Bookies favour Lincoln for Oscars

AGENCIES

WASHINGTON: The movie Lincoln, its star Daniel Day-Lewis and director Steven Spielberg are the odds-on favourites to win this year’s Academy Awards, it has been revealed.

After Oscar nominations of January 10 were revealed, oddsmakers were quickly calculating the odds for each nominee and, by far, most of them had Lincoln sweeping the awards.

Day-Lewis was rated at 1/8 odds to take home his third Oscar, Spielberg was given 1/4 odds and Lincoln was set at 2/5 odds.

However, there are still a few categories in which oddsmakers expect to see a real horse race, ABC News reported. Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain were running neck-and-neck in the best actress race after the nominations were announced.In the supporting actor race, Day-Lewis’ co-star Tommy Lee Jones had a slight edge over Phillip Seymour Hoffman for The Master.Before it’s all over, and the winners’ names are read, Bovada will likely rake in tens of thousands of dollars in bets, ranging from a buck to $100, Kevin Bradley, sportsbook manager for online gambling site Bovada, said.Most of those wagers will come in the days before the Oscar telecast, when the betting limits might start at $500- $1,000.

The way it works is, if you put down $400 for Spielberg you would gain $100 if he wins. But if you put down $100 for Amour director Michael Haneke, who’s ranked at 10/1 odds, and he wins, you could earn $1,000.

For him‚ it wasn't love at first sight‚ says Kidman of hubby Urban

LONDON: Nicole Kidman has revealed that she didn’t think her husband Keith Urban liked her when they first met at G’Day LA, an event honouring Australians, in 2005.

The 45-year-old Oscar winner said that her country singer hubby waited four whole months to ask her out.

“I’m like, ‘You didn’t love me at first sight, you didn’t notice me,’ and he’s like, ‘Yes I did but I just didn’t let on,’ but we kind of met and then about four months later he called me,” the Daily Mail quoted her as telling Ellen DeGeneres. The talk show host responded, saying that four months was pretty long to really play it cool to wait.

Kidman agreed that it was indeed a long time, but she confronted Urban, he told her that he had other things he had to take care.

Critics' Choice Awards picks Affleck‚ Argo

IANS

NEW YORK: Hours after a surprise snub in Academy Award nominations, Ben Affleck won best director and his film Argo was named best picture at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards.

Affleck, whose film was nominated for seven Oscars including best picture but not best director, accepted the award on January 11 night at the Broadcast Film Critics Association’s 18th annual awards in Los Angeles, joking as he took the trophy that he’d “like to thank the Academy”.

Daniel Day-Lewis from 

Lincoln and Jessica Chastain from Zero Dark Thirty both added to earlier Oscar nods with Critics’ Choice wins in the top acting categories. Philip Seymour Hoffman won best supporting actor for his role in The Master and Anne Hathaway won best supporting actor for Les Miserables.

Cruise says no to Psy's Gangnam invite

AGENCIES

KARACHI: Tom Cruise, who was in Seoul to promote his new film Jack Reacher, declined a chance to try out his Gangnam Style dance skills on January 10.

The 50-year-old actor hailed Psy as “quite a sensation” but declined to follow the likes of UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon in 

imitating the singer’s 

dance moves, saying that the 35-year-old South 

Korean rapper did it better than him, the Express Tribune reported. 

Cruise said that he was happy for Psy’s success and that everyone had really enjoyed it.

He was one of the many celebrities around the world, who took to social networks last year, to promote the Gangnam Style video, as it became a viral sensation.

“Think @Psy oppa would make a good future co-star Gangnam Style?” he tweeted last September. When asked last year which person he would most like to see “go Gangnam Style”, Psy named Cruise as his first choice.

Sheen shells out $12K for Bieber paparazzo funeral

AGENCIES

WASHINGTON: Charlie Sheen is said to have flashed his generosity by cutting a cheque of $12,000 for Justin Bieber  paparazzo’s funeral expenses.

The 47-year-old actor, who earlier financially helped Lindsay Lohan and a little girl fighting cancer, is said to have dropped $12,000 to help cover the funeral costs of the photographer — Chris Guerra who died after being struck by a car while covering Bieber, TMZ reported.

The Anger Management actor, who is apparently friends with a former photographer who knew the deceased Guerra, sprang to help out after hearing that the Guerra family was trying to raise funds for the costs of the funeral.

Sheen offered the family his deepest condolences in a statement by saying that a tragic incident like this erases the line between the photographer and the subject and that it’s an unforgiving moment.

He further asserted that as parents,one is not supposed to bury one’s children.

Zeta-Jones wants to dance in Bollywood

AGENCIES

LONDON: Catherine Zeta-Jones has revealed that she wants to be a Bollywood dancer. The 43-year-old actress thinks that with her experience of musicals, she fits into Indian movies perfectly, the Daily Star reported.

The Oscar winning actress, who is planning a trip to India with husband Michael Douglas, also said that she would jump at the chance if an opportunity comes along.

Adele feels like Streep

AGENCIES

LONDON: Adele is set to make her first appearance since giving birth at this year’s Oscars after getting nominated for the award for Best Song with single Skyfall.

The Grammy winning singer took to her Twitter account to say just how chuffed she is with the nomination.

“Oh my god I feel like Meryl Streep!! Thank you,” the Mirror quoted her as 

writing.

Adele’s James Bond theme tune shot to number one when it was released, and is tipped to take the prestigious award in February’s ceremony.

It’s up against Before My time from Chasing Ice, Pi’s Lullaby from Life Of Pi, Suddenly from Les Miserables and Everybody Needs a Best Friend from Ted.