It’s the most wonderful time of the year… Hollywood awards season! In January and February, we can look forward to the Golden Globe Awards, the People’s Choice Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) and, of course, Hollywood’s top prize, the Academy Awards.
The 89th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 26th at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, honors the best films of 2016 in 24 categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor and Best Actress.
Although the official nominations have not yet been announced, oddsmakers think La La Land will sweep the major categories.
With just a little over 2 months until the ceremony, Paddy Power has posted odds for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Supporting Actress.
Best Picture
FILM
ODDS
La La Land
-187
Moonlight
+600
Manchester by the Sea
+800
Silence
+1000
Loving
+1200
Hacksaw Ridge
+1400
Fences
+1400
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
+1800
Jackie
+2000
Lion
+2500
Birth of A Nation
+2500
American Pastoral
+3300
20th Century Women
+3300
Sully
+3300
Nocturnal Animals
+3300
Arrival
+3300
Snowden
+5000
The Jungle Book
+10000
Maggies Plan
+10000
Cafe Society
+20000
Hail, Caesar!
+20000
Best Director
DIRECTOR
FILM
ODDS
Damien Chazelle
La La Land
-225
Kenneth Lonergan
Manchester by the Sea
+350
Barry Jenkins
Moonlight
+600
Mel Gibson
Hacksaw Ridge
+1400
Jeff Nichols
Loving
+1600
Denzel Washington
Fences
+1600
Martin Scorcese
Silence
+2500
Ang Lee
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
+2500
Nate Parker
Birth of a Nation
+5000
Clint Eastwood
Sully
+5000
Pablo Larrain
Jackie
+5000
Denis Villenueve
Arrival
+5000
Garth Davis
Lion
+9000
Best Actor
Actor
Film
Odds
Casey Affleck
Manchester by the Sea
+100
Denzel Washington
Fences
+200
Ryan Gosling
La La Land
+600
Andrew Garfield
Hacksaw Ridge
+1000
Joel Edgerton
Loving
+1000
Michael Keaton
The Founder
+1400
Colin Farrell
The Lobster
+2000
Hugh Grant
Florence Foster Jenkins
+2000
Tom Hanks
Sully
+2000
Viggo Mortensen
Captain Fantastic
+2500
Joe Alwyn
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
+2500
Ryan Reynolds
Deadpool
+3300
Jonah Hill
War Dogs
+4000
Nate Parker
Birth of A Nation
+5000
Shia LeBeouf
American Honey
+5000
Ewan McGregor
American Pastoral
+5000
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Snowden
+5000
Jake Gyllenhaal
Nocturnal Animals
+5000
Best Actress
Actress
Film
Odds
Emma Stone
La La Land
+110
Natalie Portman
Jackie
+188
Ruth Negga
Loving
+450
Annette Bening
20th Century Women
+750
Amy Adams
Arrival
+850
Isabelle Huppert
Elle
+1400
Jessica Chastain
Miss Sloane
+1800
Hailee Steinfeld
Edge of Seventeen
+2200
Lily Collins
Rules Don't Apply
+2200
Meryl Streep
Florence Foster Jenkins
+3300
Alicia Vikander
The Light Between Oceans
+5000
Jennifer Lawrence
Passengers
+5000
Rooney Mara
Lion
+5000
Emily Blunt
The Girl on the Train
+5000
Best Supporting Actor
Actress
Film
Odds
Mahershala Ali
Moonlight
-150
Lucas Hedges
Manchester by the Sea
+650
Michael Shannon
Nocturnal Animals
+650
Jeff Bridges
Hell of High Water
+700
Dev Patel
Lion
+900
Liam Neeson
Silence
+900
Hugh Grant
Florence Foster Jenkins
+1600
Isei Igata
Silence
+2000
John Goodman
10 Cloverfield Lane
+3300
Steve Martin
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
+3300
Stephen Henderson
Fences
+3300
Ben Foster
Hell of High Water
+5000
Kevin Costner
Hidden Figures
+5000
Best Supporting Actress
Actress
Film
Odds
Viola Davis
Fences
-225
Michelle Williams
Manchester by the Sea
+400
Naomie Harris
Moonlight
+500
Nicole Kidman
Lion
+1000
Janelle Monae
Moonlight
+2000
Aja Naomi King
Birth of A Nation
+3300
Greta Gerwig
20th Century Women
+3300
Felicity Jones
A Monster Calls
+3300
Kiera Knightley
Collateral Beauty
+5000
Amy Adams
Nocturnal Animals
+5000
Margo Martindale
The Hollas
+5000
Dakota Fanning
American Pastoral
+5000
Elle Fanning
20th Century Women
+5000
Kate Winslet
Collateral Beauty
+5000
Kristen Stewart
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk
+5000
Octavia Spencer
Hidden Figures
+5000
The much-buzzed-about L.A. set musical La La Land is dominating the odds race as the front-runner for most of the Oscars’ directing, acting, music and visual categories. Starring former Mouseketeer Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, the musical tells the story of two struggling lovers in modern day L.A. From striking visuals to inspiring musical sets, the film has already won awards at the Capri Hollywood International Film Festival for best ensemble cast and best film score.
Another strong Best Picture contender includes the heartbreaking drama Manchester by the Sea (+800). Casey Affleck’s performance as troubled janitor Lee Chandler, who finds meaning when he’s forced to move to the North Shore to take custody of his late brother’s son, may be the performance that will land this underdog some Hollywood glory. Affleck is the Best Actor (+100) frontrunner for his part in Manchester by the Sea. He was Oscar-nominated for Best Supporting Actor, in 2008, for his breakout role in the Assassination of Jesse James, but he’s yet to emerge from the Oscar race victorious.
Watch out for Moonlight (+600), the story of a young black man growing up in a rough neighborhood in Miami. I think it will be a close race with La La Land for Best Picture.
The Golden Globe nominations were released earlier this week and, in years past, they have provided an interesting road map for how the Oscar race might turn out. But, as we’ve seen in recent years, a Globe win doesn’t guarantee an Oscar lock so it’s probably not the most accurate Oscar barometer.
Nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards were announced yesterday. History has shown the best actor, actress, and supporting actor winners tend to forecast which nominees in those categories will also emerge as winners at the Oscars, so make sure you tune in for the late-January ceremony.
What do you think? Any surprises or snubs? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.