Lifestyle
‘War of the Worlds’ remake sinks to the bottom at this year’s Razzie Awards
A screenshot from the all-out winner of the 46th annual Razzie Awards, War of the Worlds, starring Ice Cube.
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A surveillance industry take on HG Wells’ 1898 classic sci-fi novel War of the Worlds starring Ice Cube cleaned up at the 46th Annual Golden Raspberries, or Razzie Awards.
The Razzies are a parody of the Academy Awards, and celebrate Hollywood’s most embarrassing efforts every year ahead of the mainstream ceremony on Oscars weekend.
War of the Worlds won five Razzies in total: worst remake, worst actor, worst screenplay, worst director, and worst picture. Critics panned the movie; it scored abysmally low ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.
In a news release about its selections, members of the Golden Raspberry Foundation, a voting body of more than 1,200 movie fans, journalists, and film industry professionals from the U.S. and around the world, described the direct-to-video War of Worlds remake as a “cult hate-watch classic” and “a near sweeper of our $4.97 trophy.”
Razzie voters awarded Ice Cube with the Worst Actor award for his role as a Department of Homeland Security surveillance expert in this film. They also anointed Australian star Rebel Wilson Worst Actress for her “not-quite-believable performance as an action hero in Bride Hard with weaponized curling irons.”
Neither the Worst Actor nor Worst Actress winners immediately responded to NPR’s requests for comment about these dubious honors.
The Razzies for worst supporting cast went to Scarlet Rose Stallone for Gunslingers, and all seven of the CGI-enhanced dwarves in Disney’s live-action Snow White remake. “It cost a fortune and lost a fortune,” the Razzie press release said of the latter. (According to Forbes, the film lost $170 million of its massive $300 million budget.) “Perhaps cursed by Walt himself for having ignored his dying wish for it never to be remade.”
The winner of this year’s Redeemer Award – an accolade bestowed upon a previous Razzie nominee or winner for making a critical or commercial comeback – went to Kate Hudson for her Oscar-nominated performance in Song Sung Blue. Hudson’s name has shown up on Razzie hit lists over the years for her performances in My Best Friend’s Girl (2008), Mother’s Day (2016) and Music (2021).
The Razzies were launched in 1981 by Hollywood publicist John J. B. Wilson to “celebrate” the least compelling movies of 1980. The top prize winner that year was Can’t Stop the Music.
Full list of 46th Razzie Award Winners:
WORST PICTURE – War Of The Worlds (2025)
WORST ACTOR – Ice Cube / War Of The Worlds (2025)
WORST ACTRESS – Rebel Wilson / Bride Hard
WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS – Scarlet Rose Stallone / Gunslingers
WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR – All Seven Artificial Dwarfs / Snow White
WORST SCREEN COMBO – All Seven Artificial Dwarfs / Snow White
WORST PREQUEL, REMAKE, RIP-OFF or SEQUEL – War of the Worlds (2025)
WORST DIRECTOR – Rich Lee / War Of The Worlds (2025)
WORST SCREENPLAY – War Of The Worlds (2025) / Kenny Golde, Marc Hyman
RAZZIE REDEEMER AWARD – Kate Hudson / Song Sung Blue
Lifestyle
John Cena wanted to step away from the WWE ring before he became ‘too slow for the show’ : Wild Card with Rachel Martin
A note from Wild Card host Rachel Martin: First a confession: I have never watched a WWE match in its entirety. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the athleticism and the performance, it’s just not my thing. But there is something about John Cena I’ve never been able to shake.
Yes, he is a wrestling legend, but he has built a career as an entertainer that transcends the ring. The first time I saw him lead a cast was the 2019 family movie “Playing with Fire” and his rapport with kids in that film didn’t seem like acting at all. The man contains multitudes!
He co-stars with Eric Andre in his newest film, “Little Brother.”
Lifestyle
Great movies you may have missed : Pop Culture Happy Hour
Xie Miao and Yang Enyou in The Furious.
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There have been some fantastic movies released this year, and we know you can’t see them all. So we’re recommending four recent movies we missed that you should add to your watchlist: The Furious, Tuner, She’s The He, and Heresy.
If you need a few more fun film recommendations, check out these episodes:
Fun movies you may have missed
Our favorite movies on Tubi
We debate the best movies to watch on an airplane
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Lifestyle
A judge says the Kennedy Center must update him on its plans — and address that tarp
A tarp covers the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on June 13. A federal judge has asked the arts complex’s leadership to explain the purpose of the tarp and the surrounding scaffolding.
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On Wednesday, the federal judge overseeing the Kennedy Center lawsuit ordered the center to give him a status report on the center’s operation and programming within the next few weeks. Judge Christopher R. Cooper also said that the Kennedy Center must explain the purpose and status of the tarp and scaffolding that have been placed over the front of the arts complex, where until recently both President Trump and President John F. Kennedy’s names were both displayed.
In a directive issued last Tuesday, Judge Cooper had given Kennedy Center administrators three days to update him on the arts complex’s immediate plans regarding construction, programming and public access. Trump, who now serves as the center’s chairman, had announced July 5 as the date the venue would close for major renovations.

