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When it comes to awards, major movie disappointments get a second chance to recognition with the annual Razzie Awards, which celebrate the worst from Hollywood, including worst picture.
Nominations for the Golden Raspberry Awards were announced on Wednesday morning, one day before Oscar nominations.
Actor Mike Myers’ long nurtured comedy, “The Love Guru,” about a wacky spiritual guide, who seeks fame and fortune in the U.S. self-help communities, led the field for the Razzies with seven nominations, among them worst picture and worst-acting slots for Myers, actress Jessica Alba, Verne Troyer and Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley.
“This is one of those auteur-of-the-awful situations,” said John Wilson, founder of the Razzies. “I think people are tired of him in general. He hasn't really made a good movie in quite some time.”
Despite having created memorable characters in film franchises such as “Wayne's World” and “Austin Powers,” Myers, who wrote the script, fell way short of the mark in “The Love Guru.” Not only was it a major box office flop, barely earning around $5 million in its first weekend, the movie ended up getting a ton of negative press, and reviews not just for the film itself, but for Myers’ unlikable, control-freak personality in general.
Other top contenders for the worst feature prize include M. Night Shyamalan's “The Happening,” low-budget comedy “The Hottie and the Nottie,” fantasy film “In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale,” and spoof flicks “Disaster Movie" and “Meet the Spartans.”
"Disaster Movie" and "Meet the Spartans," competing as a single entity, garnered six nominations, while “The Hottie & the Nottie” and “In the Name of the King” landed five each, while “The Happening” scored four. All of them yielded nods for worst director and worst screenplay.
In the worst actor category, Myers will be facing competition from some of Hollywood’s greatest including Eddie Murphy for “Meet Dave,” Al Pacino for both “88 Minutes” and “Righteous Kill,” Mark Wahlberg for “The Happening” and “Max Payne,” and Larry the Cable Guy for “Witless Protection.”
Myers’ “Love Guru” co-star, Jessica Alba was also nominated in the worst actress category for “The Eye” and “The Love Guru.” She is up against Cameron Diaz for “What Happens in Vegas,” Kate Hudson for “Fool's Gold” and “My Best Friend's Girl,” the entire cast of “The Women,” and Paris Hilton for “The Hottie and the Nottie.” She is also nominated for worst supporting actress in “Repo: A Genetic Opera.”
“She really is neither a movie star or an actress,” Wilson said of Hilton.
Uwe Boll, director of “In the Name of the King,” will receive the first Worst Career Achievement Razzie since 1987.
The Razzies are determined by 687 voting members of the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation. Winners are announced on the morning before the Academy Awards.
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