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Razzies founder John Wilson greets the media after the awards show
LOS ANGELES, California -- Tom Cruise and fiancee Katie Holmes won Razzies for "most tiresome tabloid target," but it was Jenny McCarthy and her little-seen "Dirty Love" that dominated the 26th annual worst-film honors, winning four of 10 categories Saturday night, including worst picture of the year.
"I think that in picking 'Dirty Love,' though 99 percent of the public never heard of it, it really deserves the award," said Golden Raspberry Award Foundation "Head Berry" John Wilson after the awards, held at the 400-seat Ivar Theatre, a converted old moviehouse located appropriately on a lonely block between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards in Hollywood. "I lobbied shamelessly for it. I really wanted that film to win."
"Dirty Love," which was directed by McCarthy's ex-husband John Asher and also written by the former Playboy Playmate, concerns a photographer (McCarthy) trying to get back at her two-timing boyfriend after he breaks up with her.
The film, which earned just $58,116 at the box office, was pulverized by critics upon its very limited release in September. "Hopelessly incompetent," wrote the Chicago Sun-Times' Roger Ebert. "Excruciatingly inept," said the Village Voice's Mark Holcomb. "Clings to the gutter like a rat in garbage," observed The New York Times' Stephen Holden.
"The bastard child that might have resulted had John ['Bolero'] Derek and Tom ['Freddy Got Fingered'] Green spent the winter together tending sheep on Brokeback Mountain," said Wilson in introducing the film.
The Razzies also honored "Dirty Love" with trophies for worst actress (McCarthy), worst director (Asher) and worst screenplay (McCarthy again).
The Razzies' other awards went to Rob Schneider (worst actor) for "Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo"; Hayden Christensen (worst supporting actor) for "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith" (or, as the Razzie presenters said it, "Star Wars aye-aye-aye"); Paris Hilton (worst supporting actress) for "House of Wax"; Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman (worst screen couple) for "Bewitched"; and "Son of the Mask" for worst remake or sequel.
"Son of the Mask" led all films with eight nominations going into the awards, which are traditionally held the night before the Academy Awards. Films are selected based on a variety of criteria, including a rating of less than 25 percent from review aggregator Rottentomatoes.com's "Tomatometer" and the voting of Golden Raspberry Award Foundation members.
'How do you measure, measure what's worst?'
And 2005 was, indeed, a bad year, the awards observed.
"365 days of terrible movies -- 339 films that everyone cursed / 365 days of Hollywood garbage -- How do you measure, measure what's worst?" the Razzies opened with a musical number sung to the tune of "Rent's" "Seasons of Love."
A number of the year's most high-profile films "fell to the ground like so many lawyers shot by Dick Cheney," Wilson added in his opening monologue.
The awards paid special tribute to 1981's "Mommie Dearest," with the audience yelling along with a clip of the film's most famous line: "No ... wire ... hangers!"
And a variety of celebrities were knocked, including Hilton (who "earned frequent flier miles staying at her family's hotels ... in one-hour increments") and Cruise ("for him to suddenly propose in front of reporters on the Eiffel Tower and jump up and down like the monkey in 'Curious George' on Oprah Winfrey's couch, there truly is some problem there," Wilson told The Associated Press).
Razzie staffers said they had contacted some of the nominated celebrities and expected at least one to show up, but none did. "They all bailed on us," shrugged Wilson.
He wasn't too perturbed, though. Last year's awards earned a lot of press for the surprise appearance of a good-natured Halle Berry, who came clutching her Oscar and accepted the Razzie for "Catwoman." And a couple years ago Ben Affleck was honored with a Razzie, but apparently didn't show because he wasn't told by his representative.
After Affleck ripped the organization for not sending him his award -- a gold-spray-painted raspberry atop a reel of Super 8 film, valued at $4.97, according to the organization -- he was presented with the Razzie on CNN's "Larry King Live," according to Wilson. Upon which Affleck broke the award, which was recovered by the Head Berry after the show.
"I put it on eBay," he recalled, "and the money it brought in paid for [the rental of] this theater last year."
