repeating the line that becomes the catchphrase on his fictional sitcom "When the Whistle Blows." He hates it, but it's funny every time. 

The Hollywood Foreign press have warned me that if I offend any of you, or them, or cause any controversy at all, they'll definitely invite me back next year - The Golden Globes

Ricky Gervais has hosted the Golden Globes five times, most recently in 2020. It's a job he seems to hate, yet keeps returning to. He's also said something controversial almost every time. 

Karl Pilkington is an ongoing project for me, because I've seen him blossom from an idiot into an imbecile. - The Ricky Gervais Show

Gervais and his writing partner Stephen Merchant were pioneers in the world of podcasting and the biggest reason the show was an instant hit is producer Karl Pilkington, who Gervais can't help but needle constantly. 

Remember, Mondays are fine. It's your life that sucks - Twitter

Gervais is also well known for his Twitter/X presence. He's often controversial, and often called to task for his blunt honesty and hot takes. This one is on the lighter side. 

You just have to accept that some days you are the pigeon, and some days you are the statue. - The Office

David Brent has an interesting outlook on life. Sometimes things are great, and sometimes things are not. Get used to it. 

She must be pleased with how you turned out - The Ricky Gervais Show

As always, Karl Pilkington is the butt of most of Gervais' jokes on the podcast. Pilkington is a good guy, did he really have to go after his mother like this? It's exactly what you would expect. 

It's either Starsky or Hutch, I can never remember. - Extras

One of the few times Gervais' actually gets to get his own jokes in on Extras. While on set with Ben Stiller (playing himself), he asks if Gervais' character knows who he is, and his reply drives Stiller crazy.

Just looking at the faces here reminds me of all the great work that's been done this year by cosmetic surgeons. - The Golden Globes

One of the things Gervais is most known for is his brutal takedowns of the stars at the Golden Globes. This is one of the nicer things he's said, but it's still pretty perfect. 

I do see a doctor once a year or once every two years. I have to have medicals for things like this and TV shows, and, they do everything. And you have to fill out this big form, write a lifestyle thing. I tell the truth, except units of alcohol. I work those out, then I halve them, right? - Stand Up

In his stand-up act, he usually tries to tell some hard truths about all of us. For example, is anyone truly honest on the intake forms at a doctor's office? We all fudge a little, usually about how much we actually drink. Right? ...Right?

Nothing is funnier than Karl in a corner being poked by a stick. I am that stick. - An Idiot Abroad

An Idiot Abroad is one of the funniest shows of the last 20 years, though it's mostly due to the brilliance (or ignorance) of Karl Pilkington. It is, however, Ricky Gervais who puts Pilkington into the situations that drive the star of the show nuts. 

Well, there's good news and bad news. The bad news is that Neil will be taking over both branches, and some of you will lose your jobs. Those of you who are kept on will have to relocate to Swindon, if you wanna stay. I know, gutting. On a more positive note, the good news is, I've been promoted. So, every cloud... You're still thinking about the bad news, aren't you? - The Office

David Brent likes to be as popular as possible, but he has not tact and no sympathy for anyone. Even though he wants to be the "cool" boss, it's quotes like this that show just how awful he truly is. 

Be happy. It really annoys negative people. - Twitter

This is both funny and true. Very true. Especially on Twitter/X, which is a truly awful place filled with the most negative people you can ever imagine. Sometimes Gervais is one of them, sometimes, he's taking a shot at them. 

I know someone who is an alchoholic and it is no laughing matter - particularly for his wife. And she's got alopecia. So... not a happy homelife. - The Office

Let's be honest, David Brent is actually the worst person on earth. Some serial killers might be nicer and more situationally aware in social settings than Brent. It's what makes the show so great. 

You seen all the ghost hunter shows? Oh my God, hundreds of ghost hunter shows. Years and years. Celebrity Ghost Hunter. All around the world, thousands and thousands of hours of footage, they’ve never seen a ghost. Not one.

Gervais is a dedicated atheist, some would even say militant. He's often been in trouble for his views, as he takes a hard stand against all religions. Even the non-religious who believe in life after death face his wrath. 

Because Karl, I thought is y'know, is this sort of sweet, little buffoon... almost childlike in his ways, I mean like Charlie Brown, after some sort of...head injury - The Ricky Gervais Show

Karl Pilkington is either the dumbest man alive or the smartest. Sometimes he's both. It's what makes him so funny and it's what makes Gervais both laugh riotously at him and get so frustrated with him. Like a head injury. 

People see me, and they see the suit, and they go: "you're not fooling anyone", they know I'm rock and roll through and through. But you know that old thing, live fast, die young? Not my way. Live fast, sure, live too fast sometimes, but die young? Die old. - The Office

David Brent spends most of his time in both seasons of The Office trying to convince everyone that he is cool. He's not cool, he's whatever the opposite of cool is, most of the time. He's not fooling anyone, trust us. 

Kevin Hart was fired from the Oscars for offensive tweets. Hello? - The Golden Globes

This quote kind of sums up everything about Ricky Gervais' job as Golden Globe host. Offensive tweets are very much part of his brand. He's good at them and they often get him in trouble. They don't seem to get him fired from the award show though, even if, at times, he seems to want them to. 

I'm all for ending famine, as long as it doesn't affect me in the slightest. - Stand Up

Gervais is well aware of his selfish reputation and he loves to play it up for laughs. Mostly, he's all for solving the world's problems, so long as that doesn't change his life in any way whatsoever. On some level you have to appreciate the honesty, right?

Ohhh, no one could ever think you don't know what you're doing, that you're a total waste of space and shouldn't even be in the industry. - Extras

Gervais' longtime writing partner, Stephen Merchant, plays his agent Darren on Extras and Darren is really bad at his job. Like, really bad. He's not very bright, he loves to take no for an answer, and his main goal in life seems to be angering Gervais' character, Andy. Darren gets most of the funniest lines on the show, while Andy only gets them occasionally, like this one. 

Some people are intimidated when talking to large numbers of people in an entertaining way. Not me. - The Office

David Brent loves to be the center of attention at all times. Whether it's in a one-on-one conversation, playing his guitar for the office, or making presentations to large groups. He's equally poor at all three as well. 

I'm just sick of these celebrities, living their life out in the open all the time. Why would you do that? It's like these pop stars who choose the perfect moment to go into rehab. They call their publicist before they call a taxi! And then they come out and they do their second autobiography. - Extras

Although this quote was taken from Extras, it might as well be straight from Ricky Gervais' Twitter feed or his stand-up act. It's dripping with the resentment he loves to highlight in everything he does. He's not wrong this time, either. 

It's a man's game. - The Office

In a show full of uncomfortable moments, one of the worst moments in The Office comes after David does a very creepy interview with a job candidate he finds attractive, then, like a 4th grader, pretends to play soccer (or football) around her and head-butts her straight in the nose, on purpose. Because it's a "man's game."

Do commandos not wear pants? - Stand Up

Okay, this is a great question. If you don't know what "going commando" means, well, it means not wearing undergarments, or "pants" as the Brits would say. And why did that become the term? It's a mystery. 

You're one of the unlucky ones. Or one of the lucky ones. - The Office

David Brent is especially bad when he's delivering bad news. He's just the worst kind of manager. Just rip the band-aid off! If someone is getting fired, just fire him, don't try to make things better, you won't especially like this. 

Some of you seem to have got off on the wrong foot with me. You didn't like some of the jokes I told earlier. You've got to chill out, yeah, trust me, this is what I do, alright? You will never work in a place like this again. This is brilliant. Fact. And you will never have another boss like me. Someone who's basically a chilled out entertainer. - The Office

On top of everything else, David Brent is incredibly insensitive and offensive in almost everywhere. There's nothing "chilled out" about him at all. And he's entertaining no one. Except us at home, but we're laughing at him. 

[Karl's] had a call recently asking him if he's got any ideas for movies. Now how desperate - in what dire straights must the British film industry be in - that they need Karl Pilkington? - Ricky Gervais

Okay, this is honestly one of the funniest things ever, if you understand the film industry and Karl Pilkington. What Gervais is saying on the podcast isn't even comedy, it's just the truth and it's hilarious. One of his best moments in the whole podcast. 

A little word I think's important in management called morale. - The Office

Morale is an important word in management, David is correct about that. What he's wrong about is...well... everything else. Including his ability to build morale. He has none. 

If you do get a hair in there, he just gets it out with his big sausage fingers. - Extras

Even though he's the lowest on the totem pole, Andy, playing an extra in a movie, still finds time to berate the craft services guy cooking him his lunch. Gervais is a master at playing a jerk. 

You’ve seen how I react to people, make them feel good, make them think that anything’s possible. If I make them laugh along the way, sue me. And I don’t do it so they turn round and go "Thank you David for the opportunity, thank you for the wisdom, thank you for the laughs." I do it so, one day, someone will go "There goes David Brent. I must remember to thank him." - The Office

David Brent is delusional completely and utterly so. No one wants to be around him, much less praise him. It's brilliant writing and delivery, so good that when you watch The Office you don't know if you hate David Brent or Ricky Gervais, or both. 

It's going to be a night of partying and heavy drinking, or as Charlie Sheen calls it, 'breakfast'. - The Golden Globes

No celebrity is safe with Ricky Gervais around, even when the star in question isn't even in the room. This is a little bit of a cheap shot at Charlie Sheen's expense, but there was a time when Sheen was so off the rails, that he needed a little tough comedic love and Gervais delivered. 

A philosopher once wrote you need three things to have a good life. One, a meaningful relationship, two, a decent job of work, and three, to make a difference. And it was always that third one that stressed me, to make a difference. - The Office

The wisdom of David Brent. Do as he says, not as he does, because he doesn't have any meaningful relationships, he doesn't do a good job at work, so who cares if it's a decent job, and he'll never make a difference in any good way. We should all be grateful we don't work for him. 

And that, in the end, is what Gervais is so great at, whether as an actor or a comedic, he plays the role of the jerk as well as anyone ever has and if you're not in on it, you're sure to be offended. He doesn't care. 

Some characters in TV and film steal the show every time they’re on screen. Fans of the original UK version of The Office know all about that thanks to “Big Keith,” the accountant played by Ewen MacIntosh. Unfortunately, fans must now say goodbye to the actor. It's being reported that MacIntosh passed away on February 19. Ricky Gervais and others who knew the actor well are now saying farewell.

CNN reports that MacIntosh passed away on Monday. The exact cause of death was not disclosed, but a statement from the actor’s management company states that he had been in ill health for the last couple of years, but passed away peacefully. With the news of Big Kieth’s passing Ricky Gervais, who starred in and co-created The Office, took to Twitter to announce the actor’s death to fans, saying…

The other half of the creative team behind The Office, Stephen Merchant, also reacted to the news of MacIntosh’s death on Twitter. He told a story about the actor doing an improv scene so well that it resulted in the character becoming a bigger part of the show than originally intended. Merchant said… 

Fans of The Office will know just how funny MacIntosh was. He was able to be hilarious frequently without saying much of anything. That’s quite a talent. Check out MacIntosh in this scene from The Office for a look at MacIntosh's excellent comedic timing. 

Ewen MacIntosh had nearly 80 TV and film credits to his name at the time of his passing, including appearances on Little Britain and in Yorgos Lanthimos' utterly bizarre The Lobster. And yet, the 14 episodes of The Office he appeared in, his first TV role, were far and away his biggest. Despite the series' brief run, it was a major comedic influence, most notably for creating the American version of the show, which ran for a decade. 

Based on the responses online from friends and fans, Ewan MacIntosh was truly a well-loved individual who was, by all accounts, just as funny in reality as he was on the screen. He will clearly be missed. 

Fans looking for The Office streaming in order to relieve the series don't have to go far. The entire run of the original UK series is available for Hulu subscribers.

British comedian Ricky Gervais has proven time and time again over the course of his career that he’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers with his comedy. With a new Netflix special Armageddon set to hit the streamer on Christmas Day, the actor and stand-up comedian is already stirring up controversy due to a joke about terminally ill children. Gervais was asked about the thousands of people petitioning Netflix to not air the special, and he had quite a bit to say.

The petition at change.org — which as of this writing has collected more than 12,000 signatures — accuses Ricky Gervais of “mocking terminally ill children” in Armageddon by calling them “baldy.” The comedian spoke to BBC’s Headliners podcast about those who said they were offended by the bit. Gervais argued: 

In the skit in question, Ricky Gervais said he tells the audience he’s been doing a lot of video messages with terminally ill children. “But only if they request it,” he says. “I don’t burst into hospitals and go, ‘Wake up…” That’s apparently the point where he uses the word the petitioners took issue with.

Ricky Gervais went on in the interview to explain why he thinks it’s hypocritical of people to take issue with just one specific sketch, saying:

The comedian had a lot to say in general about people getting offended by his jokes — particularly those who speak out about it on social media — saying most people aren’t actually offended, they “just want to be heard,” in the same way that hecklers yell out during his shows because they want to be noticed. Ricky Gervais said the best thing he can do is not give those people attention, telling the podcast host: 

While the Armageddon joke has clearly struck a nerve with many people, it’s unlikely that Netflix will take action. The streamer’s co-CEO Ted Sarandos has addressed similar issues in the past regarding its standup specials. Specifically in regards to Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle, Sarandos defended their “free expression,” saying Netflix’s programming is aimed at “diverse people who have different opinions and different tastes.”

Ricky Gervais also acknowledged that he’s not for everyone, and he supported anyone who chose to not watch his comedy special or attend his shows, but he said the backlash isn’t going to stop him, saying on the podcast:

Armageddon will be available to stream on Monday, December 25, with a Netflix subscription, and be sure to check out what else is new and coming soon to Netflix. 

There is no genre more near and dear to my heart than comedy. The skills necessary to make others laugh -- whether live and in-person or through a screen -- are a unique and beautiful combination that should be protected at all costs. Some artists are able to do so without leaning in to touchy subjects or cursing, while others go all the way to really earn that R rating. The tactics may differ, but the end goal is the same, to bring others joy through jokes. 

Many comedians see movies as the apex of a potential career, but most don't start out their careers in Hollywood. Many grow first through either stand-up comedy or sketch comedy. This list honors them. Here's a look back at famous actors who started in either the stand-up or sketch comedy world and went on to bigger screens.

Rainn Wilson

Known as arguably one of the best characters on the hit show The Office, Rainn Wilson got his start in the arts in New York City where he studied acting at NYU. He went on to do theater both off and on Broadway as well as sketch comedy. He even did a post-modern clown show before getting his big break on the show Six Feet Under in 2001. 

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg got her start by studying drama in New York, where she landed a few stage performances before trying her hand at stand-up comedy. Like many others on this list, her comedy routine -- "The Spook Show" -- caught the attention of Oscar-winning director Mike Nichols, who helped get the young comedian to Broadway. She eventually landed her first film in Steven Spielberg's film The Color Purple, for which she earned an Oscar nomination in 1986. 

Steve Buscemi

The veteran character actor made his acting debut in 1985, but also tried his hand at stand-up comedy. Eventually, Busemi decided he "wasn't funny enough," and switched to acting instead. Buscemi has since starred in popular movies including Fargo, Resevoir Dogs, and the hit HBO Max show Boardwalk Empire.

Emma Thompson

If you're looking for a stand-up with some serious credentials, look no further than Emma Thompson. Winner of two Academy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, a British Academy Television Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, the talented actor got her start in stand-up while in Cambridge. 

John Candy

Arguably one of the greatest comedy legends to ever live, John Candy led a fascinating life, getting his big break after joining the ensemble of SCTV — which is, essentially, the Canadian equivalent to SNL. In 1989, the star even added radio personality to his resume. The LA Times did a whole write-up of his syndicated, two-hour program, Radio Kandy, which sounds wild and apparently included rock music and comedy sketches featuring some of his former SCTV co-stars.

Mo'Nique

Mo'Nique started her comedy career with stand-up, heading to It's Showtime at the Apollo and Def Comedy Jam before eventually landing a leading role on TV's The Parkers. The comedian took her acting to the next level in 2009's Precious, for which she won an Academy Award.

Steve Carell

A versatile actor with numerous groundbreaking performances in both television and film, Steve Carrell was once a legend at Second City in Chicago who went on to land his dream job working on the ill-fated Dana Carvey Show, which you can learn about in Too Funny To Fail, one of the best comedy documentaries to date. Known best for his role as Michael Scott in the U.S. adaptation of The Office, Carell eventually went on to become a leading man in both comedies and dramas. 

Michael Keaton

To put himself through college where he studied acting, Michael Keaton worked as a cab and ice cream truck driver, and it wasn't until 1975 that he officially debuted on television. He did some stand-up comedy in his early 20s, which he recounted in an interview with Ellen, but he eventually found the right calling with movies.

Tina Fey

Known for her work on the smash hit show 30 Rock, Tina Fey got her start in acting at Second City which quickly led to a job at Saturday Night Live as notably one of the only female writers at the time. She got her break co-hosting Weekend Update and later went on to be a huge star in Hollywood. 

Jamie Foxx

It all started with a dare from a girlfriend to try his hand at an open mic. Flash forward some years and that performance led Jamie Foxx to multiple awards, including two Academy Awards, double digit Grammys, and three Golden Globe Awards, all while showing a versatile ability to crush performances across multiple genres and artistic art forms.

John Cleese

Coming from the United Kingdom, John Cleese is a British comic actor best known for his television work on Monty Python’s Flying Circus and Fawlty Towers. Cleese began writing and performing in comedy revues at Clifton College in Bristol, England, and was a member of the renowned Footlights Club while a law student at the University of Cambridge. He is best known for his work with Monty Pythion, namely Monty Python And The Holy Grail. 

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais went to school at Ashmead Comprehensive School before going on to study at University College, London, where he gained a degree in Philosophy. After university, Gervais attempted to pursue a pop career with Seona Dancing, a synth-pop duo he formed with a fellow student. After forming a writing partnership with Stephen Merchant, he would go on to land his breakout role on The Office, premiering in 2001. In between all his acting gigs, he's performed plenty of stand-up and has multiple Netflix specials. 

Eddie Murphy

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York, SNL star Eddie Murphy began performing his own comedy routines at 15. In 1980, the work of the soon-to-be comedy legend caught the attention of Saturday Night Live producers. In 1982, Murphy landed his first leading role in the film, 48 Hrs, which led to multiple leads in classics such as Beverly Hills Cop and Coming to America. He went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Dreamgirls and truly set the bar by playing six characters in the 1996 smash hit, The Nutty Professor. His '80s comedy specials are still discussed today. 

Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer is certainly better known these days for her work in numerous films including the fantastic Trainwreck, but most of those career opportunity doors opened through her stand-up comedy. She built a name for herself through her work on the live mic before mostly switching to movies.

Chris Rock

An SNL vet, Chris Rock's comedy career began in 1984 at 19 when he took the stage in the New York City club Catch a Rising Star. His performance ended up catching the eye of future comedy legend Eddie Murphy, who had been watching his act. Murphy would become a huge presence in Rock's life and served as a mentor, giving him his first break with a role in Beverly Hills Cop II.

Ron Perlman

Known for very courageous roles such as Clay Morrow on the FX show Sons Of Anarchy, Ron Perlman said his ventures as a stand-up comedian ended after a heckling exchange in the Bronx escalated and he retreated out of the venue through the back door, which seems like a strange move for such an intimidating man. 