Last Friday, on Cooper’s due date, lawyers for the Kennedy Center filed a request asking for an extension. In that filing, Matt Floca, who was promoted as the center’s president and CEO in March, said that the Kennedy Center’s current management intends to present its board with “an array of options” for trustees to vote on at their next meeting on an unspecified date in mid-July.
According to Floca, the options are a complete closure for extensive renovations; a partial closure “enabling some continued public access and limited programming” while some renovations are undertaken; and “a highly limited series of phased closures to address only the center’s most serious infrastructure needs while scheduling and maintaining a full slate of programming.”
In his newest order, Cooper denied Floca’s request for an extension. And he mandated that the center file a status report within seven days of the center’s July board meeting or by July 31, whichever date is earliest. He also ruled that the report must “indicate the purpose for and status of the tarp and scaffolding,” which were erected by workers over the center’s front signage in the early morning hours of June 13.
When asked for comment Wednesday, the Kennedy Center pointed back to the documents its legal team submitted to the court.
The tarp and scaffolding on the center’s front portico went up after the Kennedy Center’s administration slow-walked the court-mandated removal of President Trump’s name from the front of the center and from all digital materials, which was supposed to happen no later than June 12. Workers removed the lettering overnight into the following morning, hours after the federal court’s original deadline, and covered the center’s sign with a tarpaulin.
As of Monday, the sign remains hidden from the public.

Trump’s name was scrubbed from all of the Kennedy Center’s digital content on June 4, the same day an email order to do so was issued by the complex’s legal team; NPR obtained this memo the day it was sent out to Kennedy Center staff.
These court orders are part of the ongoing lawsuit filed by Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, against President Trump and the board of the Kennedy Center. Earlier this year, Cooper ruled that Beatty, an ex-officio member of the Kennedy Center board, must be allowed to participate in board meetings. NPR has asked Beatty if she plans to vote at the July board meeting, but did not receive an immediate response.
It would be very difficult for the Kennedy Center to revive a thriving programming lineup for the months ahead. Over the past year, many prominent artists canceled their planned appearances, citing the politicization of the venue. Most of the center’s programming staff have departed, either via layoffs or resignations. Unlike top administrators at other major performing arts venues around the country, Matt Floca has no experience in artistic direction, fundraising or arts administration; formerly, he was the center’s head of facilities, and he holds a bachelor’s degree in construction management.
Established artists who typically perform at the Kennedy Center generally have their touring schedules set at least a year in advance, if not multiple years ahead. In years past, the center has publicly announced its upcoming season in mid-spring for performances beginning in September and running through the following summer.

Currently, only a handful of outdoor free movie screenings of nostalgic favorites like The Princess Diaries and Clue appear on the center’s calendar of events, along with some participatory workshops for kids. In the past, the Kennedy Center presented over 2,000 arts and education events each year.
The center also recently became ensnarled in litigation with one of its longtime tenants and artistic partners. On June 12, the Washington National Opera, a company formerly in residence at the Kennedy Center, sued the complex for $17 million. It claims that the Kennedy Center had withheld “years’ worth of donor gifts, bequests and endowment funds” that had been intended specifically for the WNO.
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