John J.B. Wilson
Encyclopedia
John J. B. Wilson is an American copywriter and publicist
. He was born in Chicago
, and moved with his parents to Santa Monica, California
at an early age. He majored in film and television at University of California, Los Angeles
, and after graduation worked on film marketing campaigns.
Wilson is the founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards
(also known as the Razzies), an annual ceremony dedicated to "honoring" the worst in film. In 1981 while hosting a potluck
dinner at his house on the night of the Academy Awards
, Wilson invited his friends to give impromptu award presentations in his living room. The following year Los Angeles Daily News
covered the event, the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards, and from behind a cardboard podium Wilson announced Can't Stop the Music
as the first Razzie Award for Worst Picture
. Attendance doubled at Razzie award ceremonies in the following years, and by the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards the event received coverage from CNN
and two major news wires. Wilson has retained an active role in the awards, and is referred to as the "Head Razzberry". His book The Official Razzie Movie Guide
was published in 2005 for the 25th anniversary of the Razzie awards. As of 2005 he resided in Cerritos, California
with his wife and son.
at age 9. At a young age he would skip school in order to watch the Academy Awards from the bleachers. He attended University of California, Los Angeles
, majoring in film and television. While attending college, he also managed the Fox Theater, Westwood Village
. After graduating UCLA, Wilson obtained a position working on marketing campaigns for movies and as a copywriter for a sponsor of the Los Angeles Film Festival
, and watched over 200 movies per year in this capacity. As of 2005 Wilson still worked in film marketing, and also worked on film trailers. His marketing work has included publicity for the Academy Awards: "When they found out that I did the Razzies, they looked at me like I was a spy," said Wilson to The Blade
. In 2005 he lived in Cerritos, California
with his wife Barbara and young son.
dinner parties at his house in Los Angeles on the night of the Academy Awards. In 1981, after the 53rd Academy Awards
had completed for the evening, Wilson invited friends to give random award presentations in his living room. The impromptu ceremony was a success, and the following week a press release about his event released by Wilson was picked up by a few local newspapers, including a mention in the Los Angeles Daily News
with the headline: "Take These Envelopes, Please". Wilson decided to formalize the event, after watching a double feature of Can't Stop the Music
and Xanadu
. He gathered his friends for a pot luck dinner to watch the 53rd Academy Awards
, and gave them ballots to vote on worst in film. Wilson stood at a podium made of cardboard in a tacky tuxedo, with a foam ball attached to a broomstick as a fake microphone, and announced Can't Stop the Music as the first Razzie Award for Worst Picture
.
The term raspberry is used in its irreverent sense, as in "blowing a raspberry
". Wilson commented to the author of Blame It on the Dog: "When I registered the term with the Library of Congress in 1980, they asked me, 'Why raspberry? What's the significance of that?' But since then, razz has pretty much permeated the culture. We couldn't have done it without Hollywood's help." Wilson is referred to as "Ye Olde Head Razzberry". The ceremony's program is modeled after the Academy Awards, but is "deliberately low-end and tacky". The awards themselves typically cost US$
4.79 each, in the form of a "golfball-sized raspberry" which sits atop a Super 8 mm film
reel; the whole of which is spray-painted gold.
Approximately three dozen people came to the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards. The 2nd Golden Raspberry Awards had double the attendance as the first, and the 3rd awards ceremony had double this number. By the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, CNN
and two major wire services covered the event. Wilson realized that by scheduling the Golden Raspberry Awards prior to the Academy Awards, the ceremony would get more press coverage: "We finally figured out you couldn't compete with the Oscars on Oscar night, but if you went the night before, when the press from all over the world are here and they are looking for something to do, it could well catch on," he said to BBC News
.
Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide was published in 2005 to mark the 25th anniversary of the awards; he had previously authored Everything I Know I Learned at the Movies in 1996. In addition to Razzie winners, The Official Razzie Movie Guide also includes Wilson's "100 favorites among the Worst Movies Ever Made".
