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'Aviator' is the odds-on Oscar favorite in Las Vegas

Posted Tuesday, February 8, 2005 at 9:46 AM Central

by Tim Briscoe

This year's Academy Awards are among the most wide open competitions in Oscar history. There are no Lord of the Rings or Titanics to dominate the trophies.

Just as in sports, the oddsmakers in Vegas usually have the expert insight on close races. And if John Avello, Director of Race & Sports Operations at Bally's/Paris in Las Vegas is right, The Aviator will have a big night.

The Howard Hughes biopic is at even odds in both the Best Picture and Best Director categories. Cate Blanchett gets the pick for Best Supporting Actress ahead of Virginia Madsen in Sideways. Leonardo DiCaprio is close behind favorite Jamie Foxx for Ray.

Of course, these odds are -- just as the Oscars themselves -- for entertainment purposes only. In fact, you can't even bet on the Academy Awards in Sin City. It's illegal to wager on an event with a pre-determined outcome.

Here are the complete odds in the top six categories along with their odds of winning:

Best Picture The Aviator EVEN Million Dollar Baby 7/5 Finding Neverland 8/1 Sideways 12/1 Ray 20/1

Best Director Martin Scorsese, The Aviator EVEN Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby 6/5 Taylor Hackford, Ray 10/1 Alexander Payne, Sideways 15/1 Mike Leigh, Vera Drake 25/1

Best Actor Jamie Foxx, Ray 1/2 Leonardo DiCaprio,, The Aviator 3/1 Johnny Depp, Finding Neverland 8/1 Don Cheadle, Hotel Rwanda 15/1 Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby 40/1

Best Actor in a Supporting Role Thomas Haden Church, Sideways 9/5 Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby 2/1 Clive Owen, Closer 3/1 Alan Alda, The Aviator 7/1 Jamie Foxx, Collateral 12/1

Best Actress Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby 7/5 Annette Bening, Being Julia 2/1 Imelda Staunton, Vera Drake 4/1 Kate Winslet, Eternal Sunshine... 8/1 Catalina Sandino Moreno, Maria Full of Grace 20/1

Best Actress in a Supporting Role Cate Blanchett, The Aviator 8/5 Virginia Madsen, Sideways 2/1 Natalie Portman, Closer 7/2 Sophie Okonedo, Hotel Rwanda 6/1 Laura Linney, Kinsey 15/1

The 77th Annual Academy Awards will be held Sunday, Feb. 27 in Hollywood.