(Beverly Hills, January 23, 2007) M. Night Shyamalan’s box office dud Lady in the Water was named the worst film of 2006 by the United Critics Organization (UCO) in the 2007 GAG Awards, sponsored by 7M Pictures. These annual awards recognize cinematic catastrophes and just plain awful films.

The other big winner of the night was a near-unanimous vote for Jessica Simpson’s Worst Actress portrayal of a pretty new cashier at a discount store who has a fancy for the Employee of the Month. Edward Speleers was named Worst Actor for the title role in the fantasy film Eragon, Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson was named Worst Supporting Actor for the Iraqi war epic Home of the Brave, and Beyonce Knowles was named Worst Supporting Actress for the new and unimproved The Pink Panther.

In a stunning upset, Keenan Ivory Wayans (Little Man) edged out video-game-turned-movie hack Uwe Boll (BloodRayne) for Worst Director of the year.

In addition to taking home the award for Worst Picture, Lady in the Water also garnered the Worst Screenplay award. Making history, Shyamalan was nominated for a staggering four awards in four separate categories - producer, director, writer and actor. “M. Night Shyamalan was this year’s quadruple-threat,” said Kevin Carr, lead film critic for 7M Pictures and the president of the UCO. “It takes a special man to sweep the nominations in so many disciplines, and he managed to win two of them. It’s an amazing feat.”

Tom Cruise won the Most Overexposed Celebrity category by a landslide, easily beating out the competition of Lindsay Lohan, Angelina Jolie, Scarlett Johansson and Jennifer Aniston. Dubbed “The Godiva Award,” the Most Overexposed Celebrity category honors any celebrity that has endured so much media attention that it can cause documented cases of headaches, nausea and nervous breakdowns.

Other films honored for the lowest form of filmmaking include Barnyard for Worst Animated Film, Snakes on a Plane for Worst Special Effects, The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause for Worst Sequel and The Pink Pantherfor Worst Blockbuster.

“Anyone can make a bad movie,” said Carr. “However, it takes a special talent to make a film so bad that it leaves a lasting impression for months to come. All of the nominees should be honored for this recognition.”

The final award, simply called Cinematic Tragedy of 2006, calls attention to special events, films or ideas that came to light over the course of the year. The fact that Snakes on a Plane didn’t make any money was deemed the Cinematic Tragedy of 2006 by the UCO. Other contenders included Uwe Boll’s existence and the fact he has secured funding to make Alone in the Dark II.

A complete list of awards follows, including the winners and other nominees:

WORST PICTURE
Lady in the Water - WINNER!
Home of the Brave
Hostel
Marie Antoinette
When a Stranger Calls

WORST DIRECTOR
Keenan Ivory Wayans, Little Man - WINNER!
Barry Sonnefeld, RV
Eli Roth, Hostel
M. Night Shyamalan, Lady in the Water
Uwe Boll, BloodRayne

WORST ACTOR
Edward Speleers, Eragon - WINNER!
Colin Farrell, Miami Vice
James Franco, Annapolis
Marlon Wayans, Little Man
Steve Martin, The Pink Panther

WORST ACTRESS
Jessica Simpson, Employee of the Month - WINNER!
Annette Bening, Running With Scissors
Camilla Bell, When a Stranger Calls
Lindsay Lohan, Just My Luck
Sharon Stone, Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction

WORST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Curtis Jackson, Home of the Brave - WINNER!
Dax Shephard, Employee of the Month
Jon Heder, The Benchwarmers
M. Night Shyamalan, Lady in the Water
Shawn Wayans, Little Man

WORST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Beyonce Knowles, The Pink Panther - WINNER!
Carmen Electra, Scary Movie 4
Hilary Swank, The Black Dahlia
Michelle Rodriguez, BloodRayne
Scarlett Johansson, The Black Dahlia

WORST SCREENPLAY
M. Night Shyamalan, Lady in the Water - WINNER!
Josh Friedman, The Black Dahlia
Peter Buchman, Eragon
Roger Avery, Silent Hill
Stephen Susco, The Grudge 2

WORST ANIMATED FILM
Barnyard - WINNER!
The Ant Bully
Doogal
Happy Feet
The Wild

WORST SPECIAL EFFECTS
Snakes on a Plane - WINNER!
Apocalypto
The Covenant
The Fountain
Night at the Museum

WORST SEQUEL
The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause - WINNER!
Basic Instinct 2: Risk Addiction
Big Momma’s House 2
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Scary Movie 4

WORST BLOCKBUSTER
The Pink Panther - WINNER!
The Da Vinci Code
Mission: Impossible III
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Superman Returns

MOST OVEREXPOSED CELEBRITY
Tom Cruise - WINNER!
Angelina Jolie
Jennifer Aniston
Lindsay Lohan
Scarlett Johansson

CINEMATIC TRAGEDY OF 2006
Snakes on a Plane didn’t make any money - WINNER!
Uwe Boll’s existence and the fact he got financing for Alone in the Dark II
Hostel, Hostel, Hostel
The horror movie remakes just keep coming

About the GAG Awards
The annual GAG Awards are nominated and voted on by the United Critics Organization (UCO), which comprises professional journalists and film critics. “GAG” stands for “God Awful Guild,” which honors a new guild, or group, of films and filmmakers for outstanding cinematic disasters each year.

Visit www.7mpictures.com for more information.

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