Golden Raspberry Awards facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Golden Raspberry Award
The Golden Raspberry Award statuette
Presented by	Golden Raspberry Award Foundation
Country	United States
First awarded	March 31, 1981; 44 years ago (1981-03-31)

The Golden Raspberry Awards, also known as the Razzies, are a fun and silly award show. They celebrate the worst movies and performances of the year. Think of them as the opposite of the Academy Awards (the Oscars)!

Two film fans, John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, started the Razzies. The name "raspberry" comes from the saying "blowing a raspberry," which means making a rude sound. The award trophy is a golf ball-sized raspberry on top of a film reel. It's spray-painted gold and looks quite funny! The Razzies want filmmakers and actors to "own their bad" when they make a not-so-great movie.

The very first Razzie Awards happened on March 31, 1981. It was a small party in John J. B. Wilson's living room. They wanted to honor the worst films from 1980. So far, Sylvester Stallone has won the most Razzies, with 12 awards!

History of the Razzie Awards

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

The idea for the Razzies came from John J. B. Wilson. He worked in movies, making trailers. One day, after watching two really bad films, Can't Stop the Music and Xanadu, he thought they deserved awards for being so terrible. He started thinking about all the other movies that disappointed him in 1980.

The next year, Wilson was hosting his usual potluck party on the night of the Academy Awards. After the Oscars finished, he gave out ballots to his friends. He asked them to vote for the worst movies. Then, he invited them to give out funny awards in his living room. Wilson even stood at a cardboard stand, wearing a silly tuxedo, with a foam ball on a broomstick as a fake microphone. He announced Can't Stop the Music as the first winner for Worst Picture!

This funny ceremony was a big hit! A week later, local newspapers wrote about it. The Los Angeles Daily News even had a headline: "Take These Envelopes, Please."

About 36 people came to the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards. The next year, twice as many people came. By the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards, big news channels like CNN were covering the event. Wilson realized that holding the Razzies the night before the Oscars was a smart move. He said, "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."

Sometimes, the Razzies have changed their minds. In 2022, they made a special award for Bruce Willis's performances in 2021. But then, his family shared that he had a health condition. The Razzies quickly took back the award, saying it wasn't right to give it to someone whose acting was affected by health issues. They also took back a nomination for Shelley Duvall from 1980. They learned that her director, Stanley Kubrick, treated her badly during filming. In 2023, they nominated a 12-year-old actress, Ryan Kiera Armstrong. After many people complained, they took back that nomination too. They also decided that no one under 18 would be nominated again. The Razzies even "won" an award themselves for that mistake!

How the Razzies Work

Worst Supporting Actress at the 29th Golden Raspberry Awards

People who want to vote for the Razzies pay to become members. There are about 650 members from 19 different countries.

After the first few parties, Wilson moved the awards to a school. This was so more news reporters could come. Since then, the Razzies usually announce their nominations and winners the day before the Academy Awards. This helps them get more attention.

There have been a couple of exceptions. In 2012, the winners were announced on April 1st, April Fool's Day! In 2020, the 40th Golden Raspberry Awards were planned to be a big TV show. But the COVID-19 pandemic caused them to be canceled. The winners were announced online instead.

Stars Who Have Accepted Their Razzie Awards

Most people don't want to win a Razzie. But some famous people have actually shown up to accept their awards! This shows they have a good sense of humor.

Paul Verhoeven was the first person to accept his awards for the movie Showgirls. Other stars who have accepted their Razzies include:

• Tom Green (for Worst Actor and Worst Director)
• Halle Berry (for Worst Actress)
• Sandra Bullock (for Worst Actress)
• Writers like Michael Ferris and J. D. Shapiro (for Worst Screenplay)
• Composer Alan Menken
• Producers Dana Brunetti and Michael De Luca for Fifty Shades of Grey

Winning Both the Worst and the Best

It's pretty rare, but some people and movies have been nominated for a Razzie (the worst) and a major award like an Oscar (the best) at the same time!

Razzie and Oscar Winners

Three people have won both a Razzie and an Oscar in the same weekend!

• In 1993, composer Alan Menken won.
• In 1997, screenwriter Brian Helgeland won.
• In 2010, actress Sandra Bullock won.

It's important to know they won for different movies. For example, Brian Helgeland won a Razzie for The Postman and an Oscar for L.A. Confidential.

Also, three actors have been nominated for both an Oscar and a Razzie for the same role:

• James Coco for Only When I Laugh
• Amy Irving for Yentl
• Glenn Close for Hillbilly Elegy

Razzie and Tony Winners

The movie Newsies was nominated for Worst Picture at the Razzies in 1993. Alan Menken also won Worst Original Song for "High Times, Hard Times" from that movie.

Years later, in 2011, a stage musical based on Newsies was created. This musical was nominated for a Tony Award (a big award for Broadway shows) for Best Musical! And Alan Menken won a Tony for Best Original Score for the musical. It's cool how something can be considered "worst" in one form and "best" in another!

Razzie Award Categories

The Razzies have different categories, just like other award shows.

Current Awards

• Worst Picture: For the overall worst movie.
• Worst Director: For the worst movie director.
• Worst Actor: For the worst male actor.
• Worst Actress: For the worst female actor.
• Worst Supporting Actor: For the worst male actor in a smaller role.
• Worst Supporting Actress: For the worst female actor in a smaller role.
• Worst Screenplay: For the worst movie script.
• Worst Remake, Rip-off or Sequel: For movies that are bad copies or follow-ups.
• Worst Screen Combo: For the worst pairing of actors on screen.
• Razzie Redeemer Award: For someone who was bad but then got good!

Retired Awards Some categories are no longer given out:

• Worst Original Song
• Worst New Star
• Worst Musical Score
• Worst Visual Effects
• Worst Screen Couple/Ensemble

Special Razzie Categories

Sometimes, the Razzies create special awards for specific years. Here are a few funny examples:

Anniversary Awards

Every ten years, the Razzies give out special awards for the "worst of the decade." They also gave out special prizes for their 25th anniversary in 2005.

Other Types of Razzie Awards

Razzie Redeemer Award

This award is for someone who used to make bad movies or get Razzie nominations, but then made a great comeback! It started in 2014. Winners include Ben Affleck, Sylvester Stallone, Melissa McCarthy, and Will Smith.

Worst Career Achievement

This special award has been given out a few times. It honors someone who has had a lot of "worst" moments in their career. Winners include former president Ronald Reagan and director Uwe Boll.

Governor's Award

This is a special award given by the head of the Razzie Awards, John J. B. Wilson. It's for achievements that don't fit into other categories. For example, in 2003, it went to Travis Payne for "Distinguished Under-Achievement in Choreography" in the movie From Justin to Kelly. In 2021, it was even given to the year 2020 for being "The Worst Calendar Year EVER!"

Barry L. Bumstead Award

This award is for movies that cost a lot of money to make but ended up being huge failures at the box office. Some winners include United Passions and Billionaire Boys Club.

Razzie Ceremonies Over the Years

The Razzies have been held every year since 1980. Here's a list of all the ceremonies:

See also

In Spanish: Premios Golden Raspberry para niños

• Academy Awards
• Stinkers Bad Movie Awards
• The Golden Turkey Awards
• Golden Kela Awards
• List of films considered the worst
• List of people who have accepted Golden Raspberry Awards