Photo by Picture Perfect/REX
You didn’t know you could bet on the Oscars? Oh yeah. You can pretty much bet on anything.
A few times throughout the year, oddsmakers will release betting lines to the public for the upcoming Oscars. It’s always good if you’ve got a knack for picking the big winners ahead of time–you really stand to benefit financially.
This year looked to be a two film race for Best Picture between Boyhood and Interstellar. After Interstellar‘s release, and the subsequent divided critical reaction, as well as Birdman‘s impressive reception, there was a definite change in ranking the favorites.
Boyhood is still tops. Several odds makers have it listed at -600. That basically means that a six dollar bet would earn a mere dollar in return. What does this really mean for you? It’s good information for your office Oscar pool.
Hand in hand with Boyhood is the writer-director, Richard Linklater, who is long overdue for some serious recognition for his contributions to the world of cinema. Sure, he’s won awards before, but never the biggest and baddest of all awards: Oscar. This is likely, considering the feat Linklater was able to achieve–and he did so seamlessly.
For Best Actor in a lead role, Michael Keaton is leading the way for his performance in Birdman. Having seen all the films and performances that will likely be nominated for Oscars, it’s hard to imagine a performance better than Steve Carell’s in Foxcatcher, and I’ll lean toward the epic upset in this category, but maybe not from Carell. Keaton’s performance is delicious, but Carell’s is truly transforming. The Golden Globes may sway the odds–as it stands, Carell is a long shot. Eddie Redmayne may very well sneak in, and snag the golden statue for his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything.
For Best Actress in a lead role, Julianne Moore is likely going to run away with every award this year for her performance in Still Alice.
Support actor and actress: J.K. Simmons for Whiplash, and Patricia Arquette for Boyhood.
The 87th Oscars will take place on February 22, 2015.