Golden Raspberry Awards

"Golden Raspberry" redirects here. For the fruit, see Raspberry.

Golden Raspberry Award
Current: 44th Golden Raspberry Awards
The Golden Raspberry Award statuette
Awarded forWorst in film
CountryUnited States
Presented byGolden Raspberry Award Foundation
First awardedMarch 31, 1981; 43 years ago (1981-03-31)
Websitewww.razzies.com

The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, the Razzie Awards' satirical annual ceremony is preceded by its opposite, the Academy Awards, by four decades. The term raspberry is used in its irreverent sense, as in "blowing a raspberry". The statuette is a golf ball-sized raspberry atop a Super 8mm film reel atop a 35-millimeter film core with brown wood shelf paper glued and wrapped around it—sitting atop a jar lid spray-painted gold. The Golden Raspberry Foundation has claimed that the award "encourages well-known filmmakers and top-notch performers to own their bad."

The first Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony was held on March 31, 1981, in John J. B. Wilson's living-room alcove in Hollywood, to honor the perceived worst films of the 1980 film season. To date, Sylvester Stallone is the most-awarded actor ever, with 12 awards.

History

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John J. B. Wilson at the 29th Golden Raspberry Awards in 2009

American publicist John J. B. Wilson had been seeing a 99-cent double feature of Can't Stop the Music and Xanadu and thought in his drive home that those movies deserved awards for their low quality, and subsequently started thinking of all the other films that disappointed him in 1980, particularly as he had watched hundreds of productions in his job making trailers.[1][2] So, the following year, in the potluck parties he usually held at his home in Hollywood on the night of the Academy Awards,[3] after the 53rd Academy Awards had completed for the evening, Wilson passed ballots regarding the worst in film to the attendees, and invited his friends to give random award presentations in his living room.[3][4][1] Wilson stood at a lectern made of cardboard in a tacky tuxedo, with a foam ball attached to a broomstick as a fake microphone, and announced Can't Stop the Music as the first Golden Raspberry Award Winner for Worst Picture.[1][5] The impromptu ceremony was a success and the following week a press release about his event was picked up by a few local newspapers, including a mention in the Los Angeles Daily News with the headline: "Take These Envelopes, Please".[3][4][5]

Approximately three dozen people came to the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards.[5] The 2nd Golden Raspberry Awards had double the attendance, and the 3rd awards ceremony had doubled that number.[5] By the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, CNN and two major wire services covered the event.[3] Wilson realized that by scheduling the Golden Raspberry Awards prior to the Academy Awards, the ceremony would get more press coverage: "We finally figured out you couldn't compete with the Oscars on Oscar night, but if you went the night before, when the press from all over the world are here and they are looking for something to do, it could well catch on," he said to BBC News.[3]

In 2022, a dedicated award category, Worst Bruce Willis Performance in a 2021 Movie, was created after Bruce Willis starred in a number of poorly received low-budget films. On March 30 of that year, Willis's family announced that he had been diagnosed with aphasia.[6] The Golden Raspberry Awards subsequently retracted the award category, saying it was inappropriate to award a Golden Raspberry to someone whose performance was affected by a medical condition.[7] At the same time, the Awards retroactively retracted their 1980 Worst Actress nomination of Shelley Duvall in The Shining, stating "We have since discovered that Duvall's performance was impacted by Stanley Kubrick's treatment of her throughout the production".[8] In 2023, following backlash for nominating 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong for Worst Actress, the Golden Raspberry Awards rescinded the nomination and said individuals under age 18 would no longer be nominated.[9] The Razzies themselves later won the category for the blunder.[10]

Format

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Members of the Golden Raspberry Award Organization pay for membership, and number 650 from 19 countries.[11][12] After three editions held during Wilson's potluck Oscar parties, Wilson realized that by scheduling the Golden Raspberry Awards prior to the Academy Awards, the ceremony would get more press coverage, and the fourth edition happened at Los Angeles' Third Street Elementary School.[3] The ceremonies have generally been scheduled in this way, with both nominations and awards revealed in the day before the Academy Awards, ever since, with only two exceptions. 2012's 32nd Golden Raspberry Awards, had the nominees announced the day before the academy award nominees, but the ceremony took place on April 1, April Fool's Day.[13] In 2020, there were plans for the milestone 40th Golden Raspberry Awards to be celebrated with a bigger, televised ceremony in March, but the ceremonies were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the winners revealed online.[14][15]

Worst Supporting Actress at the 29th Golden Raspberry Awards

Recipients who have accepted their award

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Main article: List of people who have accepted Golden Raspberry Awards

Paul Verhoeven was the first person to go to the ceremony to receive his awards for the movie Showgirls. Other recipients who have accepted their Golden Raspberry Award include Tom Green (Worst Actor/Worst Director), Halle Berry[16][17] and Sandra Bullock (Worst Actress), Michael Ferris and J. D. Shapiro (Worst Screenplay), Alan Menken, Dinesh D'Souza, and Fifty Shades of Grey producers Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca.

