Cinematical

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Forest Whitaker, 'The Last King of Scotland' (Open: 6-5) (Current: 3-5)
Leonardo DiCaprio, 'Blood Diamond' (Open: 3-1) (Current: 3-1)
Peter O'Toole, 'Venus' (Open: 6-1) (Current: 7-1)
Ryan Gosling, 'Half Nelson' (Open: 8-1) (Current: 10-1)
Will Smith, 'The Pursuit of Happyness (Open: 10-1) (Current: 12-1)
** Forest continues to gain momentum as he recently collected the top SAG honor. There is no doubt he is the overwhelming favorite in this category. Leonardo is a decent second with the rest enjoying the scenery.

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Helen Mirren, 'The Queen' (Open: Even) (Current: 2-5)
Meryl Streep, 'The Devil Wears Prada' (Open: 9-5) (Current: 3-1)
Penelope Cruz, 'Volver' (Open: 6-1) (Current: 7-1)
Judi Dench, 'Notes on a Scandal' (Open: 6-1) (Current: 8-1)
Kate Winslet, 'Little Children' (Open: 4-1) (Current: 8-1)
** In the sports-betting world, some would call this a "lock." Helen has been there from the start and it doesn't look like anyone is going to catch her. Meryl and Penelope are on the outside looking in.

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Eddie Murphy, 'Dreamgirls' (Open: 8-5) (Current: Even)
Alan Arkin, 'Little Miss Sunshine' (Open: 5-2) (Current: 3-1)
Djimon Hounsou, 'Blood Diamond' (Open: 3-1) (Current: 5-1)
Jackie Earle Haley, 'Little Children' (Open: 4-1) (Current: 5-1)
Mark Wahlberg, 'The Departed' (Open: 6-1) (Current: 7-1)
** Mr. Murphy's SAG acceptance speech says it all. He's just happy, happy, happy. Even though the SAGs haven't been a great measuring stick for the Oscars, you can't ignore the hardware Eddie continues to collect. The dark horse remains Alan Arkin.

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Jennifer Hudson, 'Dreamgirls' (Open: 7-5) (Current: 6-5)
Cate Blanchett, 'Notes on a Scandal' (Open: 2-1) (Current: 5-2)
Adriana Barraza, 'Babel' (Open: 4-1) (Current: 4-1)
Rinko Kikuchi, 'Babel' (Open: 6-1) (Current: 5-1)
Abigail Breslin, 'Little Miss Sunshine' (Open: 8-1) (Current: 7-1)
** All the top four acting categories have been consistent through the awards season, and this one is no different. Humble Jennifer continues to surprise herself and soak it all in. She also collected the top SAG award, BUT if there is going to be a surprise in one of these top honors, it would be this one.

Achievement in Directing
Clint Eastwood, 'Letters From Iwo Jima' (Open: 2-1) (Current: 5-2)
Martin Scorsese, 'The Departed' (Open: 5-2) (Current: 5-2)
Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, 'Babel' (Open: 3-1) (Current: 3-1)
Stephen Frears, 'The Queen' (Open: 6-1) (Current: 5-1)
Paul Greengrass, 'United 93' (Open: 10-1) (Current: 8-1)
** We first figured this as a two-horse race between Clint and Martin, but Alejandro is making a late run. This could be a three-horse photo finish. It's too bad I can't box the three in a trifecta box.

Best Motion Picture of the Year
'The Departed' (Open: 5-2) (Current: 2-1)
'Babel' (Open: 3-1) (Current: 2-1)
'Little Miss Sunshine' (Open: 10-1) (Current: 4-1)
'Letters From Iwo Jima' (Open: 4-1) (Current: 6-1)
'The Queen' (Open: 6-1) (Current: 7-1)
** What a moment this is going to be. The 'Little' film that could pulled a huge surprise as it collected the SAG "Best Film Ensemble." This is equivalent to the Academy's best picture. With that, the 'Sunshine' was coming through and made the biggest move of the week. However, the Academy always favors the heavy drama so we still have 'Babel' and 'The Departed' on top, BUT keep an eye on this one.

[Note: Vegas oddsmaker Jay Kornegay is executive director of the Las Vegas Hilton SuperBook with more than 17 years of race and sports book experience. Legal disclaimer: Predictions made by Jay Kornegay are for entertainment purposes only. We do not accept, and this information should not be used for, any wagering, betting, gaming or gambling in any form or manner.]