Conservatives rally behind Ricky Gervais

By Paul Bond

Tue Jan 18, 2011 9:15pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - British comedian Ricky Gervais is the new darling of political conservatives thanks to the fusillade of insults he directed at the aghast celebrities attending the weekend's Golden Globe Awards.

Delighted at the sight of Gervais belittling Hollywood elitists who they maintain do likewise to them regularly, the right-wing blogosphere lit up with positive reviews, even while more traditional media was critical of Sunday's telecast.

Had Gervais "been as relentless in ripping apart Sarah Palin, her young children, Jesus Christ or George W. Bush, today the comedian would be celebrated as 'edgy' and 'courageous'," noted John Nolte, editor of the Andrew Breitbart website Big Hollywood.

Instead, the Washington Post said Gervais "crashed" and the New York Times said he was "merciless" and in "bad form." Philip Berk, president of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the event's organizer, said some of the things Gervais said "were totally unacceptable."

Nolte, though, likened Gervais' jabs at various actors and the HFPA as a much-needed "sucker punch" leveled against elite bullies who do likewise to middle America on a routine basis.

At Pajamas Media, a conservative and libertarian news organization, CEO Roger Simon wrote that Gervais "has been roundly attacked for being rude to practically everyone, including the HFPA, whose event it was. Problem is: he was right, particularly about the HFPA."

The U.K's right-leaning Daily Mail weighed in via a lengthy, positive analysis of Gervais' performance that was headlined: "Bravo, Ricky Gervais! A risque' attack on self-loving Tinseltown."

"The flock didn't know what to do because it had never encountered such risky mockery," author Quentin Letts wrote, praising Gervais for his rebellious performance.

"Hollywood and its power brokers hate a rebel. It is a place of groupthink and almost terminal political correctness."

On Sunday night Gervais earned himself a cult following around the world, Letts opined, as "the man who went to Hollywood and told them what a bunch of self-regarding boobies they are."

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Regis Philbin retiring from "Live with Regis and Kelly!"

LOS ANGELES | Tue Jan 18, 2011 2:15pm EST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Regis Philbin said on Tuesday he was retiring from his morning TV show "Live! with Regis and Kelly" after 28 years with the program.

"There is a time that everything must come to an end," Philbin told viewers, in a surprise on-air announcement.

Philbin, 79, said this will be his last year with the show, and that he will leave sometime between the end of the U.S. summer and fall. He did not say who would replace him.

"We'll have a lot of fun between now and then," he said.

Philbin is the Guinness World Record holder for most time on camera, with more than 16,500 hours accumulated over his entire career.

The TV personality has co-hosted "Live!" with Kelly Ripa since 2001, after previously appearing on the show with Kathie Lee Gifford. The show began in 1983 when Philbin created "The Morning Show" for WABC in his native New York City. Gifford joined him in 1985 and in 1988 the program gained national syndication.

He also hosted the hit gameshow "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" when it debuted in the United States in 1999.

Philbin is known for his Bronx accent and quick wit. Early on in his career, Philbin appeared in the 1960s talk show "The Joey Bishop Show," as a sidekick to the show's star.

In 2001, he won a Daytime Emmy for his work on "Live! with Regis" and another Emmy for outstanding game show host for "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire." He also received a lifetime achievement Daytime Emmy award in 2008.

"Live! with Regis and Kelly" is distributed by Disney-ABC Television Group, a division of Walt Disney Co.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis, editing by Christine Kearney)

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King's Speech leads field with 14 BAFTA nominations

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON | Tue Jan 18, 2011 6:22am EST

LONDON (Reuters) - "The King's Speech," in which Colin Firth plays the stammering King George VI, won 14 BAFTA nominations on Tuesday, ahead of ballet drama "Black Swan" which garnered 12.

"Inception," starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was the next most popular movie at Britain's top film honours with nine nominations, ahead of climbing story "127 Hours" and Western remake "True Grit" with eight apiece.

"The Social Network," which tells the tale of the founding of the Facebook website and one of the films widely tipped for Oscars glory this year, won six nominations.

The BAFTAs are followed closely as the awards season gets into full swing, although they have only a patchy record in identifying future Oscar winners.

Firth, who recently won a Golden Globe and is considered one of the frontrunners for an Academy Award, was shortlisted for a BAFTA best actor prize.

He is up against Spain's Javier Bardem (Biutiful), Jeff Bridges (True Grit), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) and James Franco (127 Hours).

Firth's co-stars in The King's Speech -- Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush -- were nominated for best supporting actress and actor, respectively.

Natalie Portman is contesting the best actress award, with both Annette Bening and Julianne Moore nominated for lesbian family drama "The Kids Are All Right."

Rounding out the category are Sweden's Noomi Rapace (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo) and teenaged star Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit).

POSTHUMOUS NOMINATION FOR POSTLETHWAITE

Pete Postlethwaite, the Oscar-nominated actor who died earlier this month, received a posthumous supporting actor nomination for his performance in "The Town."

British urban artist Banksy, who has kept his identity a secret, received a British debut BAFTA nomination for directing "Exit Through the Gift Shop."

Also contesting the award was Chris Morris, who wrote and directed suicide bomber comedy "Four Lions" which is also nominated for the best British film prize.

Italian movie "I Am Love," "Of Gods and Men" from France and "The Secret in Their Eyes" (Argentina) were nominated for best foreign language film alongside Spain's "Biutiful" and Sweden's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

And the animated feature award shortlist comprised "Despicable Me," "How to Train Your Dragon" and "Toy Story 3."

The Orange British Academy Film Awards winners are announced on February 13.

(Reporting by Mike Collett-White, editing by Paul Casciato)

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