Ricky Gervais hosting Oscars 2009?

On his blog, Ricky Gervais has, possibly half-jokingly, stated that he would like to host the Oscars next year after enjoying his segment handing out an award at the Emmys where he challenged Steve Carrell, in what ended up being a video clip that caused a kind of media frenzy. Here is the clip, followed by Gervais' comments...

That clip of me challenging Steve Carell at the Emmys was on every news program across The US. I don't think anything I've ever done has got so much attention. I think it's probably because everything else on the show was pretty poor. A huge thank you to all the press who said I should present the whole show next year. I'll do it if Carrell does it with me. And I'll write it too, with Steve, Jon Stewart and a couple of The Simpsons' guys. I'll do the Oscars too.

Entertainment Weekly was the first outlet that fuelled the fire of Gervais hosting next year's Oscars, citing that insider sources were spreading the word. This is despite his latest picture, the rom-com GHOST TOWN only pulling in $5.6 million on it's opening weekend, languishing at a poor No. 8 behind the lame looking MY BEST FRIEND'S GIRL. Simply put... GHOST TOWN was dead on arrival! Though critically the movie performed, 86% on Rotten Tomatoes but it again shows that the popularity of Gervais in the U.S. is minimal. But he can sure make you laugh and would undoubtedly kill at the Oscars, though I have very much enjoyed the job John Stewart has done on them in the past. And of course, several nominations for THE DARK KNIGHT would secure ratings for the show, even if Gervais couldn't pull them in on his own.