EDITOR'S CHOICE NEWS Time wasters: lax patients cost NHS £5m a year Henlys Corner plans in doubt Tube disruption contiunes VIDEO NEWS Linford Christie and Darren Campbell come to Grahame Park SPORT Bopara to attend cricket camps Get your Kickz in Barnet ON THE BLOGS Dennis Signy Pele gives me a lift Rog T Three cheers for a Brownite Freer Mike Freer Pushing water up hill with a fork VOTE IN OUR POLL Wheelie bin theft victims billed £21k MIDDLESEX CRICKET Shah misses out on Test place South African test for Middlesex FREETIME Picnic concert just the wicket Sing songs of old with Sunnie LETTERS Plenty to learn about planning Forum flack is absurd TRAVEL FEATURES Austria, without the skis The new centre of Europe GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 Tube disruption contiunes 2 Minister praises achievements of ‘underachieving’ school 3 Gig against gun crime 4 Time wasters: lax patients cost NHS £5m a year 5 Cries from 'the wilderness' save ticket offices 6 James hits the heights on his epic adventure 7 Ofsted praises school for improving standards 8 Finchley policeman avoids jail after stealing confiscated drugs 9 IJDS wins Barnet schools cricket competition 10 Knights plays at Wimbledon Today | 7 Days 1 University honours Coleman for community commitment 2 Wheelie bin theft victims billed £21k 3 Time wasters: lax patients cost NHS £5m a year 4 Polling allegations to be investigated 5 Number of race crimes on the rise 6 Pit bull seized as police target reckless owners 7 Free PCs for Barnet OAPs 8 Football coach denied access to his field of dreams 9 Edgware safe deposit business raided 10 Green-fingered pupil recycles his prize

Dame Helen's portrayal of the Queen has already won her a Golden Globe.

No one will be surprised if Dame Helen Mirren grabs her first Oscar - least of all the bookies.

She's become the odds-on favourite to take the coveted best actress award, at odds as high as 1/12.

"You have to be very sure to place £3,000 to win £250 and it would seem that the British public are 100 per cent sure that victory for Helen Mirren is a formality," a William Hill spokesman said.

Countrywomen Dame Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal) and Kate Winslet (Little Children), both previous winners, will hope the bookies have got it wrong. Their chances have been rated at 14/1 and 25/1, respectively.

Forest Whitaker leads the pack for best actor, coming in at 1/4 to win his first Oscar as Idi Amin in The Last King of Scotland.

Speculative punters can even bet on the chance of a "wardrobe malfunction" occuring while actresses collect their awards.

With gravity defying dresses and double-sided tape remaining popular for dresses, it just migh be a winner.

Behind the camera, Stephen Frears (The Queen) and Paul Greengrass (United 93) seem to be outside contenders for best director, at 9/1 and 10/1.

Instead, all the hype surrounding gangster epic The Departed has put Martin Scorsese 1/3 favourite to win the award that has eluded him six times.

The Oscars will be broadcast in the UK on February 26.

What are their chances?

Best film: 1/1 The Departed, 11/4 Babel, 7/2 Little Miss Sunshine, 10/1 Letters from Iwo Jima, 10/1 The Queen

Best director: 1/3 Martin Scorsese (The Departed), 7/1 Clint Eastwood (Letters from Iwo Jima/Flags of our Father), 7/1 Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu (Babel), 9/1 Stephen Frears (The Queen), 10/1 Paul Greengrass (United 93).

Best actor: 1/4 Forest Whitaker (The Last King of Scotland), 5/1 Peter O'Toole (Venus), 8/1 Leonardo Di Caprio (The Departed/Blood Diamond), 14/1 Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness), 33/1 Ryan Gosling (Half Nelson).

Best actress: 1/12 Helen Mirren (The Queen), 10/1 Meryl Streep (The Devil wears Prada), 14/1 Judi Dench (Notes on a Scandal), 25/1 Penelope Cruz (Volver), 25/1 Kate Winslet (Little Children).

4:48pm Thursday 25th January 2007

Print

Email this