{"id":32304,"date":"2023-02-06T08:45:47","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T16:45:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/?p=32304"},"modified":"2023-02-13T09:43:52","modified_gmt":"2023-02-13T17:43:52","slug":"and-the-oscar-goes-to","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/and-the-oscar-goes-to\/","title":{"rendered":"And the Oscar goes to &#8230;"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Skydance | Top Gun: Maverick | New Official Trailer (2022)\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/N0j671F4ZlA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\"><em>Top Gun: Maverick<\/em>. OK, we&#8217;re kidding. But not entirely. Due to the <strong>Motion Picture Academy<\/strong>&#8216;s byzantine, ranked-choice voting for Best Picture, the $1.5 billion-grossing <strong>Tom Cruise<\/strong> spectacle (+1000 on <strong>DraftKings<\/strong>) could rack up enough second- and third-place votes to nab the top prize. That being said, oddsmakers still have this as the year of <em>Everything Everywhere All At Once<\/em> (-280). We could be set for a reprise of 1978, when <em>Star Wars<\/em> ruled the box office but <em>Annie Hall<\/em> ran the table at the Oscars. (Neither film has fared badly with posterity.) <em>Everything Everywhere All At Once<\/em> scores the Academy trifecta of being a commercial hit\u2014a $104 million return on a $14 million outlay\u2014offbeat and upbeat, a combination that reliably spells &#8220;win.&#8221; The second closest rival to <em>Everything<\/em> is the equally splendid but downbeat <em>The Banshees of Inisherin<\/em> (+300) and it&#8217;s having a tough time closing the gap in the betting lines. As for <strong>Steven Spielberg<\/strong>&#8216;s <em>The Fabelmans<\/em>, its momentum appears to have peaked at the <strong>Golden Globes<\/strong> lovefest. It&#8217;s now at +1200 and Spielberg&#8217;s Best Director odds have faded to +120.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p>That prize will likely to go <em>Everything<\/em>&#8216;s <strong>Daniel Kwan<\/strong> and <strong>Daniel Scheinert<\/strong> (-165), with nobody else any closer than +1200. Incidentally, nine-nomination <em>All Quiet on the Western Front<\/em> (regarded as a Best International Feature shoo-in at -1600), despite being a wretched remake of a great film, stands a much better\/bettor chance (+3500) at garnering Best Picture than <em>Avatar: The Way of Water<\/em>, dead in the water at +8000. <strong>James Cameron<\/strong> is down there with the insufferable <em>Women Talking<\/em> and with <em>Triangle of Sadness<\/em>. One additional factor working in <em>Maverick<\/em>&#8216;s favor is that it&#8217;s nipping at <em>Everything<\/em>&#8216;s heels in the bellwether Best Film Editing category, +125 to -110. It&#8217;s also all but assured of Best Sound at -300.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Avatar: The Way of Water | Official Trailer\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/d9MyW72ELq0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Avatar<\/em> is expected to get the Best Visual Effects consolation prize (a formidable -1000) and is in contention for Best Production Design (+200), right behind mega-stinker <em>Babylon<\/em> (+110), although <strong>Baz Luhrmann<\/strong>&#8216;s <em>Elvis<\/em> (+300) is deservedly in the mix. Speaking of pictures that stank up the box office, <em>Empire of Light<\/em> (+350) has an outside shot\u2014forgive the pun\u2014at Best Cinematography but <em>All Quiet<\/em> (-250) is favored. And you&#8217;d be throwing your money away if you wagered against <strong>Guillermo Del Toro<\/strong>, whose poignant <em>Pinocchio<\/em> is a prohibitive -1400 for Best Animated Feature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Most of the acting categories, save one, are tight contests. There&#8217;s no use betting against <em>Everything<\/em>&#8216;s <strong>Ke Huy Quan<\/strong> (-1200), unless you&#8217;re a diehard <strong>Brendan Gleeson<\/strong> fan (<em>Banshees<\/em>, +550). Best Supporting Actress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/awards\/story\/2022-11-11\/buzzmeter-oscars-2023-behold-the-buzz\">will probably be a &#8216;legacy award&#8217;<\/a> to the awesome <strong>Angela Bassett<\/strong> (-280), even if <em>Black Panther: Wakanda Forever<\/em> hardly seems like award fodder beyond Best Costume Design (favored at +110 but with <em>Elvis<\/em> threatening at +120). Her closest rival is <strong>Kerry Condon<\/strong> (<em>Banshees<\/em>, +220), with all others far behind. Incidentally, with an African American, an Irishwoman, two Asian Americans and a senior citizen, this is the most diversely represented category, if you care about such things (and the Academy does).