Ricky Gervais clarifies this Golden Globes business

Gervais, clarifying the latest Globes "controversy." (AP)

Yesterday we noted that Ricky Gervais said he was asked to host the Golden Globe Awards again next year, despite unleashing a barrage of jokes this year that may have insulted some members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and, apparently, delighted a good many viewers.

Well, it turns out the informal invitation extended to Gervais came from an executive at NBC, not anyone with the HFPA. The HFPA, for its part, issued a statement announcing that "We have not asked him to come back." Gervais confirmed that fact in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter: "At no point did I talk to the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. I'm absolutely sure they don't want me back."

And with that, we've managed to talk about the Golden Globes again, even though they took place more than two weeks ago and we all should be focused on the Oscars right now. Gervais wrote in that Heat magazine diary -- the same one that started this recent confusion -- that he couldn't possibly get more press for the Globes. Oh, Ricky, all things are possible.