Ricky Gervais Hosting the Golden Globes in 2011

I thought Ricky Gervais was a bad fit for the Golden Globes. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was hilarious, but it just didn't seem to match the mood of the evening. A bit snarky, maybe, and some people in the room probably didn't appreciate being the target of his jokes. Well...he's back. The Hollywood Foreign Press Association revealed on Wednesday that Gervais would host again in January 2011. The timing of the announcement, which is not really connected to anything, tells you all you need to know: Gervais was hired to host this year's awards in October, so clearly, the producers are thrilled to work with him again. Maybe they're envisioning a kind of Billy-Crystal-at-the-Oscars thing developing. It wasn't just Gervais that was different about the most recent Globes, however. There had been no official master of ceremonies in 15 years, so it could be that producers liked the new format and liked having a host who can be so unpredictable. From a viewer's perspective, it was certainly entertaining enough last year, although some of that was because you could sense a little tension. So, kudos to the HFPA for making the wrong host the right host again.