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Whale | Official Trailer HD | A24\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nWiQodhMvz4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Brendan Fraser <\/strong>(<em>The Whale<\/em>) is hanging in there, and rightly so, for Best Actor at -165, with <strong>Colin Farrell <\/strong>(<em>Banshees<\/em>) having slipped into a +275 tie with <strong>Austin Butler<\/strong> of <em>Elvis<\/em>. In the Best Actress derby, it&#8217;s a tight contest between <strong>Cate Blanchett<\/strong> (<em>Tar<\/em>, -165) and <em>Everything<\/em>&#8216;s <strong>Michelle Yeoh<\/strong> (+120), although they could so heavily divide the vote that the problematic <strong>Andrea Riseborough<\/strong> (<em>To Leslie<\/em>, +1200) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.latimes.com\/entertainment-arts\/awards\/story\/2023-02-06\/lead-actress-oscar-can-andrea-riseborough-actually-win\">could slip through and win a prize<\/a> for a film that almost literally no one\u2014a microscopic $27,000 box office gross\u2014has seen. That&#8217;d be sure and credible fodder for those who say the Academy is out of touch with the American public. Riseborough was nominated via a controversial social-media campaign by Academy members that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/01\/31\/business\/media\/academy-awards-andrea-riseborough.html\" class=\"broken_link\">involved some rule infringement<\/a>. Least able to read the room was actress <strong>Frances Fisher<\/strong>, who e-mail blasted that <strong>Viola Davis<\/strong> (<em>The Woman King<\/em>) and <strong>Danielle Deadwyler<\/strong> (<em>Till<\/em>) were each &#8220;a lock&#8221; and shouldn&#8217;t get additional votes, when DraftKings showed\u2014correctly\u2014that both were very much on the bubble &#8230; and ultimately got left out in the cold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"T\u00c1R - Official Trailer [HD] - In Select Theaters October 7\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Na6gA1RehsU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We mustn&#8217;t forget the writers and <em>Banshees<\/em> director <strong>Martin McDonagh<\/strong> is favored to get the Best Original Screenplay (-125), but it could be by a whisker as The Daniels are at -110 for <em>Everything<\/em>. Similarly, the Academy will throw <em>Women Talking<\/em> a substantial bone in the form of Best Adapted Screenplay for <strong>Sarah Polley<\/strong> (-200), something which has been considered a foregone conclusion for months although, once more, virtually nobody has seen the picture, which has eked out $1.5 million at the ticket window.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">As long as we talking awards, let&#8217;s hand out a Mister Stupid Prize to the unnamed <strong>Bally&#8217;s Evansville<\/strong> player who bragged on his winnings to <strong>Bobbie Collins<\/strong>, then invited her back to his palatial <strong>Esquire Inn<\/strong> room. Once there, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/news\/casino-crime-round-up-atlantic-city-boardwalk-fire-massachusetts-casino-evacuated\/\">he was shot in the arm<\/a> by Collins confederate <strong>David Flax<\/strong>. Both Flax and Collins are out on bail. Isn&#8217;t that reassuring? The moral is: Don&#8217;t pick up prospective partners in or near a casino. Otherwise you might wind up like the gambler who had his expensive watch, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/atlantic-city-hops-nv-regulators-take-a-dive-vagina-monologue\/\">er, snatched by a brand-new lady friend<\/a>, who memorably secreted the timepiece in her palace of pleasure, making for last year&#8217;s most piquant crime saga.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"275\" height=\"183\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Raiders.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19529\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Raiders.png 275w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/Raiders-150x100.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 275px) 100vw, 275px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Jottings<\/em><\/strong>: <strong>Boyd Gaming<\/strong> is now the &#8220;Official and Exclusive Locals Casino&#8221; of the <strong>Las Vegas Raiders<\/strong>, which brings Boyd <a href=\"https:\/\/media.boydgaming.com\/press-releases\/press-release-details\/2023\/Boyd-Gaming-Named-Official-and-Exclusive-Local-Casinos-of-the-Las-Vegas-Raiders-and-Allegiant-Stadium\/default.aspx\">a great deal of additional exposure<\/a>. Then again, the Silver &amp; Black is so promiscuous in its &#8220;exclusive&#8221; partnerships that we are reminded of <strong>Lina Lamont<\/strong> in <em>Singin&#8217; in the Rain<\/em>, who &#8220;gave an exclusive interview\u2014to every paper in town.