Here Come the Oscars/The Razzies!

With the major award season half finished (Golden Globe winners here, Screen Actors guild winners here [you'll have to scroll down to find the list]), only two of the major awards of the year remain – The Oscars and the Razzies.

The Oscars have been the crown jewel in Hollywood since1929. Over the years the awards have tried to maintain the same quality but occasionally there have been some blips – some awards have been given to people and films of lesser quality because their better ones have been overlooked (e.g. Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King).

For some unknown reason, comedies are usually overlooked for this particular award, but this year that trend has been soundly broken. There are four comedic films that have been nominated for various, and key, awards:

Little Miss Sunshine – Best Picture, Best Original Screen Play, Best Supporting Actress
The Devil Wears Prada – Best Lead Actress
Venus – Best lead Actor
Borat – Best adapted Screenplay

With about 61 films vying for 5 spots for best foreign film this year, a Canadian film made the cut. Water by Deepa Mehta, in which Hindi is spoken throughout, premiered in 2005 at the Toronto international film festival and went on to becoming the highest grossing foreign feature film in the US in 2006. In a group of films that have had significantly more press (Pan’s Labyrinth and The Lives of Others), Water is going to have a tough time breaking through and taking home the award.

The second award ceremony has less history but just as much enthusiasm. The Razzies, started in 1980, are the creation of John Wilson, who wanted to dishonor all the terrible movies of the past year. In the beginning, the categories mirrored the Oscars, but with time irreverent categories like the Worst Reckless Disregard for Human Life and Public Property and Most Tiresome Tabloid Targets arose. Unlike the Oscars, whose judges are kept anonymous from the public, the Razzies depend on the public to nominate and choose the “winners”. Moreover, those who sign up to vote secure an invitation to the awards ceremony that takes place in Los Angeles, a day before the Oscars.

The Academy Awards take place on February 25th and the Razzies on the 24th. To see the lists of the nominees, you can check out these links:

The Oscars

The Razzies