With the good comes the bad. Every year we root for the worst movies of the year, celebrate the bombs and crashes of Hollywood. We look forward to the Razzies as much as we look forward to the other glamorous award ceremonies in Hollywood.
betUS has the odds on a couple of Razzie categories, including Worst Picture:
I Know Who Killed Me (-300): I mean, of course Lindsay's going to have the best odds, if only because she's had such a trashtastic kind of year, and it wasn't like this movie was going to give her any shred of credibility. I mean, not that she really had any in the first place, even before rehab.
Norbit (+400): Why, Eddie Murphy, why? Remember about 20 years ago when you were funny, even when you were being politically incorrect? Yeah, you can't really do that anymore. And by that I mean be politically incorrect and be funny. And by that I mean you just aren't funny.
Bratz (+750): Even back in the day when I actually liked New Kids On The Block would I have gone to see this movie. Like, what studio exec thought it was a brilliant idea to greenlight this flick? Seriously. It's bad enough the girls look... strange. The dolls are creepy enough on their own.
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (+900): Can we upgrade Adam Sandler to Has-Been status already? Or maybe that's just me being biased, because I don't think the dude is as funny as folks make him out to be. Maybe he should get some lifetime recognition for his work (you know, other than Punch-Drunk Love. Then again, that's probably just me. When I'm biased, I really like to be biased.
Daddy Day Camp (+1000): It really is a shame to watch someone like Cuba Gooding Jr. go down in flames like this. Not even a delightful kind of shame. I root for the guy to get a real acting job, but something about formerly decent actors making (bad) movies for their children just grinds my gears Peter Griffin-style.
We've been seeing some... interesting characters the past couple of weeks on American Idol, but also a few good singers from all over the place. Last year it was pretty much split between the east coast and the west coast, though I don't think anybody was expecting Jordin being from Arizona of all places.
Bodog has the odds on which part of the country the winner will be from this year: West at 2/1, South at 10/11, Midwest at 5/2, and North East at 4/1. The odds are pointing to the South, but I'm thinking it's going to be another West Coaster this year. I don't know. From what we saw from the San Diego auditions alone, the West Coast is looking to represent this season. But that's also because I'm biased toward the West Coast anyway.
Saturday Showdown: South Carolina's Democratic Primary Odds
After the Dems' debate earlier this week-- and seeing the back-and-forth of Hillary and Barack-- it'll be interesting to see how tomorrow's primary in South Carolina goes. McCain won there last weekend, which helped to boost his overall election odds on the Republican side.
betUS has the numbers on who's left, now that Kucinich is out as of today, and the odds are... weird. Hillary's at +900, Barack is at -2000, and John Edwards is at +2500, so in all actuality, even though Barack has the minus odds, it's such a huge number, and Hillary's odds, even for being on the plus side, are pretty big. In that sense, it's almost a toss-up, with or without the punditry. One thing is for sure, though: John Edwards is saying he's in it for the long haul, but his odds are indicating that that might not be the most prudent idea.
The more American Idol odds, the better. Bodog has a few new props on American Idol this season, along with the usual male/female winner. But my favorite right now is who will be a guest mentor, judge, or perfomer this season:
Sanjaya Malakar (9/2): In my heart, I pine for this. But I know realistically, it won't happen. I know the Fox network can stoop a little low, but this would be utterly ridiculous. Which is why they should do it! Make him a guest judge, please!
Think about the children, is all I'm saying.
Jordin Sparks (3/1): Jordin Sparks flopped, y'all. And I'm pretty sure she flopped not only because the lovely girl isn't a sexpot, but because she made her first single off her album sound like a Timberland knock-off. (I can't imbed the video, so you'll have to click on the link to watch it.) But she'll probably be on the show to try and salvage some part of her career.
Liza Minelli (6/1): Oh. My. God. Please let this happen. 'Cause you know what? It'll be an even more glorious trainwreck than Miss Diana Ross was last year with that effed up dress and off-key singing. Plus the gay boys might just find an excuse to start watching again. Oh please make this happen! (It probably won't, though.)
But still. Please?
Gene Simmons (15/1): As much as it would be kickass to have a KISS night on AI, I personally wouldn't want to hear, like, 15 versions of "Beth" in one night. And, come on, the dude was already on his own reality show, plus Celebrity Apprentice, so no more reality TV for him for awhile, okay?
Rihanna (7/1): You know, I'd actually like to see Rhianna perform on American Idol, only because she's the best example of how having not a great voice can still get you a career, and a really good career at that. The girl is just hotness all over.
Tay Zonday (100/1): If you are not familiar with Tay Zonday, let me introduce you to "Chocolate Rain," which is why he should be on American Idol:
I don't think it needs any more explanation. Though he really should be on the show, but it won't happen. Makes me sad. Honestly, tears.
Nevada Caucuses could affect the presidential odds
Whatever your political affiliations are (or if you even have any!), you can still make a little dough on all the caucuses and primaries happening right now in the U.S. With every new week brings a new winner, so the odds are changing all the time. It's almost too much to keep up with.