Contenders for worst and best

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Several people and/or films have received Razzie nominations while simultaneously receiving award nominations and other cultural honors from different organizations, sometimes for the same work or role.

Razzie and Oscar

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Three people have won both a Razzie and an Oscar the same weekend: composer Alan Menken in 1993, screenwriter Brian Helgeland in 1997, and actress Sandra Bullock in 2010, though all three won for different films (e.g., Helgeland won a Razzie for The Postman and an Oscar for L.A. Confidential).[18][19] Three actors have received Oscar and Razzie acting nominations for the same role: James Coco (Only When I Laugh), Amy Irving (Yentl), and Glenn Close (Hillbilly Elegy).[20]

As of 2024, only 77 films have been nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie.

Razzie and Tony

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Newsies was nominated for Worst Picture at the 1993 ceremony, and Alan Menken won Worst Original Song for "High Times, Hard Times". The 2011 stage adaptation, which did not include "High Times, Hard Times", was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Musical, and Menken won Best Original Score.[21][22]

Categories

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Current Awards

Retired

Special categories

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Special categories have also been introduced for specific years. Such special awards include:

Year Category Winner Nominees
1996 Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million Twister—Michael Crichton & Anne-Marie Martin The Hunchback of Notre Dame—Tab Murphy, Irene Mecchi, Bob Tzudiker & Noni White
Independence Day—Dean Devlin & Roland Emmerich
Mission: Impossible—David Koepp and Robert Towne
A Time to Kill—Akiva Goldsman
1997 Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property Con Air Batman & Robin
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Turbulence
Volcano
2019 Rambo: Last Blood Dragged Across Concrete
The Haunting of Sharon Tate
Hellboy
Joker
1998 Worst Movie Trends of the Year Gidgets 'n' geezers (58-year-old leading men wooing 28-year-old leading ladies) If you've seen the trailer, why bother to see the movie?!? (previews that give away the film's entire plot)
30 minutes of story – conveyed in less than three hours! (l-o-n-g-e-r movies... shorter plots)
THX: The audio is deafening! (movie sound so loud it constitutes assault with a deafening weapon)
Yo quiero tacky tie-ins! (Mega-zillion-dollar cross-promotional overkill: Armageddon, Godzilla, etc.)
2002 Most Flatulent Teen-Targeted Movie Jackass: The Movie Eight Crazy Nights
Crossroads
Scooby-Doo
XXX
2003 Worst Excuse for an Actual Movie (All Concept/No Content) The Cat in the Hat 2 Fast 2 Furious
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle
From Justin to Kelly
The Real Cancun
2005 Most Tiresome Tabloid Targets Tom Cruise, his baby (Suri Cruise), Katie Holmes, Oprah Winfrey's couch and the Eiffel Tower Tom Cruise and his anti-psychiatry rant
Paris Hilton and... "who EVER!"
Mr. and Mrs. Britney, their baby (Sean Preston Federline) and their camcorder
The Simpsons: Ashlee, Jessica and Nick
2006 Worst Excuse for Family Entertainment RV Deck the Halls
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause
The Shaggy Dog
2007 Worst Excuse for a Horror Movie I Know Who Killed Me Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
Captivity
Hannibal Rising
Hostel: Part II
2010 Worst Eye-Gouging Misuse of 3D The Last Airbender[23] Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Clash of the Titans
The Nutcracker
Saw 3D
2017 The Razzie Nominee So Rotten You Loved It Baywatch The Emoji Movie[24]
Fifty Shades Darker
The Mummy
Transformers: The Last Knight
2021 Worst Bruce Willis Performance in a 2021 Movie[a] Cosmic Sin American Siege
Apex
Deadlock
Fortress
Midnight in the Switchgrass
Out of Death
Survive the Game

Anniversary awards

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Every decade-closing ceremony includes an award for the worst actors and movies of the decade—though the 2000 ceremony put the actors as worst of the 20th century instead. Special prizes for the 25th anniversary of the Razzies awards were also given out in 2005.