Robin Williams

Arguably one of the best comedians of all-time, Robin Williams studied acting at the Juilliard School, which he later dropped out of to devote himself entirely to stand-up comedy before making the leap to television and movies. Known for his high energy and skillful impressions, he himself has inspired other actors to reenact some of his most dramatic real-life moments in honor of the late comedian. 

Patton Oswalt

The Prince of Queens, Patton Oswalt went from struggling in the comedy world to writing for the sketch comedy show MADtv and earning his own comedy special on HBO. He continued to impress critics and fans alike, with roles such as the voice of the lead character Remy the Rat in the Pixar film, Ratatouille. 

Richard Pryor

Unfortunately, tragedy and comedy often go hand-in-hand. Such is the case with arguably one of the genre's biggest icons, the late, great, Richard Pryor. The legend had a tough life growing up and eventually joined the military before playing nightclubs as both a musician and comedian at age 23. His comedy career was populated with milestones and achievements, as well as struggles and substance abuse before passing away in 2005 due to complications from M.S..  

Bette Midler

Bette Midler landed her first Broadway role in Fiddler on the Roof by 1966, four years before trying her hand at stand-up comedy. In 1972, she released the album The Divine Miss M, which earned her a Grammy Award, and she started making frequent appearances on late-night television shows and eventually a huge acting career. Along the way, she performed live comedy and even released an album.

Norm Macdonald

Norm Macdonald's first job was writing for The Dennis Miller Show and then Roseanne. While writing on the show, he was noticed by Lorne Michaels, who liked Norm's stand up so much that he offered the young comedian a job on Saturday Night Live in 1993.

Jim Carrey

Jim Carrey, who is easily considered one of the greats, was himself taken under the wing of another comedy legend, Rodney Dangerfield, who spotted the young comic in a Toronto nightclub. Carrey eventually made it to The Tonight Show which led to his role on In Living Color and parts in many comedy classics that we know and love today, such as Dumb and Dumber, The Mask, and Ace Ventura. 

Tim Allen

Tim Allen started his career as a comedian in 1975 in a pretty peculiar way. On a dare from one of his friends, he participated in a comedy night at Mark Ridley's Comedy Castle in Royal Oak, outside of Detroit. Following his release from prison in 1981 for a drug-related crime, he returned to comedy and went on to lead the hit show Home Improvement on ABC. 

Steve Martin

From community theater, to Disneyland, to the big screen, Steve Martin began his showbiz career as a teenager. After writing his own comedy routines, plays, and music, he went on to study philosophy and poetry before winning his first Emmy Award for comedy writing on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour at the young age of 23.

Lily Tomlin

Initially studying biology at Wayne State University, Lily Tomlin decided to audition for a play which led to her changing her major to theatre and diving into stand-up comedy. Her stand-up was so impressive that it attracted the attention of the producers of Laugh-In, the notorious 1960s sketch comedy show. Tomlin went on to snag an Oscar nomination for her acting work.

Dana Carvey

One of SNL's most talented and beloved alumni, Dana Carvey absolutely dominated during his six seasons on Saturday Night Live, creating some of the show's most memorable characters. He never drifted far from stand-up though and has continued to take the stage and release specials.

Tom Hanks

Tom Hanks took the weirdest route to stand-up of anyone on this list. He was already in Hollywood and establishing a nice career when he decided to audition for a movie about stand-up comedy called Punchline. As part of that process, he developed his own stand-up routine and performed in clubs. There's even footage of it that trends every now and again.

Bob Odenkirk

Starting out as a D.J. in Illinois, Bob Odenkirk got his start in local improv workshops in Chicago, where he also did open-mic stand-up comedy for several years. In Chicago, he became friends with Robert Smigel, who would later help him become a writer for Saturday Night Live.

Larry David

Starting out in stand-up comedy, Larry David befriended Jerry Seinfeld and later went on to co-create Seinfeld. He also wrote for Friday's and Saturday Night Live and famously went on to create the all-time ridiculous show Curb Your Enthusiasm. 

Ed Helms

Ed Helms was studying improv with the Upright Citizens Brigade when he got his big break as a correspondent on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. He later moved on to the hit NBC show The Office where he played Andy Bernard. From there, Helms went on to star in The Hangover trilogy. More importantly, he also acted in Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.

Mel Brooks

There aren't many names in the world of comedy that stand larger than Mel Brooks. The legend started his career in stand-up before working as a writer for Sid Caesar's variety show Your Show of Shows from 1950 to 1954. After that, he, of course, took over Hollywood, winning an EGOT and directing classics like Blazing Saddles, The Producers and Robin Hood: Men In Tights.

Simon Pegg

A comedic force to be reckoned with in the U.K. before dropping smash hits like Sean of the Dead in the U.S., Pegg once told The Hollywood Reporter “I went into stand-up because comedy was something I enjoyed but also because it offered me a certain autonomy that I wouldn’t have if I was sitting and waiting for the phone to ring as an actor.”

Dan Aykroyd

Dan Aykroyd started performing comedy at 17 and later joined the main casts of Second City in Toronto and Chicago. Later, it was his work in the sketch comedy powerhouse Saturday Night Live that turned him into a huge name and opened the door for him to start in classics like The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters.

And those are some of the actors who also took the stage to perform stand-up or sketch comedy at some point during their careers!

For quite some time, there have been actors who not only bring movies to life by acting on the big screen but also play a major role in crafting the stories. Over the years, multiple Best Picture winners have been written by talented thespians, who also happen to be accomplished wordsmiths. From stars who've pieced together films that would earn them their first Academy Award nominations to those penning passion projects, here are 32 successful actors who are also hit screenwriters.

Ben Affleck

In early 1998, Ben Affleck became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood after he and Matt Damon won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting. The movie made the longtime friends -- who didn't always work together -- into overnight sensations. Since then, he’s written four additional films: Gone Baby Gone, Live by Night, The Town and The Last Duel, which he co-wrote with Damon.

Matt Damon

As mentioned, Matt Damon took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1998. The movie, of course, also featured his Academy Award-worthy performance as a troubled young genius. Since then, he’s co-written two additional Gus Van Sant-directed scripts – Gerry in 2002, Promised Land in 2012 – as well as the Ridley Scott historical epic, The Last Duel, which he penned with Ben Affleck.

Jordan Peele

After finding success with Key & Peele, Jordan Peele turned to more behind-the-scenes work, serving as both a director and screenwriter. From his 2016 comedy, Keanu to 2022’s Nope and Wendell & Wild, Peele has cemented his legacy as one of the strongest voices in Hollywood. He won an Oscar for his Get Out screenplay in 2018 and produced two of the best horror movies in recent memory: Us and Candyman.

Tina Fey

Tina Fey will forever be remembered as one of the best Saturday Night Live cast members, and that experience allowed her to fine-tune her writing and acting skills. In addition to starring in movies like Baby Mama, Date Night and Muppets Most Wanted, Fey famously wrote the screenplay for Mean Girls, which is one of the best movies of the 2000s.

Sylvester Stallone

A handful of the best action movies of all time were written by none other than Sylvester Stallone, who has flexed his muscles in front of the camera and behind the scenes. All of the Rocky films (as well as Creed II) were written by Stallone, as were the Rambo flicks and pretty much most of his best big-screen ventures.

George Clooney

George Clooney has plenty of notable movies like Ocean’s Eleven, Syriana, Michael Clayton and even the over-the-top Batman & Robin. But the Academy Award-winning actor has also penned quite a few screenplays over the years, including the ones for Good Night, and Good Luck, The Ides of March, Leatherheads, The Monuments Men and Suburbicon.

Kristen Wiig

Two of the funniest movies of the past decade-and-a-half – Bridesmaids and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar – not only featured the Saturday Night Live legend Kristen Wiig's on-screen talents, they were also co-written by the actress. And penning those screenplays alongside her was co-star Annie Mumolo.

Tyler Perry

In addition to being a committed philanthropist and all-around great guy, Tyler Perry is also an incredibly successful actor, movie producer, and screenwriter. Throughout his career, Perry has written multiple entries in the Madea film franchise as well as other films like A Jazzman’s Blues, Acrimony, and Why Did I Get Married?, to name a few.

Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig has become famous for her Barbie screenplay (which was co-written by Noah Baumbach), but that's only one of the great scripts written by the talented actress. In addition to starring in several dozen movies over the years, Gerwig also penned modern gems like Frances Ha, Lady Bird, Mistress America and Little Women.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

In addition to being a talented actress with multiple scene-stealing performances in movies like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Solo: A Star Wars Story, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a talented writer. She created and penned the shows Fleabag and Killing Eve and received a partial writing credit for her contributions on No Time to Die.

Justin Theroux

Throughout his career, Justin Theroux has starred in movies like Mulholland Drive, Miami Vice and American Psycho. However, he also has some impressive screenwriting credits to his name. With work on Iron Man 2, Tropic Thunder, Rock of Ages and Zoolander 2, he has quite the body of work.

Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson is an actress with a great filmography, through which she's worked both in front of and behind the camera. In fact, Thompson has Academy Awards for  Best Actress (for Howards End) and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Sense and Sensibility). She’s also penned movies like Bridget Jones’s Baby, Last Christmas and the Nanny McPhee films.

Billy Bob Thornton 

Billy Bob Thornton is another actor who has won an Academy Award for writing, having scored a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for his work on Sling Blade, which he also starred in and directed. Over the years, some of Thornton's best movies -- like One False Move, A Family Thing, The Gift and Daddy and Them were also written by the actor himself.

Emerald Fennell 

After finding success with acting roles in movies like Albert Nobbs, Anna Karenina and The Danish Girl, as well as shows like Call the Midwife and The Crown, Emerald Fennell turned her attention to writing and directing. Her feature film debut, Promising Young Woman, earned her a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. She also crafted the script for the drama film Saltburn.

Tom Hanks 

Tom Hanks is another Oscar winner with a number of screenwriting credits to his name. In addition to leading some of the best movies of all time, Hanks has also penned the screenplays for That Thing You Do, Larry Crowne and the 2020 World War II thriller Greyhound.

Kumail Nanjiani 

Kumail Nanjiani has starred in all kinds of movies over the years, with Eternals, Stuber and The Lovebirds being just a few of them. But Nanjiani also wrote the screenplay for The Big Sick, the 2018 romantic comedy inspired by the battles he and wife Emily V. Gordon faced early in their relationship.

Paul Rudd 

Paul Rudd not only starred in one of the best Marvel movies such as Ant-Man, he was also one the writers given credit for its screenplay (alongside Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, and Adam McKay). But that wasn’t his first or last script, as Rudd contributed to Role Models and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Ethan Hawke 

Throughout his career, Ethan Hawke has starred in movies like Reality Bites, Boyhood, First Reformed and The Black Phone, among many others. However, the actor has also written his fair share of screenplays as well, with everything from the second and third installments in the Before film franchise to the gripping biopic Blaze featuring his handiwork. 

 Angelina Jolie 

Over the years, Angelina Jolie has become an instantly recognizable face and name thanks to a number of wonderful performances. The actress has also a few screenwriting credits, including In the Land of Blood and Honey, First They Killed My Father and By the Sea.

Kenneth Branagh 

To some Kenneth Branagh is arguably better known as a screenwriter than actor. That's because he won Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the semi autobiographical coming-of-age drama Belfast and received a nomination for his adaptation of Hamlet back in 1995. The Christopher Nolan collaborator has also written other films like Much Ado About Nothing, In the Bleak Midwinter, Listening and The Magic Flute.

Steve Coogan 

Steve Coogan is famous for his performances in the Night at the Museum movies, Tropic Thunder, 24 Hour Party People, and The Trip, but he’s also a talented writer. Over the years, Coogan has written movies like Philomena, The Lost King, The Parole Officer and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

Sarah Polley 

After making a name for herself as an actress with roles in movies like Go, The Weight of Water and the underrated Dawn of the Dead remake, Sarah Polley turned her jumped into the writer/director seat. One of her most well-known scripts is probably 2022's Women Talking, which earned her an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Seth Rogen 

Seth Rogen has written some of the comedies that defined the 2000s, such as Pineapple Express and Superbad, as well as more recent hits like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. This is on top of appearing in all three of those movies, as well as other classics like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which totally deserved its R rating.

Taylor Sheridan 

Taylor Sheridan is mostly known for crafting Sicario, Wind River, Hell or High Water and other riveting dramas. But the Yellowstone co-creator also had a decent acting career before making the big shift over the past decade. He appeared on shows like Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars.

Lake Bell 

In addition to appearing in movies like No Escape, No Strings Attached, It’s Complicated and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Lake Bell has also written and directed a few projects throughout her career. There are the shorts Worst Enemy and El Tonto, which she followed up with feature-length films, In a World… and I Do… Until I Don’t.

Owen Wilson 

When talking about Wes Anderson's collaborators, few names come to mind as quickly as Owen Wilson, who has appeared in a number of the director’s films throughout his career. But on top of appearing in seven of Anderson’s movies, Wilson also helped write three of them: Bottlerocket, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Jason Segel 

When it comes to the movie sphere, Jason Segel is probably best known for his portrayal of Peter Bretter in the 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but some might not know he also wrote it. After that, Segel penned three additional feature films: The Muppets, The Five-Year Engagement and Sex Tape.

Ricky Gervais

On top of creating and starring on TV shows like the original version of The Office, Episodes and Extras, Ricky Gervais has also written some popular movies throughout his career. The British actor and comedian has crafted The Invention of Lying, Special Correspondents, Cemetery Junction and David Brent: Life on the Road.

Woody Allen 

Throughout his career, which goes back the mid 1950s, Woody Allen has written, directed, and starred in dozens of movies, many of which are incredibly well-received. Over the years, Allen has won four Academy Awards, three of which were for Best Original Screenplay – Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Midnight in Paris – on top of all kinds of other accolades. However, Allen has only appeared in four of his own movies the past 20 years.

John Cusack 

Not only did he star in some of the most iconic comedies of the 1980s, some all-time great ‘90s movies, and experience a great deal of success, John Cusack has written a handful of films throughout his career. This short list also happens to include some of his Cusack's best movies like High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank. His other writing credits include War, Inc. and We Are Not Animals.

Rashida Jones 

Rashida Jones is perhaps best known for her roles on NBC comedy hits The Office and Parks and Recreation, but the actress has also written a few screenplays throughout her career. This includes Celeste and Jesse Forever, the 2018 documentary, Quincy, which is about her dad -- music legend Quicy Jones. She also has a story credit for Toy Story 4 and wrote “Nosedive,” one of the best Black Mirror episodes.

Tom McCarthy 

Tom McCarthy is best known for writing and directing Spotlight, the riveting journalism movie that won Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 88th Academy Awards. But while he was in the process of becoming an award-winning filmmaker, McCarthy put together a decent acting resume that included a memorable turn on The Wire (during the final season), Meet the Parents, Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana and Michael Clayton.

Each of these nearly three-dozen actors has quite the resume, both in terms of on-screen performances and written work, making them more than deserving of any and all praise.

“Cancel culture” may have started out with the intention of ensuring that people were held accountable for offensive actions or behavior, but the practice of “canceling” someone has always been a controversial one. This has seemingly been particularly true for celebrities, many of whom have lost jobs and income as a result of such displays of public outcry. Despite if or how they’ve been affected by cancel culture, a number of famous faces, including Kevin Hart, Kim Kardashian, Lizzo and Johnny Depp have used their respective platforms to share their views on the phenomenon.

While social media has been a huge tool for putting certain behaviors on display in the court of public opinion, it’s also been helpful in continuing the dialogue about what we’re trying to accomplish in doing so. Over the years, the effectiveness of “canceling” people has often been called into question, and everyone’s got an opinion about what cancel culture means in regards to free speech and censorship. Celebrities in all corners of the entertainment world have spoken out, so let’s take a look at what some of them have said about cancel culture.

Lizzo

Lizzo seemingly needed no reason to speak her mind on cancel culture early in 2023. The self-love-promoting singer took to Twitter to share why she thinks the practice has become “misused and misdirected.” Her full statement: 

Many of the commenters agreed, saying the focus should be put back on accountability. 

Joe Rogan

It wasn’t just Joe Rogan who experienced backlash in February 2022, but Spotify as well, when the UFC commentator and TV personality was accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19 and the vaccine, as well as using a racial slur in multiple episodes of his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience. Rogan said the efforts to cancel him backfired, telling British pundit Douglas Murray (per the NY Post): 

Spotify does not disclose its podcasts’ subscriber numbers but THR sources said Joe Rogan’s show has had steadily increasing numbers but didn’t spike due to any one event. 

Kevin Hart

Kevin Hart spoke about cancel culture in 2021, noting how he thinks things have gone too far, but he agrees that there should be consequences to people who inflict real damage. In his words: 

The Hart to Heart host was the subject of controversy in 2018, when old tweets resurfaced with homophobic language, causing Kevin Hart to step down as host of the 2019 Academy Awards. When he spoke on the subject in 2021, he said people need to be allowed to learn from their mistakes. He continued: 

The assertion that people aren't going to be perfect and need to be allowed to make mistakes seems to be one commonly made.

David Spade

Famed Saturday Night Live comedian David Spade opened up in 2022 about his thoughts on comedy in the age of cancel culture, saying: 

David Spade admitted he’s not typically one who “starts a lot of shit” with his own comedy. 

Ricky Gervais

British comedian Ricky Gervais shared a similar opinion back in a 2020 interview with Metro. As a comedian who does stir the pot a bit more, it's no surprise he's commented on the phenomenon, noting that everyone has a different idea of what cancel culture means, and some people take it too far. The Office star said:  

He said everyone doesn’t have to agree with everyone else, but people who think others don’t have the right to say something they don’t agree with are opposing free speech. 

Johnny Depp

Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against Amber Heard was one of the biggest pop culture moments of 2022, and in the midst of his legal battle, he issued a warning about cancel culture, saying: 

Johnny Depp was forced to step down from the Fantastic Beasts franchise amongst abuse accusations in the years-long legal battle with his ex-wife. 

Kim Kardashian

Kim Kardashian has had her share of scandals over the years, but in 2021 she called cancel culture “ridiculous,” telling the podcast Honesty (per People): 

She went on to say that if we cancel someone for past behavior, we’re “not inviting them into the conversation to really understand.” 

Sharon Stone

Sharon Stone didn’t mince words when discussing cancel culture on the Just Jenny podcast in 2021. She called it the “stupidest thing I have ever seen,” pointing out that we can all grow from listening to different perspectives. The actress said: 

She further implored people to “stop being so small” and “grow some empathy.” 

Megan Fox

Megan Fox has spoken about being “objectified” in certain jobs during her career, but when fans went after director Michael Bay in 2020, the actress defended the Transformers director and publicly stated her distaste for canceling people: 

The actress appeared to note her fans’ good intentions, but didn’t want the director to face consequences for something he didn’t do. 

Bryan Cranston

In January 2021, Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston appealed for more forgiveness in the world and less canceling, telling the AP: 

He implored people to remember that asking for forgiveness is a human strength, not a weakness. 

Rowan Atkinson

Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson blamed social media for today’s society of “us vs. them” mentality, telling the Radio Times (via Deadline) in 2021: 

He said that thought fills him with fear about the future. 

