LOS ANGELES - EDDIE Murphy and Lindsay Lohan were crowned the worst actors of 2007 at the Golden Raspberry Awards on Saturday and, perhaps not surprisingly, neither star showed up to accept the spoof Oscars.

For their lack of acting prowess, the veteran comic and the young actress with the hard-living reputation each won three gold spray-painted Razzie trophies worth US$4.89 (S$6.87) each.

The annual honours were announced by the Golden Raspberry Foundation at a presentation that pokes fun at the Academy Awards ceremony that is to be held on Sunday.

Murphy, who starred in the critically savaged comedy Norbit, set a record by winning three of the four worst acting categories. Despite bad reviews, moviegoers had turned out for the film, which took in US$158 million at worldwide box offices based mostly on Murphy's popularity.

Lohan won two worst actress awards for playing twins in I Know Who Killed Me, a film that was named worst of the year.

She also won worst screen couple for a scene in which she appears opposite herself in the tale about psychically linked siblings stalked by a serial killer.

I Know Who Killed Me, a major box office flop with a US$9 million (S$12.6 million) take worldwide, won eight of nine Raspberries for which it was nominated, breaking a record of seven wins previously held by Showgirls and Battlefield Earth.

Lohan was in and out of rehabilitation programmes last year and acknowledged last month that she had fallen off the wagon at a New Year's Eve party. In November, she served 84 minutes in jail for drunken driving and cocaine possession charges.

Murphy won the worst actor award for playing the hapless hero of Norbit. He had several parts in the movie and also won worst supporting actor and actress Raspberries for roles as a Chinese man and Norbit's screaming overweight wife.

Murphy had earned an Oscar nomination for his dramatic turn as a troubled soul singer in 2006 musical Dreamgirls and some critics said the widespread distaste for Norbit - which hit theatres only weeks before the Oscar ceremony - cost him support for those prestigious awards.

Like Lohan, Murphy's personal life also made headlines last year when he acknowledged fathering a child out of wedlock with Spice Girls singer Melanie Brown. In January of this year, Murphy and his new wife, Tracey Edmonds, split just two weeks after getting married in French Polynesia.

Few Razzies 'winners' show up to the awards, which are open to the public, although actress Halle Berry did make an appearance in 2005 and sent herself up with a tearful acceptance speech when named worst actress for Catwoman.

-- REUTERS