The Oscars 2013: Discussion and Predictions

Tweet

Daki:

With the Oscars coming up in a month, and Jovan's love of movies and my love of gambling still very much present, we decided to combine the two topics and make some bets on the upcoming Oscars. Jovan is looking to come back from a heartbreaking decision last year, which saw Meryl Streep take an award and Jovan’s cash as well. Jovan you feeling luckier this year?

Jovan:  

Not when it comes to the Best Actress category. Even though the winner will most probably be either Jennifer Lawrence or Jessica Chastain, there's no clear frontrunner. Jennifer Lawrence would be the favourite because she picked up the SAG award for Best Actress, but I'm not taking my chances again. The majority of analysts kept saying Viola Davis would win at last year's Oscars, but clearly they didn't know anything. I'm not even considering betting on this category. Best Supporting Actress is pretty much a lock with Anne Hathaway, however I don't believe your payout is going to be high enough to justify a bet in that category.

Daki:

So you like Anne Hathaway for best supporting actress. It would be hard to disagree with you there, she has had a great year and displayed some incredible range (her roles in 'The Dark Knight Rises' and 'Les Miserables' could not have been more different). Is there a long shot in the best lead actress category which would provide good value on a bet? So if you could not choose Lawrence or Chastain, who would you pick?

Jovan:

I honestly wouldn't put any money on any of the other three candidates. Emmanuelle Riva has the next best chance of winning, but even her odds are extremely low. The Oscars are always the same - the acting categories either have a clear frontrunner (such as Daniel Day-Lewis as Best Lead Actor for Lincoln) or it's a battle between two of the nominees. Actually, that's only mostly true. For Best Supporting Actor this year, Tommy Lee Jones is currently the favourite, but Waltz won the Golden Globe, and some analysts have predicted that Hoffman will win. However, Jones is the safest bet since he won the SAG award. I wouldn't put any money on Arkin, while De Niro is probably competing for 2nd or 3rd place.

Notes on the 70th Golden Globe Nominations - And Some Predictions

Tweet

Movies – Best Motion Picture

There aren’t many surprises here. There are three films currently competing for the Oscar for Best Motion Picture, and all three have been nominated. The two dramas are Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty and the other is Les Miserables. For the dramas, it will come down to whether the voters have a higher honor for their history or their politics. And Les Miserables seems to be a lock at this moment in the Musical/Comedy category.

Movies – Best Actor/Actress

Lead actor for a drama will most likely go to Daniel Day-Lewis, as he delivered an excellent performance as the 16^th US president and voters are aware of his acting abilities (he may become the first actor to win three Oscars for Best Actor in February). Joaquin Phoenix’s performance was insane and he’s definitely the runner-up in my book, but I don’t see votes picking him over DDL.

Lead actor for a musical or comedy is going to have no effect on the Oscars because none of these guys will win, but Hugh Jackman is currently the frontrunner and it’s good to see Bradley Cooper nominated for his terrific portrayal of a man with bi-polar struggling to deal with himself and his family.