Period/Ceremony Category Winner Nominees
1980s (10th) Worst Actor Sylvester Stallone Christopher Atkins
Ryan O'Neal
Prince
John Travolta
Worst Actress Bo Derek Faye Dunaway
Madonna
Brooke Shields
Pia Zadora
Worst Picture of the Decade Mommie Dearest (1981) Bolero (1984)
Howard the Duck (1986)
The Lonely Lady (1983)
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Worst New Star of the Decade Pia Zadora Christopher Atkins
Madonna
Prince
Diana Scarwid
1990s (20th) Worst Actor of the Century Sylvester Stallone Kevin Costner
Prince
William Shatner
Pauly Shore
Worst Actress of the Century Madonna Elizabeth Berkley
Bo Derek
Brooke Shields
Pia Zadora
Worst Picture of the Decade Showgirls (1995) An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1998)
Hudson Hawk (1991)
The Postman (1997)
Striptease (1996)
Worst New Star of the Decade Pauly Shore Elizabeth Berkley
Ahmed Best
Sofia Coppola
Dennis Rodman
Of Our First 25 Years (25th) Worst Razzie Loser Arnold Schwarzenegger Kim Basinger
Angelina Jolie
Ryan O'Neal
Keanu Reeves
Worst Drama Battlefield Earth (2000) The Lonely Lady (1983)
Mommie Dearest (1981)
Showgirls (1995)
Swept Away (2002)
Worst Comedy Gigli (2003) The Adventures of Pluto Nash (2002)
The Cat in the Hat (2003)
Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
Leonard Part 6 (1987)
Worst Musical From Justin to Kelly (2003) Can't Stop the Music (1980)
Glitter (2001)
Rhinestone (1984)
Spice World (1998)
Xanadu (1980)
2000s (30th) Worst Actor of the Decade Eddie Murphy Ben Affleck
Mike Myers
Rob Schneider
John Travolta
Worst Actress of the Decade Paris Hilton Mariah Carey
Lindsay Lohan
Jennifer Lopez
Madonna
Worst Picture of the Decade Battlefield Earth (2000) Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
Gigli (2003)
I Know Who Killed Me (2007)
Swept Away (2002)

Other types of awards

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Razzie Redeemer Award

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The Razzie Redeemer Award is presented to a former nominee or winner who has subsequently made a comeback from critical or commercial failure. The award was introduced in 2014. Winners include Ben Affleck, Sylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson, "A Safe Hollywood-Haven", Melissa McCarthy, Eddie Murphy, Will Smith, Colin Farrell, and Fran Drescher.

Worst Career Achievement

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This award has been given five times, to Ronald Reagan in 1981, to Linda Blair in 1983, to Irwin Allen in 1985, to "Bruce the Rubber Shark" from Jaws[25] in 1987, and to director Uwe Boll[26] in 2009 who received this for his achievement as "Germany's answer to Ed Wood".

Governor's Award

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This is a special award given by Razzie Award Governor John J. B. Wilson to an individual whose achievements are not covered by the Razzies' other categories. It was awarded in 2003 to Travis Payne for "Distinguished Under-Achievement in Choreography" in the film From Justin to Kelly.[27] It would again be awarded in 2021 to the year 2020 for "The Worst Calendar Year EVER!"[28][29][30]

Barry L. Bumstead Award

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This award is given to movies with particularly high budgets that bombed at the box office. It was awarded in 2015 to United Passions,[31][32] to Misconduct in 2016,[33] in 2017 to CHiPs and in 2018 to Billionaire Boys Club.