Anyway, the big deal down here in Vegas are the Nevada caucuses happening tomorrow the 19th. Almost all of the candidates have rolled through town in the past couple of weeks, and the Democrats had a debate earlier in the week. You can't turn on the TV without seeing a political ad. It's crazy.
betUS has the odds on this weekend's caucus here in Nevada, for both parties:
Republican Candidate: Mitt Romney (-500), Mick Huckabee (+1500), John McCain (+600), Rudy Guiliani (+1400), Ron Paul (+1400), Fred Thompson (+2500): Romney's got the edge for the Republicans because he's Mormon, and there's a big Mormon base here in southern Nevada-- Las Vegas, despite its present form, was actually founded by Mormons, you know. They love him, and he didn't really have to come down here to represent his campaign.
Democratic Candidate: Hillary Clinton (-160), Barack Obama (+120), John Edwards (+1000): Though Hillary's got the edge, Barack's got the backing of the Culinary Union here in Vegas, which is huge for him. Not to mention there's been controversy with some of the caucus sites being in Strip casinos, which some of the other candidates were not happy about. It'll make this close, but Hillary may just eek it out.
I think that may have been the singularly most boring episode of Project Runway ever. None of those hairstyles were all that inspirational to begin with. None of those outfits were all that impressive. And I'm not sure how Christian and Chris got called high fashion and Ricky and Kit got called costume.
And to be honest, I'm not sure how Victorya and Jillian didn't win. That outfit was amazing.
And why, WHY, is Ricky still here? I saw the previews. He cries again next week.
I'm starting to get concerned about who may win this season.
I mean, in all fairness, it's not really a new year until American Idol starts.
Every year, I think that this year will be the year that the show just blows, and I typically HATE the bad audition shows at the beginning. But last night's episode was SO GOOD. We had some guy waxing his chest hair, a heart wrenching story of a sick child and another heart wrenching story of a sick mother (by which I'm pretty sure we just mean very much over weight mother). We had a girl with a body like a porn star who's never watched a rated "R" movie. We had three guys who can REALLY sing. We had a Carrie Underwood knock off, who actually may be better than Carrie Underwood (she for sure had more personality than Carrie Underwood) who raises horses and fights combat sports. We had a crazy girl. Actually, we had two crazy girls. We had classic Simon and classic Randy. We had Ryan Seacrest doing his deadpan response face to crazy contestants at least a dozen times. He's almost made a career out of that at this point.
Oddly, however, there was no moment where I was convinced that Paula Abdul was on drugs. Until they showed the previews for an upcoming auditions segment in which she dances. Then my faith was restored.
I feel better. I've been home in bed sick for DAYS now. It certainly appears, though, that Randy, Paula and Simon have been good for my soul. I feel much better.
I mean, if you were ending your weekend watching whatever the heck that Golden Globes ceremony was with that annoying Mary Hart announcing some of the winners, it was really an anticlimax to the weekend: Nicole and Christina had their babies. Jessica Simpson wasn't even nowhere near Dallas, and Tony Romo still effed up the football game against the Giants. Britney was cussing at the paparazzi. Again.
But, if you had bet on Daniel Day-Lewis or Julie Christie to win this weekend, you made a couple of bucks. And the Oscar nominations are next Tuesday, so we'll see what the books make of that, considering there may not even be a ceremony if the writers' strike still goes on. But, if there are odds, we'll be on it.
Then again, none of that may even matter at all because, that's right, American Idol starts tomorrow night. It's like Christmas Day all over again.
So, all the guys here in the office are pumped about the NFL playoff games this weekend. Vegas loves its football, and they love betting on it. But we found the best prop for this weekend: Jessica Simpson. You know her, you love her, and Dallas fans want to kill her after she showed up to a Cowboys game in a pink jersey with Tony Romo's number on it, and the team lost at home. And of course, we love drama, so we went digging over at Bodog to find out if there were any Tony Romo/Jessica Simpson props, and voila! There's a prop about how many times Jessica's name will be said during the game, and that doesn't count the pre- or postgame shows, or during halftime.
But let me break down the prop for you, in case it seems confusing. This is a Total, which means that the odds are going to be over or under a set number. In this case, the total is 6 1/2. The odds of going over that number is -130, and the odds for it going under that number is -110. It's favoring "the over," or that the Fox broadcasters will say her name more than the total number, and you know what? I think so too, regardless of whether she's at the game or not. They were down in Mexico last weekend, so you know it's going to be talked about. How can you not, right?
Last night may have been the most angry that I've EVER been over an episode of Project Runway.
You may remember that last night's challenge was to design a prom gown. For a high school in NEW JERSEY.
So, there are elegant dresses made. And there are non-elegant dresses made. And there is this disaster from Christian:Perhaps it seems so obvious to you that that tragi-copper/chocolate mistake should have gotten Christian eliminated. And I love Christian and I'm saying that.
