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<< Jones back for 3-point contest; Howard, Durant to coach celebs
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Miami's James Jones will defend his All-Star three-point title at this year's festivities, while Orlando's Dwight Howard and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant will be coaches for the celebrity game. Joining J

<< Sorenstam turns down Solheim Cup captaincy
Orlando, FL (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - While making her weekly appearance on Golf Channel's "Morning Drive," Annika Sorenstam announced she would not accept an offer to be the European Solheim Cup captain in 2013. "I've given it some thought

<< Phillies the early World Series favorite
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - With pitchers and catchers all set to head out to Florida and Arizona, it is apparent Major League Baseball is ready to fill some of the void in the sports world left by the end of the National Football Leagu

<< Kings welcome Coyotes to LA
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Los Angeles Kings remain the lowest-scoring team in the league, but perhaps some fresh blood can kick start the offense. It certainly worked on Sunday. After capping a six-game road trip with a victory thanks in part t

Dynamo reacquire Ching from Impact >>
Houston, TX (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brian Ching's stay in Montreal is over before he even played a match for the expansion Impact. Just three months after losing him in the expansion draft, the Houston Dynamo reacquired the forward Thursday f

Hornets ink Thomas to another 10-day contract >>
New Orleans, LA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The New Orleans Hornets rewarded forward Lance Thomas with another 10-day contract on Thursday. Thomas has posted averages of 2.0 points and 2.4 rebounds in seven appearances for the club this season.

Four to compete for All-Star dunk title >>
New York, NY (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Indiana's Paul George, Minnesota's Derrick Williams, Houston's Chase Budinger and Iman Shumpert of the Knicks will vie for the dunk title as part of festivities at the 2012 All-Star weekend. The Slam D

Berdych lands in Rotterdam quarters >>
Rotterdam, Netherlands (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Former Wimbledon runner-up Tomas Berdych reached the quarterfinals at the $1.6 million ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament. The second-seeded Berdych, fresh off his title in Montpellier, France two

American Idol odds : Blake Lewis the Early Standout

An important American Idol betting lines recap from February 20 Guys episode. The 12 men came out flat overall with Blake Lewis appearing to have the early edge after the first hour and a half.

Rudy - was quite good singing "Free Ride" to start off.  Randy was not impressed though.  Paula thought he started off fantastic.  "Never had anyone stop off so lively" said Paula but Simon (who does not like Rudy) does not feel he has a distinct voice and was not impressed either. 

Brandon was a little pitchy according to Randy and Paula agreed.  Simon said he was a good singer but the song was "too safe" and he needs to make an impact.  He was listed at +1200 odds or $1200 paid out on a $100 bet should he win the competition. 

Big favorite Sundance came in with a flat version of "Knights in White Satin" and the judges let him have it, including Paula.  Randy claimed the song was out of pitch throughout.

Korean American - and a Jenny Woo favorite - Paul Kim was up next.  Another pitchy flat one but Randy said he still liked his potential.  Kim at +3000 odds was said to have sung a "third rate version of that (George Michael) song" according to Simon Cowell.  He sang "Careless Whisper".

22 year old Chris Richardson was up next.  He was listed with +1100 odds coming in.  He got the best response from the judges though Simon did not believe the vocal was that great. 

Nick was boring and pitchy.  Simon didn't think he was that bad though and predicted he would be back next week.  Nick Pedro was a big +3000 dog coming into this competition. 

Beat boxer Blake Lewis was listed with early +1000 odds or $1000 payout on a $100 bet if he were to become the next American Idol winner odds .  These of course were the early odds.  He was considered original for picking an "odd song".  He did not beat box and the judges felt it was the best vocal of the night. 

Sanjaya came in as the second biggest favorite after Chris Sligh but his performance Tuesday night was not very good. 

Chris Sleigh was the early favorite at +450 odds.  Great voice and a great sense of humor.  He's a real standout.  Randy felt it was on point but maybe ahead of the chorus a little bit.  Simon Cowell said he felt like he was in some "sort of weird student gig". 

Jared Cotter followed.  He was listed with +2000 odds early on to win the competition.  The judges felt he needs to take more risks but looked good. 

22-year old AJ Talbado, who has tried out for American Idol five times, was up next.  "Kind of a theme park performance" said Simon.  Though the judges felt he performed okay.  Simon did feel AJ might be better than he originally thought.

Phil - this season's military favorite - came into this competition with +1200 odds to win the competition.  He was the last to perform.  He was certainly strong enough to get through this stage of the competition and perhaps the best one after a shaky start. 

Tomorrow night, the ladies perform and I sure hope they do a better job than the boys.  Check out all the American Idol betting odds here.

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Academy Award Betting Odds for Best Picture Offer Great Value

If there is any category that is not an obvious win for any one nominee in this year's Academy Awards, it would be for Best Picture.  Sure the Departed is a 5/7 favorite, but that's hardly anything when we look at Helen Mirren and her "out-of-reach" 1 to 40 odds (which means you would win a whopping $1 for every $40 bet).

For value, take a look at MySportsbook.com Oscars betting odds on my personal favorite, The Queen - a remarkable 12 to 1 long shot.  The film hasn't won any pre-awards for Best Picture (compared to The Departed and Little Miss Sunshine), but there is a tremendous following and it is a strong enough film to warrant a surprise win.

TV Guide advises Oscar watchers should be cautioned not to discount the  drama "Babel" with its strong social themes about overcoming communication gaps among people of different cultures.

"While 'Babel' lost several guild awards to 'Sunshine' and 'Departed,'  it still enjoys loyal support, and historically Oscar voters favor dramas with social messages over comedies like 'Sunshine' and violent crime movies like 'Departed'."

"It hasn't done well in the guilds, which means there isn't much industry support," said Tom O'Neil of awards site TheEnvelope.com, "But several critics are expecting it to win, and that gets my attention." Babel had 7 to 2 odds at press time.

Who is to say independently produced Little Miss Sunshine won't be this year's Crash.  Last year, Crash won for Best Motion Picture, shocking those who bet on gay cowboy flick, Brokeback Mountain, as the favorite to win. 

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