March 24, 1996: Razzie Awards: award for 'Worst Supporting Actress' (Madonna)

Worst Supporting Actress

• Amy the Talking Gorilla in Congo
• Bo Derek in Tommy Boy as Beverly Barish
• Gina Gershon in Showgirls as Cristal Connors
• Madonna in Four Rooms as Elspeth
• Lin Tucci in Showgirls as Henrietta Bazoom

Winner: Madonna

We’ve got some old favorites back.  Bo Derek was nominated for Worst Actress three times between 1981 and 1990.  She won every single time she was nominated.  In between her last win for Ghost Can’t Do It and her nomination for Tommy Boy, Derek appeared in the movie Woman of Desire which I haven’t seen but I’m sure it was a family film based on the title and Derek’s involvement.  Woman of Desire went direct to video, so it wasn’t eligible for Razzie consideration.

With Tommy Boy, two things happened.  Derek shifted into supporting roles and she became eligible for Razzie nominations.  She also kept her clothes on which I suppose is worth mentioning considering her output for the last decade.  Anyway, as soon as Derek shows up in a movie that is actually released in theaters, up she goes.  This is the first time she has ever been nominated and NOT won.  It probably goes without saying that if any other actress (other than Brooke Shields or Faye Dunaway) had played that part, they would not have been nominated.

The same goes for Madonna who won for Four Rooms.  The Material Girl was nominated for Worst Actress four times between 1986 and 1993 with a total of three wins in eight years.  Lead roles almost never went well for Madonna, but she had a decent track record with supporting parts.  The Razzies even let her go unnominated for parts in Dick Tracy and A League of Their Own.  But when she popped up in the indie comedy, Four Rooms, the Razzies decided enough was enough.  It was time to nominate Madonna in the support category.

The fact that the Razzies repeated their gag nomination for Amy the Gorilla from Congo suggests to me that it was a pretty good year for Supporting Actresses.  That or very few Razzie targets played supporting parts in 1995.  Kind of surprised not to see Farrah Fawcett nominated for the comedy Man of the House.  Faye Dunaway went un nominated for Don Juan DeMarco somehow.  Maybe the Razzies were too distracted by Johnny Depp.

Gina Gershon and Lin Tucci were nominated just for being in Showgirls.  If Tucci’s name doesn’t ring a bell, she played Henrietta “Mama” Bazoom.  Still doesn’t ring a bell?  She was the overweight woman who flashed the audience.  So, yeah, the Razzies nominated the one supporting actress in the movie that wasn’t wearing a G-string.  Gershon seemed like the only person in the movie who was in on the joke.  She’s actually kind of awesome in Showgirls.