However, what seems to have happened is that the judges have gotten confused about what girls in NEW JERSEY want to wear to the prom. Here is last night's winning outfit:That dress is darling. And I would certainly want my teenager wearing it. But this is not a dress for a girl going to a prom in NEW JERSEY.
THIS is a dress for a girl going to a prom in New Jersey. It's short, it's red, it's sassy, and it's a little bit cheap looking.
It also sent Kevin home last night.
He actually did the best job with the challenge if you consider the audience.
Wow. I have to say it. I wasn't expecting Hilary to pull it out in New Hampshire. Nobody was. Most people thought that Barack would ride the popularity wave from his surprise Iowa win through the next three or four primaries.
Maybe it was Hilary's more personalized appeal. That's what a lot of people think. Her teary-eyed plea for sure made her more personable. But I think it's more like a public betting trend than that. I think that people really did consider Barack and underdog and a fairy tale. And that means people will want to vote for him because people like the underdog, they like the prince charming who needs a little boost. But then Iowa was a wake up call, and people realized that maybe the underdog could win. And there are some issues with the idea of Barack as President. I mean, there are issues with Hillary as President of the United States, too. But at least we KNOW what those issues are. With Barack, I'm not entirely sure we'd know what we're getting.
What a crazy primary already! Huckabee! Huckabee for goodness sake!
My little brother wants to point out that New Hampshire has never picked a winner. Take that to the bank with you.
The awards ceremony is canceled in favor of a press conference on Sunday, so it won't be the huge, glamorous event that it's been in the past. That doesn't mean you can't make a few bucks from it, right? Right.
Today we'll be breaking down the Best Actor in a Drama nominees, from betUS's odds (To see the odds, click "Future/Props," then "Entertainment Props," then on "65th Golden Globe Awards."):
George Clooney - Michael Clayton (+400): Good 'Ol George has a pretty decent shot with this role, even though the movie quietly came and went at the box office. The way that it's looking right now, he might be a good hedge bet for this category. His last win was for Supporting Actor in 2005, so he might just be primed for the bigger award this year.
Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood (-250): The critics are all over his performance for this movie, and it's the reason why he's the favorite going into Sunday. I don't think it's even possible for him to make a bad movie, really. But it's all going to depend on how mainstream the voters are this year.
James McAvoy - Atonement (+350): He got a lot of attention for Last King of Scotland last year, which makes sense for him being in this movie. His odds say he's got an edge over George, which is certainly possible. But you've also got Denzel in here, too, which turns things around a little.
Viggo Mortensen - Eastern Promises (+1600): You know, I feel bad for Viggo here. He's up against some powerhouse performances in this category, even in a year when the critics were applauding his showing in this movie. His chance is so small just because he just isn't getting the same attention as the other noms.
Denzel Washington - American Gangster (+900 ): I'm really curious why Denzel doesn't have better odds this time around. Even the critics who didn't like the film so much loved him in it. And, come on, it's Denzel for crying out loud. How could he not have better odds?
We're back, people! We hope your holiday was just as fabulous as ours was! It's a new year, which means we're looking forward to a busy month: awards season is in full swing, Britney's cracked up, and American Idol starts NEXT TUESDAY, PEOPLE. This month is awesome.
Anyway, back to some more of the "serious" stuff: the Golden Globes are next month, and while all the odds aren't up yet, betUS does have a few odds on some of the major categories. Today, we'll break down the Best Actress in a Drama category:
Cate Blanchett - Elizabeth - The Golden Age +1000: I think this was the wrong movie for her to be nominated for. She'd played Elizabeth to such wide acclaim the first time, it seemed redundant to nominate her a second time. Her role in I'm Not There was far more interesting and obviously more fun for her. It just seemed too strange to have a sequel to a movie that had done so well with critics.
Julie Christie - Away From Her -250: I have to admit, Julie Christie is my favorite here too, along with the odds. Her performance here was beautiful, sad, and was just a powerhouse. Sarah Polley did such a gorgeous job directing her, and to think she kept turning this role down makes it even better.
Jodie Foster - The Brave One +600 I love Jodie Foster as much as the next girl, but I'm really not sure why she was nominated for this role. This movie seemed too... I'm not sure. The word "mainstream" isn't right. But it just seemed like an easy movie to pick for her to play the angry vigilante. I think maybe she was nominated just because she's Jodie Foster.
Angelina Jolie - A Mighty Heart +800: It seemed like there was more controversy surrounding Angelina playing a character of mixed race than there was any kind of kudos for her performance. We've been so far removed from the Daniel Pearl saga for too long for poor Angie to really get noticed.
Keira Knightley - Atonement +350: With Keira, I think it really comes down to the fact that she's the youngest of all the nominees here, which puts her at a disadvantage (even though she was nominated in Best Actress in a Comedy two years ago). The industry knows she's in for more big roles, so let her nominations roll in.
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