Specials betting: odds on the Oscars

If Keira Knightley is disappointed at missing out on a second consecutive Oscar nomination for her appearance in Atonement, it is nothing compared to the crushing devastation currently being experienced by bettingchoice.com as a result of this criminal oversight. Click here for a $600 Paddy Power Poker welcome bonus when you join Paddy Power Poker But (beautiful, porcelain-like) chin up, Keira, you are in good company. Leading man James McEvoy also missed out on the short-list for best actor along with director Joe Wright. And McEvoy can at least be comforted by the thought that he wouldn't have stood a chance even had he made the cut, given that Daniel Day Lewis is the 2/9 favourite for what, by all accounts, is a mindblowing performance in There Will Be Blood. Day Lewis, a two-time winner, takes on Johnny Depp, despite the American insisting he offered a poor performance in Sweeney Todd; George Clooney, who was quite faultless in Michael Clayton; brooding Eastern Promises hard man Viggo Mortensen and 25/1 shot Tommy Lee Jones for his resurgence in The Valley of Elah. The Away from Her star Julie Christie is 1/3 to win her first Oscar since scooping the gong for her role as a model in Darling 43 years ago, securing odds-on favouritism ahead of Marion Cottilard and Ellen Page, but 20-year-old Juno star Page looks excellent value for a spellbinding performance in this delightful low budget film. Elizabeth star Cate Blanchett is nominated in two categories but looks more likely to win the Best Supporting Actress role for her eye-catching role as Bob Dylan in I'm Not There, while in the Best Supporting Actor role Javier Bardem's screen steeling display in No Country For Old Men should see him shade the excellent Robert Ford star Casey Affleck. At this stage it is particularly difficult to make any predictions, particularly as half of these films haven't been shown in the UK yet, but it is worth bearing in mind that film critic Mark Kermode once swept the board with his predictions. And his tips are as follows: Verdict: Best Actor: Daniel Day Lewis @ 2/9; Best actress: Ellen Page @ 6/1; Best supporting actor Javier Bardem @ 1/3; Best supporting actress Cate Blanchett @ 5/4; Best Film: No Country For Old Men @ Evens; Best director: Joel and Ethan Cohen (No Country For Old Men) @ 2/1. Paddy Power Oscar odds: Best Film: No Country For Old Men @ Evens; Atonement @ 5/2; There Will Be Blood @ 3/1; Juno @ 12/1 and Michael Clayton @ 16/1 Best Actor: Daniel Day-Lewis @ 2/9; Johnny Depp @ 6/1; George Clooney @ 8/1; Viggo Mortensen @ 12/1; Tommy Lee Jones @ 25/1 Best Actress: Julie Christie @ 1/3; Marion Cotillard @ 4/1; Ellen Page @ 6/1; Cate Blanchett @ 20/1 and Laura Linney @ 16/1 Best Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem @ 1/3; Casey Affleck @ 4/1; Philip Seymour Hoffman @ 8/1; Hal Holbrook @ 12/1; Tom Wilkinson @ 16/1 Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett @ 5/4; Amy Ryan @ 7/4; Ruby Dee @ 5/1; Tilda Swinton @ 8/1; Saoirse Ronan @ 10/1. Best Achievement in Directing: Paul Thomas Anderson (There Will Be Blood) @ 11/8; No Country For Old Men (Joel and Ethan Cohen) @ 2/1; Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell And The Butterfly) @ 3/1; Tony Gilroy (Michael Clayton) @ 8/1; Jason Reitman (Juno) @ 12/1 Click here for a $600 Paddy Power Poker welcome bonus when you join Paddy Power Poker