NBC saw its telecast of the Golden Globe Awards draw nearly 17 million viewers Sunday, a 14 percent jump from 2009 and a victory for the troubled network, despite a poorly reviewed performance by host Ricky Gervais. Gervais, an edgy British comedian best known as co-creator of television's “The Office,” generated excitement when he was named host of the Golden Globes in October. But he received mixed reviews, with some critics saying his ribald jokes were ill-timed in the aftermath of last week's devastating earthquake in Haiti. At one point, Gervais joked that inhabitants of the “Third World” feel better when they glimpse a Hollywood star, and that a poor Asian child is prone to think “Mummy!” after seeing a picture of actress Angelina Jolie. In response, the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, “Given the tragedy that befell Haiti this past week, Gervais' joke about Angelina Jolie and Third World children was (a) bad stumble.” The LA Times also said some of Gervais' zingers fell flat, but noted that the show was a success overall.
