Razzies

In an egregious oversight, we have three stories about the Oscar nominations and none (until now) about the Razzies:

Big budget box office bombs, big name embarrassments and one of 2002’s biggest box office hits are featured among nominations for The 23rd Annual Golden Raspberry (RAZZIE) Awards, dis-honoring the year’s Worst Achievements in Film. “Winners” (if that’s the right term here!) will be announced in ultra-low-budget ceremonies scheduled for 11am/PST Saturday, March 22 at the Four-Points Sheraton Hotel in Santa Monica, the now traditional 24 hours BEFORE That Other Award Show, a.k.a. “The Giving Out of the Little Gold Naked Men”…

Competing as 2002’s Worst Picture are Eddie Murphy’s THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH (which cost over $85 million and grossed under $5 million), the first joint effort from Mr. and Mrs. Madonna SWEPT AWAY, Madonna- Wannabe Britney Spears’ less-than-auspicious screen debut CROSSROADS, former Oscar® winner Roberto Benigni’s wooden-headed (and horribly-dubbed) remake of PINOCCHIO, and George Lucas’ disappointing 5th entry from a galaxy far, far too long, STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES. Joining Murphy and Benigni in Worst Actor are Adriano Giannini for SWEPT AWAY, Steven Seagal in HALF PAST DEAD and 1999 Worst Actor “Winner” Adam Sandler with two titles, ADAM SANDLER’S 8 CRAZY NIGHTS and his wretched remake of MR. DEEDS. Alongside Britney and Madonna vying for Worst Actress will be former Oscar® darlings Angelina Jolie (LIFE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT) and Winona Ryder (MR. DEEDS) as well as RAZZIE Repeat Offender Jennifer Lopez (ENOUGH and MAID IN MANHATTAN). Lopez was also a Worst Actress nominee with 2 titles last year, but lost out to Mariah Carey in GLITTER. Madonna, with 4 previous Worst Actress “wins” and 4 nominations this year alone, plus a Worst Actress of the Century award, is now the undisputed Female RAZZIE Champion. Other familiar names listed among contenders for Tinsel Town’s Tackiest Trophy include former Female RAZZIE Champion Bo Derek (MASTER OF DISGUISE) 2001’s biggest RAZZIE “winner” Tom Green (STEALING HARVARD) and Oscar® winners Robin Williams (DEATH TO SMOOCHY) and Christopher Walken (THE COUNTRY BEARS). A complete list of nominations is included with this press release.

The 2003 RAZZIE ceremony will commence with a glitzy Opening Number (“All That RAZZ!” a parody of guess-what-tune from likely Oscar® contender CHICAGO) and then rip-and-tear its way through some 11 categories in under an hour. Among this year’s categories are such long-term RAZZIE traditions as Worst Screen Couple and Worst Remake or Sequel and a brand new one, Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie, designed to dis-honor the often moronic movies Hollywood is forever aiming at the acne-and-braces set. Nominees were determined by mailing ballots to 537 Golden Raspberry Award Foundation members throughout 38 U.S. states and a dozen foreign countries. The award itself is a handcrafted golf-ball-sized raspberry atop a mangled reel of Super 8 film, spray-painted gold. It has an estimated street value of $4.89.

The RAZZIES were created in 1980 by John Wilson, a life-long cynic and Cine-Maniac as well as the author of EVERYTHING I KNOW I LEARNED AT THE MOVIES.

Here’s to really sucking in style, and when it comes to acting, no one sucks like Madonna:

Never let it be said that Madonna’s film work has been unexamined.

Time and again, the voters of the Razzies have examined her flicks. Then they’ve trashed them.

The Material Thespian, who starred in the critically swamped Swept Away and lived to cameo in Die Another Day, picked up four nominations Monday for the 23rd Annual Golden Raspberry Awards, the unofficial anti-Oscars, dis-honoring the worst of the year in film. With 15 career nominations now, Madonna has ascended, or descended, to the rank of the most-Razzed woman ever. (Sylvester Stallone, if you must know, is the most-Razzed man.)

….Madonna earned two Razzie nods for Swept Away–Worst Actress and Worst Screen Couple, shared with costar Adriano Giannini. She also picked up a pair for her contributions to the James Bond flick, Die Another Day–Worst Supporting Actress and Worst Original Song, the 007 title tune “Die Another Day,” cowritten with Mirwais Ahmadzai.

“She’s got a good start on the new century,” cracked Razzies founder John Wilson, noting that his group cited Madonna as worst actress of the 20th century.

Madonna also is a four-time, um, champ in the Worst Actress category, Razzed for Shanghai Surprise, Who’s That Girl?, Madonna: Truth or Dare and The Next Best Thing. According to Wilson, Swept Away may be her crowning achievement.

“Even by her standards,” Wilson said, “it’s an incredibly unappealing performance.” [E! online]