Records

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By Films in a Single Year

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By Films Overall

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By Person

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Ceremonies

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Criticism

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The Razzies have received criticism, including from news sources such as IndieWire[34] and The Daily Telegraph,[35] for several issues, including that members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation are not required to watch the nominated films.[34] The awards follow a different set of rules[34] from the invitation-only Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[36][37] Critics take issue with the Razzies picking "easy targets" and critically panned mainstream films instead of those perceived as less popular but more deserving of notice,[38] and continuing to appeal to celebrities, seemingly for publicity and attention.[34]

Sam Adams of IndieWire has said the Razzies are "like hecklers hurling insults at comedians or a concertgoer yelling out 'Whoo!' during a quiet song, they're not-so-secretly crying out to be noticed. The Razzies, properly enough, avoid pouncing on the little guy; they don't trash no-budget indies no one has seen for having bad lighting or terrible sound".[34] Robbie Collin of The Daily Telegraph wrote, however, that "the Razzies' ongoing failure to train its sights on anything but the most obvious targets means it grows more tired and redundant by the year".[35] CraveOnline's William Bibbiani stated that the Razzies follow "a cheap shot of pranksterism", and "with only a handful of exceptions, the Razzies have only seen fit to nominate the most infamous movies of the year, and not necessarily the worst."[38] In 2018, Scott Meslow, writing for GQ, accused the Razzies of being "pretty lazy, very sexist, and a little racist" in their choices, reiterating criticism that voters were overreliant on films already widely perceived as notorious, and further asserting they disproportionally nominated films directed by and starring Tyler Perry and films marketed towards women.[39]

In 2021, Liam Gaughan of the Dallas Observer wrote, "It’s easy to find fault in any awards nominations, be it Oscars or Razzies, but the greater issue that the Razzies face is that making fun of bad movies is no longer original. Film criticism, essays and satire all live in abundance on the internet, from both established publications and non-professionals."[37] Daniel Cook Johnson of MovieWeb echoed a similar sentiment, writing, "Wilson and Murphy’s insulting event may have been a wonderfully snarky and skewering enterprise back in the ‘80s when there was much less film criticism and audience reactions to recent movies. But now, there’s little reason for such an invalid vehicle, and the retirement option should be recognized before their relevance and shaky reputation are completely gone."[40]