Alec Baldwin

Alec Baldwin shared his thoughts on cancel culture in a lengthy video on Instagram, saying the situation was getting out of hand. While he admitted there are people who deserve to be punished, we shouldn’t punish everyone the same way, pointing out that “even the criminal justice system recognizes that.” He continued: 

He seemed to fall in line with a number of other celebrities who said people who get “canceled” don’t deserve to have their whole lives ruined. 

Kelly Osbourne

Kelly Osbourne shared her 2 cents on the phenomenon in 2021, after her mother Sharon Osbourne parted ways with The Talk following allegations of racism. Kelly said: 

Ozzy Osbourne’s younger daughter pointed out that nobody feels like they can make a mistake because of what the online chatter might do to their careers and lives. 

Phillipa Soo

Rather than expressing her opinion about cancel culture, Hamilton actress Phillipa Soo shared her advice for those who have been “canceled,” imploring them to listen to what is being said and learn from the experience. She said on Twitter: 

In the opinion of many celebrities, it seems cancel culture may not be achieving the desired outcome in holding people accountable for offensive actions and statements. Hopefully we can continue figuring out the appropriate action to take to effect real change, and it seems many celebrities think that listening to each other and acknowledging that people make mistakes is one step in the right direction. 

Moviegoers love underdog stories because it is easier to relate to an otherwise extraordinary situation when it is told from the perspective of an average person much like them. The animated film, Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is, very literally, an underdog tale about a meek canine who wants to be a samurai and seeks training from a wise, old feline in a town entirely populated by cats.

Originally titled Blazing Samurai, this new movie from The Lion King director Rob Minkoff looks like it could be the most entertaining animated feature inspired by classic Japanese action films and featuring anthropomorphic animals since Kung Fu Panda. Check out the stars behind these charming, funny characters in our following guide to see who plays whom in the Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank voice cast - starting with the unlikely main hero.

Michael Cera (Hank)

Voicing Hank - the titular Beagle and aspiring samurai - is Michael Cera, whose last time playing a “dog” in an animated film was in 2016’s Sausage Party as a frankfurter named Barry. For a while, the Canadian actor’s main gig was playing non-literal underdogs - such as on Arrested Development as George-Michael Bluth, in 2007’s one-two-punch of hit coming-of-age comedies Juno and Superbad, and in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (also in the title role) to name a few. 

Cera, who also voiced Robin in 2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie, has also played characters that defy this reputation - such as a creepy, young sadist in 2013’s Magic Magic, Player X in Molly’s Game, and an extremely crude version of himself in This is the End. More recently, he acted alongside creator and star Amy Schumer on Hulu’s Life & Beth and has joined Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie cast in an undisclosed role.

Samuel L. Jackson (Jimbo)

As Hank’s mentor, a cat samurai named Jimbo, we have Samuel L. Jackson, who has played the mentor to several heroes (such as Nick Fury in the MCU or Mace Windu in the Star Wars universe). He has also played many straight-up heroes (like Frozone in The Incredibles and its sequel), some villains (like Elijah Price in Unbreakable and its 2019 sequel), some guys in between (like in The Hitman's Bodyguard and its sequel) and even another animated samurai (in the 2007 miniseries, Afro Samurai, and its sequel).

The Academy Award nominee’s lengthy filmography also includes countless cinematic classics like Coming to America, Goodfellas, Die Hard with a Vengeance, or Jurassic Park, and, also, more recent favorites like Black Snake Moan, Snakes on a Plane, or Kong: Skull Island. Also, you could name almost any one of Quentin Tarantino’s movies or any one of Spike Lee’s movies and there is a good chance that Jackson is in it.

Ricky Gervais (Ika Chu)

As Ika Chu - a greedy feline who wants to destroy the film’s central village setting - we have Ricky Gervais, who previously voiced a pigeon in Valiant, an invasive dolphin on Family Guy, a hedgehog on Bojack Horseman, himself on a few notable occasions (such as on Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?), and another cat in The Willoughbys cast for Netflix. He has also starred in a few live-action family-friendly films like 2014’s Muppets: Most Wanted and the Night of the Museum movies (which actually have an animated follow-up in the works).

Of course, the British comedian and host of some memorable Golden Globes ceremonies is even better known for less-family-friendly movies like For Your Consideration, The Invention of Lying (which he also co-wrote and co-directed), or Ghost Town. Yet, Gervais is even more famous for the TV shows he has created and starred in, like the original UK version of The Office, HBO’s Extras, or, most recently, the Netflix-original dramedy, After Life.

George Takei (Ohga)

Playing Ika Chu’s chief guard, Ohga, is George Takei, who is nothing short of a legend in the world of acting. His first screen credit was actually a Godzilla movie (1955’s Godzilla Raids Again), which led to roles in other films like The Green Berets and, of course, his best known role as Sulu in the original Star Trek cast in the 1960s and in many subsequent Star Trek movies, too. 

The LGBTQ+ activist has several notable recent TV roles, such as on AMC's horror anthology The Terror, and also makes many appearances as himself, such as on The Big Bang Theory. Takei has a large number of voice acting credits to his name, from First Ancestor in 1998’s Mulan, Hosato in 2016’s Kubo and the Two Strings, and Shinji Yokohama on Hulu’s animated Marvel series, Hit-Monkey.

Kylie Kuoika (Emiko)

Playing Emiko - an adorable, young cat with her own heroic aspirations - is Kylie Kuoika, a Hawaiian-born actor who is not only making her voice acting debut, but also her theatrically released feature film debut with Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Her official feature-length movie debut was the Disney+ exclusive Better Nate Than Ever earlier in 2022.

The young Broadway performer's first real screen acting debut was in the 2021 short horror movie, Harom. In 2022, she also starred in a more grounded and dramatic short film called Removable.

Michelle Yeoh (Yuki)

Emiko’s mother, Yuki, is voiced by Michelle Yeoh, whose last animated kung-fu movie was the 2011 sequel to the aforementioned Kung Fu Panda. She first tore up the screen in live-action alongside Jackie Chan in 1992’s Supercop before teaming up with Pierce Brosnan’s James Bond in 1997’s Tomorrow Never Dies and defying gravity in Ang Lee’s Oscar-winning Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in 2000 - which are only some of Yeoh's best movies. 

The Malaysian-born actor is almost more popular than ever these days, having appeared in two Marvel movies (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and in the Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings cast), a few hit rom-coms (the Crazy Rich Asians cast and Last Christmas), and leading the highly acclaimed, indescribably unique crowd-pleaser, Everything Everywhere All At Once, in 2022. Yeoh also has a recurring role on Star Trek: Discovery and her most recent animated film before Paws of Fury is Minions: The Rise of Gru.

Gabriel Iglesias (Chuck)

As a fluffy cat name Chuck, we have the self-proclaimed “fluffy” stand-up star Gabriel Iglesias, who has many, many other notable voice acting credits under his belt. He played both Ned and Zed in Pixar’s Planes, Pepe Rodriguez in The Book of Life, Jimmy in both of The Nut Job movies, an afterlife clerk in Coco, Cuatro in Ferdinand, and Speedy Gonzales in Space Jam: A New Legacy - which, seriously, barely scratches the surface of that particular list.

You may have seen the Latino comedian in live-action near the end of All That’s original run on Nickelodeon, playing Tobias in the Magic Mike cast, and in A Haunted House 2 with Marlon Wayans. Iglesias also had a major role on Cristela Alonso’s self-titled sitcom before landing his own self-titled sitcom on Netflix with Mr. Iglesias.

Aasif Mandvi (Ichiro)

As another feline villager named Ichiro, we have Aasif Mandvi, who actually made his film debut opposite co-star Samuel L. Jackson with a brief appearance as a cab driver in Die Hard with a Vengeance and reunited with him in 2006 in the crime thriller Freedomland. He was also in Ghost Town with Ricky Gervais, when his best known movie role at the time might have been Mr. Aziz in Spider-Man 2. 

The former Daily Show correspondent would later land considerably larger parts in movies like The Proposal, M. Night Shyamalan’s The Last Airbender as Commander Zhao, The Internship with Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, and Million Dollar Arm with Jon Hamm. Mandvi’s most notable TV roles include Rafiq Massoud in HBO’s short-lived satire, The Brink, Uncle Monty on Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Ben Shakir in Paramount+’s Evil cast, most recently.

Djimon Hounsou (Sumo)

Voicing the intimidatingly large cat aptly named Sumo is Djimon Hounsou - who is, like co-star Samuel L. Jackson, an MCU star (he appeared in two Marvel movies and lent his voice to the What If…? cast as Korath). However, he also has a few DC movies under his belt - namely 2005’s Constantine and DCEU movies Aquaman and Shazam!

The former model received his first Academy Award nomination for Steven Spielberg’s Amistad before going on to star in more classics like the Best Picture Oscar winner, Gladiator, and later earning his second nod in 2007 for Blood Diamond. In addition to joining other big franchises like the Fast and Furious movies and 2021's A Quiet Place sequel, the King’s Man cast member has also previously leant his voce to How to Train Your Dragon 2 and an animated miniseries adaptation of Black Panther from 2010 as T’Challa. 

Cathy Shim (Little Mama)

As the Grand Dame of the town being fought over, Kakamucho, Little Mama, we have Cathy Shim, who made her uncredited feature film debut alongside co-star Michelle Yeoh in 2005’s Memoirs of a Geisha. By then, she had already made some of her first appearances with the Reno 911! cast as various characters - such as Miss Junior, whom she would reprise in the Emmy-nominated, feature-length Paramount+ exclusive, Reno 911!: The Hunt for QAnon, in 2021.

She also had a small role in 2007’s Balls of Fury (which has absolutely no relation to this new animated film), was in the 2009 horror-comedy, The Revenant (which has absolutely nothing to do with the 2015 Leonardo DiCaprio film), and also had a few small roles in comedies like 2012’s The Watch and Hell Baby from 2013. Shim also had a recurring spot on L.A.’s Finest and was in the 2019 romantic drama, The Sun is Also a Star. 

Mel Brooks (Shogun)

Last, but certainly no least, we have Mel Brooks as The Shogun - the latest voice acting role of the 96-year-old comedy legend. He previously played Bigweld in 2005’s Blue Sky movie, Robots, Albert Einstein in 2014’s Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Vlad in the Hotel Transylvania movies, and Melephant Brooks in Toy Story 4. 

Of course, Brooks is just as famous for his acting as he is for writing, producing, and directing - such as his 1967 directorial debut, The Producers, which earned him his sole Oscar and was later adapted into a Tony-winning stage musical. Other classics of his include B-movie parody, Young Frankenstein, Star Wars parody, Spaceballs, medieval adventure parody, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and western parody, Blazing Saddles.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is actually loosely inspired by Blazing Saddles, so it must be quite an honor for the creators to have gotten the man behind the comedy classic to star in the film. Then again, it would be an honor to work with every member of this talented voice cast.

Summer is in full swing at the box office, and another family friendly option is set to hit theaters this week with Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Boasting an impressive cast that includes Michael Cera as the titular Hank, Paws of Fury is the story about a dog who travels to a town full of cats who are in need of a hero to save them from the warmongering Ika Chu (Ricky Gervais). Reviews are in, so let’s see what the critics have to say about this offering from Paramount.

Loosely based on the 1974 Mel Brooks comedy Blazing Saddles, the PG-rated Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is completely safe for the little ones, even with its “mother-father-cocker-spaniel” exclamation from Samuel L. Jackson’s Jimbo. This flick appears to be jam-packed with pop culture references, and the critics are here to tell us more of what to expect. Let’s start with the CinemaBlend review of Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. Dirk Libbey rates the movie 2 stars out of 5, saying while the concept is creative enough, the jokes and references often feel like they’re geared more toward adults:

Katie Walsh of The Wrap, however, thinks the movie pulled off a good balance between entertaining kids and their parents, even saying Paws of Fury makes an argument for more classics-inspired family films. The movie lacks any semblance of depth, but there are worse ways to spend a hot summer day, this review states:

Owen Gleiberman of Variety says along with Blazing Saddles, the Michael Cera film also evokes the spirit of Kung Fu Panda. However, this movie lacks what made those movies great, and Paws of Fury is neither fun nor funny, he says:

Like the other critics, Frank Scheck of THR says adult chaperones might get a kick out of the myriad pop culture references. However, the movie doesn’t offer much more for its audience than bathroom jokes, proving that vulgar humor will score laughs regardless of decade or target audience, the review states:

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank garnered a grade of F from Martin Tsai of AV Club. He says the movie takes Mel Brooks’ controversial racial satire and pumps it full of Asian clichés. Even more, it seems the filmmakers made little or no attempt to educate themselves on Asian culture, this review says:

It’s an interesting idea to use a comedy like Blazing Saddles as inspiration for a children’s animated movie, but it looks like most of the critics think the execution was lacking. However, audiences should always feel free to judge for themselves, and the movies are often a great way to escape the summer heat with the kids. If you want to check out Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, you can do so starting Friday, July 15. Be sure to also check out our 2022 Movie Release Schedule to see what other films are hitting theaters soon.

In a world of theatrical animation that includes the deeply emotional storytelling of Disney and Pixar and the blockbuster success of Illumination, it’s easy for a studio like Nickelodeon to get lost in the mix. It’s newest big screen entry is Rob Minkoff and Mark Koetsier's martial arts-filled Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank. It’s a silly name for a very silly movie, but one that adults might find sillier than their kids, as it seems the majority of the humor is meant for them. While the characters are family friendly talking cats and dogs, the humor is, quite literally, right out of a Mel Brooks movie.

As the title Paws of Fury indicates, the primary influence behind the film is the kung fu/samurai genres. A vaguely Asian inspired village of cats is under attack from thugs trying to destroy their town. When the local samurai decides to run rather than fight, the town asks the Shogun (Mel Brooks) for help. The Shogun in turn entrusts the task of finding a new Samurai to local magistrate Ika Chu (Ricky Gervais). 

But since Ika Chu is the one trying to destroy the town, as it ruins the view from his new palace, he gives the job to a recently arrested trespassing dog, Hank (Michael Cera). Since Hank came to the land of cats specifically to become a samurai, he happily accepts the job... despite having zero skills. Luckily, there’s an old-retired samurai in town, Jimbo (Samuel L. Jackson), who might be willing to train the young canine.

Paws Of Fury has an all star voice cast Including Samuel L. Jackson and Michelle Yeoh, but doesn’t give them much to do.

If this plot sounds vaguely familiar, that’s because it’s awfully close to the plot of the Mel Brooks classic Blazing Saddles. To be clear, this is no accident. Once upon a time, Paws of Fury was called Blazing Samurai because it was very intentionally conceived as an animated remake of the classic comedy. Mel Brooks has a story credit as well as lending his voice to the Shogun.

Needless to say, the kids watching Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank for the animals doing martial arts story that it is on its surface aren’t going to have this context, but adults watching the movie will likely be doing double takes as the film not only pulls the general plot, but entire gags from the live-action western comedy. Djimon Hounsou voices Sumo, the cat stand in for Blazing Saddles’ Mongo, complete with a horse punching scene just to make sure you don’t miss the connection between the productions.

The voice cast for Paws of Fury is top notch, as are most animated films these days (audiences knowing Samuel L. Jackson is in the movie might sell a few tickets). On the other hand, saving some money on the voice cast to spend it on the animation, for a film that almost certainly didn't have the budget of your average Pixar project, might have been money better spent.

The Legend Of Hank pays lip service to themes of racism, but only in the context of punchlines.

But that’s part of the strange disconnect for Paws of Fury. While watching somebody punch a horse is potentially funny outside of the Blazing Saddles reference, a lot of the verbal humor of the film seems much more geared toward the adults in the audience that are old enough to get the references. 

This leaves the kids with some slapstick humor, and every imaginable joke about cats. That will still elicit laughs from viewers of all ages, but the Blazing Saddles references and the rapid fire delivery of many of the one-liners give Paws of Fury a feeling like it was meant to be an animated movie for adults that younger viewers also might enjoy – rather than the other way around.

One particular area where the movie has obviously veered in a more family friendly direction is in its themes and tone. While the fact that the movie is about a dog samurai in a town full of cats is meant to evoke the idea of a Black sheriff in a town full of racist white people, Paws of Fury doesn’t dwell on this idea too much. A couple of pointed jokes are made about the ridiculousness of judging someone based solely on what they look like are made early on, but the conflict between the two species is forgotten about fairly quickly. The movie otherwise falls into the standard tropes of the unlikely student/teacher dynamic working together to defeat the evil villain. 

Paws of Fury tries so hard to be a movie that adults can enjoy with their kids, it may have forgotten to be something kids will enjoy at all.

While one would not expect an animated Nickelodeon movie to go as hard as Blazing Saddles in its satire, largely removing any overt discussion of racism ultimately leaves the movie telling the same story while not saying much of anything about anything. Instead were left with a pretty by the numbers samurai movie featuring rapid fire one-liners. Perhaps since the audience of children is new to these tropes, they'll feel more original to them.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank is a pleasant enough time waster for kids and adults alike, but it's not going to be nearly as memorable for a younger generation as its inspiration.

Netflix Co-CEO Ted Sarandos very publicly came to the defense of Dave Chappelle and more generally, artistic freedom when his stand-up special attracted more than its share of controversy over the inclusion of jokes some deemed transphobic. Now, the popular streaming service is at the center of another round of finger-pointing thanks to a Ricky Gervais stand-up special that also included trans-related jokes. Let the record show Sarandos has not changed his basic viewpoint.

The popular exec, who has recently been feeling the heat after the company’s stock price tumbled following subscriber losses, was interviewed by The New York Times about a wide variety of issues. Not surprisingly, stand-up comedy came up, and Sarandos took the chance to once again defend Dave Chappelle and also the streaming service’s commitment to free expression. Here’s a portion of his quote…  

During the same interview, Sarandos went on to praise Chappelle more specifically, saying no one thinks his comedy “isn’t thoughtful or smart”, people just have something to say because they disagree with his viewpoint. When asked, he also specifically confirmed that his larger viewpoint about comedy and comedy specials that air on Netflix apply to Ricky Gervais, as well. 

His continued defense of Chappelle and the stand-up specials on Netflix has not come without controversy. An internal email he sent to staff was leaked to the press. Some employees walked out of the streaming service’s headquarters in Los Angeles, and the company sent a corporate culture memo to employees letting them know the service would continue publishing a wide breadth of content, and if anyone wasn’t in agreement on that basic principle, the job “may not be the best place” for them to work. 

The communication came just days after Chappelle was attacked during a performance at The Hollywood Bowl by a man with a knife who claimed he was “triggered” by some of the comedian’s jokes about the LGBTQIA community. The comedian was unharmed, and the man was arrested. Just as that controversy was subsiding, however, Gervais released his new special, which brought about a whole new round of angry tweets and some critical articles from some outlets.

Since 2015, Netflix has steadily built a reputation as a home for a wide variety of comedy specials, and that momentum is only increasing. 22 separate comedy specials from a wide variety of comedians including Chappelle, Gervais, Ali Wong, Katt Williams, David Spade, Mike Epps, Ronny Chieng, Aziz Ansari and more have already premiered this year. Dozens more are expected to hit Netflix by the end of the year including the surprise special Norm Macdonald filmed in his living room before he passed away. That one premieres on the streaming giant today. 

