And the award goes to.....

[JW]

Equal opportunity stupidity. A wonderful concept.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cpress/laugh...BhBHNlYwM5NjQ-

Canada, U.S. vie for crown at World Stupidity Awards in Montreal NELSON WYATT
Thu Jul 21, 5:23 PM ET

MONTREAL (CP) - The United States will face tough competition from Canada on Friday but this time it has nothing to do with hockey or softwood lumber.

The two countries are going head-to-head for top honours at the World Stupidity Awards, where doofuses get their due.

"This is a year where Canada could do very well and, as a Canadian, I'm very excited," enthused Albert Nerenberg, of the Main Organization Revealing Obvious Numbskulls, which organizes the event at the Just for Laughs comedy festival.

"The Canadian government has been nominated in the dumbest government of the year category and this is one year where we feel we've got a chance."

Canada will be vying against the United States, Iran, North Korea and the United Nations for that particular Oscar of idiocy crown.

But Prime Minister Paul Martin has already been outshone by President George W. Bush, who is nominated in three categories - stupidest man of the year, stupidest statement of the year, and stupidity award for reckless endangerment of the planet. Martin didn't get nominated for anything.

Bush dominated last year's awards, taking the stupidest man prize and the award for reckless endangerment of the planet. Nerenberg admitted the organizers do limit the number of categories featuring the controversial Texan.

"He would essentially be nominated in every category had we not interfered," Nerenberg said. "We want to give other people a chance. We just feel some of the other great stupidity in the world would go unrecognized if Mr. Bush was allowed to run rampant. But he is doing very well."

Lewis Black, the award show's host, agreed about Bush's contender status.

"He's always a big one and it just gets worse every day with him," said Black, the biting commentator on TV's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. "His stupidity is almost on a Hall of Fame level."

Nominations and voting are done on the World Stupidity Awards Internet site and Nerenberg said it's not easy to make the cut.

"People usually nominate their exes so we eliminate those first of all," he said. "You can't just show you've done a few stupid things in your life. You have to show some dedication, that you're a professional."

It's the third year for the awards, which will be presented in a lavish ceremony.

Black is a well-known observer of stupidity, ranting at a show Wednesday night about his fellow Americans.

"Canada, help us," he pleaded. "The most watched channel in America is the weather channel. We don't even have the energy to look out the window to check."

Black said in an interview it had been a "spectacular" year for stupidity. "It's rampant."

Nerenberg explained the idea for the awards began as a publicity stunt for a documentary he made a few years ago on stupidity and caught on.

However, the more serious implications of stupidity are not lost on the organizers.

"If you look at show business and politics, being dumb and saying dumb things is to your advantage," Nerenberg said. "That's probably not a good direction for the world to take with all the big issues facing us."

Nominations and votes come from all over the world, which this year led to unprecedented attention being given to one nomination, former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma.

"It actually made front page news in the Ukraine," Nerenberg said with some incredulity in his voice. "The various spokespeople for the stupidity awards have been on radio shows and in newspapers across the Ukraine talking about it, which has been very absurd.

"It's a very popular thing because this guy really is widely seen as being stupid. Ironically, the guy is a former rocket scientist, which makes it all the more funny."

Besides Bush and Kuchma, contenders for stupidest man include U.S. Senator John Kerry, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Players Association director Bob Goodenow (shared) and Conservative columnist Ann Coulter.

"Initially, we were confused but as some people pointed out, if you read what Miss Coulter writes about without looking at her picture, she sounds like the classic bigoted male," Nerenberg said.

Black said Kerry was a natural for nomination.

"He should be. What are the chances of finding someone who could actually lose to Bush? I mean, you almost had to search. The Democratic party should have been nominated too."

Stupidest women nominees include Paris Hilton, who is also up for stupidest statement; Paula Abdul; Brangelina; the runaway bride; and Ashlee Simpson, also nominated for dumbest moment.

Other categories include stupidest trend, stupidest TV show; stupidest movie; media outlet which has best furthered ignorance and stupidest award show, which has the stupidity awards itself competing against the Oscars, Grammys, Daytime Emmys and the Golden Globes.

"We've done a lot of stupid things ourselves and we ourselves are quite stupid," Nerenberg said. "We've got our fingers crossed."

The World Stupidity Awards will be given out Friday in Montreal at the Just for Laughs comedy festival. Here are the nominees:

Stupidest Man of the Year: U.S. Senator John Kerry; Former Ukrainian president Leonid Kuchma; columnist Ann Coulter; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and Players Association director Bob Goodenow (shared); U.S. President George W. Bush

Dumbest Moment of the Year: Ashlee Simpson on SNL; Basketball fight featuring Ron Artest; Prince Harry showing up to party in Nazi suit; Tom Cruise on Oprah; Russell Crowe throwing a phone at somebody's head.

Stupidest Statement of the Year: "Can you handle my truth?" - Britney Spears; "Go (expletive) yourself." - U.S. Vice-President Dick Cheney; "Nooooooooooooo" - Darth Vader, in Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; "They never stop thinking of ways of harming America, and neither do we." - U.S. President George W. Bush; "That's hot." - Paris Hilton.

Stupidest Movie of the Year: Elektra; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy; Alexander; Alien vs Predator; The Pacifier

Stupidest Woman of the Year: Paris Hilton; Ashlee Simpson; Brangelina; The Runaway Bride; Paula Abdul

Stupidest Trend of the Year: Religious Fundamentalism of all kinds; War; Crystal Meth; Seeing the Virgin Mary in toast, hamburgers etc...; Climate Change

Stupidest TV Show of the Year: Britney Spears, Chaotic; Surreal Life; The Simple Life; The Beauty and the Geek; Dr. Phil

Dumbest Government of the Year: Iran; United States of America; Canada; North Korea; The United Nations

Stupidity Award for Reckless Endangerment of the Planet: Kim Jong Il, Dictator of North Korea; U.S. President George W. Bush; The Vatican; The Government of Iran; Paris Hilton

Media Outlet Which Has Best Furthered Ignorance: Fox News; CBS News; CNN; Al-Jazeera; Newsweek

Stupidest Award Show of The Year: The Oscars; The Grammys; The Daytime Emmy Awards; The Golden Globes; The World Stupidity Awards

[Cringer]

Florida should be allowed to enter on it's own. They would win.