Fox Searchlight PicturesThe Oscar pool might be a month away, but some top bookies ahve already got your stone-cold locks: Slumdog Millionaire and Heath Ledger.
The online oddsmakers at Intertops, the heads of the sports books for Las Vegas' Wynn and Hilton resorts and top U.K. gambling guru William Hill have all tapped the Golden Globe-winning Mumbai-set rags-to-riches tale as the prohibitive favorite to capture the Best Picture Oscar, with helmer Danny Boyle also a runaway pick for Best Director.
Its closest competition, per the various lines, is top Oscar nominee The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, followed respectively by Milk, Frost/Nixon and the happy-to-be-nominated The Reader.
The Wrestler's Mickey Rourke is the unanimous favorite to complete his surprise comeback, edging out Milk's Sean Penn. Frank Langella (Frost/Nixon), Brad Pitt (Benjamin Button) and super-longshot Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) will at least have nice seats in the Kodak Theatre.
Best Actress should provide another opportunity to see Angelina Jolie fake smile as someone else's name is read. Kate Winslet is the pick of all four bookmakers to win for The Reader, but she is in a tight race with Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)and Meryl Streep (Doubt).
Ledger is the biggest favorite in any category for all four oddsmakers, and should win Best Supporting Actor for The Dark Knight going away. Supporting Actress appears to be more of a toss-up, with the line split between Vicky Cristina Barcelona's Penélope Cruz for and Doubt's Viola Davis.
Of course, we don't condone gambling—but if you do win your office pool on Feb. 22, feel free to hook us up on PayPal.