Ricky Gervais Puts the Gold in Golden Globes

Hollywood Foreign Press Association's big night gets its first host in 15 years

The Golden Globes just got a whole lot funnier.

One of our favorite awards shows—it has movies and TV!—just tapped one of our favorite stars—he's done movies and TV!—to host.

No, it's not Neil Patrick Harris. The Office originator, Ricky Gervais, will be donning a penguin suit, looking handsome and leading the charge of statuettes handed out at the 67th Annual Golden Globe Awards on Jan. 17.

He'll be taking the reins from, well, no one.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association hasn't selected a host for their big night since 1995.

Gervais' stock went up after a guffaw-inducing segment on the 2008 Emmys, which prompted talk of Oscar hosting.

We just hope the Invention of Lying writer-director-star was telling the truth when he said, "Not only is this the biggest Hollywood celebration of the industry which includes both film and TV, but also an environment where I can get free rein as a host."

"The Golden Globes was where it all started for me in America, where I won two Globes in 2004 for The Office," he tells E! News in a statement. "Sometime later I overheard someone in New York City pointing me out to his friend and saying, 'That's Ricky Gervais, he played Steve Carell's part in the English version of The Office.'"

We've seen what he does when he has "free rein" and we couldn't be more excited. But Carell may want to watch his back.

Nominations will be announced on Dec. 15.