Ricky Gervais, left, arrives on the red carpet of the 2010 Golden Globe Awards with his partner, Jane Fallon. (Matt Sayles/Associated Press)

Looking forward to his second stint as host of the Golden Globe Awards, the always-acerbic Ricky Gervais promised he'd be so naughty, the organizers wouldn't possibly invite him back. Unfortunately, he stopped quite a ways of short of being incendiary.

For the past two years, the gregarious Office creator has lent an element of danger to an otherwise smarmy, self-congratulatory evening. For example, when he first strolled on stage tonight, there was a pint of beer waiting for him at the lectern. Gervais started out strong, with some withering zingers that evoked a mixture of laughs and uncomfortable stirring in the audience - always a good sign. But eventually, Gervais's shtick grew weary, giving way to predictable (and unnecessarily callous) jokes about Robert Downey, Jr.'s erstwhile drug abuse and Tim Allen's general lack of cred. It's probably a blessing that Gervais all but disappeared for the second two-thirds of the show.

Overall, Gervais deserves a grade of B-minus. Here's some of his snappiest material, most of which landed some time in the first hour:

"It's a gonna be a night of partying and heavy drinking. Or, as Charlie Sheen calls it, breakfast."

After rhyming off a number of recent 3D movies: "It seems like everything was three-dimensional this year -- except the characters in The Tourist."

On the same theme: "I'd like to quash this ridiculous rumour that the Hollywood Foreign Press only nominated The Tourist so they could hang out with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. That's not true. They also accepted bribes."

"You know our next presenter from such films as Hudson Hawk, Look Who's Talking, The Fifth Element, Color of Night, Hart's War - please welcome Ashton Kutcher's dad, Bruce Willis!"

"Eva Longoria has the daunting task of introducing the president of the Hollywood Foreign Press. That's nothing -- I just had to help him off the toilet and pop in his teeth."

Introducing Tina Fey and her co-presenter: "He was a jobbing actor, if I'm going to be honest... until I cast him in a remake of a show I created. And now he's about to leave that show, ruining a cash cow for both of us. Here's Tina Fey and the ungrateful Steve Carell!"