Warning: there may be Hobbits in your casino's sports book in February.
Every year, the oddsmakers at several Vegas casinos handicap the Academy Awards races; it looks like everything's coming up Tolkien for '04. "The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" was picked by two different Vegas lines last week as the odds-on favorite to win Best Picture.
The Stardust put the fantasy flick at 6-5 odds to win the top trophy, while over at
Bally's/
Paris it's at 4-5 odds, which is good news for the film, but not so good in terms of payoffs -- if you were actually allowed to bet on the Oscars.
Nevada gaming law prohibits wagering on any event where the outcome is known beforehand, even if it is only by a few accountants at Ernst and Young. The annual handicapping of the awards ceremony is done strictly for fun.
Clint Eastwood's "Mystic River" came in second at the Stardust with 2-1 odds, followed by the Russell Crowe seafaring drama "Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World" at 6-1 and the Bill Murray comedy-drama "Lost in Translation" at 8-1. Down at the bottom of the list was "Seabiscuit" as a 35-1 longshot, just about as bad as the early odds against the real horse on which the film is based.
In the Best Actor race, Sean Penn is favored by both lines, getting 9-5 odds at the Stardust and 7-5 odds at Bally's/Paris for his performance in "Mystic River." Bill Murray came in second in handicappings.
Charlize Theron's fierce portrayal of serial killer Alieen Wournos in "Monster" is by far the favorite in the odds race for Best Actress.
The 76th Annual Academy Awards will be broadcast on Feb. 29, with Billy Crystal returning as host.
You can take a look at all the races, get the lastest predictions and share your own votes in ThePittsburghChannel.com's
Oscars section.
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