Bally's Las Vegas ''Wizard of Odds'' Makes Early Oscar Picks; John Avello Releases Initial Predictions for Jan. 27 Academy Award Nominations.Entertainment Editors LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 10, 2003 The Oscar race is on! As Hollywood studios rush to release their final films of 2003, John "Wizard of Odds" Avello, director of Race & Sports Book operations at Bally's Las Vegas
According to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Avello's predictions, "Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" may be king of the Oscars this year as the 4 to 1 favorite for "Best Motion Picture." This yet-to-be-released finale in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy A company founded in 1979 by Gene Amdahl to commercialize wafer scale integration and build supercomputers. It raised a quarter of a billion dollars, the largest startup funding in history, but could not create its 2.5" superchip. is among the early favorites for the top prize, followed by "Mystic River For other uses, see Mystic River (disambiguation) The Mystic River is the name of a short river in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. Its name derives from the Native American word "Missi-Tuk", which translates to "great tidal river", and it lies to the " at 5 to 1, "21 Grams" at 7 to 1 and "Lost in Translation" and "Big Fish" close behind. It may also be a good year for Sean Penn, according to Avello's odds. Leading the race for "Best Actor," Penn could be a heavyweight heavyweight - High-overhead; baroque; code-intensive; featureful, but costly. Especially used of communication protocols, language designs, and any sort of implementation in which maximum generality and/or ease of implementation has been pushed at the expense of mundane contender for his dramatic roles in either "Mystic River" or "21 Grams" as a 3 to 1 favorite. (An actor can only be nominated nom·i·nate tr.v. nom·i·nat·ed, nom·i·nat·ing, nom·i·nates 1. To propose by name as a candidate, especially for election. 2. To designate or appoint to an office, responsibility, or honor. for one film per category.) Bill Murray
William James "Bill" Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an Academy Award-nominated, Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-winning American comedian and actor. is also Avello's preferred choice, at 5 to 1, for his performance in "Lost in Translation." Other predicted nominees include Russell Crowe ("Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World"), Jude Law ("Cold Mountain"), Ben Kingsley ("House of Sand and Fog") and Tom Cruise ("The Last Samurai samurai (sä'm  rī`), knights of feudal Japan, retainers of the daimyo. This aristocratic warrior class arose during the 12th-century wars between the Taira and Minamoto clans and was ".)According to Avello's odds, Naomi Watts is a 4 to 1 favorite to land her first "Best Actress" nomination this year for her role in "21 Grams." Last year's winner, Nicole Kidman ("Cold Mountain") and past winners, Gwyneth Paltrow ("Sylvia") and Diane Keaton ("Something's Gotta got·ta Informal Contraction of got to: I gotta go home. Give") follow as close contenders, as well as first-timers Samantha Morton Samantha Morton (born May 13, 1977) is an Academy Award-nominated English actress. Biography Personal life Morton was born in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, daughter of Pamela, a factory worker, and Peter Morton. ("In America") and Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Johansson (born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. She rose to fame with her role in 1998's The Horse Whisperer and subsequently gained critical acclaim for her roles in Ghost World, Lost in Translation and ("Girl with a Pearl Earring The Girl with a Pearl Earring (Dutch: Het meisje met de parel) is one of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer's masterworks and as the name implies, uses a pearl earring for a focal point. "). All 5,800 nomination ballots will be sent to the members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on January 2, 2004 and the official nominations will be announced on January 27. The 2004 Oscar ceremony will be held on February 29 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre The Kodak Theatre is a live theatre in the Hollywood and Highland retail, dining, and entertainment complex on Hollywood Boulevard and North Highland Avenue in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles. . A complete list of odds is attached. These odds are for entertainment purposes only and no wagers WAGERS. A wager is a bet a contract by which two parties or more agree that a certain sum of money, or other thing, shall be paid or delivered to one of them, on the happening or not happening of an uncertain event. 2. The law does not prohibit all wagers. can be placed. For more information or interview requests, please contact: Stacy Solovey Senior Public Relations public relations, activities and policies used to create public interest in a person, idea, product, institution, or business establishment. By its nature, public relations is devoted to serving particular interests by presenting them to the public in the most Manager Park Place Entertainment (702) 731-7314 soloveys@parkplace.com
2004 EARLY OSCAR PREDICTIONS
Odds are created by John Avello, director of Race & Sports Book
operations for Bally's Las Vegas.
Please credit source (Bally's & Avello) whenever possible.
These odds are for entertainment purposes only and
no wagers can be placed.
2004 BEST MOTION PICTURE
------------------------
RELEASE
MOVIE TITLE STUDIO DATE ODDS
----------- ------ ------- ----
The Lord of the Rings:
Return of the King New Line Cinema 12/17/03 4/1
Mystic River Warner Bros. Pictures 10/8/03 5/1
21 Grams Focus Features 11/21/03 7/1
Lost In Translation Focus Features 9/12/03 10/1
Big Fish Columbia Pictures 12/10/03 12/1
Master and Commander 20th Century Fox 11/14/03 15/1
The Last Samurai Warner Bros. Pictures 12/5/03 18/1
Cold Mountain Miramax Films 12/25/03 20/1
In America Fox Searchlight Pictures 11/26/03 22/1
Girl with a Pearl Earring Lions Gate Pictures 12/12/03 25/1
Seabiscuit Universal Pictures 7/25/03 30/1
Finding Nemo Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar 5/30/03 35/1
House of Sand and Fog DreamWorks Pictures 12/26/03 40/1
The Missing Columbia Pictures 11/19/03 50/1
Love Actually Universal Pictures 11/7/03 75/1
The Statement Sony Pictures Classics 12/12/03 100/1
Something's Gotta Give Columbia Pictures 12/12/03 200/1
Sylvia Focus Features 10/17/03 500/1
Elephant Fine Line Features 10/24/03 750/1
The Human Stain Miramax Films 10/31/03 1000/1
2004 BEST ACTOR
---------------
NAME MOVIE ODDS
---- ----- ----
Sean Penn Mystic River or 21 Grams 3/1
Bill Murray Lost in Translation 5/1
Russell Crowe Master and Commander 6/1
Jude Law Cold Mountain 8/1
Sir Ben Kingsley House of Sand and Fog 10/1
Tom Cruise The Last Samurai 12/1
Jack Nicholson Something's Gotta Give 15/1
Michael Caine The Statement 18/1
Sir Anthony Hopkins The Human Stain 20/1
2004 BEST ACTRESS
-----------------
NAME MOVIE ODDS
---- ----- ----
Naomi Watts 21 Grams 4/1
Nicole Kidman Cold Mountain 5/1
Gwyneth Paltrow Sylvia 6/1
Diane Keaton Something's Gotta Give 7/1
Samantha Morton In America 8/1
Scarlett Johansson Girl With a Pearl Earring 10/1
Cate Blanchett The Missing or Veronica Guerin 12/1
Charlotte Rampling Swimming Pool 15/1
Jennifer Connelly House of Sand and Fog 18/1
For more information, please contact Stacy Solovey at 702-731-7314 or soloveys@parkplace.com |
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