No matter how you feel about Sarah Palin, you have to give the woman credit for knowing how to stretch her 15 minutes. I mean, how many other failed Veep candidates can the average person even name? Now ask yourself how many of Palin's children you can name.
Her fame is so great that even the sportsbooks have taken notice.
Bookmaker has the following odds on Sarah's next move:
Which American Idol Star's 1st Album Will Debut Highest on the Billboard Top 200?
While Adam Lambert may have lost American Idol 8, we think he will be the winner of this bet. Adam is approachable enough that you want to smile when he smiles and yet retains enough mystery to be intriguing. His classic safe features are combined with just the right amount of gender bending fashion edge to make Midwesterners take notice. And, most importantly, he has a charisma when performing that makes the audience feel this is what he was born to do...one gets completely wrapped up in the moment when watching Lambert on stage because he is something that Allen and Gokey are not. They are singers while Adam is a performer. Lambert may or may not have the longest/most impressive career of the three, but his intrigue combined with the fact that many of his fans flames of devotion were fueled by Allen taking the crown mean that he has a good chance of debuting on the Billboard at the top of his American Idol 8 class.
If the past is any indication of the future, then the answer is yes. Only The Beatles have had more albums debut at #1 (Elvis shares 2nd place with Jay-Z). Apparently, the sportsbooks have a lot of faith in Jay-Z too. Winning a $100 bet that he will debut at #1 will only get you about $18 in profit...winning a $100 bet that he will not debut at #1? $375 profit
Yes, it is officially summer, the time for drinking mojitos, eating blueberries and prop betting on babies and divorces. Let's start with the babies. Bodog has a few lines on Gisele and Kendra Willkinson's (Girl Next Door) upcoming deliveries. They have even odds on whose baby will weight more at birth (both at -115). Gisele is 5'10" and 125-130 pounds and her football playing baby daddy (Tom Brady) weighs in at 225 while Kendra is reported to be 5'4" and 115-120 lbs and her football playing baby daddy (Hank Basket) weights in at 220. While genetics are a little more complicated than simple math, Gisele looks like a good bet.
Moving on to divorces, Bookmaker is taking bets on who will split up next. According to their odds, Will Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett are the couple on the list with the most staying power. Couples who may be in for a rocky road ahead include Sean Penn & Robin Wright Penn as well as Pete Wentz & Ashley Simpson. Smith and Pinkett really is the worst bet. Not only are you unlikely to cash in, but even if you do, who could help but feel bad about these two getting divorced? Though the Penns have already filed for divorce, they also filed for withdrawal of those same papers in April of this year.
It is hard to choose among the many possibilities on the list, but you know there is money to be made when the odds on a seasoned divorcee like Lopez are towards the middle of the pack.
You can wager on who will win at MTV's May 31st ceremony at BetUs or Bookmaker (BetUS has more exhaustive options).
Best Villain: Heath Ledger is as close to a sure thing as it gets. It looks like Heath Ledger is such a favorite that betting $100 will only get you a $10 return if you win. After all, what young person can resist a talented, beautiful artist whose life ends in self destruction via drug use? The odds speak for themselves -1000.
Best Comedic Performance: James Franco (Pineapple Express)seems like a solid choice. Franco is irresistible in general, but in a role he was born to play? Forget about it. James Franco +175
Best Female Performance: Kristen Stewart The other ladies are fabulous and would have a much better chance winning at other awards ceremonies, but the MTV awards are all about the young and Kristen Stewart is the nominee who best fist the age demographic of the average MTV viewer. Not to mention the fact that "Twilight" was a much more popular teen movie than, say "Benjamin Button" or "The Reader" (movies which also have female stars up for the award).
It's not too late to bet on Dancing with the Stars. Who will the winner be? Gilles Marini seems to be a fan favorite in many ways, but it is hard to imagine Americans voting for a Frenchman (even a gorgeous and talented Frenchman) over a former Dallas Cowboys cheerleader (nursing a publicly broken heart no less) AND an adorable Olympic gymnast (from Iowa no less). Then again, who knows? Perhaps we really are becoming citizens of the world.
Which Movie Will be the Highest Grossing Film of 2009?
Bookmaker thinks it will be "Transformers Revenge of the Fallen" and consequently has the line at +100. Seriously. The "Transformers" sequel. "Night at the Museum 2" also seems like a strong blockbuster possibility to them at +550. Seriously. The "Night at the Museum" sequel. Love or hate these movies, these could be great bets. To quote the ever wise Lisa Simpson "You will never go broke appealing to the lowest common denominator."
With just two contestants remaining, sports books have their money on long time favorite, Adam Lambert. However, I think that bettors should consider the Gokey factor. Fans of Gokey have proven themselves to be outspoken, salt of the earth types who are not likely to join the Adam fan club. Will they be so disengaged from Gokey's loss that they won't view or call in? Or, will they call in and vote for Kris in order to show their distaste for his competitor?
If you want to bet for Allen, Bookmaker has some good odds.
