"Titanic" racked up yet another honor Saturday when it was named best movie at the eighth annual MTV Movie Awards, but the irreverent ceremony was overshadowed by the death of Phil Hartman.
Award winners Mike Myers and Adam Sandler paid tribute to the comedian, who was killed by his wife in a murder-suicide at the couple's Los Angeles home on Thursday.
Myers dedicated his award for best villain to Hartman, describing him as "a very good friend of mine . . . who is one of the greatest character comedians ever."
He added that Hartman's wife, Brynn, was "a wonderful person and a wonderful mother."
Sandler, accepting his award for best kiss, said the Hartmans were "great people. . . . It's very difficult to hear that news and also {Chris} Farley being gone, it's a heavy-duty year."
Farley, who was an alumnus of the long-running NBC comedy show "Saturday Night Live" along with Myers, Sandler and Hartman, died of a drug overdose last December.
The awards show was taped at the Barker Hangar in the Los Angeles suburb of Santa Monica for airing on the music cable network on June 4 in the United States, and later internationally. Samuel L. Jackson was the host.
Winners of the awards were determined by MTV's youthful viewers, who were able to vote through a special phone line, MTV Online or Blockbuster Video stores. The trophy resembles a box of golden popcorn.
The show goes to great efforts to lampoon the movie industry, and it launched with a video clip featuring actors Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller pitching "Titanic" writer-director James Cameron on a sequel to his film. Vaughn said the follow-up could be based on the chance that the ship hit an air pocket with the survivors forming a community called Titania.
"It's the single most preposterous idea I've ever heard," a straight-faced Cameron told the pair, to much applause from the audience at the ceremony.
"Titanic" and its stars had led the field with eight nominations, but went home with just two awards: best film, and best male performance for Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor, however, was a no-show, sending in a taped acceptance.
DiCaprio has maintained a low profile since securing his place as an international teen heartthrob for his role as an ill-fated ruffian in "Titanic." He also skipped the Academy Awards and the Cannes Film Festival.
Jim Carrey won the trophy for best comedic performance for the fourth consecutive year, this time for his role as a mendacious attorney in "Liar Liar." He had previously won for "The Cable Guy," "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls" and "Dumb and Dumber."
In a riotous speech of almost three minutes, the rubber-faced comic paid tribute to his managers, yelling, "They should thank their lucky stars they ever met me!"
He also thanked his fans, "who have always supported my comedies, but don't quite know what to think of me in drama."
He was referring to his critically maligned role in "The Cable Guy" and to his upcoming comedic satire "The Truman Show," which is drawing rave reviews along with much speculation about its box office prospects.
Myers and Will Smith won two awards each. For his dual role in the spy spoof "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery," Myers picked up the villain and dance sequence awards. Smith, sporting a beard, picked up the prizes for best song and best fight for his role in the sci-fi comedy "Men in Black."
In other categories, Neve Campbell won the female performance prize for "Scream 2." Backstage, she told reporters she was in talks to star in "Scream 3," but nothing had been decided yet.
Sandler shared the best kiss with Drew Barrymore for the romantic comedy "The Wedding Singer." Nicolas Cage and John Travolta were named best on-screen duo for the high-tech thriller "Face/Off."
The director of that movie, John Woo, was also honored for best action sequence -- the speedboat chase. Woo revealed backstage that he would direct the sequel to "Mission: Impossible," but said he did not know if Tom Cruise had signed on to reprise his role as Ethan Hunt.
The breakthrough prize went to Heather Graham for her role as Rollergirl in the porn saga "Boogie Nights."
The show's organizers bestowed the award for best new filmmaker on Peter Cattaneo, director of the male stripper comedy "The Full Monty."