John J. B. Wilson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John J. B. Wilson
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Wilson at the 29th Golden Raspberry Awards
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| Born | May 24, 1954 |
| Other names | John J.B. Wilson, John Wilson, Ye Olde Head Raspberry |
| Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Occupation | Copywriter, publicist |
| Known for | Founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards |
| Spouse(s) | Barbara Wilson |
| Children | 1 |
John J. B. Wilson (born May 24, 1954) is an American writer and public relations expert. He is best known for creating the Golden Raspberry Awards, also called the Razzies. These awards "honor" the worst movies of the year.
Wilson studied film and television at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). After college, he worked on movie marketing. In 1981, he started the Razzies with his friend Mo Murphy. This happened during a party at his house on the night of the Academy Awards. He invited friends to give out silly awards for bad movies. The next year, a newspaper wrote about the first Razzies. Wilson announced Can't Stop the Music as the first "Worst Picture" winner. More and more people came to the Razzies each year. By the fourth ceremony, major news channels like CNN covered the event. John Wilson is still very involved with the Razzies. People often call him the "Head Razzberry." He even wrote a book about the awards called The Official Razzie Movie Guide in 2005.
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John Wilson's Early Life
John Wilson grew up in Chicago, Illinois. When he was nine, his family moved to Santa Monica, California. Wilson shared that his parents grew up during the Great Depression. Movies were very important to them. He learned to appreciate movies from his parents. As a kid, he sometimes skipped school to watch the Academy Awards.
Studying Film and Working in Movies
Wilson went to University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He studied film and television there. While in college, he managed a movie theater. After graduating, he worked on movie marketing. He also wrote ads for a film festival sponsor. In this job, he watched over 200 movies every year. In 2005, he was still working in film marketing. He also helped create film trailers. He even did publicity for the Academy Awards. He once joked that when people found out he did the Razzies, they thought he was a spy.
As of 2005, Wilson lives in Cerritos, California. He lives with his wife, Barbara. They have one son.
The Golden Raspberry Awards
John Wilson got the idea for the Razzies after watching two movies, Can't Stop the Music and Xanadu. He disliked them so much that he wanted his money back. On the drive home, he thought, "Those two movies should get awards for being so bad!" He then remembered other movies from 1980 that had disappointed him. He watched many films for his job, so he saw a lot of good and bad ones.
How the Razzies Started
Wilson often hosted dinner parties at his home in Los Angeles. These parties were on the night of the Academy Awards. In 1981, after the Oscars ended, Wilson gave his friends ballots. They voted for the worst movies. He then held a fun award ceremony in his living room. He used a cardboard box as a podium. A foam ball on a broomstick was his fake microphone. Everyone loved the silly ceremony.
The next week, Wilson sent out a press release. A few local newspapers picked up the story. The Los Angeles Daily News even had a headline about it.
The word "raspberry" in the awards means "blowing a raspberry." This is a funny sound people make to show they don't like something. Wilson said that the word "razz" has become very common. He joked that Hollywood helped make it popular. He is often called "Ye Olde Head Razzberry."
The Razzie Ceremony
The Razzie ceremony is like the Academy Awards, but it's meant to be silly and low-budget. The awards themselves are not expensive. They usually cost about US$4.79 each. They are a golf-ball-sized raspberry on top of a Super 8 mm film reel. The whole thing is spray-painted gold.
About 36 people came to the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards. The second ceremony had twice as many people. The third ceremony had even more. By the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards, major news groups like CNN covered the event. Wilson realized that holding the Razzies the night before the Oscars was a good idea. This way, reporters from all over the world would be looking for something to cover.
Books by John Wilson
John Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide came out in 2005. It celebrated the 25th anniversary of the awards. Before that, he wrote Everything I Know I Learned at the Movies in 1996. His Razzie guide includes the award winners. It also lists his "100 favorites among the Worst Movies Ever Made."
See also
- 1st Golden Raspberry Awards
- Golden Raspberry Award
