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Diana Musical and ‘Space Jam’ Snag the Most Razzie Awards

Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)
Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)
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Diana Musical and ‘Space Jam’ Snag the Most Razzie Awards

Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)
Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)

A musical about Diana, the late Princess of Wales, and a remake of the semi-animated "Space Jam" starring LeBron James took home the most Razzies, the awards that skewer the year's lamest films on the eve of the big Oscar ceremony.

The Razzies announced the winners ahead of Sunday's Academy Awards, handing out five prizes to "Diana: The Musical," the film version of a Broadway production that closed in December after just 33 regular performances.

After its ignominious demise on stage, the film version snagged Razzies for worst picture, worst actress for Jeanna deWaal in the title role, worst supporting actress for Judy Kaye, and worst director for Christopher Ashley.

The Diana duo of Joe DiPietro and David Bryan claimed worst screenplay for what the Razzies called "some of the year's most ridiculed dialogue and lyrics, including rhyming 'Camilla' with both 'Manilla' and 'Godzilla,'" the Razzies said in a statement announcing the winners.

"Space Jam: A New Legacy" won three Razzies: worst actor for LeBron James, worst rip-off or sequel, and worst screen couple for James combined with any of the cartoon characters.

The movie put the NBA star, shot in live action, in a cosmic basketball game with Looney Tunes characters, remaking the 1996 original with Michael Jordan.

As usual, the Razzies ridiculed a former Oscar winner, naming Jared Leto worst supporting actor for his over-the-top performance as Paolo in "House of Gucci."

The Razzies gave Bruce Willis his own special category, nominating him eight times for "Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie," in eight forgettable films. The one called "Cosmic Sin" took the prize.

Four-time Razzie winner Will Smith received the only true honor, the redeemer award, for his role in "King Richard," for which Smith is also nominated for a best actor Oscar.

The Razzies, the self-described "ugly cousin to the Oscars," started in 1980 as the Golden Raspberry Awards, created by UCLA film school graduates and film industry veterans John J.B. Wilson and Mo Murphy.

More than 1,100 Razzie members from across the United States and about two dozen other countries vote on the awards, according to the Razzie website.

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Judge Dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400M Lawsuit Against ‘It Ends With Us’ Costar Blake Lively

Justin Baldoni attends the 'It Ends With Us' premiere in New York City, US, August 6, 2024. (Reuters)
Justin Baldoni attends the 'It Ends With Us' premiere in New York City, US, August 6, 2024. (Reuters)
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Judge Dismisses Justin Baldoni’s $400M Lawsuit Against ‘It Ends With Us’ Costar Blake Lively

Justin Baldoni attends the 'It Ends With Us' premiere in New York City, US, August 6, 2024. (Reuters)
Justin Baldoni attends the 'It Ends With Us' premiere in New York City, US, August 6, 2024. (Reuters)

A judge on Monday dismissed the lawsuit that actor and director Justin Baldoni filed against his "It Ends With Us" costar Blake Lively after she sued him last year for sexual harassment and retaliation.

US District Court Judge Lewis Liman's decision is the latest development in the bitter legal battle surrounding the dark romantic film.

Baldoni and production company Wayfarer Studios countersued in January for $400 million, accusing Lively and her husband, "Deadpool" actor Ryan Reynolds, of defamation and extortion.

The New York judge ruled that Baldoni can’t sue Lively for defamation over claims she made in her legal claim, because allegations made in a lawsuit are exempt from libel claims. Liman also ruled that Baldoni's claims that Lively stole creative control of the film didn't count as extortion under California law.

The judge, however, said Baldoni could revise the lawsuit if he wanted to pursue different claims related to whether Lively breached or interfered with a contract. His legal team indicated it planned to do so.

"Ms. Lively and her team’s predictable declaration of victory is false," one of Baldoni's lawyers, Bryan Freedman, said in a statement. He said that Lively's claims that she was sexually harassed on the film set, and then subjected to a secret smear campaign intended to taint her reputation, were "no truer today than they were yesterday."

"It Ends With Us," an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s bestselling 2016 novel that begins as a romance but takes a dark turn into domestic violence, was released in August, exceeding box office expectations with a $50 million debut. But the movie’s release was shrouded by speculation over discord between Lively and Baldoni.

The judge also dismissed Baldoni's defamation lawsuit against The New York Times, which had reported on Lively's sexual harassment allegations.

"Today’s opinion is a total victory and a complete vindication for Blake Lively, along with those that Justin Baldoni and the Wayfarer Parties dragged into their retaliatory lawsuit, including Ryan Reynolds, (publicist) Leslie Sloane and The New York Times," Lively's attorneys, Esra Hudson and Mike Gottlieb, said in a prepared statement.

The lawyers said they "look forward to the next round" of seeking attorneys’ fees, treble damages and punitive damages.

A spokesperson for The New York Times said they were "grateful to the court for seeing the lawsuit for what it was: a meritless attempt to stifle honest reporting."

"Our journalists went out and covered carefully and fairly a story of public importance, and the court recognized that the law is designed to protect just that sort of journalism," Charlie Stadtlander said in an emailed statement.

Lively appeared in the 2005 film "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and the TV series "Gossip Girl" from 2007 to 2012 before starring in films including "The Town" and "The Shallows."

Baldoni starred in the TV comedy "Jane the Virgin," directed the 2019 film "Five Feet Apart" and wrote the book "Man Enough."