Publicist
A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
. He was born in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and moved with his parents to Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
at an early age. He majored in film and television at University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, and after graduation worked on film marketing campaigns.
Wilson is the founder of the Golden Raspberry Awards
Golden Raspberry Awards
A Golden Raspberry Award, or Razzie for short, is an award presented in recognition of the worst in movies. Founded by American copywriter and publicist John J.B. Wilson in 1981, the annual Razzie Awards ceremony in Los Angeles precedes the corresponding Academy Awards ceremony by one day...
(also known as the Razzies), an annual ceremony dedicated to "honoring" the worst in film. In 1981 while hosting a potluck
Potluck
A potluck is a gathering of people where each person or group of people contributes a dish of food prepared by the person or the group of people, to be shared among the group...
dinner at his house on the night of the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
, Wilson invited his friends to give impromptu award presentations in his living room. The following year Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News
The Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....
covered the event, the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards, and from behind a cardboard podium Wilson announced Can't Stop the Music
Can't Stop the Music
Can't Stop the Music is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker. It is a pseudo-biography of disco's Village People which bears only a vague resemblance to the actual story of the group's formation...
as the first Razzie Award for Worst Picture
Razzie Award for Worst Picture
The Razzie Award for Worst Picture is an award given out at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film of the past year. Following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each film's distribution company and producer.-1980s:...
. Attendance doubled at Razzie award ceremonies in the following years, and by the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards the event received coverage from CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and two major news wires. Wilson has retained an active role in the awards, and is referred to as the "Head Razzberry". His book The Official Razzie Movie Guide
The Official Razzie Movie Guide
The Official Razzie Movie Guide: Enjoying the Best of Hollywood's Worst is a book about the Golden Raspberry Awards , written by John Wilson, founder of the awards ceremony...
was published in 2005 for the 25th anniversary of the Razzie awards. As of 2005 he resided in Cerritos, California
Cerritos, California
Cerritos is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956...
with his wife and son.
Early life and family
Wilson grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and moved with his parents to Santa Monica, CaliforniaSanta Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
at age 9. At a young age he would skip school in order to watch the Academy Awards from the bleachers. He attended University of California, Los Angeles
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
, majoring in film and television. While attending college, he also managed the Fox Theater, Westwood Village
Fox Theater, Westwood Village
The Fox Theater, Westwood Village, also known as the Fox Village Theater, is a historic, landmark cinema in Westwood Village, Los Angeles, California. It is currently operated by Regency Theaters under the name Regency Village Theater...
. After graduating UCLA, Wilson obtained a position working on marketing campaigns for movies and as a copywriter for a sponsor of the Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
, and watched over 200 movies per year in this capacity. As of 2005 Wilson still worked in film marketing, and also worked on film trailers. His marketing work has included publicity for the Academy Awards: "When they found out that I did the Razzies, they looked at me like I was a spy," said Wilson to The Blade
The Blade (newspaper)
The Blade is a daily newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, first published on December 19, 1835.- Overview :David Ross Locke gained national fame for the paper during the Civil War era by writing under the pen name Petroleum V. Nasby. Writing under the pen name, Locke wrote satires ranging on topics from...
. In 2005 he lived in Cerritos, California
Cerritos, California
Cerritos is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, and is one of several cities that constitute the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. It was incorporated on April 24, 1956...
with his wife Barbara and young son.
