Ricky Gervais hosted the 67th annual Golden Globe awards. Photo credit: Caroline Bonarde

British comedian, Ricky Gervais, was “on fire” last night when he hosted the 67th annual Golden Globe awards in Los Angeles – or was he?

When a British funnyman, drinking a beer, is put in front of a large, celeb Hollywood audience, the jokes can walk a thin line between humorous and disastrous. Gervais was, according to celebrity website, TMZ.com, “hysterical”; other critics, however, have been less than kind: Andrew Wallenstein of The Hollywood Reporter complained that Gervais’s jokes were “disappointingly toothless.”

Whether or not the blows landed, no one in Hollyowood was spared – despite promises that Gervais allegedly made that he’d leave out some of his more controversial jokes, The Daily Mail reported.

At one point, Gervais told the audience, “I like a drink as much as the next man – unless the next man is Mel Gibson.” Gibson was arrested for drunk driving in 2006; when he walked on stage to present an award later in the show, the actor gamely pretended to slur his words, The Daily Mail reported.

The Oscar race begins at the Golden Globe, and unsurprisingly, Avatar scooped up both “Best film drama” award, and a “Best director” award for writer and director of the hit film, James Cameron. Meryl Streep, who just tied for best actress at the Critic’s Choice awards and won a kiss from Sandra Bullock, broke the record this year with her seventh Golden Globe award, winning for best actress in comedy Julie & Julia. The queen of Golden Globes, Streep has garnered a staggering 25 nominees, including this year’s two nominations. In a particularly humble speech, Streep said, “I’ve played so many extraordinary women that I’m getting mistaken for one.”

Other big winners included comedian Mo’Nique for her role in the critically lauded ghetto drama, Precious, and Robert Downey Jr., who took home a best actor award for his genre-busting portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. For the denizens of the small screen, Fox’s hit show about a high school singing club, Glee, took home a best musical or comedy award, and perennial favourite Mad Men won best television series.

Read the full list of winners here.

Streep also said she was conflicted about putting on her “happy movie self” in the face of darker events unfolding in the world, The New York Times reported. Other Hollywood celebrities were not unaware of the contrast between the event’s glitter and the suffering in Haiti, and many have already made efforts to bring in money for the victims of the 12 January earthquake: Several celebrities will also participate in a telethon being organized by George Clooney, to be broadcast on a dozen networks on 22 January.

“I’m going to use it as a recruiting tool, because there’s a lot of people here we want to work on the telethon on Friday night,” Clooney said in an interview with The New York Times. “I’m going to go table to table with a pocketful of phone numbers.”