Speaking of Bad Movies: Razzie Awards Unleashed
Hollywood is holding its breath, waiting for a soggy climax to a difficult year to take place tomorrow evening. Yes, the Oscars are coming. But the anti-Oscars (no, I’m not talking about “real life”) have already been given out, over an hour ago, at a magic shop in Santa Monica.
The Golden Raspberry Awards celebrated its 28th year this morning. The brainchild of the (some say) fiendish John Wilson, the Razzies are a response to the bloated self-importance of award season. It’s an annual reminder that beautiful and talented people are as capable of mistakes as ugly untalented people like us. The award costs $4.98 to make and most of that goes to gold spray paint.
This year, Eddie Murphy finally got closure. They say that he lost his DREAMGIRLS Oscar last year because of his work in NORBIT, which came out in January. Well, he had a Razzie windfall for that movie. He won Worst Actor, Worst Supporting Actress (he played the male lead AND the lead’s obese wife) and Worst Supporting Actor, for the racially insensitive portrayal of Mr. Wong.
Normally the Razzie to watch for is Worst Screen Couple, and you’d think Murphy would have had that one sewn up. However, he lost the dishonor to Lindsay Lohan, who played twins or something in I KNOW WHO KILLED ME. This one was the motherlode for Razzie fans; to quote the press release:
KILLED ME copped the awards as Worst Picture, Worst Director, Worst Screenplay, Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie and Worst Remake or Rip-Off (where it competed as both a rip-off of the HOSTEL and SAW teen-torture-porn movies and an oddball remake of the 1960s sitcom THE PATTY DUKE SHOW).
Additionally, she tied with herself as best actress, so they gave the award to both of her.
I love the Razzies. For one thing they’re reliable - I knew the show would go on because since no one involved has a prayer of getting a job in showbiz, the strike doesn’t affect it. But more importantly it’s a refreshing tonic to the intoxicating cocktail of big stars. They never pick on people who haven’t made it big, only the ones who have and who, maybe, don’t really deserve it. This is why Stallone was such a Razzie stalwart in the eighties and nineties. I wish I’d gone to the ceremony this morning, but at that hour of the morning, Santa Monica is a long long drive.