Golden Raspberry Awards
Wilson traditionally held pot luckPot luck
Pot luck may refer to:* Potluck, a form of group gathering, usually involving a meal* Pot Luck * Pot Luck * L'Auberge espagnole, a film also released in Britain and Canada under the title Pot Luck...
dinner parties at his house in Los Angeles on the night of the Academy Awards. In 1981, after the 53rd Academy Awards
53rd Academy Awards
The 53rd Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1980, were presented March 31, 1981, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies, which were presided over by Johnny Carson, were originally scheduled for the previous day but were postponed due to the assassination attempt...
had completed for the evening, Wilson invited friends to give random award presentations in his living room. The impromptu ceremony was a success, and the following week a press release about his event released by Wilson was picked up by a few local newspapers, including a mention in the Los Angeles Daily News
Los Angeles Daily News
The Los Angeles Daily News is the second-largest circulating daily newspaper of Los Angeles, California. It is the flagship of the Los Angeles Newspaper Group, a branch of Colorado-based MediaNews Group....
with the headline: "Take These Envelopes, Please". Wilson decided to formalize the event, after watching a double feature of Can't Stop the Music
Can't Stop the Music
Can't Stop the Music is a 1980 musical comedy film directed by Nancy Walker. It is a pseudo-biography of disco's Village People which bears only a vague resemblance to the actual story of the group's formation...
and Xanadu
Xanadu (film)
Xanadu is a 1980 romantic musical fantasy film written by Marc Reid Rubel and directed by Robert Greenwald. The title is a reference to the poem "Kubla Khan, or, A Vision in a Dream: A Fragment" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, which is quoted in the film. Xanadu is the name of the Chinese province...
. He gathered his friends for a pot luck dinner to watch the 53rd Academy Awards
53rd Academy Awards
The 53rd Academy Awards, honoring the best in film for 1980, were presented March 31, 1981, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles. The ceremonies, which were presided over by Johnny Carson, were originally scheduled for the previous day but were postponed due to the assassination attempt...
, and gave them ballots to vote on worst in film. Wilson stood at a podium made of cardboard in a tacky tuxedo, with a foam ball attached to a broomstick as a fake microphone, and announced Can't Stop the Music as the first Razzie Award for Worst Picture
Razzie Award for Worst Picture
The Razzie Award for Worst Picture is an award given out at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst film of the past year. Following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, including each film's distribution company and producer.-1980s:...
.
Blowing a raspberry
Blowing a raspberry or strawberry or making a Bronx cheer is to make a noise signifying derision, real or feigned. It is made by placing the tongue between the lips and blowing, making a sound redolent of flatulence. In the terminology of phonetics, this sound can be described as an unvoiced...
". Wilson commented to the author of Blame It on the Dog: "When I registered the term with the Library of Congress in 1980, they asked me, 'Why raspberry? What's the significance of that?' But since then, razz has pretty much permeated the culture. We couldn't have done it without Hollywood's help." Wilson is referred to as "Ye Olde Head Razzberry". The ceremony's program is modeled after the Academy Awards, but is "deliberately low-end and tacky". The awards themselves typically cost US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
4.79 each, in the form of a "golfball-sized raspberry" which sits atop a Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film
Super 8 mm film is a motion picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement of the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format....
reel; the whole of which is spray-painted gold.
Approximately three dozen people came to the 1st Golden Raspberry Awards. The 2nd Golden Raspberry Awards had double the attendance as the first, and the 3rd awards ceremony had double this number. By the 4th Golden Raspberry Awards ceremony, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
and two major wire services covered the event. Wilson realized that by scheduling the Golden Raspberry Awards prior to the Academy Awards, the ceremony would get more press coverage: "We finally figured out you couldn't compete with the Oscars on Oscar night, but if you went the night before, when the press from all over the world are here and they are looking for something to do, it could well catch on," he said to BBC News
BBC News
BBC News is the department of the British Broadcasting Corporation responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs. The department is the world's largest broadcast news organisation and generates about 120 hours of radio and television output each day, as well as online...
.
Wilson's book The Official Razzie Movie Guide was published in 2005 to mark the 25th anniversary of the awards; he had previously authored Everything I Know I Learned at the Movies in 1996. In addition to Razzie winners, The Official Razzie Movie Guide also includes Wilson's "100 favorites among the Worst Movies Ever Made".