 Heath
Ledger Oscar Odds
The Oscars are way
off and the
oddsmakers do not
post odds until
nominations are
announced at the
beginning of the
year, but already
there is talk that
the late Heath
Ledger's performance
in his last
completed film, The
Dark Knight.
Ledger had been
listed at 2/1 odds
to win "Best Actor"
for his performance
in the 2006 film
Brokeback Mountain
but lost out to 1/9
favorite, Philip
Seymour Hoffman.
Rolling Stone critic
Peter Travers
reportedly stated
that Ledger's
performance of the
Joker in the Batman
Begins sequel is
worth an Academy
Award.
"I can only speak
superlatives of
Ledger, who is
mad-crazy-blazing
brilliant as the
Joker," Usmagazine
quoted Travers, as
saying. "It's
typical of Ledger's
total commitment to
films as diverse as
Brokeback Mountain
and I'm Not There
that he does nothing
out of vanity or the
need to be liked.
"Ledger's Joker has
no gray areas — he's
all rampaging id. He
creates a Joker for
the ages," he added.
Travers further
said: "No plastic
mask for Ledger. His
face is caked with
moldy makeup that
highlights the red
scar of a grin, the
grungy hair and the
yellowing teeth of a
hound fresh out of
hell." "If there's a
movement to get him
the first posthumous
Oscar since Peter
Finch won for 1976's
Network, sign me
up," he wrote.
Warner Bros have
also paid tribute to
the late Brokeback
Mountain star in the
end credits of the
film.
Heath Ledger and a
special-effects
technician, who both
died before the
superhero movie's
release, will be
remembered with a
joint, onscreen
dedication.
Christopher Nolan
returns as the
director, and
Christian Bale
reprises the lead
role. Batman's
primary conflicts in
the film include his
fight against the
Joker (Heath Ledger)
and his strained
friendship with
district attorney
Harvey Dent (Aaron
Eckhart).
For his conception
of the film, Nolan
was inspired by the
Joker's first two
appearances in the
comics and Batman:
The Long Halloween.
Continue reading....
-------
 The
only actor to
win an Oscar
posthumously was
Peter Finch, who
won the Academy
Award for Best
Actor in 1977
for his role in
the movie
Network.
The
British-Australian
actor, who was
also nominated
for his role in
Sunday Bloody
Sunday (1971),
died of a
heart-attack on
Jan. 14, 1977,
in Beverly
Hills, while
promoting the
movie. His
widow, Aletha
Finch, accepted
the award at the
49th annual
Academy Awards.
An Oscar has
been awarded
posthumously to
several
non-actors, the
first being
Sidney Howard,
screenwriter of
Gone With the
Wind in 1939.
Others include
Edward G.
Robinson, who
was given a
special honorary
award by the
Academy in 1973.
And in 1993,
"Hollywood 10"
member Dalton
Trumbo received
a belated,
posthumous award
for writing the
screenplay to
1953's Roman
Holiday. The
film had won an
award for his
"front" Ian
McLellan Hunter.
-------
Online gambling
sites were likely to
post odds on the
opening weekend box
office numbers for
The Dark Knight the
days leading up to
its release.
Sportsbook.com
typically offers
betting odds on the
over/under opening
weekend box office
gross receipts for
big feature films
such as those
associated with the
Batman series.
The film premiere in
theatres on July 17,
2008 in Australia,
on July 18, 2008 in
North America, and
on July 25, 2008 in
the United Kingdom.
------
Carrie Stroup,
Gambling911.com
Senior Correspondent
Originally published
June 27, 2008 9:59
am EST
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