Ricky Gervais says he's been approached to host the Golden Globes and the Oscars; the Oscars beg to differ

By Sean O'Neal | August 26, 2011 | 11:01pm

Aux Features TV

Bringing soothing reminders of winter calm to a horrible summer season fraught with drought and hurricanes, Ricky Gervais is once again offering reminders of his January stint at the Golden Globes, where the comedian briefly provoked a national discussion about our troubling lack of civility toward exceedingly rich and famous people. As you may recall, Gervais avowed in the days after the ceremony that he wouldn’t return to host even if they asked him, a position that now seems a bit less firm: Gervais claims that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association did, in fact, ask him, an offer which he admits he is considering, but adds, “I shouldn’t do it. It’s a second encore. Don’t do a second encore. I don’t think I should do it. What am I going back as?” I hope it's not as an old-timey prospector, because that's what I'm going as. Nobody else go as a prospector!

Of course, Gervais also claimed that he was contacted for an even bigger gig, anyway, saying the Academy Awards asked his agent if he’d like to be on the list for consideration for next year’s host. However, Gervais has already waved that off, saying, “I couldn't do the Oscars. It's a thankless task for a comedian. They don't want to hear jokes, they want to hear if they have won the most important award of their career.” Which is likely just as well, considering ABC is now saying that “there is no truth” to the statement that they ever approached him to host. Ah, would that these cold, blustery days of Gervais talking about hosting and not hosting awards shows could go on forever.