While the 2022 Academy Awards happened two months ago, the discourse surrounding the event hasn’t slowed down. This is mostly due to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock on national television, with plenty of celebrities weighing in on that shocking viral moment. Now Ricky Gervais has shared his take on Rock’s Oscars joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, and how he ended up trending after the slap.

Ricky Gervais is a comedian who has plenty of experience with Awards Shows, hosting the Golden Globes a number of times throughout his career. He previously weighed in on Will Smith’s infamous slap incident, but recently offered more about his thoughts on the viral situation. When speaking with Sirius XM’s Jim Norton & Sam Roberts recently, Gervais first opened up about the source of the physical altercation: Chris Rock’s joke about Jada Pinkett Smith. In Gervais’ words,

While appearing as a presenter at the 2022 Oscars, Chris Rock took a few jabs at the celebrities in the audience. This includes Jada Pinkett Smith, making a reference to G.I. Jane while mentioning her short hair style. Rock was seemingly unaware that the Matrix actress had publicly revealed her struggles with alopecia, which no doubt added to the stakes of the moment. Will Smith would slap his colleague in the face as a result, before returning to his seat and continuing to shout at the comic. 

There’s been a ton of online discourse about The Slap, especially because Will Smith would stay in attendance for the remainder of the ceremony, even winning a Best Actor award for his work on King Richard. Although the fallout from that incident has been ongoing, with Smith being banned from the Oscars for ten years and seeing a number of his upcoming projects put on hold.

During his same conversation, Ricky Gervais revealed that he was trending for days after the Oscars, despite not being in attendance. Specifically because he’s known for taking aim at celebs when hosting events like the Golden Globes. As he explained,

In typically Ricky Gervais fashion, he was sure to show off his comedic talents, even when going viral for an event which he had nothing to do with. And he’s not the only comic who has been making jokes about the incident. As Marlon Wayans pointed out, Will Smith telling Chris Rock to keep his wife’s name out of his mouth in such a viral way only resulted in way more people poking fun at the situation. 

Despite the time that has passed, Will Smith slapping Chris Rock as the Oscars is still an unbelievable event for many of us. Ricky Gervais seems to be in that camp still, musing about what might have been going through the Aladdin star’s mind with:

We’ll just have to wait and see how the fallout from this incident continues to influence the careers and lives of the parties involved. Will Smith recently did a yoga retreat in India, so he seems to be seeking some clarity. It remains to be seen if/when his upcoming projects will actually be released.

Will Smith is currently attached to four different movies, including Bad Boys 4. In the meantime, check out the 2022 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

In the aftermath of Will Smith’s Oscars slap, various celebrities have weighed in on the matter. Some have chastised Smith for his on-air actions, while others have criticized Chris Rock, the recipient of the hit to the face, for the joke he made about Jada Pinkett Smith. One of the latest stars to enter the discussion is actor and comedian Ricky Gervais, who’s hosted his fair share of awards shows in the past. The star specifically got honest about Rock’s joke and gave his take on Smith’s mindset during the altercation. 

Ricky Gervais has never been one to mince words, as those who’ve seen his stand-up performances and awards show monologues likely know. Given his status as an edgy comic and five-time Golden Globes host, it was only a matter of time before he was asked about the Will Smith incident. When giving his two cents, Gervais stated that he didn’t see Chris Rock’s joke as an “insult” and didn’t believe the comedian was trying to humiliate Jada Pinkett Smith:

Chris Rock appeared at the Oscars to present the award for Best Documentary Feature. During his set, he joked that he looked forward to seeing Jada Pinkett Smith in the G.I. Jane sequel, after which Will Smith walked on stage and slapped. During his interview on the Sam Harris’ Making Sense podcast, Ricky Gervais reiterated his belief that the joke was harmless while also noting that Smith initially laughed at the pun:

The co-creator of The Office has found himself on both sides of this kind of situation. During his past Golden Globe gigs, he made a number of edgy jokes that didn’t go over well with some. When addressing the backlash in 2016, the comic explained that he was “shocked” that people thought what he said was “shocking.” Though there was a joke he regretted later on, the star has been adamant about not apologizing for his controversial puns. Conversely, he has also been made fun of at the Globes and at one point, jokingly said he would heckle hosts when the one-liners were aimed at him.

Ricky Gervais isn’t the only former awards show host to chime in on Will Smith’s situation, as fellow comedian and nine-time Oscars host Billy Crystal weighed in on the slap. The star said that he believed Chris Rock handled himself well under the circumstances, though Crystal thought “it wasn’t a great joke.” The 74-year-old Hollywood vet also recalled that he was also concerned about Smith’s “mental state” when the slap played out.

It’s likely that stars will continue to weigh in on the Oscars slap as time goes on. Whether they’ll be in agreement with celebrities like Ricky Gervais or will hold a differing view remains to be seen.

Charlie Hanson, a longtime producer and frequent Ricky Gervais collaborator who has recently been working on Netflix’s After Life, has been removed from his position on the show after 11 women reportedly accused him of sexual misconduct. The specifics of the allegations have not been made public, though we know they initially came in the form of an anonymous email that was sent to both Netflix and BAFTA that reportedly contained detailed and specific claims. The latter reportedly suspended his membership, and Netflix said it referred the matter to the police.

The initial correspondence reportedly happened on Monday, and by the weekend, it was made public with a story in The London Times and additional follow-ups in many of the trades. After Life star Ricky Gervais also released a statement saying he was “appalled” by the alleged behavior of his longtime collaborator. You can read his statement below courtesy of Deadline…

The exact details of the allegations have not been released publicly, but an excerpt of the original email claimed a pattern of the 68-year-old producer using his position and connection to “groom” far younger women, sometimes by promising them a “starry career” before exploiting that trust in “creepy and illegal ways.” None of the allegations are reportedly connected to After Life, and all the complaints reportedly are about behavior between 2008 and 2015.

Charlie Hanson, who has also reportedly been suspended by his representation at United Artists during the investigation, has aggressively denied any wrongdoing in the matter. He released a statement through his attorney saying he’s never had a complaint prior to this in his decades of working in the industry and that many of the current allegations are “demonstrably false.” You can read his statement below…

In addition to After Life, Charlie Hanson has had an extensive career as a producer. He’s partnered with Ricky Gervais on Extras, Derek and Life’s Too Short, among others. He’s also participated in a variety of other projects including Birds Of A Feature, Desmond’s and Reggie Perrin.

Over the past few years, Hollywood and the larger entertainment industry have started to address longstanding inequalities and a culture that has historically been silent about sexual misconduct. Several huge names have ended up in prison and dozens more are no longer working after allegations of exploitive behavior, inappropriate conduct and far worse.

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Have you ever watched an animated movie and found yourself thinking, "Gee, that voice sounds familiar?" You're not alone. While one of the keys to great voice acting is getting the audience immersed in the animated creation in front of them, there will always be that nagging feeling where you can place the voice from someone in something but it's slipping your mind. That'll probably be the case while you watch Netflix's new animated movie, The Willoughbys. The CG-animated family film has a great cast list of voice actors, from SNL veterans to hard-working voice talents (or both!). If you were wondering who played who, we're here to help! Here are the actors who lent their voice to The Willoughbys and what you might recognize them from.

Will Forte - Tim Willoughby

As Tim Willoughby, the eldest of the Willoughby children (and the most rational), Will Forte provides another voice-only performance in Netflix's The Willoughbys. A talented Emmy-nominated actor-writer best known for Saturday Night Live, MacGruber, Nebraska, and The Last Man on Earth, Forte has also forged a career in voice acting — most notably in recent years. His voice can be heard in movies and shows like Clone High, The LEGO Movie 1 & 2, The Life & Times of Tim, American Dad, Gravity Falls, Allen Gregory, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, My Life as a Zucchini, The Simpsons, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Bob's Burgers, to name a few. He'll also soon voice Shaggy in the new animated movie Scoob!, and he'll play a voice part in the upcoming series, The Great North.

Martin Short - Mr. Willoughby

As Mr. Willoughby, the neglectful patriarch of the Willoughby family, Martin Short adds another voice-only role to his ever-growing resume with Netflix's The Willoughbys. The Tony-winning comedy veteran of the stage and screen has a hundred-plus credits to his name, such as Three Amigos!, SCTV, SNL, Father of the Bride, Mars Attacks!, and Inherent Vice, to name a mere few, as well his multiple appearances as Jiminy Glick. But Short's voice credits include (and certainly aren't limited to) The Cat In The Hat Knows A Lot About That, Treasure Planet, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, The Prince of Egypt, The Pebble and the Penguin, Hoodwinked Too!: Hood vs. Evil, We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story, Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Frankenweenie, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted, and, most recently, 2019's The Addams Family.

Alessia Cara - Jane Willoughby

As Jane Willoughby, the fun-loving middle child of the Willoughby family, Alessia Cara plays one of the main roles in Netflix's The Willoughbys. An accomplished musician, this new animated movie serves as her introduction to the world of acting. If you recognize her voice, it's almost certainly from her singing, as she has only acted professionally in music videos prior to this new movie. As a musician, Cara has been heard in movies like After and Moana, as well as in shows like Grey's Anatomy, Saturday Night Live, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and more. The Canadian singer-songwriter has been nominated for four Grammys and she won one in 2018. She's known for her singles like "Here," "Scars to Your Beautiful," "Stay," "Growing Pains," "Querer Mejor,"and "Trust My Lonely."

Jane Krakowski - Mrs. Willoughby

As Mrs. Willoughby, the neglectful matriarch of the Willoughby family, Jane Krakowski gives another voice-only performance in The Willoughbys. While she is best known for her television work, notably 30 Rock, Ally McBeal, and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, as well as roles in Go, National Lampoon's Vacation, and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, Krakowski has also amassed several animated movies and shows on her resume, including Ice Age, Open Season 1 & 2, The Simpsons, American Dad, Robot Chicken, Sofia the First, BoJack Horseman, Tangled: The Animated Series, and Henchmen.

Ricky Gervais - The Cat

As the voice of The Cat, a talking blue tabby who also narrates the movie, Ricky Gervais provides another voice-only performance. The actor-writer-director-comedian is known for his work in front and behind the camera, but he has lent his voice to The Simpsons, Grand Theft Auto 4, The Little Prince, Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, Spy Kids 4D: All the Time in the World, and more. Gervais also served as a narrator on an episode of SpongeBob SquarePants and he could be heard in the HBO animated series, The Ricky Gervais Show. But Gervais is more commonly known as the star, co-director, co-writer, and co-creator of The Office U.K., as well as Extras, Life's Too Short, Derek, and, most recently, After Life. He also starred in Ghost Town, Muppets Most Wanted, and the Night at the Museum movies and served as a regular Golden Globes host.

Maya Rudolph - Nanny

As the voice of Nanny, the eccentric babysitter tasked with watching over the Willoughby children, Maya Rudolph provides a lively presence to Netflix's animated film. A veteran of Saturday Night Live and known for her performances in Bridesmaids, Away We Go, The Good Place, and more, Rudolph has become an accomplished voice actress over the years, lending her talents to several animated movies and TV shows, including (but not limited to), Big Mouth, The Angry Birds Movie 1 & 2, Shrek the Third, Big Hero 6, My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, The Emoji Movie, The Nut Job 1 & 2, Bless the Harts, Big Hero 6: The Series, Family Guy, Strange Magic, and more.

Terry Crews - Commander Melanoff

As Commander Melanoff, a joyful owner of a candy factory, Terry Crews provides a lively presence in Netflix's The Willoughbys. A former professional football player-turned-actor/television personality, Crews is best known for his roles in White Chicks, Idiocracy, The Expendables movies, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and Everybody Hates Chris. He's also known as the host of America's Got Talent, and he previously hosted Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? He is well-known for his popular Old Spice commercials. As a voice actor, Crews can be heard in Craig of the Creek, Saints Row IV, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, Hulk and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultimate Spider-Man, Regular Show, and VeggieTales: Celery Night Fever.

Seán Cullen - The Barnabys

As the Barnabys, the youngest twin boy siblings of the Willoughby family, Seán Cullen plays a dual role in Netflix's The Willoughbys. An established actor, comedian, impersonator, author, screenwriter, and voice artist, Cullen is easily the most experience voice actor from the cast of The Willoughbys, though he's better known in Canada than in the United States. He's known there for shows like Best Ed, Little Monsters, Almost Naked Animals, and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, but he's done voice work for several other movies and TV shows. He's also seen in The Love Guru and The Seán Cullen Show, as the name of the latter would suggest.

Did you enjoy Netflix's The Willoughbys? Who gave your favorite performance? Let us know in the comment section below.

Ricky Gervais returned to host this year’s 77th annual Golden Globes ceremony for the fifth time. The comedian, who’s been criticized by some for being mean-spirited while hosting, has admitted that he’s never “understood the controversy” surrounding his past hosting jobs, but he won't apologize for his jokes. In fact, the Golden Globes host recently explained why that's not something he does anymore.

Ricky Gervais, who’s being replaced as Golden Globes host by Tiny Fey and Amy Poehler in 2021, is a comedian in an era where comedians are facing heightened scrutiny surrounding the things they say or have said in the past. Take, for example, Saturday Night Live’s firing of comedian Shane Gillis, who saw past jokes land him in hot water.

However, when it comes to comedy, Ricky Gervais believes that it’s more of a “sliding scale” rather than a window to a comedian’s soul. On whether he’s ever tempted to apologize, Gervais had this to say:

That’s not to say that Ricky Gervais doesn’t regret any of his jokes. He’s said as much, most recently admitting his regret over the Golden Globes joke he made about Tim Allen. In an interview with The Spectator, the comedian mentioned there are “a lot of things I say I don’t believe” but that work as a joke, also noting that comedians “can’t please everyone.” While Gervais doesn’t think his fellow comedians should apologize, either, he feels that it is up to each individual comedian to decide how best to handle feedback. (He in fact also mentioned he's deleted jokes on Twitter before.) Per Gervais:

Comedy is about growth, after all. As it were, Ricky Gervais didn’t seem to set off any major alarms when hosting the Golden Globes on January 5, though there were quite a few awkward jokes made during his opening monologue. If you're feeling up for more comedy, be sure to check out our list of funniest comedy specials on Netflix.

Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais just dropped some bombs on Hollywood in his opening monologue for the 2020 Golden Globe Awards, and he's not sorry. Interestingly enough, he's only expressed regret for one past joke as host -- back in 2011, when he made a joke at Tim Allen's expense. Now Allen has shared how he feels about that joke, and his thoughts on Gervais' new 2020 jokes.

As the lead-up to his 2011 joke, Ricky Gervais had a long-winded introduction for the next two Golden Globes presenters. He said the first had won two Oscars and three Golden Globes, had a combined box office of $3.5 billion, etc., etc. He went on and on and on, clearly about Tom Hanks, then ended with a dismissive "The other is Tim Allen."

That's the joke Ricky Gervais regrets, because he didn't think Tim Allen took it well, and it wasn't specifically about Tim Allen. It would've been true of anyone standing next to Tom Hanks.

Fast-forward to 2020 and Tim Allen told Page Six what he thought about that joke:

You can actually watch a clip of that show in a video below. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen gave it right back to Ricky Gervais after the intro, before presenting the award on stage. Here's what they said about him on stage in 2011:

That seemed to be scripted, so Ricky Gervais was willing to both dish it out and take it. However, as you might imagine, Tim Allen was just fine with the shots Gervais fired at Hollywood during last Sunday's 2020 awards:

Ricky Gervais blasted Hollywood and said they were too out-of-touch with the real world to be making political speeches. He also made some wild Cats jokes, among other things. Tom Hanks' reaction face instantly became the new "welp" meme. A lot of fans loved Ricky's monologue for ribbing Hollywood and it sounds like Tim Allen was also fine with it, since he wasn't exactly the butt of any of those jokes.

Here's a video from Ricky Gervais' 2011 joke about Tim Allen:

I still can't believe that's the one joke he singled out to regret. Meanwhile, Tim Allen is doing just fine. He and Tom Hanks reunited for Toy Story 4, which made over a $1 billion at the 2019 box office. And Allen's sitcom Last Man Standing just debuted Season 8 on a new night on Fox. He's amazed at how popular the show has remained and knows exactly who to thank (besides the fans).

Last Man Standing continues Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on Fox (not ABC).

Awards Season officially kicked off last weekend, as the Hollywood Foreign Press had the annual Golden Globe Awards. This ceremony honors both TV and film, and was hosted for the fifth and final time by comedian Ricky Gervais. Gervais pulled no punches during his opening monologue, making a ton of savage and awkward jokes about the celebrities in the room. But there was one joke he truly struggled to get out, focusing on Dame Judi Dench and her infamous role in Cats. The punchline was bleeped out, and the dirty word the comedian said might surprise you.

Ricky Gervais took aim at Cats, which has become the viral source of countless memes since Tom Hooper's movie musical arrived in theaters in December. Judi Dench has been adamant about her love for the role of Old Deuteronomy, with Gervais' joke being "Dame Judi Dench defended the film, saying it was the role she was born to play because she – I can’t do this next joke. Because she loves nothing better than plunking her ass down on the carpet, lifting her legs and licking her own --" That's when his dirty word was bleeped out from the Golden Globe telecast, although Ricky Gervais has clarified the choice expletive of the quip. Check it our below.

Well, that's one way to get bleeped. We all knew that Ricky Gervais was doing to a dirty place, and it turned out that the British slang word for the female genitalia was the word of choice. No wonder he had such a hard time delivering the joke.

For those unfamiliar, minge is a slang word used to describe lady parts across the pond. It's a street colloquialism, and one that wouldn't be naturally associated with such a respected figure like Judi Dench. That juxtaposition is where the comedy truly lies, with Ricky Gervais struggling to say such a dirty thing about the beloved icon. And while it ultimately got bleeped, there were plenty of shocked looks around the room as the comedian skewered the audience.

The Judi Dench joke was just one of many super awkward jokes that Ricky Gervais fired off during his Golden Globe opening monologue. He made jokes about the last year of entertainment world, and held nothing back. That includes zingers about Felicity Huffman's time behind bars, Leonardo DiCaprio's reputation for dating younger women, as well as taking Martin Scorsese's side on superhero movies by claiming the actors were only working out and taking steroids.

As a reminder, you can re-watch Rick Gervais' opening monologue from the 2020 Golden Globe Awards below. Or just watch the audience's reaction-- that's just as fun.

Well, that was one way to go out. Ricky Gervais made it clear that his fifth time hosting the Golden Globe Awards would be his last. And as such, he didn't pull any punches when making fun of various entertainment news stories. The host didn't appear in many more sequences after that monologue, indicating that he really was retiring from the gig.

Related: 2020 Golden Globe Movie And TV: The Complete List Of Winners Includes Brad Pitt, 1917 And More

It should be interesting to see how Awards Season continues on, and if other ceremonies like the Emmys and Oscars have similar results to the Golden Globes. The Globes tend to honor some wild cards, and have more categories. So almost anything could happen with the upcoming ceremonies. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.

Coming into the 77th annual Golden Globes, Ricky Gervais had already hosted four different ceremonies, with each having their highs and lows. The UK comedian and TV mainstay has made it as clear as a 4K broadcast that the 2020 Globes will be the last time he hosts the entertainment celebration, though that remains to be seen with time. For now, we're focusing on how Gervais did while hosting the latest show.