Bookmaker is taking bets on who will be suspended by the MLB for violation of their drug policy. For obvious reasons, A-Rod is a clear doping favorite (based on the lines). Reading the lines at face value, Adrian Beltre is also suspect. While he has never been charged, nor formally accused, Beltre did show up for his 2004 spring training with a 20 pound weight gain. He also managed twice as many home runs in his contract year than in his career average (average minus miracle year). Beltre denies every having used steroids while David Oritz claims he cannot confirm or deny drug enhancement use as he doesn't know if he has accidentally taken an MLB banned substance (If only we could all request judgment based on intention). Finally, Delgado and Greinke haven't been associated with any scandals, but they have both had amazing and seemingly inexplicable turnarounds.
Bookmaker has Derek Jeter listed as the least likely to be suspended, but Ryan Howard also seems very unlikely. Not only does he have a squeaky clean record, but Howard has also become the golden boy of clean play, getting tons of media love for following the rules.
How many times in life do you have the opportunity to combine grade school and gambling? BetUs is giving you just such a chance with their lines on the 2009 National Spelling Bee. You can bet on the length of the winning word, whether or not the champion will be donning glasses along with their trophy, and the gender of the winner. Ladies have historically had a slightly stronger showing than men, winning forty three championships vs. forty one for the boys. However, this year the guys have the upper hand as they have more overall contestants. There are 150 boys and 143 girls competing this year, making this the biggest spelling bee contest in history.
The grand prize winner takes home 30k from Scripps. How much are you going to take home from BetUs?
Listen, when you have a show with Donna Summer (Donnah Summah!), George Michael, Seal, and Bryan effing Adams, you know it's 2 hours for the ages. Plus jokes about Davids all night, Chikezie!, David Hernandez whispering "naked," and Amanda Overmeyer's complete lack of enthusiasm? Holy crap my head was about to asplode with joy.
Anyway.
So here's how it all broke down if you had bet this season on AI, and had either one of the Davids as your pick: Archie was the favorite up until about the final 6, and then Cook was just about even with him.
At the final 13, Cook was at a whopping 35/1, meaning that if you had bet the max $50 on him that opening week, you would've had a sweet $1750 payout while he was singing "Time Of Your Life" and giving Archie noogies last night.
Of course, I have to post "Father Figure" from last night. Best moment of the entire season (at least for pure entertainment value):
I know, I know. Does anyone watch the Grammys anymore? I know it was the 50th, which is a big deal. But there were only probably 2 (okay, maybe 3 if you count seeing what Amy Winehouse was going to do over the satellite feed) things that were worth watching:
1. Tina freakin' Turner. 2. Morris Day and The freakin' Time.
That is all.
But, if you did lay down some money, here's what you would've won last night:
Song Of The Year:Rehab - Amy Winehouse (9/4): If you had laid down $4, you won $9 plus your original $4, which isn't bad at all. The odds had tipped at the last minute to Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats at 1/3, which wouldn't have been much of a winner.
Album Of The Year:River: The Joni Letters - Herbie Hancock (6/1): This was the big shocker of the night, because the Grammy voters are known for being more pop-centric than they are for being jazz fans. But for every dollar, you won $6 plus your dollar back, which if you were feeling more ballsy, could've gotten you a couple hundred bucks.
Record Of The Year:Rehab - Amy Winehouse (5/2): For every $2, you won $5 and your $2 back, which is decent considering that Rhianna was the favorite at 20/21. Really, it was just a shame that Amy wasn't actually there to accept any of the awards she won. Bad TV, people.
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance:Rehab - Amy Winehouse (5/9): This was one of those odds where she was the favorite, so the odds weren't really the kind of numbers that helped you win anything. For every $9 you bet, you won $5 and your $9 back, so it really wasn't much of a moneymaker.
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance:What Goes Around...Comes Around - Justin Timberlake (1/4): Justin really was the favorite, and for every $4 you bet, you won $1, which isn't that much to win. No one else in this category came close, though with Herbie Hancock winning for Album Of The Year, it kinda left things open for Michael Bublé or John Mayer, both favorites of Grammy voters.
Best Rock Album:Echoes, Silence, Patience and Grace - Foo Fighters (4/13): This one really wasn't all that difficult to predict (though Daughtry did have a little bit of a shot, just because he's a fan favorite. But for some reason, any year the Foo Fighters release a record, they win Grammys. For every $13, you won $4-- not a great investment or big win.
Best R&B Album:Funk This - Chaka Khan (17/4): This was the only other surprise winner of the night, if only because Jill Scott was the favorite at 1/3. For every $4 bet, you won $17, which is a nice chunk of change if you bet more than $4. And, yay Chaka! I love her.
Best Rap Album: Graduation - Kanye West (1/9): Yeah, I pretty much said it in the guide: his odds didn't win much for you, just because this album was just a monster. For every $9, you won $1, so it was a matter of a lot of investment for not much return. You'd get your $9 back, but to only win $1 on top of it is not so bueno.
Best Country Album:These Days - Vince Gill (1/4): Vince was the favorite in this category, and is a Grammy voter favorite. For every $4, you won $1, so again it was a small investment for an even smaller return.
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?
| 
| 
Listen, when you have a show with Donna Summer (Donnah Summah!), George Michael, Seal, and Bryan effing Adams, you know it's 2 hours for the ages. Plus jokes about Davids all night, Chikezie!, David Hernandez whispering "naked," and Amanda Overmeyer's complete lack of enthusiasm? Holy crap my head was about to asplode with joy.