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For Immediate Release

It’s Madonna! It’s Britney! It’s -- BOTH??

Pop Divas TIE at 23^rd RAZZIE Awards

   RAZZIE voters apparently found it impossible to decide if Britney Spears in her screen debut CROSSROADS or Madonna in the screen debacle SWEPT AWAY was worse – So the final results came up a TIE for Worst Actress in The 23^rd Annual Golden Raspberry (RAZZIE) Awards, diss-honoring 2002’s Worst Achievements in Film. “Winners” (if that’s the right term here!) were announced in ultra-low-budget ceremonies at the Four-Points by Sheraton Hotel in Santa Monica, held at 11am/PST Saturday, March 22. To point up their being a counterpoint to The Oscars, The RAZZIES are traditionally presented 24 hours BEFORE That Other Award Show (a.k.a. “The Giving Out of the Little Gold Naked Men”).

   The 2003 RAZZIE ceremony commenced with “Velma” Kelie McIver performing the glitzy Opening Number “All That RAZZ!” (a parody of guess-what-tune from Oscar Best Picture nominee CHICAGO) then ripped-and-tore its way through 11 categories in about an hour. Besides the tie for Worst Actress, many of this year’s other RAZZIE races were also close…

   But in the end, the film that swept was the first joint effort from Mr. and Mrs. Madonna, SWEPT AWAY. The Immaterial Mom’s Box Office Blow-Fest became the first film ever to “win” BOTH the Worst Picture and Worst Remake statuettes, as well as being the lowest-grossing Worst Picture in RAZZIE history with a tiny $598,645 in ticket sales. SWEPT also copped spray-painted gold for Worst Screen Couple (Madonna and co-star Adriano Giannini) and Worst Director, “Mr. Madonna” (a.k.a. Guy Ritchie). It’s five “wins” tie SWEPT AWAY with MOMMIE DEAREST, THE POST MAN, WILD WILD WEST and FREDDY GOT FINGERED in the RAZZIE All-Time Worst derby. Worst Actress “co-winner” and Madonna-Wannabe Britney’s less-than-auspicious “acting” debut CROSSROADS was the runner-up. It’s Worst “Original” Song “win” for Spears’ whiney new anthem, “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” brought that film’s RAZZIE total to 2. Former Best Actor Oscar winner Roberto Benigni, in a wooden-headed (and horribly-dubbed) remake of PINOCCHIO, barely nosed out Steven Seagal as 2002’s Worst Actor. And George Lucas’ disappointing 5^th entry from a galaxy far, far too long, STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES crashed to Earth with both Worst Supporting Actor (Hayden Christensen) and Worst Screenplay RAZZIES. Lucas himself and co-conspirator Jonathan Hales shared the Screenplay diss-honor. A complete list of 23^rd Annual RAZZIE® “winners” is included with this press release.

   “Winners” were determined by mailing ballots to 563 Golden Raspberry Award Foundation members throughout 39 U.S. states and a dozen foreign countries. The award itself is a handcrafted golf-ball-sized raspberry atop a mangled reel of Super 8 film, spray-painted gold. It has an estimated street value of $4.89.  The RAZZIES were created in 1980 by John Wilson, a life-long cynic and Cine-Maniac as well as the author of EVERYTHING I KNOW I LEARNED AT THE MOVIES.

Information for contacting John Wilson and/or the RAZZIE Foundation is atop this page

23rd Annual Golden Raspberry (RAZZIE) Award “Winners”

Worst Picture

SWEPT AWAY (Screen Gems)

Worst Actor

Roberto Benigni*# (Dubbed GODZILLA-Style by Breckin Meyer) PINOCCHIO

Worst Actress (TIE!)

Madonna#/SWEPT AWAY and  Britney Spears/CROSSROADS

Worst Supporting Actor

Hayden Christensen/STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES

Worst Supporting Actress

Madonna#/DIE ANOTHER DAY

MOST FLATULENT TEEN-TARGETED MOVIE (New Category!)

JACKASS: THE MOVIE (Paramount)

Worst Screen Couple

Adriano Giannini & Madonna#/SWEPT AWAY

Worst Director

Guy Ritchie/SWEPT AWAY

Worst Remake or Sequel

SWEPT AWAY

Worst Screenplay

STAR WARS: EPISODE II: YADA-YADA-YODA, Screenplay by George Lucas* and Jonathon Hales

WORST ‘ORIGINAL’ SONG

“I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” from CROSSROADS,

Written by Max Martin, “Rami” & Dido Armstrong

KEY: (*) Indicates Former Oscar® Winner or Nominee  (#) Indicates Former RAZZIE® Winner or Nominee

‘WINS’ PER FILM:

SWEPT AWAY – 5 Awards (Worst Picture, Actress, Screen Couple, Director and Remake or Sequel –

This is the FIRST time the same film has “won” BOTH Worst Picture and Worst Remake)

CROSSROADS – 2 Awards  (Worst Actress, Worst “Original” Song)

STAR WARS EPISODE II: ATTACK OF THE CLONES – 2 Awards (Worst Supporting Actor, Screenplay)

Roberto Benigni’s PINOCCHIO – 1 Award (Worst Actor)

DIE ANOTHER DAY and JACKASS: THE MOVIE – 1 Award Each

Madonna’s 3 “Wins” for 2003 bring her career totals to 9 RAZZIE® “Wins”

and 15 Nominations -- The most for any female in RAZZIE® History.

Madonna & Guy Ritchie are the first Husband-and-Wife/Worst-Director-and-Worst Actress

RAZZIE “Winning” Team since John and Bo Derek.

This is the second year in a row that a Pop Star making her Screen Debut has “won” Worst Actress.

^{©2003. The Golden Raspberry Award Foundation and John Wilson}