Bush named year’s ‘worst actor’
US President George Bush has won the Golden Raspberry Award for worst actor of the year for his appearance in Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 9/11.
Bush, two members of his administration, Britney Spears and the storybook about a goat that the president was reading to children as the September 11 attacks were taking place, all took top honours at Saturday’s Razzie awards, now in their 25th year.
Catwoman, starring 2002 best actress Oscar winner Halle Berry, tied with Fahrenheit 9/11 by scooping up four Razzies – worst picture, worst directing, worst screenplay and worst performance by an actress.
John Wilson, founder of the nonprofit Golden Raspberry Award Foundation that gives out “Hollywood’s least coveted trophies” on the eve of the Oscars ceremony, said Moore’s anti-Bush documentary allowed the foundation’s nearly 700 members to do some Bush bashing of their own.
Others honoured
The president not only was named worst male actor in a leading role, he also won for being half of the year’s worst screen couple when paired with either Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice or My Pet Goat, the book he was reading to schoolchildren on the morning of September 11.
Footage of Bush continuing to read the book after being given first word of the attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon was one of the key scenes in Moore’s highly critical film.
Two other Fahrenheit stars were “honoured”. Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was named worst supporting actor and pop star Britney Spears won for worst supporting actress for a clip in which she declares blind faith in Bush’s policies while popping chewing gum.
Winners receive a golf-ball-sized figure of a Raspberry atop a mangled Super 8 film reel that is spray-painted gold. It has an estimated street value of $4.97, although Wilson said costs were rising as Super 8 film reel cans are getting harder to find.
Since this year marks the 25th year of the Razzies, some special awards were given.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was named the worst Razzie loser for the last 25 years for having been nominated eight times and failing to win even once.