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A little earlier we presented you with some of our own 2008 Oscar picks. Nearly all were in agreement with the oddsmakers and general betting public with the notable exception of the "best supporting actress" nod. For some of the more obscure categories, we'll just go along with the flow since we know little about these offerings. But for gamblers, it is important to know that these categories can be bet on. In this uncharted territory, we are as dumb as the oddsmakers. Some of you have information we simply do not. BetOnline is offering betting on the "best foreign language film". The Polish film, Katyn, interestingly enough had been the favorite as recently as yesterday. The Counterfeiters is now the slight favorite. Both are listed with under -200 odds, meaning you would only have to bet a little more than a dollar to win a dollar (and of course you get your initial bet back plus winnings if your bet is a winner). The Counterfeiters comes from the great German/Austrian cinema (we highly recommend a trip to the Film Museum when in Berlin by the way). It fictionalizes Operation Bernhard, a secret plan by the Nazis during the Second World War to destabilize the United Kingdom by flooding its economy with forged Bank of England currency. Reading about some of these foreign language films makes us wonder if they are better than the actual 'best picture" nominees. So what is our Oscar pick for "best foreign film"? After all that we're going with Beaufort. Simply because it pays $350 for every $100 bet.
It's an Israeli film
about an IDF unit
stationed at the
Beaufort post in
Southern Lebanon
during the South
Lebanon conflict,
and their commander,
Liraz Librati, who
was the last
commander of the
Beaufort castle
before the Israeli
withdrawal in 2000. Hannah Brown of The Jerusalem Post called it the first great Israeli war film. It is one of the most successful Israeli films of this century. This is the first Academy Award nomination for an Israeli film since Beyond the Walls (1984) and the ninth overall. As for other categories. "Art direction" we like Atonement with near even payout odds (+150 to be exact). "Best short animated film" - I MET THE WALRUS - just because, well, it pays a little better than even odds ($1.60 for every $1.00 bet) yet is right in the thick of things with the oddsmakers and public.
The film is based on
an interview of John
Lennon by Jerry
Levitan in 1969.
Levitan, then 14
years old, tracked
Lennon to his hotel
room at Toronto's
King Edward Hotel
after hearing a
rumour that Lennon
was sighted at the
Toronto Airport.
Jerry inveigled his
way into John
Lennon's suite and
conducted an
interview. The
animation is based
on this recording
which was edited
down to 5 minutes.
Josh Raskin's focus
was on the interview
itself. "I just
wanted to literally
animate the words,
unfurling in the way
I imagined they
would appear inside
the head of a
baffled 14-year-old
boy interviewing his
idol." It's John Lennon after all! There seems to be a theme this year of rock legends being portrayed in film and nominated for an Oscar. Cate Blanchett playing a version of Bob Dylan comes to mind. BetOnline has a wide offering of Oscar betting odds when you click on "Future Props" then "Entertainment" under their "Live Lines" section (top left hand side of their website). They also offer a top signup bonus of 10 to 45 percent depending on how much you deposit. BetUS.com meanwhile offers odds on "best animation film" (Ratatouille being our pick without question) and "best song". That's How You Know from "Enchanted" is our pick because it pays slightly better than even odds and the -170 favorite, Falling Slowly from "Once" is no "lock" Remember, Oscar bets should be placed well in advance of the show's starting time at 8 pm EST and online betting accounts should be open well in advance of the show's start (due to signup forms and credit card approvals). --- Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher CCostigan@CostiganMedia.com Originally published February 24, 2008 5:25 pm EST
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2008
Oscar Picks (From
The Bookies)