Bet on Oscar Odds Prop Preview For The 80th Annual Academy Awards

by Bodog Sportsbook | Feb 11 2008

(Please Note Odds listed are opening odds and may have changed before publication)

Odds On: Which film will win the 80th Annual Academy (Oscar) Award for Best Picture?

Atonement	5/1
Juno	13/2
Michael Clayton	7/1
No Country for Old Men	2/9
There Will Be Blood	3/2

The favorites are No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood, two features that don’t fall under the typical academy choices of sweeping epics but have eight nominations each. It’s looking good for them as they’ve already won many awards and it could be the year where the academy stops shying away from gory movies. The dramatic romance and sweeping epic Atonement has seven nominations but neither of its main actors have been nominated for their solo roles. Juno is the little engine that could and also this year’s heart-warming Little Miss Sunshine equivalent. Juno is also on top at the box office despite it not being a “favorite” to win. Michael Clayton wasn’t a huge box office hit but George Clooney seems to be a favorite amongst the academy folk as the film has accumulated seven nominations as well.

Odds On: Who will win the 80th Annual Academy (Oscar) Award for Best Director?

Paul Thomas Anderson – There Will Be Blood	1/1
Ethan Coen & Joel Coen – No Country for Old Men	1/4
Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton	12/1
Jason Reitman	8/1
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly	6/1

Joel and Ethan Coen are the favorites for the Oscar as they’ve already won the Critics Choice Award for best director as well as the Directors Guild of America Award for outstanding directorial achievement in motion pictures for No Country. They adapted Cormac McCarthy’s novel into a cinematic masterpiece of vices. Tony Gilroy, on the other hand, has taken on corporate America and its scandals, producing a complex feature that proves intriguing to those liking dry intensity. This genre sits well with the academy.

Odds On: Who will win the 80th Annual Academy (Oscar) Award for Best Actor?

George Clooney – Michael Clayton	6/1
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will be Blood	1/13
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd	13/2
Tommy Lee Jones – In the Valley of Elah	15/2
Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises	10/1

Johnny Depp is liked because of his ability to pick out roles that are out of the ordinary and do wonders with them. He’s been nominated for various awards on a yearly basis and this year he’s won a People’s Choice Award for favorite male movie star and a Golden Globe for best performance by an actor in a motion picture (musical or comedy) for Sweeney Todd. Maybe it’s his year for an Oscar as well. The current favorite, however, is Daniel Day-Lewis for his portrayal of Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood. The choices for best actor this year are quite grim - not in terms of talent but the scope of the characters portrayed.

Odds On: Who will win the 80th Annual Academy (Oscar) Award for Best Actress?        

Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age	4/1
Julie Christie – Away from Her	1/4
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose	7/2
Laura Linney – The Savages	7/1
Ellen Page – Juno	5/2

The favorite this year is Julie Christie for her role as an Alzheimer’s patient. Although touching, she’s up against Cate Blanchett who’s been nominated for her regal role in a period piece, an academy genre favorite. The deal with Blanchett, however, is that she’s already won awards this year for her role in I’m Not There, which might be considered her stronger piece. Christie’s bigger competition lies with Laura Linney who plays an emotional role in The Savages, a film about a woman dealing with her father’s failing health and her relationship with an estranged sibling. Marion Cotillard is also a threat to Christie with her role as Edith Piaf in La Vie En Rose, which has already won her many best actress awards this year. On a different note, Ellen Page could take the Oscar for her role in Juno, the only comedic film in the running.

Odds On: Who will win the 80th Annual Academy (Oscar) Award for Best Supporting Actor?

Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jesse James	7/2
Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men	1/10
Philip Seymour Hoffman – Charlie Wilson’s War	13/4
Hal Holbrook – Into the Wild	8/1
Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton	11/2

Although something has to be done about the hair, Javier Bardem is the favorite to win this category and he’s already picked up best supporting actor awards at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice. Not only is he the favorite, his competition seems rather subdued. Emerging from his big brother’s shadow, Casey Affleck won the best supporting actor award from the National Society of Film Critics, but that may not be enough for him to contend with Bardem. All of the other nominees, although having serious or touching roles, haven’t had the same impact or presence as of late.

Odds On: Who will win the 80th Annual Academy (Oscar) Award for Best Supporting Actress?

Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There	6/5
Ruby Dee – American Gangster	5/4
Saoirse Ronan – Atonement	12/1
Amy Ryan – Gone Baby Gone	5/7
Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton	10/1

The actual battle here seems like it’s realistically between Cate Blanchett and Amy Ryan. Blanchett has already won the supporting actress Golden Globe and National Society of Film Critics Award for her role in I’m Not There. Ryan won the best supporting actress award from the Broadcast Film Critics Association. It’s almost a tie between them. The other nominated ladies seem to have specific roles as nominees but not really as actresses. Saoirse Ronan is the yearly young pick that the academy throws in, but that never wins. Tilda Swinton is the eccentric who’s edgy, but not edgy enough to surpass a legend like Blanchett. And Ruby Dee, although cute and compelling as mama gangster in American Gangster, didn’t really have a role with enough impact.

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