The Razzies have also seen significant criticism from both within the industry and its own voting body for including underage actors and actresses in their ballots and nominations, with many noting the outcome of their careers and later personal and legal issues. Among those who were nominated or won include Aileen Quinn (at age 11) for Annie (winner), Gary Coleman (at age 14) for On the Right Track in 1982, Macaulay Culkin (at age 14) for Getting Even with Dad, The Pagemaster, and Richie Rich in 1995, Jake Lloyd (at age 11) for Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Jaden Smith (age 15) for After Earth (winner), Ryan Kiera Armstrong (at age 12) for Firestarter. Maddie Ziegler, though 18 years old when nominated, won Worst Supporting Actress for Music, released in 2021, for a role she played at 14 years old during filming in 2017. In 2023, the Razzies announced they would no longer nominate individuals under age 18.[9]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ The category was retracted after the disclosure of Bruce Willis having aphasia.[7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c Germain, David (Associated Press) (February 26, 2005). "25 Years of Razzing Hollywood's Stinkers". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Sun-Sentinel Company. p. 7D.
  2. ^ Anderson, Erik (February 14, 2015). "INTERVIEW: Razzies Founder John Wilson". AwardsWatch. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Lindrea, Victoria (February 25, 2007). "Blowing raspberries at Tinseltown". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved May 4, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Larsen, Peter (January 20, 2005). "The Morning Read – So bad, they're almost good – A love of movies lies behind the Razzies". The Orange County Register. p. 1.
  5. ^ a b c d Marder, Jenny (February 26, 2005). "Razzin' The Dregs of Hollywood Dreck – Film: Cerritos' John Wilson Marks His Golden Raspberry Awards' 25th Year With A Guide To Cinematic Slumming". Long Beach Press-Telegram. p. A1.
  6. ^ Shoard, Catherine (March 30, 2022). "Bruce Willis to retire from acting due to aphasia diagnosis". The Guardian. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Haring, Bruce (March 31, 2022). "Razzie Awards Retract Bruce Willis Worst Performance Category After His Aphasia Reveal". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 31, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  8. ^ Razzie Awards Backtrack, Rescind Bruce Willis Award – and Shelley Duvall Nomination as Well Archived March 31, 2022, at the Wayback Machine The Wrap. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Yossman, K. J. (January 25, 2023). "Razzies Apologize for Nominating 12-Year-Old Actor, Introduce Age Limit for Nominations". Variety. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  10. ^ Lambert, Harper (March 10, 2023). "Razzies Gives 'Worst Actress' Award… to Razzies for Child Actor Blunder". TheWrap. Archived from the original on May 15, 2023. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  11. ^ Marrs, John (February 25, 2009). "'They have no excuse to be as bad as they are' – The Golden Raspberry awards aren't just a refreshing antidote to the Oscars, they can help sell films too. John Marrs talks to the Razzies' founder, John Wilson". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 14, 2013. Retrieved May 6, 2009.
  12. ^ Schager, Nick (February 21, 2022). "Who's Still Laughing With the Razzies?". Vulture. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  13. ^ "Razzies Awards Show Moves to April Fools' Day". The Hollywood Reporter. January 22, 2012. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved February 21, 2022.
  14. ^ "Razzie Awards Canceled Amid Coronavirus Concerns". The Hollywood Reporter. March 14, 2020. Archived from the original on March 15, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  15. ^ "Razzie Awards 2020 Winners: Cats Dominates 40th Golden Raspberry Awards". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  16. ^ Bushby, Helen (February 27, 2005). "Berry gets worst actress Razzie". BBC News. BBC. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved January 19, 2009.
  17. ^ Razzie Channel (January 13, 2011), Halle Berry accepts her RAZZIE® Award, archived from the original on October 30, 2021, retrieved May 23, 2016
  18. ^ "Razzie Award nominations: Can Sandra Bullock win worst AND best actress?". Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  19. ^ ""L.A. Confidential" winning Best Adapted Screenplay". February 10, 2014. Archived from the original on October 30, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  20. ^ Nolfi, Joey (March 15, 2021). "Glenn Close bags Oscar and Razzie nods for her Hillbilly Elegy performance". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 15, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
  21. ^ "Menken, Fierstein Transform 'Newsies' For Stage". www.cbsnews.com. February 14, 2011. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  22. ^ "Newsies—An Oral History: How It All Happened". www.theatrely.com. Archived from the original on March 12, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  23. ^ "Razzie Awards: 'The Last Airbender' earns Worst Picture, Director, and 'Eye-Gouging Misuse of 3-D'". EW.com. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved August 3, 2020.
  24. ^ "38th Razzie Award "Winners" Announced". Rotten Tomatoes. March 3, 2018. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
  25. ^ Razzies.com Archived September 29, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, visited April 30, 2007.
  26. ^ Wilson, John (January 21, 2009). "Razzies 2008 Nominees for Worst Career Achievement". Archived from the original on February 7, 2013. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  27. ^ "Razzies.com – Home of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation". razzies.com. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  28. ^ "Robert Downey Jr., Adam Sandler, Glenn Close earn worst actor nods from Razzie Awards". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 13, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  29. ^ "'Dolittle', Sia's 'Music', '365 Days' Lead 2021 Razzie Awards Nominees – Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  30. ^ "Razzie Awards 2021 Winners: MUSIC, 365 DAYS WIN BIG AT 41ST GOLDEN RASPBERRY AWARDS < < Rotten Tomatoes". Archived from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  31. ^ "Razzie Awards Mock 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' Redeem Sylvester Stallone". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on February 25, 2017. Retrieved February 24, 2017.
  32. ^ Razzie Channel (April 20, 2016), 36th Razzie's – Barry L Bumstead Award Goes To…United Passions!, archived from the original on October 30, 2021, retrieved February 24, 2017
  33. ^ Heller, Corrine (February 25, 2017). "Razzies 2017 Winners Announced: Batman v Superman "Loses" Worst Picture But Still "Wins" Big". E Online. E!. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved February 25, 2017.
  34. ^ a b c d e Adams, Sam (January 5, 2015). "Why the Razzies Are the Worst Awards Ever". Criticwire. Archived from the original on November 23, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  35. ^ a b "Why I hate the Razzies". Telegraph.co.uk. March 1, 2016. Archived from the original on January 11, 2022.
  36. ^ "How to Become a Member". Oscars.org – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. July 18, 2014. Archived from the original on January 6, 2015. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  37. ^ a b Gaughan, Liam (March 22, 2021). "We No Longer Need the Tired Joke Known as the Razzie Awards". Dallas Observer. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
  38. ^ a b "Which Easy Targets Did The Razzies Pick This Year? – CraveOnline". January 13, 2016. Archived from the original on June 30, 2017. Retrieved October 31, 2016.
  39. ^ Maslow, Scott (January 23, 2018). "Ignore the Razzies—They're a Total Sham". GQ. Archived from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
  40. ^ Johnson, Daniel Cook (November 14, 2022). "Is It Time To Retire The Razzie Awards?". MovieWeb. Archived from the original on January 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
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