Almost 21 million viewers watched the 71st annual Golden Globes on television, its top number for a decade, according to ratings by journal Variety on Monday, Jan. 13. The three-hour telecast on Sunday night, Jan. 12 from Beverly Hills got 20.9 million people watching, a 6% increase from the 2013's 19.7 million, according to Nielsen ratings agency.

This number is the best audience since 2004, when the third installment of Peter Jackson's epic trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, helped draw 26.8 million viewers to the show. Industry watchers stated that it also showed he popularity of television comedy stars Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, who co-hosted the Golden Globes for the second time and will still do so again in 2015.

Before Poehler and Fey, the Golden Globes was hosted for three years in a row by British comic Ricky Gervais, who was known for his jibes at celebrities of the audience. The comedic duo was as sharp as they were in 2013 and here's some of the favourite jokes of the night:

Amy Poehler calls out Netflix for a breakthrough with its original shows: "Enjoy it while it lasts, Netflix. You're not going to be feeling so smug in a couple of years when SnapChat is up here accepting best drama."

Tina Fey introduces "Gravity" during an opening monologue: " 'Gravity' is nominated for best film. It's the story of how George Clooney would rather float away into space and die than spend one more minute with a woman his own age."

When Tina and Amy accused Julia Louis-Dreyfus of becoming a diva: "Interestingly, Julia has chosen to sit in the film section tonight. Hi, Julia. Hi, Julia ... you know us from TV."

Tina Fey talking about Meryl Streep: "(She's) so brilliant in 'August: Osage County,' proving that there are still great roles in Hollywood for Meryl Streeps over 60."

Tina Fey introduces Leonardo DiCaprio: "Like a supermodel's vagina, let's all give a warm welcome to Leonardo DiCaprio."

Amy Poehler introduces one of Showtime's new hit series: " 'Masters of Sex,' which is the degree I got from Boston College."