Websites - Golden Raspberry Awards (Razzies)

A Golden Raspberry Award, or Razzie for short, is an award presented in recognition of the worst in film. Founded by American copywriter and publicist John J.B. Wilson in 1981, the annual Razzie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles precedes the corresponding Academy Awards ceremony by one day. The term raspberry in the name is used in its irreverent sense, as in "blowing a raspberry". The awards themselves typically cost $4.79 each, in the form of a "golfball-sized raspberry" which sits atop a Super 8 mm film reel, the whole of which is spray-painted gold. American copywriter and publicist John J.B. Wilson traditionally held potluck dinner parties at his house in Los Angeles on the night of the Academy Awards.[1] In 1981, after the 53rd Academy Awards had completed for the evening, Wilson invited friends to give random award presentations in his living room.[1][2] Wilson decided to formalize the event, after watching a double feature of Can't Stop the Music and Xanadu.[3] He gave them ballots to vote on worst in film.[3] Wilson stood at a podium 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 for Worst Picture.[3][4] The impromptu ceremony was a success, and the following week a press release about his event released by Wilson was picked up by a few local newspapers, including a mention in the Los Angeles Daily News with the headline: "Take These Envelopes, Please".[1][2][4] Approximately three dozen people came to the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards.[4] The 2nd Golden Raspberry Awards had double the attendance as the first, and the 3rd awards ceremony had double this number.[4] By the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, CNN and two major wire services covered the event.[1] 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.[1] [edit] Name The term raspberry is used in its irreverent sense, as in "blowing a raspberry".[5] Wilson commented to the author of Blame It on the Dog: "When I registered the term with the Library of Congress in 1980, they asked me, 'Why raspberry? What's the significance of that?' But since then, razz has pretty much permeated the culture. We couldn't have done it without Hollywood's help."[5] Wilson is referred to as "Ye Olde Head Razzberry".[6]

Wikipedia Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Raspberry_Award
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