In the opulent ballroom of the Beverly Hilton Hotel, after Ricky Gervais remarked that the evening would be filled with partying and heavy drinking, he quipped, "Or as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast."
The audience erupted in laughter as Ricky continued, "Wow. Whoa. Let's get this straight. What he did was, he picked up a porn star." He accentuated "porn star" with a gesture, "Paid her to have dinner with him, introduced her to his ex-wife." Ricky chuckled, adding, "as you do."
Ricky shrugged and said, "Ah, went to a hotel. Ah, got drunk." He then added, "Got naked."
Ricky pointed out, "Trashed the place, while she was locked in the cupboard. And ah, that was a Monday! What did he do on New Year's Eve?"
Some in the crowd couldn't suppress their chuckles.
A few celebrities had a sense of foreboding that they might be Ricky's next targets.
Lucas glanced at Johnny Depp in the distance, who was sipping his drink.
Next to him, Andrew whispered, while surveying the room, "Man, the air's heavy here..."
Lucas nodded in agreement. While some groups were taking Ricky's jokes in stride, laughing along, others watched in solemn silence, their smiles seeming more like a facade. Meanwhile, others gleefully laughed at Charlie Sheen's expense.
Ricky shifted the focus, announcing, "Anyway, welcome." He continued, "The Golden Globes celebrate the best in TV and movies over the past year."
"Voted for by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association..." he added, "It was a big year for 3D movies, like Toy Story..."
Lucas continued to watch as Ricky began introducing the nominees for Animated Movies and commending the three-dimensional animations.
But even as Ricky praised the 3D animations, he couldn't resist another jab, "Except for the characters of 'The Tourist'."
Upon hearing Ricky's quip, the crowd responded with a mix of groans and disapproval, clearly not all in favor of his roast.
Ricky flashed a mischievous smile and said, "Um, I feel bad about that joke."
Sensing their reactions were having an effect, the crowd pressed on. Ricky, however, intercepted with, "I, no, I'll tell you what." He raised his hand and admitted, "I'm jumping on the bandwagon, because I haven't even seen 'The Tourist.'"
The room lightened up with laughter as Ricky added, "Who has?"
This prompted a heartier laugh, and even Lucas and Andrew couldn't help but chuckle and shake their heads.
"But no, it must be good because it's nominated, so shut up, okay?" Ricky chided the crowd.
"And I'd like to squash this ridiculous rumor going around... That the only reason 'The Tourist' was nominated was so the Hollywood Foreign Press could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie," Ricky joked, momentarily aligning with Hollywood. A few in the crowd cheered in response. "That is, that is rubbish. That is not the only reason— they also accepted bribes..."
At this unexpected joke, the crowd reacted with mixed emotions, though laughter prevailed. The camera zoomed in on Johnny Depp, who was chewing on something but sported a faint smirk.
"No, all that happened was some of them got tickets to see Cher in concert. How the hell is that a bribe? Really? Do you want to see Cher?" Ricky paused, shaking his head, and added, "No, because it's not 1975."
The crowd burst into laughter.
Ricky then continued to roast other films that weren't nominated, eliciting laughter and occasional boos from the crowd. Despite some rough patches, Ricky's quick wit turned the situation around, and the atmosphere lightened with humor.
After that, Ricky shifted to praise various TV series and films, but not without his characteristic touch of irony. He noted, "There are a few notable rising young talents here in Hollywood, nothing new, nothing special, but then there's someone who's barely been in the industry for two years, already nominated in three categories, and even the film he starred in snagged a nomination."
With a chuckle, he added, "Unlike the questionable nomination of... 'The Tourist'..." The crowd laughed again as Ricky continued, "127 Hours received a great response and was nominated. And who am I talking about? Actor Lucas Knight, who burst onto the scene with tremendous potential and a clean record... Well, except for his questionable relationships with Jennifer Lawrence and Felicity Jones, everything seems to be going well for him."
The crowd laughed, appreciating Ricky's sarcasm, yet they were also impressed by how someone so new to Hollywood could make such a significant impact.
Lucas merely smiled, unfazed by Ricky's jibes.
Meanwhile, across the ballroom, the camera momentarily shifted to Jennifer Lawrence, nominated for her role in "Winter's Bone."
Just when it seemed Ricky was done teasing Lucas, having ended on a seemingly complimentary note, he surprised everyone by continuing, this time shedding the veneer of praise.
On stage, Ricky shrugged and remarked, "Really interesting, really impressive to see a young talent rising in Hollywood... I'd be more impressed if it weren't for the fact that his father is Vince Knight of Warner Bros. And his brother? Melvin Knight." He quickly corrected himself, "I'm sorry, I mean, half-brother."
The crowd laughed, but the laughter was tinged with surprise as they learned that Lucas was actually the son of a influential Hollywood director.
The camera zoomed in on Lucas, who managed to keep a smile on his face despite Ricky's sharp remarks.
Ricky, noticing the astonishment in the crowd, grinned and said, "Shocking, right? I've just given you some free intel that even the established media didn't know."
The crowd erupted in laughter at Ricky's comment, amused by his subtle suggestion that the media was incompetent.
"What did anyone expect? Rising in Hollywood without a helping hand? That's nearly impossible!" Ricky continued with a chuckle, "Some even have to sell their bodies for a role—well, I'm getting off track here."
As the audience's reactions to Ricky's last remark were mixed, he seamlessly introduced the next presenter, not missing the chance to playfully take a jab at Mel Gibson before announcing "Scarlett Johansson."
As Scarlett Johansson stepped onto the stage, at Lucas's table, several celebrities glanced his way, stirred by the revelations Ricky had just made.
Lucas felt their curious eyes but chose to ignore them as he took a sip of his drink.
Andrew gave him a reassuring pat on the back and asked, "You alright?"
"Yeah," Lucas nodded with a smile. He had enjoyed watching other celebrities get roasted by Ricky, but it wasn't until he was the subject that he truly understood how it felt.
Of course, Lucas couldn't go on stage and declare that his father had nothing to do with his success, but even if he did, he doubted many would believe him.