High-end designer gowns shimmered in the exotic environs of the Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel below the setting sun, the heads of ecstatic fans turned this way 'n that as a bevy of bodacious babes sashayed down the red carpet with handsome escorts on their arms in the rarefied air just beyond reach, and a posse of media types hovered nearby begging for a photo opportunity like moths to flame.
Uh-huh.
The 68th Annual Hollywood Foreign Press Association Awards were underway.
"The Press Awards are like a cool party in an upscale steak house, " cooed popular late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon as he alighted on the red carpet for the dazzling festivities.
Indeed!
"It's all about the par-tay," another hip guest astutely quipped to camera on the frenzied sidelines.
Needless to say, once the show under the big top was in full swing, there were a number of awkward - some say disturbing - displays of bad behaviour.
I am reminded of an old Chinese Proverb.
"Never insult a host in his own home."
For some inexplicable reason, quirky Ricky Gervais threw caution to the wind, in that regard.
Witin minutes of strolling onto the stage to launch the much-anticipated ritzy event - the stand-up comic got caught up into a nasty undertow - that threatened to derail the otherwise fun and festive footloose soiree that beckoned ahead.
"There's alot of partying & drinking going on. Or, as Charlie Sheen would say, breakfast," Gervais chortled as the momentum started to build early on.
To quote a line from the musical "Chicago":
"He (Charlie) had it coming!"
You betcha!
The suits were not off-limits to his potshots, either.
One unkind remark - that focused on a head honcho at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association caused an uproar to erupt in the otherwise well-mannered audience below the footlights - for instance.
"I just lifted his head out of the toilet. And, helped pop his bridge back in his mouth," naughty Gervais guffawed with glee in reference to the top dog at the HFPA.
The power-player was inclined to respond-in-kind when it was his turn at the mic.
"Ricky, next time you want a project okayed for the Foreign Press, go elsewhere," he snarled.
A loud moan circulated the room.
Talk about instant karma, eh?
In fact - some of the barbs were so vicious (mean-spirited was the way one actor characterized the in-your-face insults) - that some speculated Ricky's sorry a** had been fired off the show when he disappeared for an hour-or-so during the course of the evening.
Did the slimeball funnyman get called up on the carpet by the top brass?
Gervais didn't get off the hook for his unkind remarks, that's for sure, judging by his red-faced appearance later on stage.
Boy, would I like to have been a fly on-the-wall during that bull session!
Needless to say, a couple of fellow performers were inclined to jump into the fray, and toss a couple of barbs the upstart's way.
"We knew Ricky when he was chubby and funny. Now he isn't," barked Tim Allen to all within earshot.
There was a lot of Monday morning quarter-backing around water-coolers the following day, I expect.
Headlines around the country screamed out a thought on the minds of the bemused teaming masses everywhere.
Will Gervais be invited back next year to host the popular awards show?
But the whole night wasn't a downer in spite of Gervais.
For example, Michael Douglas managed to rustle up a hearty welcome by virtue of his mere presence.
After he trotted up to the stage, the audience jumped to their feet, and applauded the seasoned pro - in part - because he just licked the big "C".
"I wish there was an easier way to get a standing ovation," he joked.
The night was not totally devoid of class or style, though.
Angelina Jolie wowed fans in an emerald green gown which flattered her luscious bod, Justin Bieber sported a chic tuxedo that sparked up his image a tad, and Natalie Portman strutted down the fashion gauntlet with a carefree style (which underscored the Black Swan's star is definitely on the rise).
And, beneath the tinsel?
A heckuva lot more tinsel!
'Til next year!
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