Academy Awards winners tough to pick

According to early markets, the Academy Awards is a wide open market. Now, if only we could watch them all to judge. And therein lies the biggest problem with punting on such markets - most of us need to do it on heresay, rather than acute knowledge.

Bookmakers rate Abbie Cornish as Australia’s best chance to pick up an Oscar at the 2010 Academy Awards.

Sportingbet Australia CEO Michael Sullivan said Cornish was right in contention for her role as 19th century poet John Keats’ love interest Fanny Brawne.

“Abbie Cornish has already been nominated in the Best Actress category at the British Independent Film Awards and looks a shoe in to earn an Oscar nomination,” said Sullivan.

“But she faces stiff opposition to win from the likes of Carey Mulligan, Gabby Sidibe and veterans Meryl Streep and Helen Mirren and we have her at backable odds of $9.00 as a result.”

Up In The Air and Invictus are joint $4.50 favourites in what looks a wide open Best Picture Market while Colin Firth is a $2.50 favourite to score the Best Actor Oscar.

2010 ACADEMY AWARDS – BEST ACTRESS
Sportingbet Australia Market
Carey Mulligan - An Education 2.00
Gabby Sidibe - Precious 2.50
Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia 2.50
Helen Mirren - The Last Station 5.50
Abbie Cornish - Bright Star 9.00
Saoirse Ronan - The Lovely Bones 12.00
Penelope Cruz - Broken Embraces 26.00
Marion Cotillard - Nine 31.00
Vera Farmiga - Up In The Air 41.00
Sandra Bullock - The Blind Side 41.00

2010 ACADEMY AWARDS – BEST ACTOR
Sportingbet Australia Market
Colin Firth - A Single Man 2.50
George Clooney - Up In The Air 2.75
Jeff Bridges - Crazy Heart 3.50
Morgan Freeman - Invictus 5.00
Daniel Day-Lewis - Nine 5.50
Viggo Mortensen - The Road 10.00
Jeremy Renner - The Hurt Locker 10.00
Matt Damon - The Informant 26.00
Robert De Niro – Everything’s Fine 26.00
Sharlto Copley - District Nine 34.00
Christopher Plummer - The Last Station 34.00
Michael Stuhlberg - A Serious Man 41.00
Sam Rockwell - Moon 41.00
Nicholas Cage - Bad Lieutenant: Port Of Call New Orleans 51.00

2010 ACADEMY AWARDS – BEST PICTURE
Sportingbet Australia Market
Up In The Air 4.50
Invictus 4.50
The Hurt Locker 4.75
Precious 5.00
Nine 6.00
Up 7.50
An Education 10.00
Inglorious Basterds 10.00
The Lovely Bones 11.00
A Serious Man 11.00
Avatar 16.00
The Road 21.00
Julie & Julia 31.00
A Single Man 31.00
The Last Station 41.00
The Messenger 51.00
The White Ribbon 51.00
Where The Wild Things Are 67.00
District 9 67.00
Crazy Heart 67.00
Bright Star 67.00
Star Trek 101.00

2010 ACADEMY AWARDS – BEST DIRECTOR
Sportingbet Australia Market
Jason Reitman - Up In The Air 2.00
Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker 3.50
Clint Eastwood - Invictus 4.00
Lee Daniels - Precious 4.50
James Cameron - Avatar 7.50
Rob Marshall - Nine 9.00
Quentin Tarantino - Inglorious Basterds 11.00
Lone Scherfig - An Education 14.00
Peter Jackson - The Lovely Bones 14.00
Ethan & Joel Coen - A Serious Man 21.00
Pete Docter & Bob Peterson - Up 31.00
Tom Ford - A Single Man 31.00