Bodog Beat

Cate Blanchett played a convincing Bob Dylan. (Courtesy of Endgame Entertainment)

Some Oscar years are more predictable than others and this year seems to fit that description. With one week and a day to go before the 80th Academy Awards, a look at the Oscar odds in the top categories reveals little competition.

The one exception may be in the Best Supporting Actress category, where Cate Blanchett is the current favorite with 2/1 Academy Awards odds. She played Jude Quinn, a Bob Dylan archetype in “I’m Not There”. A win in the category would be the second for Blanchett and the second in a role as an iconic 20th Century figure. She won three years ago for her playing Katherine Hepburn in “The Aviator”.

Blanchett’s stiffest competition figures to come from Ruby Dee (“American Gangster”), who is at 13/10, and Amy Ryan (“Gone Baby Gone”), a 17/8 choice.

Blanchett is also up for the Best Actress Oscar for playing Queen Elizabeth I in “Elizabeth: The Golden Age”. But she’s a long shot in that category. Julie Christie (“Away from Her”) is the 1/3 favorite for her role as an Alzheimer’s sufferer.

Christie is one of several heavy favorites in the top categories for next Sunday’s awards. Daniel Day-Lewis holds Best Actor Oscar odds of just 1/10 for “There Will Be Blood” while Javier Bardem is at 1/10 to win Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of a serial killer in “No Country for Old Men”. That film is the favorite to win the big award of the night with Best Picture odds of 2/5.

Bet on the Academy Awards!