HOLLYWOOD, Feb 27: President George W. Bush and Halle Berry were named worst actor and actress of 2004 at the Razzies, an irreverent spoof of the Oscars. Berry, "honoured" for her role in the action-flick flop "Cat woman," actually showed up to collect her "award".
"Thank you so much. I never in my life thought I would be up here," Berry quipped, clutching the golden plastic rasberry (whence Razzie) in one hand and the Oscar she won in 2002 for "Monster's Ball" in the other.
In a take-off of an Oscars acceptance speech, Berry thanked the French director of the film, Pitof, and her manager. On a more serious note, she said her mother had taught her to accept criticism at a young age. "s my mother told me, I take it graciously, I take your criticism," she said.
The Razzies were awarded late Saturday at Hollywood's Ivar Theatre, just a few hundred meters from the Kodak Theatre, where the golden statuettes will be delivered Sunday. The Razzies have been poking fun at film industry award ceremonies for 25 years.
"Do you think he's here?" a presenter asked with mock seriousness after announcing Bush's win as "worst actor" in Michael Moore's documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11."
"Cat woman" was drubbed as worst picture, worst director and worst screenplay of 2004. US Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld and pop singer Britney Spears were named worst supporting actor and actress for "Fahrenheit 9/11."
In a passage from the Bush-bashing documentary, Spears can be seen vigorously chewing gum and saying "I think we should just trust" the president. Moore's Bush-bashing documentary was snubbed at the Oscars and did not win a single nomination in any category.
The Razzies were started 25 years ago by John Wilson, a self-described cinematic cynic. Wilson has put together a jury which today comprises 650 members - industry professionals, fans and critics - in 40 US states and 15 foreign countries.
"Oscars have become as nasty as politics. It is the same people to orchestrate the campaign. The one thing that I was disappointed that there isn't a thoroughly enjoyable bad movie this year," Wilson told AFP a few days before the ceremony. -AFP