Ricky Gervais' Opening

From the opening moments, Ricky Gervais made it clear that he wasn't going to spare any barbed jabs from hitting their targets. That said, he also proved true his initial claims that he wouldn't necessarily aim for individuals, but rather the corporations that make up the Hollywood machine. Which, in turn, allowed for some incredibly awkward moments, as well as some pretty poignant comments. In as much as a Golden Globe comment – made with a pint of beer in hand – can be considered poignant.

In the first place, viewers got to watch Ricky Gervais say multiple times that this was his last time hosting, and that he didn't care anymore, just as NBC didn't by bringing him back five different times. Gervais is nothing if not self-deprecating, after all. He even commented on Kevin Hart losing out on the Oscar-hosting gig over Twitter comments, knowing that he himself had just recently been in the midst of a social-media fracas over a satire-dripping Twitter back-and-forth he had with a parody account.

As for some of the more risqué jokes he told, Gervais made cracks about his license plate being made by Felicity Huffman, and that her daughter must really be embarrassed...for having a dad who was in Wild Hogs. In talking about his Netflix comedy After Life, which is heading for Season 2, Gervais dropped the "spoiler" that his character hadn't killed himself after Season 2, just like Jeffrey Epstein.

Arguably the most ribald moment, though, came when even he hesitated before dropping the line that Dame Judi Dench's Cats joy was partially based on her spending parts of her days licking her own vagina. Meee-owww.

One of my favorite gags, which was "adult" in the right way, was about what Meryl Streep would do in a hypothetical Sophie's Choice sequel.

All in all, the entire opening hinged on Ricky Gervais' bemusedly put-upon gags about Apple sweat shops and ISIS streaming services, and so much of Gervais' input for the night came via his opening monologue, so it was good that he ran the gamut from goofy to offensive to bizarre.

The Rest of The Night

After that opening montage, Ricky Gervais only came out to announce presenters a handful of times, and each appearance was increasingly more non-plussed. Not that there was a lot of time for him to come out and riff on things, since this year's producers clearly made an effort to give winners time for acceptance speeches without playing them off. (Except for Best Actor winner Joaquin Phoenix, anyway.)

For his first return, he joked about having a clip to show from Netflix's The Irishman that was 88 minutes long. That got a laugh from Martin Scorsese's table. (And was possibly a fun reference to Al Pacino starring in the movie 88 Minutes.) He also referred to the HFPA as a bunch of vegetables, and took several swipes at Tom Hooper's Cats.

Two of Ricky Gervais' most awkward moments came during his later two appearances. Ahead of introducing the presenters for Best Director, he commented about how there weren't any females nominated, and how he'd talked to the HFPA and "fixed" the situation by making it so that women didn't get jobs as directors anymore, like the old days. Satirical, but not a great landing.

It was even more groan-worthy later Gervaus dropped this line about Birdbox when introducing Sandra Bullock:

Somewhat thankfully, perhaps, his final words of the night were telling everyone to donate to Australia (for its tragic wildfires), and to get drunk, do some drugs, and fuck off. I mean, it was right on brand for Ricky Gervais, obviously.

Final Analysis

All in all, Ricky Gervais felt a little too careless rather than care-free this time around, possibly because his appearances were truncated as the show went on. Which, to be sure, is how awards shows normally handle things. But because Gervais was likely going into this telecast knowing how many people were waiting for something to attack, it's possible he just chose to double-down on the disdain as the night went on.

I could have done with more of his infectious giggling, and more proof that Ricky Gervais himself was having a good time. In the end, he kind of nailed it by pointing out the ludicrousness of it all, which even snowballs down to reactions like this. Am I saying that, in the end, he was actually more poignant than he was amusing? I guess it depends on how many pints I've had.

Still, would I like to see him hosting again in the future? Of course, especially compared to the thought of not having a host at all. But I'm perfectly fine with bringing Tina Fey and Amy Poehler back, or trying out a bazillion other celebs.

Although, admittedly, fewer host moments means long montages celebrating Tom Hanks' career, which ain't half bad.

Check out all the winners (and otherwise) for the 77th annual Golden Globes, and if you need another British comedian to listen to for a while, go watch Fleabag! Be sure to keep checking our winter and spring TV schedule to note the premieres for many shows that will likely get nods in next year's Golden Globe awards.

The Golden Globe Awards officially kick off Awards Season, possibly teasing what will happen with other ceremonies like the Oscars and Emmys. The Hollywood Foreign Press' statues are a coveted fixture in the film world, and comedian Ricky Gervais is hosting for his fifth and final time. Gervais pulled no punches with his opening monologue, which took shots at various people in the room. What resulted was plenty of cringeworthy reaction shots, and awkward moments. Although there are seven that were particularly anxiety inducing.

The following are the most awkward moments from Ricky Gervais' opening monologue for the Golden Globes. It's not ranking the funniest or worst jokes, but the ones that seemed to take the air out of the room, with actors like Tom Hanks reacting in clips that will be constructed into endless memes. Did we include your favorite awkward moment? Let us know in the comments.

The Felicity Huffman Joke

One of the biggest Hollywood controversies to come from 2019 was the infamous admission scandal. This saw a few notable actors being prosecute for fraud, for allegedly helping to boost their child's SAT scores and admission into college/university. Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman were two of the names involved, with the latter actress serving 11 days. Ricky Gervais took the chance to poke fun at the situation, claiming that his limo's license plate was made by Huffman during her time behind bars. It was one of the monologue's first major dig, and teased what was in store for the future of the monologue.

The Leonardo DiCaprio Joke

Leonardo DiCaprio has a bit of a reputation regarding his romantic life. It's often joked about that he only dates models, ones significantly younger than the 45-year old Oscar winner. Since Ricky Gervais took the time to take the piss out of everyone at the Golden Globe Awards during his opening monologue, he certainly wasn't going to pass the chance to poke fun at Leo. While joking about the long runtime of movies like The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Gervais zeroed in on DiCaprio. He joked that the actor attended Once Upon A Time...'s premiere, and by the time the movie ended his date was "too old for him." There was obviously a camera on DiCaprio for this moment, and while he was a good sport about it there was definitely some awkward moments with everyone at the table. Also, was his mom sitting next to him? Yikes.

You Could Binge Watch Afterlife

During Ricky Gervais' opening monologue at the Golden Globes, he took special aim at streaming services. Given how much of the industry is now in the hands of Disney+, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Apple TV Plus, there's been a clear shift in the moviemaking business. Gervais chided the attendants of the Globes, but he's also got his own streaming show. In fact, he took the time to plug it during his monologue. He suggested people are home turn off the Golden Globes, and instead binge watch his show Afterlife on Netflix. Sounds like a win win for Gervais, although it was definitely a little awkward as he encouraged us to turn off the award sho before the first category.

That Steroids Joke

Ricky Gervais took the time to address many of the most common conversations in the film world. This includes the debate about superhero movies, and Martin Scorsese's comments about the genre not being considered cinema. Gervais took Scorsese's side on the subject, claiming that the performers involved weren't even really acting. Instead, he claimed they were simply being paid for "going to the gym twice a day and taking steroids." That joke didn't get much of a reaction from the audience, and it was definitely an awkward moment of the opening sequence. There were a ton of actors in the room who have done blockbusters and genre work, although critics and those folks on #TeamScorsese might have enjoyed it at home.

Isis' Streaming Service

As previously mentioned, Ricky Gervais made a series of jokes about how streaming services have taken over the film and television world. He admonishes the actors and filmmakers who have used that type of platform, many of which are nominated for Golden Globes Awards. This is also a commentary about how audiences are more inclined to stream movies than head to theaters, with the exception being major blockbusters like the MCU and Star Wars. Gervais hammers the point home, saying that the actors and filmmakers would join a streaming service launched by Isis if it came down to it. Because who doesn't love comedy mixed with references to Isis? Cue the awkward.

Cats And Judi Dench

This was a joke so crude that even Ricky Gervais had a hard time delivering it. Right before taking aim at 85 year-old Cats star Judi Dench, he even went so far as as to say he "can't do this." But Gervais pushed on, and gave a hilariously awkward jab at the legendary actress. The joke went as follows: "Dame Judi Dench defended the film, saying it was the role she was born to play because she – I can’t do this next joke. Because she loves nothing better than plunking her ass down on the carpet, lifting her legs and licking her own minge. She’s old school." For those who don't speak British slang, a minge is a reference to female genitalia. The word itself was bleeped out, and the audience reaction was priceless. And awkward AF.

"Fuck Off"

From the jump, Ricky Gervais makes it known that he is out of craps to give, as tonight is his fifth and final time hosting the Golden Globe Awards. He drank a big chug of his beer, before making ruthless jokes at everyone in the room. And after providing plenty of awkward and hilarious moments, he eventually resorted to throwing F-bombs at everyone, and the ceremony as a whole. To wrap up his opening monologue at the Golden Globes, Gervais made jokes in advance about all the winners. He said "So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use your platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg. So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent and your god and fuck off." That makes his feelings crystal clear, and he's no doubt going to make some more wild jokes throughout the course of this year's Golden Globe ceremony.

Did we miss any especially awkward moments from Ricky Gervais' Golden Globes Opening Monologue? Let us know in the comments section below. And be sure to check back with CinemaBlend's winners list. Our 2020 release list to look ahead for the world movies, and our midseason premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Last year was a wonderful time for many different genres of television and movies, and with the dawn of 2020, it's time for Hollywood to deliver some prizes to the ones that entertained the best. The Golden Globes handed out nominations to a host of popular movies late last year, from the murder mystery of Knives Out and the tense World War I action of 1917, to the comedic stylings of Dolemite Is My Name and the real-world inspired story Rocketman. Meanwhile, television lovers had a lot of prestige options to feast their eyes on, including The Morning Show, Fleabag, Russian Doll and The Act, all of which received nominations.

While fans will certainly have their favorites from 2019, it's time to see what films and TV shows will garner gold at the year's first award show. Will Eddie Murphy score for his return to comedy? Can Christina Applegate turn her Dead To Me role into the top honor? Does Frozen II have the Best Motion Picture, Animated award on lock? Let's find out!

When winners are announced in each category, that name will appear in bold, so be sure to check this list often for timely updates during the live broadcast!

Best Motion Picture, Drama

WINNER: 1917

Marriage Story

The Irishman

Joker

The Two Popes

Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Dolemite Is My Name

Jojo Rabbit

Knives Out

WINNER: Once Upon A Time in Hollywood

Rocketman

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture, Drama

Cynthia Erivo, Harriet

Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story

Saoirse Ronan, Little Women

Charlize Theron, Bombshell

WINNER: Renee Zellweger, Judy

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture, Drama

Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari

Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory

Adam Driver, Marriage Story

WINNER: Joaquin Phoenix, Joker

Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

Best Performance By An Actress In A Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Ana de Armas, Knives Out

WINNER: Awkwafina, The Farewell

Cate Blanchett, Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart

Emma Thompson, Late Night

Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy

Daniel Craig, Knives Out

Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit

Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

WINNER: Taron Egerton, Rocketman

Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name

Best Performance By A Supporting Actress In A Motion Picture

Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell

Annette Bening, The Report

WINNER: Laura Dern, Marriage Story

Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers

Margot Robbie, Bombshell

Best Performance By A Supporting Actor In A Motion Picture

Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes

Al Pacino, The Irishman

Joe Pesci, The Irishman

WINNER: Brad Pitt, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture

Marriage Story

Parasite

The Two Popes

WINNER: Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

The Irishman

Best Director

Bong Joon-ho, Parasite

WINNER: Sam Mendes, 1917

Todd Phillips, Joker

Martin Scorsese, The Irishman

Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood

Best Original Song

"Beautiful Ghost" Cats

WINNER: "I’m Gonna Love Me Again" Rocketman

"Into The Unknown" Frozen II

"Spirit" The Lion King

"Stand Up" Harriet

Best Motion Picture, Animated

Frozen II

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

The Lion King

WINNER: Missing Link

Toy Story 4

Best Original Score Motion Picture

Little Women

WINNER: Joker

Marriage Story

1917

Motherless Brooklyn

Best Motion Picture, Foreign Language

The Farewell

Les Miserables

Pain and Glory

WINNER: Parasite

Portrait Of A Lady On Fire

Related: New Movie Releases: 2020 Movie Release Date Schedule

Best Drama Series

Big Little Lies, HBO

The Crown, Netflix

Killing Eve, BBC America

The Morning Show, Apple TV+

WINNER: Succession, HBO

Best Comedy Or Musical Series

Barry, HBO

WINNER: Fleabag, Amazon

The Kominsky Method, Netflix

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Amazon

The Politician, Netflix

Best Limited Series, TV Movie or Miniseries

Catch-22, Hulu

Winner: Chernobyl, HBO

Fosse/Verdon, FX

The Loudest Voice, Showtime

Unbelievable, Netflix

Best Actress In A Drama Series

Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show

WINNER: Olivia Colman, The Crown

Jodie Comer, Killing Eve

Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies

Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show

Best Actor In A Drama Series

WINNER: Brian Cox, Succession

Kit Harington, Game of Thrones

Rami Malek, Mr. Robot

Tobias Menzies, The Crown

Billy Porter, Pose

Best Actress In A Comedy Or Musical Series

Christina Applegate, Dead To Me

Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Kirsten Dunst, On Becoming a God in Central Florida

Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll

WINNER: Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag

Best Actor In A Comedy Or Musical Series

Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method

Bill Hader, Barry

Ben Platt, The Politician

Paul Rudd, Living With Yourself

WINNER: Ramy Youssef, Ramy

Best Actress In A Limited Series Or TV Movie

Kaitlyn Dever, Unbelievable

Joey King, The Act

Helen Mirren, Catherine The Great

Merritt Wever, Unbelievable

WINNER: Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon

Best Actor In A Limited Series Or TV Movie

Chris Abbot, Catch-22

Sacha Baron Cohen, The Spy

WINNER: Russell Crowe, The Loudest Voice

Jared Harris, Chernobyl

Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon

Best Supporting Actor In A Series, Limited Series Or TV Movie

Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method

Kieran Culkin, Succession

Andrew Scott, Fleabag

WINNER: Stellan Skarsgard, Chernobyl

Henry Winkler, Barry

Best Supporting Actress In A Series, Limited Series Or TV Movie

Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies

Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown

Emily Watson, Chernobyl

WINNER: Patricia Arquette, The Act

Toni Collette, Unbelievable

2020 Winter And Spring TV Schedule: Premiere Dates For Network, Cable And Streaming Shows

There you have it; all the 2020 Golden Globe winners. Now, head to the comments below and let us know whether or not all your favorites walked away with a statue!

As they have done quite a few times in years past, NBC and the Golden Globes are welcoming British comedian and Globe winner Ricky Gervais as the host of the 77th annual awards telecast. Understandably, many potential viewers are wondering which Hollywood feathers will get ruffled by Gervais' cheekily sharp jokes. There's no telling quite what to expect just yet, but the Office and After Life creator has likely spoiled one TV star who won't get joked about, with Gervais opening up about a previously used Globes joke that he actually regrets making.

In discussing how he's approaching this year's Golden Globes at a time when humor is facing new levels of social media scrutiny, Ricky Gervais admitted that he regrets a rather innocuous joke he'd made about Last Man Standing and Home Improvement star Tim Allen. Here's how Gervais put it:

As many are well aware, Tom Hanks and Tim Allen have been the co-stars of the Toy Story franchise for around 25 years now. Even though they weren't together for much of the recording time through the four films, the two actors will forever be connected in many fans' minds for their respective portrayals of Woody and Buzz Lightyear. Of course, their careers outside of the Toy Story movies couldn't be more different. Allen is known as a TV star who sporadically takes on Hollywood comedies, while Hanks hasn't returned to a regular TV role since leaving Bosom Buddies in 1982. (Not counting his SNL appearances, of course.)

Tim Allen and Tom Hanks did become friends in real life, though I'm not sure anyone will be able to say that about Allen and Ricky Gervais, given the sense of guilt the latter feels about making that crack at the Golden Globes a few years back.

When asked by THR which celebrities will get targeted in this year's Golden Globes monologue and beyond, Ricky Gervais gave perhaps a surprising answer, though one that might not necessarily be proven true by the time the ceremony airs. In Gervais' words:

Gervais was then immediately reminded that he'd done just such a thing with Mel Gibson in years past, not to mention Charlie Sheen and Ben Affleck. But that was back before 2020 came around, and there's no point in judging someone for misbehaving in the past, right? Oh, wait...

Will Ricky Gervais end up skewering any celebs this time around, or will he keep to his word? I'm also now interested to see if he sneaks in a non sequitur apology to Tim Allen for the above joke.

Preceded by red carpet specials galore, the 77th Golden Globe Awards will be held on NBC on Sunday, January 5, at 8:00 p.m. ET. Check back with CinemaBlend for a full update on all the big winners that night, and don't forget that Tim Allen's Last Man Standing will be returning to Fox for a new night on Thursday, January 2, for its Season 8 premiere.

When actors perform their craft, they often have to be unreserved, vulnerable and liberated. That often means stripping away their modesties and insecurities in order to embody their characters, both psychologically and physically. As such, nude scenes can often come into play with acting. Though that's certainly not always the case; there are plenty of actors — including a few A-listers — who choose not to do nudity for various reasons.

In Hollywood, it's often common practice to hire body doubles or find creative or unique means to prevent the performer from performing scripted nude scenes. There are also actors and actresses in Hollywood to make sure that "no nudity clauses" are written clearly and explicitly in their contracts. The explanations for why certain actors go to painstaking lengths to avoid showing skin on-camera vary from person-to-person, and of course, it's often for personal reasons. After all, nobody should be obligated to take off their clothes and some people just aren't comfortable being in-the-buff, particularly on a set.

Still, while actors and actresses shouldn't need to explain why they don't feel like taking off their clothes, it's a common question in interviews and plenty of people have been comfortable with discussing their views before. Several famous people, including Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, have talked openly about their respective decisions for avoiding nudity in their work. Here's why why different performers have chosen not to go forward with nude scenes while acting.

Anna Kendrick

While some viewers might've thought they saw Anna Kendrick reveal herself in 2016's raunchy comedy, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Anna Kendrick has been open about using a body double for that film. In her memoir that same year, Scrappy Little Nobody, Kendrick elaborated on the weird process of selecting a body double (which apparently involved a binder full of butts), and why she chooses not to get naked on camera, saying:

Blake Lively

In 2012, Blake Lively told the press that she wasn't planning on doing a nude scene anytime soon. The film/TV actress was finite about keeping herself clothed in front of the camera, believing that they are often "distracting" and believing it wasn't in her best interest to shed her clothes for a role. While her stance on nudity might've loosened slightly while filming 2016's All I See Is You, it doesn't seem like she has necessarily warmed up to the notion of nudity, opting for a body double for her skinny dipping nude scene in last year's A Simple Favor. Here's what Blake Lively told The Daily Mail:

Jessica Alba

In the mid '00s, Jessica Alba was one of the most famous, sought-after actresses in Hollywood. While she starred in a few suggestive films, she stayed true to her decision not to get naked in front of the camera. The explantation she gave came down to family. In an interview with Glamour, Alba claimed that she was uncomfortable with the possibility of her family members, including her grandmother, seeing her in her birthday suit. She said:

Mila Kunis

Having grown up in the industry, Mila Kunis tries to respect her privacy. She has chosen not to perform any nude scenes in her career, with her sole bit of nudity in 2011's Friends with Benefits featuring the work of a body double. In a profile piece with Allure, Mila Kunis explained she didn't feel comfortable baring too much in front of the camera, opting to keep most of her modesty intact. She believes she didn't need to show any more skin other than side boob, which is in the movie.

