Tina Fey, Amy Poehler will bring more laughs to Globes than viewers

There was a healthy dose of huzzahs for the news Monday that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler would be hosting the Golden Globes. It was a coup for the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn., as one member told Glenn Whipp of the Envelope, not only because Fey and Poehler are naturals for the job, but also because the selection seemed to trump the Oscars' choice of Seth MacFarlane, whose onscreen resume is much thinner.

It occurs to me, though, that the number of people elated by the NBC pair getting the Globes job is not likely to be much more than the thinly spread audience that has left "30 Rock" and "Parks and Recreation," two of the top comedies of the past decade, in Nielsen no-man's land for their combined 10-plus seasons on the air. In its most recent airing, for example, MacFarlane's "Family Guy" had roughly as many viewers overall and in the 18-49 demo as "30 Rock" and "Parks" combined. 

In other words, while the chances for the HFPA having a strong awards show soared, it's hard to imagine that anticipation for Fey and Poelher is shared widely enough to have an impact on the Globes' ratings. That's even given the opportunity for Sarah Palin players Fey and Julianne Moore (a likely "Game Change" after winning the Emmy) to appear on the same stage.

Ultimately, that's a problem for the numbers trackers. For those of us committed to watching the Globes, this is nothing but good news. There's no doubt that the Globes, with three years of Ricky Gervais and now at least one year of Fey and Poehler, know how to pick good hosts when they see 'em. Pretty impressive, considering how long the show went without having a host at all.