It’s been overtaken by ‘The Hurt Locker’ to be named Best Picture at this year’s Academy Awards but bookies Paddy Power are still confident the cash will come for James Cameron’s sci-fi smash.

There’s very little between both movies in the betting with Paddy Power giving Kathryn Bigelow’s war time drama a slight edge over Avatar at 8/11. 

However as Sunday’s lavish ceremony draws near Paddy Power are warning punters to watch for late surges in support in the hours running up to the envelope being opened.
In the Best Director category, Kathryn Bigelow looks a shoo-in to pick up the Oscar at 1/5, while the Best Actress category is a little less clear cut. Sandra Bullock is the 1/2 favourite to win her first Oscar for her role in ‘The Blind Side’ while Jeff Bridges competes with George Clooney to win Best Actor. 

Sharon McHugh, spokesperson for Paddy Power told Bettingpro: “There’s no doubt about it, this is going to be very close between ‘Avatar’ and ‘The Hurt Locker’ in the Best Picture category. The Oscar’s always throws up a few surprises on the night but if Avatar is snubbed in both of the main categories it will be a huge shock!”

The night itself promises to be a star-studded affair, and if you’re finding it difficult to predict this year’s winners then why not have a flutter on some of Paddy Power’s other specials including the outrageous 25/1 odds that an actress will walk on stage with her dress tucked into her knickers and 100/1 that a streaker will appear on stage! 

Oscar fans can bet with Paddy Power on who might pick up an Oscar right up until the envelope is open!

OSCARS – MAIN CATEGORIES

Best Picture   
8/11    The Hurt Locker
 Evs    Avatar
12/1    Inglorious Basterds
40/1    Up in the Air
50/1    Precious
80/1    Up
150/1   District 9
150/1   An Education
150/1   The Blind Side
200/1   A Serious Man
   
Best Director
 1/5    Kathryn Bigelow
 3/1    James Cameron
25/1    Quentin Tarantino
66/1    Jason Reitman
80/1    Lee Daniels

Best Actor   
 1/8    Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
 8/1    George Clooney (Up In The Air)
10/1    Colin Firth (A Single Man)
18/1    Morgan Freeman (Invictus)
25/1    Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker)

Best Actress
 1/2    Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
 2/1    Meryl Streep (Julie & Julia)
10/1    Carey Mulligan (An Education)
12/1    Gabourey Sidibe (Precious)
50/1    Helen Mirren (The Last Station)

Best Animated Feature Film
1/20    Up
 8/1    Fantastic Mr Fox
20/1    Coraline
25/1    The Secret of Kells
33/1    The Princess and the Frog

Best Supporting Actor
 1/33   Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds
14/1    Stanley Tucci - The Lovely Bones
16/1    Woody Harrelson - The Messengers
25/1    Matt Damon - Invictus
25/1    Christopher Plummer - The Last Station

Best Supporting Actress
1/20    Mo'Nique – Precious
10/1    Anna Kendrick - Up In The Air
16/1    Maggie Gyllenhaal - Crazy Heart
18/1    Vera Farmiga - Up in the Air
25/1    Penelope Cruz - Nine

OSCAR CEREMONY SPECIALS
 3/1    Best Male Actor to cry during his acceptance speech at the Oscars
 8/1    Any Oscar gong to be dropped during the presentation
10/1    Any actor to trip and fall on stage at the Oscars
12/1    Any major acting acceptance speech to beat the record for the longest Oscar acceptance speech
12/1    Any winning actor/actress to say Tiger Woods in their speech
14/1    A nominated actress to be photographed at the Oscars with her nipple uncovered
25/1    Any actress to walk on stage with her dress tucked into her knickers
50/1    Winning Best Actress to walk on stage with toilet roll stuck to her shoe
100/1   A Streaker to appear on stage during the ceremony

STYLE STAKES

What designer will the Best Actress wear?
 9/4     Alexander McQueen
 8/1     Lanvin
 8/1     Oscar de la Renta
12/1     Alberta Ferretti
12/1     Bottega Venetta
14/1     Balenciaga
14/1     Chanel
16/1     Chris March
16/1     Nina Ricci
16/1     Giorgio Armani
18/1     Christian Lacroix
18/1     Valentino
20/1     Marni
20/1     Kevan Hall
20/1     Roberto Cavalli
20/1     Christian Dior
25/1     Pamella Roland
25/1     Tadashi
25/1     Donna Karan
25/1     Gucci
25/1     Vera Wang
33/1     Dolce & Gabbana
33/1     Stella McCartney
33/1     Donatella Versace
40/1     Calvin Klein
40/1     Marc Jacobs
50/1     Prada
50/1     Tommy Hilfiger
100/1     Victoria Beckham
250/1     K-Mart
500/1     Per Una (M&S)
500/1     George (ASDA)
1000/1     Savida (Dunnes)