Samuel L. Jackson

With nearly 200 acting credits to his name, Samuel L. Jackson is an incredibly accomplished and committed actor, a man capable of dedicating himself to a high number of projects — big and small — through a wide-ranging career. Even though Jackson will work with a variety of filmmakers under a number of different circumstances, he draws the line at nude scenes. Or, at least, full-frontal nude scenes. On The Howard Stern Show, Jackson said:

Megan Fox

In the late '00s, Megan Fox rose to superstardom through her appearance in Michael Bay's Transformers. Yet while the actress became something of a sex symbol in the following years, she has continued to refuse to do nude scenes — despite the pressures from some Hollywood figures. In fact, in recent years, Megan Fox has reportedly opted to appear in fewer projects due to her insistence on not playing heavily-sexualized characters. Megan Fox explained for The Mirror that she had no interest in playing roles that she would find "degrading."

Mandy Moore

Before she celebrated a career resurgence through the uber popular NBC series, This is Us, Mandy Moore was a former teen superstar who quickly found herself in a number of high-profile projects. While there were a few roles that required a limited number of clothing items to be worn, Mandy Moore chose to keep certain parts of herself private. For instance, Moore used a butt double for her nude scene in 2003's Chasing Liberty, and she explained in an interview with ET that she wasn't comfortable with anyone seeing her actual derriere.

Ricky Gervais

Though Ricky Gervais might not be afraid to speak his mind as a comedian and performer, he is a little shyer when it comes to the possibility of performing any sort of nude scene. While the comic might do whatever it takes to get a laugh, there is evidently one measure that he feels is too far. In an interview with MTV, Gervais made it perfectly clear that he has absolutely no desire to get nude on camera anytime soon, and will use a double if a nude scene is ever necessitated.

Sarah Jessica Parker

There's no denying that HBO's comedy series Sex and the City had a slew of raunchy and scantily-clad scenes, some of which involving its main characters. But while Sarah Jessica Parker was the lead of the popular series, she opted never to get naked for the series, insisting on a no-nudity clause on all of her projects, including this particularly famous series. When she was asked why she was the only one not to get nude on the show, Sarah Jessica Parker had the following response to give to The Hollywood Reporter.

Emma Roberts

Much like her aunt, Julia Roberts, Emma Roberts has chosen not to do any nude scenes in her career. Though Emma Roberts has appeared on a few salacious shows over the years, including American Horror Story and Scream Queens, Emma Roberts insisted on not being nude in any of her projects. And she has held steadfast to that insistence. Back in 2010, when she was interviewed about her film It's Kind Of A Funny Story, she was asked if there would be a day where she would do a nude scene. Here's the response she gave, and one she has held true to in the nearly 10 years since she said it.

Emma Watson

Typically in Hollywood, when an actor or actress wants to escape the child-friendly image they've created over the years, they'll take on more mature, adult-oriented roles that might require sex, drugs and/or nudity. But Emma Watson never wanted to participate in any of those activities on-screen solely for the sake of divorcing herself from the public's well-associated image of Hermione Granger. As she admitted to The New York Daily News back in 2010, Emma Watson admitted that she had no interest in participating in a nude scene. And she still hasn't done one since then.

These are only a handful of the examples of celebrities who have decided it wasn't in their best interest to participate in any nude scenes. And there are some other actors who have famously chosen to keep their clothes on in front of the cameras, including — but not limited to — Julia Roberts, Kristen Bell, Jessica Simpson, Rebel Wilson, Isla Fischer and Jenna Fischer, to only name a mere few. Additionally, there are other celebrities, including Keira Knightley and Emila Clarke, who have famously participated in nude scenes in the past, but have now insisted on not doing them again in the future.

To be an actor, you have to be many different things. You have to be open. You have to be dedicated. You have to be committed and focused on your craft. But as many of the celebrities on this list prove, you don't always have to take off your clothes for the camera. Actors have boundaries as well, and for many of them, there hasn't been a desire or a need to take off their clothes in order to play a part. That will likely not change for them soon.

Ricky Gervais has made a career out of embracing the awkward, poking hot button issues with a sharp wit, and generally being a funny bloke. Naturally, one of his most iconic roles is that of David Brent from the BBC version of The Office, a part that used all of those components to good measure. So obviously, the temptation has always been there to revisit his most prolific character, in the name of exploring life after the series' run had ended, and that's the itch David Brent: Life On The Road was intended to scratch. Whether you were waiting for this day to come, or are merely casually interested, the results are definitely entertaining.

14 years after BBC Two aired their documentary series The Office, David Brent (Gervais) has returned to office life, albeit as a salesman rather than a manager. But he's not going to let that prevent him from realizing his greatest dream: becoming a rock star. With two weeks of vacation (mostly unpaid), an aspiring rapper (Ben Bailey Smith), and a backing band that's are more mercenaries for hire than friends, Brent's ready to hit the road of rock and roll. And the BBC is back to cover every cringe-worthy moment of the journey.

As someone with a casual knowledge of The Office, David Brent: Life On The Road probably works better as an experience, as it takes a couple of plot points from the end of the series' finale and works with them to make a fresh story. Thankfully, one could see this film as more of an extension of those themes, particularly David's desperation to be accepted. It's through this element that Ricky Gervais' film makes its best moves, as there are not only a good many jokes to be had from this scenario, but there's also the trademark mixture of bittersweet drama and happiness that we've seen Gervais and series co-writer Stephen Merchant explore before.

However, if you're a die hard fan of the source material, David Brent: Life On The Road may seem like a couple steps back, and a bit of a rehash of the events that have already happened. Which isn't a terrible problem, as the film has plenty of original songs that help forward the story of Brent's rock star life. Even better, those songs - written by Gervais himself - happen to be absolutely hysterical. But, in true David Brent form, there's some questionable material in each and every number he takes out on the road. It's through this vehicle that David Brent: Life On The Road elevates itself from a typical TV adaptation to a solid film that stands alone.

For all of the fun that David Brent: Life On The Road provides, it's ultimately an experience that's probably best enjoyed by those who are familiar with the original Office series. But that isn't said to turn off any prospective new fans, as Ricky Gervais' shtick is the baseline for David's overall antics. So if you're a Gervais fanatic, or even just a lover of dry comedy with some pathos included at no extra charge, you'll have no problem enjoying this road trip.

David Brent: On The Road is available on Feb. 10th for streaming.

With so many revivals and reboots on the small screen right now, there are equally as many excellent characters for TV audiences to reconnect with. And then there's that chubby and awkward little shit David Brent, Ricky Gervais' hilariously cringe-worthy former boss from The Office (U.K.), who is bumbling his way back in front of our eyes for Netflix's upcoming feature that's aptly titled David Brent: Life on the Road. The film's full-length trailer, seen below, is mostly far removed from office cubicles, but Gervais is just as uncomfortable as he was selling paper, if not more so. Watch and be amazed.

In David Brent: Life on the Road, the irrepressible Brent continues to hock products as a salesman, but he's also furthering his dream of becoming a star musician with his band Foregone Conclusion. Some of the funniest moments in The Office were when Ricky Gervais unleashed Brent's rhythms and melodies on the world, particularly the music video for "If You Don't Know Me By Now," and things look similarly ridiculous on that front here.

For me, the funniest bit in the trailer was easily when Ben Bailey Smith's rapper Dom comes in and talks about Brent's insistence on making his rap lyrics about little people. That performance slayed me, especially Gervais' hand motions as Dom sings. Smith is both a comedian and a rapper (who goes by the name Doc Brown), so he's a natural for the role of Dom, who hooks up with Foregone Conclusion as a way to develop his name. It's very clear in just those two minutes that Brent is the only one who thinks everything is running smoothly, which is part of why the character works so well. The joke is always on him, but he's just unsympathetic enough to make those moments work, and it all rolls off of his back anyway, no matter how severe.

And it's always severe, as is seen when he accidentally injures someone using the T-shirt gun, or when he addresses crowds of people that clearly have zero interest in what he's saying. Ricky Gervais knows how to legitimately win over a crowd, so he's completely mastered how to much it up in the worst way. Oh, the biggest thing I could ever wish for my children is that they're more socially agile than David Brent.

It's been almost 14 years since David Brent has appeared in a full-formed scripted project, although he's shown up in YouTube videos and on-stage performances and other situations, and there's no better place for the perverse cornball than Netflix. Well, at least here in the U.S., as the film has already had a theatrical run in the U.K. and elsewhere. There's something about this character that just wouldn't fit in on standard American broadcast networks; it's probably the way he...does everything he does.

David Brent will make his spectacular(ly messy) debut on Netflix on Friday, February 10, at 12:00 a.m. PT. To see everything else coming to the streaming service, head to our 2017 Netflix schedule, and then shoot over to our midseason premiere schedule to see what's popping up on all the other networks.

Co-founded by Robert De Niro to help rejuvenate Lower Manhattan in the wake of the September 11 attacks, the Tribeca Film Festival has always placed an emphasis on touching, personal and unique stories that come from across the length and breadth of the world.

It also gives major movie stars the opportunity to flex their creative muscles. Rather than the special effects, mainstream-aimed, and CGI-heavy blockbusters that most of them produce in Hollywood with major studios, their output at Tribeca consists of smaller, independent movies that are more character driven. The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival is no different. In fact, this year we have efforts from, to name but a few, Tom Hanks, Tom Hiddleston, Eddie Murphy, Michael Shannon, Kevin Spacey, and Ricky Gervais to contend with. What are the main highlights of the festival, though? Well, have a gander below to find out.

A Hologram For The King

The world needs a regular dose of Tom Hanks. Whether it’s just perusing his Twitter account to make yourself feel better, re-watching Big, or waiting eagerly for his latest release, everything feels better when Hanks is in your life. The Tribeca Film Festival has got your back in that regard, as it features a brand new film from Tom Hanks in the shape of A Hologram For The King.

Written and directed by Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run, Perfume: The Story Of A Murderer, The International, Cloud Atlas), it tells the tale of Tom Hanks’ Alan Clay, a desperate American salesman who travels to Saudi Arabia to secure an IT contract for a huge complex being built in the middle of a desert. Even though the first trailer was admittedly a little underwhelming, the presence of Tom Hanks means that A Hologram For The King immediately has something going for it.

Elvis & Nixon

Based upon one of the most famous images of all time, Elvis & Nixon, rather unsurprisingly, revolves around the morning of December 21, 1970, when Elvis Presley arrived at the White House and requested a meeting with President Richard Nixon. What did The King Of Rock And Roll want? To be sworn in as an undercover agent in the Bureau Of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.

But while the plot for this film is undoubtedly intriguing, the biggest appeal is getting to see two of the most talented actors of the last 20 years pitting their talents against each other as two iconic figures. Kevin Spacey has spent the last few years as Frank Underwood in House Of Cards, while Michael Shannon continually excels whenever he is on screen, be it in Midnight Special or even when he’s just playing a corpse in Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

For The Love Of Spock

It’s not just feature films that we should be excited about ahead of the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival. The documentary Ghostheads explores the extreme side of Ghostbusters fandom ahead of the reboot’s release, while For The Love Of Spock takes a look at the life and career of Leonard Nimoy and his iconic character Mr. Spock. Not only will it use interviews with various cast and crew members from Star Trek, but it will also include discussions with fans from conventions, and it's being narrated by Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the current incarnation of the franchise. For The Love Of Spock has also been directed by Nimoy’s son Adam. So expect it to be a tender and emotional cinematic journey.

High-Rise

With Kill List, Sightseers, and A Field In England, Ben Wheatley has created vivid and violent movies that are as striking as they are unique. They’re also concise and wonderfully pulpy, too, with the filmmaker always leaving the audience wanting more.

Audiences at Tribeca will be able to quench that thirst with High-Rise, which sees the director dipping his toe into mainstream waters. Not only is it based on the novel of the same name from J.G. Ballard, but its trailer suggests that High-Rise has been made with a bigger budget than Ben Wheatley has used before. Plus it has a fabulous array of mainstream actors including Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans, and Elisabeth Moss. Fingers crossed it still possess the same scintillating style of filmmaking that we’re used to from Ben Wheatley. Encouragingly, reviews from across Europe suggest that’s the case.

Special Correspondents

We’ve got quite a lot to look forward to from Ricky Gervais between now and the end of 2016. Not only is he returning to, arguably, his greatest comic creation David Brent with Life On The Road, but he’s also written and directed Special Correspondents. Based on the French comedy of the same name, Gervais and his co-star Eric Bana play two journalists who pretend that they’re reporting live from a war-torn country, even though they’re actually just in New York. Ricky Gervais has been able to get an all-star cast involved in the project, as it will also include Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, Kevin Pollak. Benjamin Bratt, America Ferrera, and Raul Castillo. But those of you who can’t get to Tribeca don’t need to fret, because Special Correspondents will debut on Netflix as early as April 29.

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

There’s a good chance that most of you already know about Taika Waititi thanks to his delightful 2014 comedy What We Do In The Shadows. If you don’t, then you soon will, because he’s co-written Disney’s Moana, due out later this year, and is also directing Thor: Ragnarok.

But he’s not gone all Hollywood just yet, because Taika Waititi’s latest film Hunt For The Wilderpeople is proudly Kiwi and is screening at Tribeca after premiering at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in January. It revolves around a recently bereaved uncle and his young foster nephew out in the wild trying to survive, while child services and a manhunt try to find them. It’s already broken box office records in New Zealand, and possesses an impressive cast that includes Flight Of The Conchords’ Rhys Darby and the legend that is Sam Neill.

The Man Who Knew Infinity

If you’re looking for some potential awards-season fodder, then Tribeca has that in droves, too. Based on Robert Kanigel’s book, The Man Who Knew Infinity tells the true story of Srinivasa Ramanujan, who grew up in India but during World War I, gained admittance to Cambridge University, where he became one of the most influential mathematicians in history thanks to his work with professor G.H. Hardy. Dev Patel and Jeremy Irons take the lead roles, and as it’s English, a period piece, and revolves around tortured geniuses, the film was obviously intended to be in contention come awards season. Unfortunately, after premiering at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, it failed to generate the buzz to make it a serious contender. But that doesn’t mean that it is isn’t any good. We shall see.

Mr. Church

Speaking of a cheeky awards contender, how about Eddie Murphy for Best Actor? Seriously! Mr. Church sees Eddie Murphy starring opposite Tomorrowland’s Britt Robertson, and it tells the story of the unlikely and unique friendship that develops after a dying woman hires a cook to care for her 11-year-old daughter.

Mr. Church is due to premiere at Tribeca Film Festival, so we’re not yet sure if Eddie Murphy’s performance is genuinely awards season fodder. However, the fact that Warner Bros. already is touting a release date of November 2016, suggests that they will be pushing Murphy for accolades. Stay tuned for our coverage of the film and the entire festival itself to see if it’s really worthy, though.

Nerdland

The debut of Nerdland’s trailer last month immediately got film fans excited about the adult animated comedy, which is led by the vocal talents of Paul Rudd and Patton Oswalt.

Written by Se7en’s Andrew Kevin Walker, Nerdland is set in Hollywood and revolves around Patton Oswalt and Paul Rudd’s aspiring screenwriter and actor, respectively, who decided that they have to become famous before their 30th birthdays. This provokes the pair to go to increasing extremes to reach their level of fame. It’s not just Paul Rudd and Patton Oswalt that will be bringing the funny in Nerdland, because Hannibal Buress, Mike Judge, and Molly Shannon as well as many others are providing vocals for the film, too. Director Chris Prynoski will be hoping it makes the same splash that fellow R-rated animated comedy Sausage Party did at SXSW just last month.

All We Had

Do you ever find yourself wondering just what happened to Katie Holmes? Well, thanks to the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival, now you have your answer. Because the Batman Begins actress’ debut outing as director, All We Had, is debuting at the event. Katie Holmes also stars as Rita Carmichael, the struggling mother to her young daughter Ruthie, played by Stefania Owens. The pair move to a new town to start afresh, but that starts to turn sour as they’re unable to find their footing because of the Great Recession. Based on Annie Weatherwax’s 2014 novel of the same name, All We Had is a proudly feminine coming of age tale, and it might help to remind the world of just how talented Katie Holmes is in front of the camera, while showcasing her burgeoning abilities behind it, too.

The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival runs from April 13 until Sunday, April 24. Check back to CinemaBlend during this time for updates of the best films from the festival.

Ricky Gervais’ stint at the 73rd Annual Golden Globes Awards was a whole lot tamer this time around. However, apparently people liked that well enough, as the big awards show managed a 5.5 demo rating and 18.511 million total viewers. That’s more people than watched him at the Golden Globes the last time around. However, when compared to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler’s stint hosting the Golden Globes last year, his numbers were down 5%. I blame letting Jonah Hill put on a bear hat.

Then again, Ricky Gervais had quite a bit of competition this time around. Over at Fox, the network had a Sunday football game featuring the the Green Bay Packers playing the Washington Redskins. There was some carryover when the game lasted later than expected, as tends to happen, and that could have adversely affected NBC’s Golden Globes numbers. A report from the network itself indicates that the numbers are overall down since the last time that Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes back in 2012. Translation: people are way more down with Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who quit the gig after their third try at bat in 2015.

The good news? This weekend’s Golden Globes actually did better in the coveted 18-49 demographic than the last time Ricky Gervais hosted back in 2012. The numbers were also up in total viewers compared to the last time Gervais hosted the show, so it seems as if people have warmed up to him a bit. Plus, this is actually a bit of a feat, as overall TV programs are down in total viewers and in demographic numbers as a lot of people have opted to cut the cord or watch programs later rather than live on the air. Did we mention Gervais is not as exciting as Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hosting the awards? Since his track record with viewers is not as great as the two funny ladies, it's kind of a feat his numbers weren't wildly down.

If you actually watched Ricky Gervais’ stint at the Golden Globes, he was actually a whole lot tamer this year, even though he managed to offend some people over a Caitlyn Jenner joke and managed to get bleeped out when he addressed Mel Gibson on the stage. Most of his jokes were tame-ish and timely, including poking fun at the Hollywood Foreign Press for bribe-taking rumors that have gone around in the past and for poking fun of the trope that women make less than men in Hollywood. (Bringing back in Fey and Poehler, he kidded that he made the same thing as the two women… combined.)

Of course, this piece is more of an evaluation of how he did in the ratings than how likable the man was as the host, although I'd argue that certainly plays into the ratings somewhat. We hope you liked it, as there’s a good chance Ricky Gervais will be back as the host of the Golden Globes again at some point. All jokes and commentary aside, how do you think he did this time around?

This poll is no longer available.

