Ricky Gervais too funny for Hollywood (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter)-"I warned them." Returning guest Ricky Gervais Golden Globes in fact that wasn't going to withhold in skewering of Hollywood's most famous celebrities. And, in what will surely be his last concert of hosting for the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (and perhaps any Stateside Awards) he does not disappoint.

But in the process of making most searingly funny jokes at the immediately obvious targets (Charlie Sheen, Mel Gibson, the HFPA itself), the heat that has put in punch lines could be made more history than the actual winners.

And yet, it is done to force--if sometimes wince-inducing--television. Given the staid lameness of most awards shows--Hello, Emmy--at least he kept those in industry laughing uproariously. (His line "I warned them" came after a joke especially funny about new girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, complete with physical comedy and facial expressions).

Biting lines of Gervais were scattered to various stars and films such as tourism, with not all taking kindly to treatment. Bruce Willis appeared miffed to be called the father of Ashton Kutcher, Robert Downey Jr. appeared to take slight umbrage on his past of rehabilitation (before entering the super salacious and speech), etc. Even when the jokes were not addressed to them, some stars took sweet swipes back as when Tom Hanks, who has just received a rave recitation of his career achievement by Gervais, Tim Allen, who received none.

Jokes of Gervais were so incendiary that when he went missing during the second half of the show, the Twitterverse illuminated with suggestions that he had been fired backstage. Clearly, Gervais had done so much harm to entertain the viewers at home (or terrible, depending of their faith in decency), who became the story of the night.

But then what? The Globes are considered one of the best, if not the best, awards show on television because of this feeling that everything is fine and presenters and fueled the Champagne winners could say anything. Adding Gervais at mix last year was exactly the kind of tone that seemed to fit the primetime party and so much fun as he was this year, there is no doubt that many in the industry thinks that he went too far.

The trouble is, the rewards are for people in business, but the show itself is for viewers at home. There's only so much that the back-slapping sycophantic anyone can take without a little needling to burst the bubble of ego.

But if Gervais wasn't going to go back, that's what you said before, he certainly came out swinging, thank all the people--the HFPA, NBC, the stars in the room to be good sports, then ends with, ' and ' God, make me an atheist.

That pretty much sealed, one suspect.

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