I've covered the Oscars and Spirit Awards in L.A. but neither was as much fun as attending the Golden Raspberry (or Razzies) awards (twice), the annual celebration of the year's worst that Hollywood shoveled into theaters.

One year was when Showgirls swept the balloting for worst picture, actress, screenplay, etc. Director Paul Verhoeven showed up as a good sport, accepting the dubious honors and cheap-o statuettes. I missed the years that Bill Cosby (Leonard, Part 6) and Halle Berry (Catwoman) surprised everyone by personally picking up their awards. The show always features cleverly edited film clips, live comedy entertainment and the snarkiest categories and nominations imaginable.

This year's nomination ballot (from which the final list of nominees will be determined) is no exception. You can find the full list and past winners/losers at the Razzies link above, but here are some examples, (one retitled by Razzies organizers for full humiliation effect):

WORST PICTURE: The combo of Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans (two movies, one badly beaten dead horse); The Day the Earth Blowed Up Real Good; High School Musical 3: Senior Year; The Hottie and the Nottie; Uwe Boll's In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale AND Boll's Postal; Rambo; Meet Dave; Speed Racer; Witless Protection and The Happening.

WORST SCREEN COUPLE (always one of my favorites, and these are the Razzies' descriptions): Any combination of Two Happy-Faced, Empty-Headed, Two-Left-Footed Teens in High School Musical 3; Uwe Boll and Any Actor, Camera or Screenplay; Any Two Non-Singers/Dancers Singing and Dancing in Mamma Mia!; Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher in What Happens in Vegas; Paris Hilton and either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore in The Hottie and the Nottie; Kate Hudson and either Dane Cook (My Best Friend's Girl) or Matthew McConaughey (Fool's Gold); Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy in Witless Protection; Eddie Murphy IN Eddie Murphy in Meet Dave; Al Pacino and either his I-slept-on-it wrong hair or his bright orange man-tan in 88 Minutes; Keanu Reeves and any Earthling Dense Enough to Listen to Him in The Day the Earth Blowed Up Real Good; Sylvester Stallone and either his supersonic crossbow or his supersonic ego in Rambo; and Mark Wahlberg and either Zooey Deschanel (The Happening) or Mila Kunis (Max Payne).

And in the special category of WORST CAREER ACHIEVEMENT, as the ballot describes them:

Uwe Boll (Germany's answer to Ed Wood; Jason Friedberg & Aaron Seltzer (Date Movie, Disaster Movie, Epic Movie, ad nauseum); Madonna (Retired Movie Star, Immaterial Girl and our Awl-Time Female Champ); Keanu Reeves ("Dude, Where's My Talent?"); and Sylvester Stallone (a.k.a.GRAMPO, Our Awl-Time Male or Female Champ).

The nomination ballot is due back in L.A. by Jan. 10. Final nominations will be announced shortly thereafter, and the Razzies will be presented on Feb. 21, the day before the Oscars show.

(image from razzies.com)