George Bush, Halle Berry Share Worst Film Honors

By Arthur Spiegelman

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Beating such established Hollywood hunks as Colin Farrell and Vin Diesel, President Bush won the Golden Raspberry Award on Saturday 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 Sept. 11 attacks were taking place all took top honors at the "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 for Berry for her "berry bad" work.

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.

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 Sept. 11, 2001.

Footage of Bush continuing to read the book after being given first word of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was one of the key scenes in Moore's highly critical film.

Two other "Fahrenheit" stars were "honored." Defense 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.

Wilson said he was able to finance the theater for this year's awards by selling the 'Razzie" that Ben Affleck broke in half after being handed it on "The Larry King Show" for "Gigli."

Since this year marks the 25th anniversary of the Razzies, some special awards were given:

"From Justin to Kelly" was named worst musical of the last 25 years, "Gigli," the Affleck-Jennifer Lopez disaster that was savaged by critics, was named worst comedy, and the science fiction film "Battlefield Earth" won for worst drama.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was named the worst Razzie loser of the last 25 years for having been nominated eight times and failing to win even once.