The worst of the bunch? It's 'Basic Instinct 2'

The worst of the bunch?It's 'Basic Instinct 2'
LOS ANGELES -- At least someone was happy Sharon Stone reprised her notorious femme-fatale role with "Basic Instinct 2."
The box-office bomb received seven nominations Monday for the Razzie Awards that mock the bottom of Hollywood's barrel, among them worst picture and worst actress of the year.
Also receiving seven nominations was the Wayans brothers comedy "Little Man," about a thief posing as a baby, including worst picture and director for Keenen Ivory Wayans.
Shawn and Marlon Wayans shared a worst-actor nomination, while sisters Hilary and Haylie Duff shared a worst-actress nomination for "Material Girls."
The other worst-picture nominees were the fantasies "BloodRayne" and "Lady in the Water" and the thriller "The Wicker Man." Winners will be announced Feb. 24, the day before the Academy Awards.
Vargas: It was my choice
CHICAGO -- Elizabeth Vargas said she wasn't forced out as co-anchor of ABC's "World News Tonight," but decided to step down when she became pregnant with her second child. "I was finding it more and more difficult to do that job the way I wanted to do it, which is 100 percent ... and still be a great mother," Vargas, 44, said Tuesday on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
Vargas, who is now co-hosting the network's newsmagazine, "20/20," said she learned she was pregnant just before her co-anchor, Bob Woodruff, was seriously injured by a roadside bomb in Iraq on Jan. 29, 2006. In May, ABC appointed Charles Gibson as anchor of the nightly news program.
Vargas said that when she announced she was stepping down, there was unfair criticism of ABC that she was pushed out of the job because she was pregnant. But, she said, the choice was hers.
Today's birthdays
Actor Ernest Borgnine is 90. Evangelist Oral Roberts is 89. Singer-songwriter Ray Stevens is 68. Singer-songwriter Neil Diamond is 66. Singer Aaron Neville is 66. Actor Michael Ontkean is 61. Comedian Yakov Smirnoff is 56. Olympic gold-medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton is 39. Actress Mischa Barton is 21.