Ricky Gervais is a familiar face when it comes to the Golden Globes. He held the hosting gig for three years straight from 2010 – 2012, and while most viewers could agree that Gervais never failed to bring the laughs, he was known to push the envelope pretty far. On the whole, however, he has the perfect personality to host an awards ceremony like the Golden Globes, as he avoids coming off as too self-important. He had some great moments in his triumphant return to the hosting duties for 2016, but he wasn’t as edgy as in years past.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Ricky Gervais' opening monologue didn’t have quite as much bite behind the bark as we might have expected before, but honestly, even Gervais’ joke about what he does with the Golden Globe that he keeps next to his bed could have been much edgier. Back in 2010 or 2011, Ricky Gervais might have ended up referring to somebody else’s… orifice.

Gervais picking on The Martian as a contender for top comedy was inevitable, but when he continued to harp on the bizarre nomination it became--pretty harmlessly--hilarious. Some of his best material came from the asides that were clearly not written for him on the teleprompter, and he brought more laughs than gasps with most of his comments early on. A personal favorite of mine was when he referred to Matt Damon as the only person to whom Ben Affleck has always been faithful, and it wouldn't have been a 2016 awards ceremony without a burn about Donald Trump.

Of course, Ricky Gervais starting off relatively lightly didn’t stop him from keeping the person responsible for the bleep button at NBC on his or her toes tonight. Some of Gervais’ most controversial comments from his first three turns as host featured Mel Gibson, so it was no surprise that Gervais’ introduction of Gibson didn’t quite make it to the airwaves uncensored. NBC did manage to bleep out Gervais’ parting shot, but eagle-eyed viewers were able to catch what he said:

A fine question, Mr. Gervais. A fine question.

Ricky Gervais may have had the editors breaking out the bleep button, but there were surprisingly few lapses in audio during any of his bits. Considering the concern about his return to hosting duties as well as his assurances in his opening monologue that he was planning on being nice, he just didn’t bring as much edge as we might have expected. He was still funny, but he wasn’t quite as memorable as he might have been.

For a refresher on how Gervais kicked off the festivities, take a look back at his opening monologue:

So, now that all the results are in, what do you think? Should Ricky Gervais have gone edgier for the 2016 Golden Globe Awards? Let us know!

This poll is no longer available.

Ricky Gervais was back to host the 2016 Golden Globes, and he certainly did not take the easy way out. The raunchy comedian went right after numerous people in the room, and even took it to presenters immediately before they came out on stage. Just ask Mel Gibson. He slammed the beloved actor for all of his personal life issues over the past few years, to the point where Mel Gibson actually decided to fire back. He jokingly told the audience he likes seeing Ricky once ever three years so he remembers to “get a colonoscopy”. It was a funny moment and one that inspired the host to return to the stage and ask the actor a question that was bleeped out.

So, what the hell did he say? Well, thanks to Los Angeles Times writer Amy Kaufman, we actually know.

If you’re wondering where the hell “sugar tits” is coming from, you probably weren’t paying attention back in 2006. That’s when Mel Gibson allegedly used the strange phrase in a confrontation with a female police officer after he was pulled over for allegedly driving under the influence. It led to a whole lot of jokes from late night hosts, and it certainly didn’t help his career.

Thankfully, Hollywood is always willing to forgive those who have talent, especially when they’re willing to have a laugh at themselves. Mel Gibson did a great job of doing that tonight, as you can see in the footage from the incident below...

Tonight, Ricky Gervais is going to return to the stage as the host of the 2016 Golden Globes. While a lot of the audience may be glued to the screen wondering what the sometimes-controversial host will say or do next, the Golden Globes is ultimately still about the game changers on television over the past year. From newcomer dramas like Mr. Robot, Narcos and Outlander to older standbys like Ray Donovan and House of Cards a lot of different types of dramas are being crafted for different audiences on cable, streaming services and network TV these days. In addition, comedies from Transparent to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend have begun to stand out from the pack, as well. We’ll find out which of these series will earn wins starting at 8 p.m. EST/ 7 Central this evening on NBC. Here at CinemaBlend we’ll be updating the winners live, so you can always check out the list here, as well.

Winners are updated in red. Additionally, the movie categories can be viewed here.

Best TV Series, Drama

Empire, Fox

Game of Thrones, HBO

Mr. Robot, USA

Outlander, Starz

Narcos, Netflix

Best Actress In A TV Series, Drama

Caitriona Balfe, Outlander

Viola Davis, How To Get Away With Murder

Eva Green, Penny Dreadful

Taraji P. Henson, Empire

Robin Wright, House of Cards

Best Actor In A TV Series, Drama

Jon Hamm, Mad Men

Rami Malek, Mr. Robot

Wagner Moura, Narcos

Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul

Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan

Best TV Series, Musical Or Comedy

Casual, Hulu

Mozart in the Jungle, Amazon

Orange Is The New Black, Netflix

Silicon Valley, HBO

Transparent, Amazon

Veep, HBO

Best Actress In A Musical Or Comedy Series

Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens

Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin

Lily Tomlin, Grace & Frankie

Best Actor In A TV Series, Musical Or Comedy

Aziz Anzari, Master of None

Gael García Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle

Rob Lowe, The Grinder

Patrick Stewart, Blunt Talk

Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Best Limited Series, Mini-series or TV Movie

American Crime, ABC

American Horror Story: Hotel, FX

Fargo, FX

Flesh & Bone, Starz

Wolf Hall, BBC

Best Actor In A Series, Miniseries Or Limited Series Made For Television

Idris Elba, Luther

Oscar Isaac, Show Me a Hero

David Oyelowo, Nightingale

Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall

Patrick Wilson, Fargo

Best Actress In A Series, Miniseries Or Limited Series Made For Television

Kirsten Dunst, Fargo

Lady Gaga, American Horror Story: Hotel

Sarah Hay, Flesh & Bone

Felicity Huffman, American Crime

Queen Latifah, Bessie

Best Supporting Actress In A TV Series, Limited Series Or TV Movie

Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black

Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey

Regina King, American Crime

Judith Light, Transparent

Maura Tierney, The Affair

Best Supporting Actor In A TV Series, Limited Series or TV Movie

Alan Cumming, The Good Wife

Damien Lewis, Wolf Hall

Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline

Tobias Menzies, Outlander

Christian Slater, Mr. Robot

For what's coming after NBC's Golden Globes, you can check out what else is coming up at midseason with our winter TV premiere calendar.

Photo courtesy of NBC.

When Ricky Gervais hosted the Golden Globes for three years in a row from 2010-2012, some viewed his hosting stints as mean-spirited and over-the-top. Just a few short years later Gervais is taking on the role once more, but while he’s confident enough to host the awards ceremony again, he seems genuinely befuddled when asked about the controversy related to his past stints. In a recent interview, Ricky Gervais explained what he thinks about the Golden Globes backlash. Here’s what he had to say:

While Ricky Gervais didn’t necessarily bother a ton of people at home, he wasn’t afraid to take big shots at a-list celebrities, including poking fun at Mel Gibson’s ability to drink and Angelina Jolie’s penchant for adopting children from third world countries. Nothing was off-limits. Robert Downey’s Jr’s prison stint was brought up. Scientology was bashed. But as Gervais told THR this week, it was all for the sake of comedy.

While his stints as host were controversial at the time, in the years since Gervais has handled the event with the proper level of cheek, capably making fun of himself and more. In the years following his initial hosting stint, he even had a running thing with other hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. Last year Ricky Gervais was set to present, and while drinking onstage, the comedian said the ceremony was going well, before stating, “Let’s not ruin it.” Here’s the hilarious bit from last year’s awards.

Fey and Poehler have now stepped down as Golden Globes hosts and about a month ago, we learned the committee who hires on the hosts decided now would be a good time to bring Ricky Gervais back on again. While the comedian hasn’t been quite as prominent in recent years, his Netflix series Derek did just hit Blu-ray and DVD in its entirety in the U.K. Plus, Gervais has The Office follow-up movie Life On The Road in the works and another Netflix movie moving forward.

Whether he returns to his mean-spirited roots or simply does Ricky Gervais light, I think we’ll all be on the edge of our seats to see what the comedian will pull out again. The Golden Globes air this Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.

If you’re looking for someone to host an entertainment awards ceremony that doesn’t have quite the prestige as the Oscars or the Emmys, then it helps to have someone known for a sharp wit and a lack of Hollywood pretentiousness. And so it makes complete sense to anyone paying attention that next year’s Golden Globes will once again be hosted by the snark-driven comedian and filmmaker Ricky Gervais. If someone wants to pull an acoustic guitar out from under a nearby desk and sing a song about it, I’d be okay with that.

An event that’s known for being populated with alcohol-juiced celebrities, the Golden Globes went without a host for many decades before giving John Larroquette and Janine Turner the gig in 1995. Viewers had to wait another 13 years before getting another host, and that’s when Gervais was first brought to the stage. He ended up hosting it for the next two years before passing the baton to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, the duo that hosted the show for the past three years. So if you can say anything about the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, it’s that they’re loyal.

Here’s what the HFPA president Lorenzo Soria had to say about it.

While it’s not a very realistic image, I like to think about people perched on their sofas and biting their nails waiting to see what Gervais has to say about True Detective Season 2.

Gervais predictably had his sense of humor at the ready after the announcement was made. Here’s what he had to say on his Twitter page:

Gervais, whose Netflix series Derek just hit Blu-ray/DVD in its entirety in the U.K., was a big draw to the Golden Globes during the years he hosted. For each of the ceremonies form 2010-2012, the awards averaged a 5.2 rating for the 18-49 demographic and around 17 million total viewers, which was an increase over the previous years. We’ll have to wait and see how many people return this go-around.

Expect all the snubs and surprises imaginable when the 73rd annual Golden Globes will air on NBC on January 10, 2016. Hopefully it’ll be enough to tide us over until the David Brent feature Life on the Road is released next August.

Ricky Gervais has had his fair share of funny characters over the years. From the iconic David Brent of BBC’s The Office to his latest title character of Netflix’s Derek, there’s always a certain quality to his characters that get us falling to the floor in laughter. And now, Gervais has opened up about just what it means to be a funny character, and to him, it’s all about making the ordinary extraordinary.

The Hollywood Reporter hosted Gervais in a comedy roundtable along fellow comedians Thomas Middleditch (Silicon Valley), Will Forte (Last Man On Earth), Fred Armisen (Portlandia), Jordan Peele (Key & Peele) and Don Cheadle (House of Lies)--basically the majority of the funny dudes on TV right now. And Gervais began to open up on his own influences writing comedy and how he creates funny characters. He explained:

Gervais’ characters often combine those two characteristics seamlessly—arrogance and stupidity. They are qualities that are often paired in real life as well, which probably makes for an even funnier portrayal. When it comes to Gervais’ character in The Office those characteristics are undoubtedly explored. But with a character like his titular role in Derek it’s a different type of funny. Gervais explains:

The two are incredibly different characters, but Gervais still keeps you laughing, and there are certain qualities that resonate between the two. For instance David Brent may be more arrogant than Derek, but the two tend to do similarly stupid things. Oh and another hilarious quality they share? They can both be painfully awkward sometimes, particularly when they are trying to impress someone. And who can’t help but laugh at awkward tension.

You can catch part of Gervais’ discussion on THR, but the full roundtable including the other funny man celebs can be seen on Close Up With The Hollywood Reporter premiering Sunday, Aug. 23 at 11 a.m ET/PT on Sundance TV and HollywoodReporter.com.

Once again, Ricky Gervais is teaming up with Netflix, for a movie this time instead of an episodic offering, like his last outing, the comedy Derek. This project with the streaming service giant is titled Special Correspondents, and the comedy has put together an incredible cast, which just unveiled its first cast photo.

A satirical comedy about a struggling radio journalist from New York who lives a spoiled, over-the-top lifestyle and may lose his job, the story follows him as he fakes a reports from the front lines while hiding out a Manhattan eatery. Joining Gervais are Eric Bana, who plays the aforementioned journalist, Vera Farmiga, Kelly Macdonald, Kevin Pollack, America Ferrara, Raul Castillo, and Benjamin Bratt.

In addition to his on screen acting duties, Gervais also wrote and is directing Special Correspondents for Netflix. The picture is currently filming in Toronto, where they have been in the process of principal photography since last month, and production is slated to wrap up in New York City next month, concluding on July 3. This is an impressive array of talent, and only goes further towards cementing Netflix’s status as an outlet producing interesting, original content that attracts top tier actors.

Eric Bana recently fronted the horror joint Deliver Us From Evil, as well as Peter Berg’s Navy SEALs actioner Lone Survivor, but played the Romulan villain in Star Trek and has even been the Incredible Hulk. Vera Farmiga garnered an Oscar nomination for her role opposite George Clooney in Jason Reitman’s Up in the Air, and has appeared in everything from The Conjuring to The Departed, and currently stars in A&E’s Bates Motel. Kelly Macdonald’s highest profile recent role was on HBO’s prohibition era gangster drama Boardwalk Empire, where she played the female lead, Margaret Schroeder, opposite Steve Buscemi. But if you’re of a certain generation, you first saw her in Trainspotting.

Beginning as a standup comedian, Kevin Pollack has won awards and acclaim for his varied roles in movies like The Usual Suspects, Casino, and many more. America Ferrara first came to prominence as the star of Ugly Betty, but has appeared in tons of other films and TV projects, and even lent her voice to the How To Train Your Dragon movies. The Texas-born Raul Castillo has an extensive resume, but is most known for his role as Richie on HBO’s comedic drama Looking. And Benjamin Bratt is, of course, an industry vet who has popped up in everything from Law & Order to 24 and Modern Family. Hell, he even dated Julia Roberts.

Special Correspondents is deep into production as we speak and is scheduled to debut on Netflix sometime in 2016. And if this cast is any indication, this is probably going to be something rather memorable to behold.

Ricky Gervais has taken a lot of potshots over the years from just about everyone because of his sadistically jovial and unabashedly straightforward manner. Some people just don’t know to have a laugh. On the lighter end of the comedian’s roasting spectrum are Golden Globe co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, who have poked fun at Gervais for his own hosting stint. But rather than sit back and take it with a smile and a high-pitched chortle, the U.K. star will possibly use this year’s ceremony to take it right back to them.

At the recent world premiere of Shawn Levy’s Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Ricky Gervais told Variety that he’s got a plan going into this year’s telecast: sassing back. Here’s how he put it.

Gervais, who won a Globe for his U.K. series The Office and is nominated this year for Derek, has hosted the awards show three times. And each time, he managed to kick up some dust from those who felt his jokes were a bit too pointed. They say don’t dish out what you can’t take, and Gervais is perfectly willing to take whatever Fey and Poheler have cooked up.

He continued, presumably standing in a ridiculously cartoonish boxing pose.

I’m not quite certain whether Gervais would actually do something like take over the venue’s sound system. It’s certainly within his power to set something like that up, and he’s just the kind of jester to do it. Everything’s a bit these days, so let’s just say I won’t be surprised if his booming voice is heard calling them wankers.

Here are Fey and Pohler at the 2013 awards, and it doesn’t take long for their monologue to knock Gervais down a peg. (All in good fun, of course.)

Gervais also took a second to say that the Sony hack doesn’t scare him, and that if people want to hear what he honestly thinks, he’ll just tell them. Karl Pilkington can attest to this.

Watch all the back-and-forth ribbing you can handle when the 72nd Annual Golden Globe Awards air on Sunday, January 11 on NBC.

Ricky Gervais is resurrecting his most iconic creation, the dunderheaded David Brent of the U.K.'s The Office. In his soon-to-shoot feature Life on the Road, Gervais will set the spin-off apart from its source material by leaving the office life behind and diving headlong into Brent's not-so-secret ambition: being a rock star.

THR reports Ricky Gervais has completed the songwriting demanded of Life on the Road, which follows David Brent on the road on a rock 'n roll tour through England. Of course, as this is a comedy written and directed by Gervais, it will be bittersweet. Brent has not become the shining star of Britain's music scene. He's still an oblivious goofball with delusions of grandeur. So this tour is self-funded, his earnest but ill-advised attempt to really make a go of his aspirations of fame and fortune.

Like The Office, Life on the Road will be shot in a mockumentary style that wordlessly follows Brent about his business. Picking up 15 years after The Office anti-hero was canned from Wernham Hogg, the film has Brent working a day job as a cleaning products salesman, a plot line he's been building since March of 2013 when he released the Youtube video seen below:

In the vid, David Brent is still desperate for approval and friendship, and awkward in his attempts to garner both. Years may have passed, but some things never change.

As for Ricky Gervais, he has been emphasizing that this is not The Office movie. Which suggests there will be little room for appearances by his old cast mates, like Martin Freeman, Mackenzie Cook, and Lucy Davis. But as a cast list has not yet been announced, it's not totally out of the question either.

Plus, he promises "all new tracks" for Life on the Road, meaning (sadly) no reprise of Brent's reggae song "Equality Street." But let us never forget the song's lesson: "let in love, don't let in hate. No."

While "Equality Street" is a sharp satire of superficial social issues anthems, it's not my favorite Gervais song. That honor I bestow to Gervais's trip to Sesame Street when he sang to/tormented Elmo, and Elmo threw some serious shade. ("Is Mr. Ricky Gervais a celebrity?")

Life on the Road will roll into production in 2015, after Ricky Gervais has wrapped on his Netflix series Derek.

David Brent will return! Again! Ricky Gervais is bringing his beloved, oblivious The Office character to the big screen, courtesy of BBC Films. The film will be titled Life on the Road and it's expected to start filming in the U.K. in 2015.

Digital Spy states that this news was confirmed in a press release, noting that the movie will reveal what's going on with the former Wernham Hogg manager in the years following his dismissal. Pause for a dance gif...

Fifteen years later, David Brent is on a self-funded U.K. tour, and his life is once again being filmed. It'll be set up as a "where are they now" documentary, which follows Brent's efforts to fund his recording sessions, as ticket sales for his band aren't cutting it.

In the present day, David Brent is a sales rep now, "selling cleaning products up and down the country, but has never really given up his dream of being a rock star."

That premise lines up with the update we received on the character last year, when Ricky Gervais brought Brent back for a ten-minute YouTube video, which showed him peddling his cleaning products and working alongside a young musician who was somehow convinced that Brent could help him get his career off the ground.

Gervais followed the above video up with some David Brent video guitar lessons, for those in search of more musical wisdom from the salesman. Prior to that, the character briefly dropped in at Dunder Mifflin for a run-in with Michael Scott in The Office. So this film won't be the first we've seen of David Brent since the original Office series ended, but it'll certainly be the biggest comeback for the character to date.

Gervais has already made it clear that this is not an Office movie:

Ricky Gervais starred as David Brent in the original Office series, which aired in the UK from 2001-2003 and was later adapted for the NBC series starring Steve Carell.

Watch the music video for David Brent and Johnson performing "Equality Street" after the jump...

Ricky Gervais paid a visit to The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Naturally, words were exchanged and funny occurred. And not just the usual funny words one might expect from comedic-minded people like Ricky Gervais and Jimmy Fallon. The two engaged in an actual word game during Gervais' interview. The "Word Sneak" segment requires each participant to try to casually work in specific words and phrases into the conversation. Viewers are let in on the joke as the screen shows us what words Gervais and Fallon are supposed to be saying.

How do you work words like "mullet" and "fanny pack" and "Shaquille O'Neal" into a conversation? Fallon and Gervais will find a way, even if it means referring to Shaquille O'Neal as an Irish bar. Or making Richard Gere conversation during the lead up into the use of gerbil. We'll refer you to Snopes for that debunked urban legend.

