An AFP story out of Hollywood takes a look at the odds that bookmakers are offering as to what film or actor or actress will win the “Golden Dude,” as Robin Williams tearfully dubbed his Oscar for Best Supporting Actor when he won for Good Will Hunting. Slumdog Millionaire, according to the heavy-duty thinkers at bookmaking firm William Hill, is the 1/10 favorite for best picture, with The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button running a distant second. Hill and America’s Line in Las Vegas give Kate Winslet the winning odds for Best Actress for her performance in The Reader. Heath Ledger is given 1/40 odds to win posthumously for his role as the Joker in The Dark Knight.
As for the Best Actor category, William Hill projects Mickey Rourke as the 8/15 favorite for his work in The Wrestler, with Sean Penn (thought by many to be the favorite among longtime Academy voters) at 2/1 for Milk. Brad Pitt is listed at 33/1 for Benjamin Button, and Richard Jenkins is at 40/1 for The Visitor. And smack in the middle is Frank Langella, given odds of 8/1 for his performance as the thirty-seventh President in Frost/Nixon.
Quite intriguingly, William Hill’s spokesman Rupert Adams is quoted thus: “We’re just starting to see a little bit of interest in Frank Langella. There’s one guy who bets with us every year who we regard as our Oscars guru and he has chosen Langella, which is interesting.”
Meanwhile, Sir David Frost has let it be known that he hopes Langella will be handed the statuette.