Less renowned, yet probably the more hilarious of the two, the Golden Raspberry Awards, or better known as the Razzies, can be described as the Academy Awards’ twin. The Razzies used to precede the famous Academy Awards by one day annually, but instead of handing out Oscars to the best in the film industry, they do just the opposite – they hand out ‘Razzie’ awards to the most awful actors, actresses, directors, overall motion pictures, and more, to films in the past year.
The Golden Raspberry Awards were created by John J. B. Wilson, a copywriter and publicist in 1981. What began as a probably drunken party of about 36 people at Wilson’s house in LA, on March 31, 1981, to commemorate the worst movies of 1980, rapidly turned into a tradition that is currently filmed by the press from around the globe, eager to be entertained before the big event the next day. The name ‘Razzie’ came from the term “to blow a raspberry” as a mockery to the worst films.
What exactly is the Razzie award? Well, each trophy is a raspberry the size of a golfball on top of a Super 8 mm film reel, then spray painted with gold paint in its entirety. All this is worth approximately $4.97.
Razzie award winners are chosen by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation for categories such as worst actor/actress, worst supporting actor/actress, worst screen couple/worst screen ensemble, worst screenplay, worst director, worst picture, and worst prequel/remake/rip-off/sequel. Categories from past years, but aren’t in the running today include worst new star, worst original song, worst musical score, and worst visual effects. Special years have also called for some special categories such as worst excuse for an actual movie, worst screenplay grossing over $100 million, worst excuse for a horror movie, and more.
Through film history, famous actors and actresses have received Razzies without our knowledge. Bill Cosby, Ben Affleck, Halle Berry, Sandra Bullock (who also won an Oscar the next night), and countless others have won or been nominated throughout the 32 years that the Golden Raspberry Awards have been hosted.
The 32nd Golden Raspberry ceremony for 2011 films will be held on April 1, 2012 at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Hollywood, and nominations for the upcoming event were announced on February 25, 2012 (the Saturday before the Oscars).
Now that you know what is out there in a few weeks’ time, be prepared to watch the Academy Awards’ phenomenal twin in history, the Golden Raspberry Awards.