In addition to playing "Word Sneak" with Jimmy Fallon, Ricky Gervais also sat for an interview, during which he discusses bringing The Office's lead character David Brent back in a way that was more tragic than the original Office...

I think I may have actually missed some of the humor in the Sky Mall conversation. Of course, Sky Mall's random items and high prices are cause for laughs, but is it wrong that I really feel like I need to have that zombie garden statue?

Not that I immediately googled it after watching the above video to see how I could get one. But for $99.95, I'd be too worried about it being stolen because it's so awesome. Regardless, the zombie statue is a prime reason why I never open the Sky Mall catalog on an airplane.

Ricky Gervais' appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon comes less than a week after the second season of his comedy series Derek made its Netflix debut. The full second season of Derek is now available streaming on Netflix. As for Gervais' other projects, in addition to Derek, he's also expected to reprise his role as Dr. McPhee in Night at the Museum 3.

Sometimes an actor makes a decision that suggests the writing is on the wall. Signing onto a new film is usually a telling sign about the movie they’ve just made, particularly if it’s high-profile. How else to explain Harrison Ford joining the cast of The Expendables 3 just days before the release of box office bomb Paranoia? And how else to explain how Ben Stiller apparently noted the quality of The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty before opting to tackle Night At The Museum 3, a movie that no human being ever requested? Granted, that second film did make $413 million worldwide, but five years later, was anyone asking for a trilogy? And does this mean Stiller knew that Walter Mitty would be tracking as poorly as it is? Does Ben Stiller have mind powers? Is he a Scanner?

Ignoring the fact that these movies are difficult to sit through, they often to have surprisingly great casts. The second film boasted Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Steve Coogan, Christopher Guest, Bill Hader, Jay Baruchel, Craig Robinson, Mindy Kaling, Jonah Hill and Ed Helms, because movies like this are how someone pays the bills on their Malibu mansion. The second picture also featured Ricky Gervais in a small role, and fortunately for those continuity nuts, he's back playing Dr. McPhee, the boss to Stiller’s frazzled security guard character Larry Daley.

Gervais is something of a lightning rod ever since he finished the British run of the original The Office. Follow-up Extras was well-received, and he rightfully earned plaudits for his intentionally-obnoxious hosting of the Golden Globes, of which he did twice. But his recent Netflix series Derek found him playing a developmentally disabled man working at a nursing home, and despite being some sort of "gentle comedy" it still reminded many of Stiller’s Simple Jack from Tropic Thunder.

Gervais hasn’t had much of a film career, and his big shots at stardom The Invention Of Lying and Ghost Town, were largely ignored. While his accomplishments are many, in America he’s teetering towards "famous for being famous" territory, particularly with an appearance in the upcoming Muppets Most Wanted. Deadline also reports that he’s developing his children’s book Flanimals for a feature film with Illumination Entertainment, who just made roughly a billion dollars on Despicable Me 2. In case you’re getting that these super-edgy comedians actually make the bulk of their money playing to children’s audiences with stuff like Flanimals and Night At The Museum, congratulations, get yourself a cookie. A Pecan Sandy, specifically.

Night At The Museum 3 is set to be released Christmas Day 2014, and has a script by Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant and David Guion and Michael Handelman, and all those "ands" are intentional, because you never know with these WGA rules. Robin Williams is also scheduled to return to the series, so this Christmas, if you’re too much of a jerk parent to take your kids to an actual museum, you can sit them down for Night At The Museum 3 and pass out while some of the world’s greatest comedians act out material that is completely beneath them.

Whether or not you're going to like The Muppets Most Wanted is decided in the first seconds of this new teaser trailer, which debuted at Disney's website. If Animal screaming "sequel!" makes you laugh, you are going to look forward to this movie. If not, well, what were you doing in your childhood, anyway?

A follow-up to 2011's successful franchise revival The Muppets, the sequel The Muppets Most Wanted (formerly The Muppets…Again! completely shuffles its human cast, doing away with Jason Segel and Amy Adams and instead bringing in Ricky Gervais, Tina Fey and Ty Burrell-- three small-screen stars pretty appropriate to pair up with TV veterans like The Muppets. The action heads over to Europe this time, with the career-revived Muppets on a sold out tour across the continent, in cities like Berlin, Madrid and London. Things get complicated, though, when a jewel thief known as Constantine gets mixed up with the Muppets thanks to his uncanny resemblance to Kermit. You can check out a new image of Constantine, in the middle of what looks like a Busby Berkeley dance number, below. How does he get all the other Muppets involved? Is he posing as Kermit at this point? Your guess is as good as mine.

Gervais plays Constantine's assistant Dominic, Fey is a Russian prison guard (hey, why not?) and Modern Family's Burrell slaps on a French accent to play Jean Pierre Napoleon, the Interpol agent trying to hunt Constantine down. This teaser doesn't reveal a whole lot of the plot beyond that basic plot synopsis-- I'm hoping Scooter singing "Moves Like Jagger" isn't' even part of the movie at all, personally-- but the plot isn't exactly what a Muppets movie is going to be sold on. With Oscar-winner Bret McKenzie back to write more original songs, The Muppets Most Wanted has the chance to bring more goofy, vaudeville-style entertainment back to the big screen-- and maybe without some of the growing pains that the other recent movie went through on its way to putting the Muppets back in the spotlight.

For everything you need to know about The Muppets Most Wanted, click here. The movie opens March 21 next year.

David Brent is back! Again! Ricky Gervais' beloved Office character is now offering guitar lessons to his fans. The video above popped up on Ricky Gervais' YouTube channel. Like Michael Scott, Brent is actually musically talented. But also like Michael Scott, he often doesn't know what he's talking about. What Brent lacks in actual wisdom, he makes up for in unintentional humor, and that's always what's worked so well for Gervais' character.

This isn't the first time David Brent's resurfaced this year. Gervais brought the character back a couple of months ago for Comic Relief. The 10-minute video caught us up on the character, since his departure from Wernham Hogg Paper Company. The character has been peddling cleaning supplies and trying to fund some guys music career, offering bad advice and getting in the way of his client's progress in the process. Making online music lesson videos seems like the natural next step for the character. And it looks like there's more of that to come. The "Ooh La La" video promises another video to come on Monday, June 17. So we have that to look forward to. Be sure to subscribe to Gervais' YouTube Channel to keep up to date on David Brent's videos.

Does anyone else still have the chorus to "Ooh La La" running through their heads?

Maybe it's just me. We'll leave you with this nugget of wisdom to chew on: "Dreams. Dreams are real, aren't they? Dreams are realer than reality, in a way. Because reality changes. Dreams do as well, but…"

Ricky Gervais' Derek offered fans a pilot over a year ago. Subsequently, a series was put together, which stars Gervais, Kerry Godliman, Karl Pilkington, and David Earl. In the U.K., Season 1 aired this past winter and the show was later renewed for a second season on Channel 4. This is great news for fans of Gervais stateside, who will be getting Derek via Netflix in the fall.

We’ve known for a while that Derek would head to Netflix after airing in the U.K.; however, we didn’t know when the move to Netflix would be happening. On Tuesday, it was announced that all seven episodes of Derek are set to hit Netflix on September 12. The date and time is extremely precise. Derek will hit the subscription streaming service at 12:01 a.m. PST on that day. Plus, according to Deadline, U.S. fans won’t be the only ones privy to the series. Other Netflix territories, including Canada, Ireland, Latin America, Brazil, and the Nordics will also be able to watch the first season of Derek, beginning on September 12.

Derek is an impressive effort, as Gervais plays the lead role in the comedy, as well as produces, directs, and writes the series, which follows a nursing home attendant named Derek, his two best friends, and a potential love interest named Hannah. The majority of the mockumentary takes place in the nursing home and follows the lives of the characters and random events that occur from day to day. You can catch a preview of the series or check out some outtakes, below.

Some might argue that comparing art is a fruitless exercise. They'd probably be right. Pitting one work against the other in some kind of quality competition certainly goes against the spirit of any true artistic endeavor. But sitcoms aren't really art and nobody likes fruit. Obviously, I'm kidding. Fruit is healthy as well as delicious. And sitcoms can occasionally be Art with a capital 'A.' Now, with that pretentious bit of rationalizing out of the way, what version of The Office is better? U.K. or U.S.?

Is there a correct answer? Again, probably not. But that's not going to stop me from trying to argue one. And, after a look deep inside myself not to mention a look back through both Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant's original and Greg Daniels' remake (thanks, Netflix), I'd have to go with the U.S. version of The Office.. It pretty much boils down to one reason, there's just more of it to love. Yes. I'm taking the stance that the British model of limited 'series' (seasons for us) per show, which in turn contain fewer episodes, may provide a better batting average but at the end of the day two hundred and one trumps twelve and one.

Why else would we get upset when our favorite shows get cancelled after one, two or three seasons? Don't leave us wanting more, give us what we want! Besides, even the batting average assertion is up for debate because, if one incarnation was so superior to the other, I wouldn't even be having this one-sided conversation in the first place. If you combined the two and made a list of the best installments, would the British rank 1 to 13 with the American 201 bringing up the rear? I don't think so. There's a long list of great episodes in the remake, easily three to four times as many as the original and that's assuming that every one of the Gervais' is above criticism.

I'll even go out on that limb and say that The American's lighter tone doesn't just make it more 'accessible' (it still has it's own edge) but also ultimately the funnier and more impressive of the two. Comedy out of positivity is hard. And it's not just that Daniels’ adaptation is easier to watch, but that the laughs are not entirely born out of exploiting the awkward or the taboo. Entirely might be unfair since there's some sweetness in the British series (Tim and Dawn), however, I can say that "The Christmas Special" was one of the most depressing comedies I have ever watched. David Brent (Gervais) gets his happy ending but only after being put through the wringer for over an hour. Or more accurately, seven.

Despite having the same setting, adapted story-lines and similar characters, The Offices are two very different series tonally. There's still a significant amount of humor coming from uncomfortable situations on the American show, however, there are as many or more hilarious moments that are also sweet, sincere and fun. It's no surprise that the heir apparent to, well, both, Parks and Recreation - which might be the best sitcom on network TV - comes from the same people, namely Daniels and Michael Schur aka Mose Schrute, who worked on making the U.S. version special for so many years.

Too many? Perhaps. But the longevity, as I've been saying, is what has also allowed The Office to grow bigger and better than the original. Not all the episodes are great. The show surely overstayed its welcome, but thankfully no where close to Simpsons levels and there were always great episodes right up until this final year. Season 9 produced a few installments on par with Seasons 2 through 5 as well as adding an interesting twist on mockumentary by bringing the 'crew' into the story. And isn't it a lot harder to craft a couple hundred funny stories than a baker's dozen? Especially since sitcoms aren't meant to be watched once (syndication, DVDs or streaming), it's a big bonus to have a huge catalogue to play and replay. 201 > 13.

The most obvious benefit of the longer engagement, as well as the most compelling reason why the adaptation is better than the original, is the extra time to develop the supporting cast and their stories. It's difficult to create that many fleshed out characters in only 13 episodes. Even if you think Brent was better than Michael Scott (Steve Carrell) - he's not, largely because of Carell's performance - or choose Tim and Dawn over Jim and Pam - really tough call - or prefer Gareth to Dwight - the former may have an edge - there's no comparison when it comes to the rest of The Office.

There are a lot of laughs from the likes of Angela, Kelly, Oscar, Kevin, Creed, Ryan, Meredith, Phyllis, Stanley and Darryl. And Andy, Erin and Gabe. Oh, and I guess, Toby. Not to mention the many underused characters or long list of great guest stars along the way. I mean, Angela and Dwight's relationship alone makes a convincing case to choose the American version over the British. Again. Not that you should have to choose. But in a desert island scenario, which version are you taking?

This poll is no longer available.

The Office special two-hour series finale airs Thursday at 8:00 p.m. ET on NBC. It starts with an hour long retrospective before the show wraps with Episode(s) 200/201, "Finale."

It’s a great time to be a Muppets fan. Not that it ever wasn’t, but Jason Segel, Nick Stoller and James Bobin have modernized and revitalized a brand that was stuck in the world of TV specials that lacked the heart or humor featured in the projects of the past. Now, however, the lovable characters are back for the long haul, and in the upcoming The Muppets…Again! they'll be working with human Muppets Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell and Tina Fey - meaning the long haul will likely be filled with uncomfortable humor. As seen in our first behind-the-scenes look.

Gervais is no stranger to creating supplemental material for the projects he’s working on, so it’s no surprise that a behind-the-scenes video of the star and Pepe the King Prawn has already popped up online. But this isn’t all fun and games like we’re used to seeing from the cheeky Brit; it’s a rather serious piece that delves into the rift of deep-seated differences between humans and Muppets. While it doesn’t offer a solution, it holds a mirror up and lets us figure out a solution for ourselves. Keep a handkerchief at hand for the below clip.

Or maybe I was reading too much into it. It’s exactly the kind of moment one would expect from Gervais, either as himself or playing a character based on himself: the perfect balance between blasé and standoffish. There’s something wonderful about the use of Pepe instead of one of the more marquee Muppets, but I’m still holding out hope for a musical duet between Gervais and Dr. Teeth.

As a bonus, Gervais also recently did an audio interview with Christian O’Connell at Absolute Radio (via Bleeding Cool), and during the course of conversation spoke highly of Pepe, calling him a “brilliant bloke” and saying they have a “special bond” together. “I said to him, I went, ‘Are you a prawn?’ He went, ‘King prawn,’” Gervais jokes. “I said ‘What’s the difference between a prawn and a shrimp,’ and he says, ‘It’s all about the size, baby.’”

The Muppets…Again! is filming now and will be released on March 21, 2014.

If “self-deprecating comedy” were a brand, the face of Ricky Gervais would be pasted all over it. Despite his fairly dismal ventures into filmmaking, Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s The Office and Extras are easily two of the funniest sitcoms to ever exist, and I’m fine with my favoritism showing. But when it comes to Life’s Too Short, the comedy just doesn’t measure up, because we’ve seen this already.

For this faux documentary, Warwick Davis stars as a delightfully pathetic version of himself as both a struggling actor as well as a disappointing talent agent for little people. His life is essentially one big billboard of his former successes, even if no one seems to know anything about Willow, nor be able to distinguish his Ewok character from a teddy bear. His wife Sue (Jo Enright) is divorcing him and dating her legal counsel. He forces himself to rely on Ricky and Steve, also playing themselves, in both a professional and a friendly manner, due to his not having a regular job or regular friends or anything. He hires a daft assistant Cheryl (Rosamund Hanson), who fits the bill for worst employee ever. And when he’s not lying about a wonderful lovelife, he’s ruining his real one, which includes a brief relationship with fellow dwarf Amy (Kiruna Stamell).

It’d be one thing if Davis’ life was held under a microscope of realism, but the prominence of movie stars and entertainment talk just make it feel like an Extras rip off, right down to the actual over-the-top celebrity cameos. Liam Neeson wants to break into comedy, but can’t convincingly pull off improvisation to save his life (from AIDS, as this hilarious little scene shows us). Johnny Depp uses Davis as research for a part, but it deflates once Depp and Gervais get into a manly cat fight over jokes made at the Golden Globes. Davis spends too much money at a charity auction trying to impress Sting, who is eager to make him regret it. Other celebs include Right Said Fred, Shaun Williamson, Lee Dennis and a computer screen cameo from Steve Carrell. Cat Neeley plays Davis’ hired date, and Helena Bonham Carter also appears, acting in a movie that Davis cons his way onto.

When removed from the context of Ricky Gervais’ career, it really is an amusing show, somehow grounded by the large performances of Warwick Davis, who remains likeable even as his character – sometimes dressed as an Ewod - unwittingly damages the lives of those around him, especially those with his intentions at heart. And everyone else plays a fair game, Stamell in particular. But beyond a humor sensibility skewed towards dwarf jokes, not a single thing about the show is fresh or original. Even seeing Merchant behind a desk while Williamson runs errands is taken directly from Extras, with barely any effort to hide it. I’d like to watch the after-effects of Davis’ attempts at a love life without knowing that it’ll all be ruined by his pompous asinine behavior. It’s like watching Moe, Larry and Curly walking into a pie-eating contest. It’s still funny, but with very little surprise pulling out extra laughs.

At only seven episodes, though, the non-freshness doesn’t ever get old or stale, like watching a better show’s reruns. I can say one joke, or rather a piece of set design, was my single favorite thing about the show. At one point, Davis moves into a different apartment, and after a quick mishap with a peephole, he has to install a small stairway up the back of the door to allow him to see through the hole, and it brought me instant smiles anytime someone knocked on the door, and I awaited his quick climb before yelling, “Push!” to the person on the other side. It’s inspired humor, regardless of its political correctness.

Perhaps because the episodes feel so familiar to begin with, they actually all have high re-watch value, so this DVD set is well worth the purchase. “The Making of Life’s Too Short is nearly a half-hour of Gervais, Merchant, and Davis waxing goofy, spiced up with outtakes from Liam Neeson and Sting denying his interest in appearing on the show with a rousing “fuck off.” Davis’ slapstick talents are showcased, as are his abilities to get into incredibly cramped situations.

The ten minutes of deleted scenes and the outtakes are par for the Ricky Gervais DVD course. They’re all worth watching, and they both feature Gervais looking slightly uncomfortable to be himself. Davis and Cheryl’s sci-fi convention time is slightly depressing to watch, both for Davis and for the couple he publically shames. The outtakes contain a hunk of Neeson/Gervais crack-ups as well as a great moment where Davis has the shit scared out of him by a hand through a dog door. Finally, there is a behind-the-scenes section, full of shorter impulsive bits devoted to Davis, Cheryl, and the multitude of episodic events, like the sci-fi con and the auction among others.

There are plenty of other comedies out there, even on HBO, that might be worth your time more than this, but life's too short to leave Davis out of your life entirely. I promise the show’s funnier than that terrible line was.

Rating:

Length: 205 mins.

Distributor: HBO Home Video

Release Date: 01/15/2013

Starring: Warwick Davis, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant

Directed by: Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant

Created by: Ricky Gervais, Warwick Davis, Stephen Merchant,

Last spring, the pilot episode for Ricky Gervais’ somewhat controversial new comedy series, Derek, aired in the UK on Channel 4. Subsequently, the series was picked up to air in 2013 and now, Gervais himself has kindly tweeted out the first trailer for the series.

The first trailer for Derek introduces us to the titular character himself, a nursing home attendant with the best of intentions but perhaps not the best brain. His two close friends, Dougie and Kev, also appear onscreen, as does the head nurse at his home, Hannah, whom Derek seems to have a bit of a crush on. The dialogue within the series mostly seems to surround Derek and his two guy pals, and if you stick around until the end, you’ll catch a few outtakes with the cast. Currently there is no specific date set for the series, but since Gervais pushes his Twitter pretty hard at the end of the video, you might want to check there for updates.

Despite plenty of hate from critics concerning the show’s mockumentary platform and subject matter, the special is marching forward proudly to series. Derek is scheduled to air on Channel 4 in the UK in 2013. In the US, fans will have to be Netflix owners in order to bring the series into their homes. Still, that’s better than having to wait months and months to see if US Gervais fans will be able to catch the series, at all.