Pop divas fight it out for raspberry

POP divas Britney Spears and Madonna have hit a new low note in their careers — they’re battling it out for a worst actress award.

Voters for the Razzies gave Spears' Crossroads a leading eight Razzie nominations while Madonna's island-romance bomb Swept Away received seven.

Both films received nominations for worst picture and worst actress.

Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones, also received seven nominations, among them worst picture and director for George Lucas, creator of the sci-fi saga.

The other worst-picture contenders are Eddie Murphy's sci-fi comedy The Adventures of Pluto Nash and Roberto Benigni's live-action version of Pinocchio.

Nominees for the 23rd annual Razzies, organised by the Golden Raspberry Award Foundation, were announced in Los Angeles yesterday, ahead of today's Oscar nominations.

Razzie "winners" will be announced on March 22, the eve of the Oscar ceremony.

Madonna personally had four nominations: Worst actress for Swept Away, directed by her husband, Guy Ritchie (a nominee for worst director and worst screenplay), worst screen couple (paired with Adriano Giannini in Swept Away), worst supporting actress for the James Bond adventure Die Another Day and worst song for the film's title tune, which she co-wrote.

What was so bad about Swept Away, a remake of a 1975 Italian film about a rich snob stranded on an island with a handsome sailor?

"What wasn't?" asked Razzies founder John Wilson. "It's a really awful remake of a highly regarded movie. I think it's the most blatant example of the fact that Madonna simply cannot act. This one may finally end her film career."

Madonna previously received four worst-actress Razzies for such movies as Shanghai Surprise and Who's That Girl? The Razzies also named her worst actress of the 20th century.

Spears, whose pop-queen career arc has drawn comparisons to Madonna's, also could continue her predecessor's tradition of bad acting, Wilson said.

"Britney Spears is a Madonna wannabe," Wilson said. "Madonna is on the outs, and Britney could be picking up the torch, or the spear, perhaps."

Besides Madonna and Spears, worst-actress nominees are Angelina Jolie for Life or Something Like It, Jennifer Lopez for Enough and Maid in Manhattan, and Winona Ryder for Mr Deeds.

Benigni was nominated in the actor, director and screenplay categories for Pinocchio. Other worst-actor contenders are Giannini (Swept Away), Eddie Murphy (Pluto Nash, I Spy and Showtime), Steven Seagal (Half Past Dead) and Adam Sandler (Adam Sandler's 8 Crazy Nights and Mr Deeds).

The Razzies added a new category, most flatulent teen-targeted movie, meant to "dishonour the often moronic movies Hollywood is forever aiming at the acne-and-braces set". Nominees are Adam Sandler's 8 Crazy Nights, Crossroads, Jackass: The Movie, Scooby-Doo and XXX.