&#8221; The Raiders also have the dubious distinction of owning the highest-priced tickets in the <strong>NFL<\/strong>, at $153.17. If the Raiders are going to fleece their fanbase, they should at least put a better product on the field &#8230; Having failed to provide a regulatory framework for <strong>Massachusetts<\/strong> sports books, members of the Lege <a href=\"https:\/\/ggbnews.com\/article\/massachusetts-launches-legal-sportsbooks\/\">now have the nerve to chide<\/a> the <strong>Massachusetts Gaming Commission<\/strong> for having &#8220;erred on the side of caution&#8221; in its rulemaking. Now that wagering is up and running we&#8217;ll see whether in brings in the $35 million in tax revenue that ex-Gov. <strong>Charlie Baker<\/strong> (R) baked into his budget &#8230; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Mohegan-1024x357.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29779\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Mohegan-1024x357.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Mohegan-300x105.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Mohegan-150x52.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Mohegan-768x268.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Mohegan.jpg 1060w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Mohegan Sun<\/strong> has been tabbed as the operator of <strong>Soloviev Group<\/strong>&#8216;s proposed <strong>Freedom Plaza<\/strong> megaresort near the <strong>United Nations<\/strong>. It would incorporate condos, a soccer pitch and a Ferris wheel &#8230; If you saw a white dog <a href=\"https:\/\/outsider.com\/outdoors\/news-outdoors\/dog-living-among-coyote-pack-rescued-from-nevada-desert\/\" class=\"broken_link\">leading a pack of coyotes<\/a> on the outskirts of <strong>Las Vegas<\/strong>, that was no illusion. <strong>Ghost<\/strong>, recently rescued, was orphaned and adopted by coyotes at least seven months ago. He is now being rehabilitated and in search of a forever home. &#8220;Despite his time with a vicious pack of coyotes, Ghost is the friendliest dog you could ever ask for. Rather than shying away from his captors, he begs for pets, hugs, and praise,&#8221; reports <em>Outdoors.com<\/em> &#8230; Recent layoffs at <strong>Bally&#8217;s Corp<\/strong>. and <strong>DraftKings<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdcgaming.com\/analyst-applauds-layoffs-at-draftkings-and-ballys\/\">got a thumbs-up<\/a> from <strong>Truist Securities<\/strong> analyst <strong>Barry Jonas<\/strong>. \u201cWhile unfortunate,\u201d Jonas opined, \u201cwe see these moves as a necessary positive to reach sustainable economic levels before both divisions turn profitable.\u201d &#8230; Gaming + politics = TNT. That&#8217;s pretty much the conclusion of pundit <strong>Brendan Bussmann<\/strong>, who discerns much activity among lawmakers <a href=\"https:\/\/cdcgaming.com\/analyst-sees-legislative-buzzsaw-for-gaming\/\">but few clear signs of breakthrough<\/a> this session &#8230; Former <strong>Mashpee Wampanoag<\/strong> chairman <strong>Cedric Cromwell<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/cdcgaming.com\/massachusetts-ex-tribal-leader-ordered-to-pay-nearly-210k-in-casino-bribery-case\/\">will have to repay the tribe<\/a> $210K in addition to serving three years in the pokey, a judge has ruled. Despite being caught dead to rights, Cromwell plans to appeal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Top Gun: Maverick. OK, we&#8217;re kidding. But not entirely. Due to the Motion Picture Academy&#8216;s byzantine, ranked-choice voting for Best Picture, the $1.5 billion-grossing Tom Cruise spectacle (+1000 on DraftKings) could rack up enough second- and third-place votes to nab &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/and-the-oscar-goes-to\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[98,293,60,268,277,68,255,189,53,112,167,10,101,33,25,74,20,38],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32304"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32304"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32304\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32310,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32304\/revisions\/32310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32304"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32304"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/stiffs-and-georges\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32304"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}