All Bets Are On

Having been a rare year in which I've pretty much seen every title nominated in every major category at this year's Oscars, the full list of nominations is not much of a surprise. In years to come people will scoff at The King's Speech garnering its shit-load of nominations. The need and appetite for audiences to humanise the Royal Family is terribly old hat. Such fervent embracement for The King's Speech seems to have more to do with a certain Royal Wedding and less to do with good filmmaking. The King's Speech epitomises the same old crap British cinema has been peddling for years and continues to produce. It adds to the UK's exportable brand of white middle-class prestige cinema designed to be consumed by white middle-class audiences the world over. The King's Speech is this generation's Forrest Gump, and will be viewed as such in the passage of time.

It's baffling how the Academy can shortlist 10 best films but only 5 directors get considered best in show. Surely Nolan and Boyle were more credible director considerations than David O Russell or Tom Hooper.

Regardless, watching the Oscars is only fun if you've got some money riding on it. Below are odds being offered by William Hill. In order to maximise profits it'd be best to consider doing an accumulator bet that will only prove fruitful should all you predictions come in on a group basis. For example, Colin Firth will undeservingly win an Oscar for giving the exact same performance he gives in all his other films; as will Natalie Portman for her role playing some meek idiot in a pretentious movie about ballet dancing ― therefore, it'd be a suggestion to try and accumulate this bet as there may be slightly more money to be won. Profit margins may be improved by adding Hailee Steinfeld to the accumulator as she is not the favourite to win in her category but has a strong chance of proving victorious because her role has been demoted from Best Actress to Best Supporting Actress probably because Steinfeld's brilliant performance has a more deserving chance of nabbing this particular award.

As we all know, gambling is a sin and only for tossers; therefore it's an individual's responsibility who and what they put their money on. The above is not a guarantee. Still, you gotta have balls in this world if you want to win big.

 Best Actor - Oscars - Best Actor
29 Jan    17:00 UK    1/20     Colin Firth (The King's Speech)     12/1     James Franco (127 Hours)

         12/1     Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)     25/1     Javier Bardem (Biutiful)

         25/1     Jeff Bridges (True Grit)          

Best Actress - Oscars - Best Actress

29 Jan    17:00 UK    1/9     Natalie Portman (Black Swan)     5/1     Annette Benning (The Kids Are All Right)

         20/1     Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)     25/1     Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)

         33/1     Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) 

      

Best Director - Oscars - Best Director

29 Jan    17:00 UK    1/16     David Fincher (The Social Network)     8/1     Tom Hooper (The King's Speech)

         20/1     David O Russell - (The Fighter)     20/1     Joel & Ethan Cohen (True Grit)
         25/1     Darren Afonofsky (Black Swan)    

Best Film - Oscars - Best Film
29 Jan    17:00 UK    1/3     The Social Network     7/4     The King's Speech

         20/1     True Grit     20/1     The Fighter

         40/1     Winter's Bone     40/1     Black Swan

         40/1     Inception     50/1     The Kids Are All Right
         66/1     Toy Story 3     80/1     127 Hours

Best Supporting Actor - Oscars - Best Supporting Actor 29 Jan    17:00 UK    1/16     Christian Bale (The Fighter)     5/1     Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)
         33/1     Jeremy Renner (The Town)     40/1     Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)

         40/1     John Hawkes - (Winter's Bone) 
       

Best Supporting Actress - Oscars - Best Supporting Actress

29 Jan    17:00 UK    8/15     Melissa Leo (The Fighter)     7/2     Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

         9/2     Helena Bonham Carter (The King's Speech)     12/1     Amy Adams (Fighter)

         12/1     Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom)