posted September 17, 2008 at 13:30 in Other Free Picks
BetUS Online Betting Analysis of the Emmy’s
by D.S. Williamson
This Sunday is the 61st Annual Emmy Awards and the BetUS online sportsbook has just posted the online betting odds for the major categories.
It’s going to be a great night made even better with a few dollars riding on some of the hottest stars and television shows in the world. Why not get in on the action in the BetUS online sportsbook?
Let’s get to some of the categories, posted online wagering odds, as well as an analysis!
OUTSTANDING VARIETY, MUSIC OR COMEDY SERIES
The Colbert Report +300 3/1
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart +275 11/4
Late Show With David Letterman +450 9/2
Real Time With Bill Maher +400 4/1
Saturday Night Live +300 3/1
Analysis: The Late Show With David Letterman is always a fan favorite. Based on the online betting odds, Dave could be the best online wager in this category but because it’s a political year this should come down to either The Colbert Report or The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. My gut tells me that Jon Stewart is the play. The show got a nice write-up recently in The Atlantic Monthly. BetUS online sportsbook fans probably don’t read that mag but I’d make an online bet that some Emmy voters do.
OUTSTANDING HOST, REALITY SERIES
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars +250 5/2
Heidi Klum, Project Runway +275 11/4
Ryan Seacrest, American Idol +325 13/4
Jeff Probst, Survivor +350 7/2
Howie Mandel, Deal or No Deal +600 6/1
Analysis: Probst on Survivor should win every year but we’re not trying to find out who should win, we’re trying to find the online wager that’s going to yield profits. Seacrest is way to overblown for Emmy voters to go for him. Even though Bergeron and Klum look tough to beat, my online betting dollars will be on Howie Mandel. I think Mandel is a likable enough guy to get some Emmy voters to back him and he’s been awfully good for network television. He’s one of the most likable individuals on TV right now. At 6 to 1 online odds, he’s worth a shot.
OUTSTANDING REALITY COMPETITION
The Amazing Race +275 11/4
Dancing With The Stars +275 11/4
Project Runway +325 13/4
American Idol +400 4/1
Top Chef +450 9/2
Analysis: This is a tough category. The Amazing Race has won in this category a few times. American Idol is starting to age. Top Chef probably isn’t well known enough. That leaves Project Runway and Dancing With The Stars. As much press as Dancing With The Stars has received, an online wager on Project Runway is probably the better online bet to make. Project Runway has a nice cult-like following and it’s not nearly as cheesy as Dancing With The Stars. That could sway Emmy voters.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Rainn Wilson, The Office +250 5/2
Neil Patrick Harris, How I Met Your Mother +275 11/4
Kevin Dillon, Entourage +350 7/2
Jeremy Piven, Entourage +400 4/1
Jon Cryer, Two and a Half Men +450 9/2
Analysis: Piven or Dillon deserves The Emmy every year for their fantastic work on Entourage, but this is an easy one - - Rainn Wilson for playing Dwight on The Office is the winner. The Office actually had one of its best seasons and Wilson wasn’t just a clown last year. He had to show emotion at times which should take him over the top in this category. He’s one of the best online wagers that the BetUS online sportsbook is offering regarding The Emmy’s.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Amy Poehler, Saturday Night Live +275 11/4
Kristin Chenoweth, Pushing Daisies +300 3/1
Holland Taylor, Two and a Half Men +325 13/4
Jean Smart, Samantha Who? +400 4/1
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty +400 4/1
Analysis: The online betting odds tell us how difficult this category is to find a winner. I like Amy Poehler a lot, but I can’t take the low online wagering odds. I have to go with Vanessa Williams. She’s a name individual in a show that a lot of Emmy voters pretend that they like. Ugly Betty probably gets shut-out the rest of the night which means this is the one chance Emmy voters have for giving an award to Betty. Why not?
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Chandra Wilson, Grey's Anatomy +250 5/2
Dianne Wiest, In Treatment +275 11/4
Candice Bergen, Boston Legal +350 7/2
Sandra Oh, Grey's Anatomy +400 4/1
Rachel Griffiths, Brothers & Sisters +450 9/2
Analysis: Rachel Griffiths is brilliant. Chandra Wilson is terrific. Sandra Oh is always difficult to beat and Candice Bergen is Candice Bergen. But I don’t think that Emmy voters will pass up the chance to give an award to the venerable Dianne Wiest. She’s fantastic in In Treatment. Her online sportsbook betting odds are actually pretty good at + 275. The Emmy’s loves to give television awards to movie actors. Wiest is almost a certainty.
OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Ted Danson, Damages +200 2/1
Michael Emerson, Lost +550 11/2
Zeljko Ivanek, Damages +250 5/2
William Shatner, Boston Legal +600 6/1
John Slattery, Mad Men +325 13/4
Analysis: It could be a Mad world starting in this category with John Slattery taking home the statue at + 325 online betting odds. Shatner is always tough. Damages should split the vote with both Ivanek and Danson getting a nomination. Lost has lost some of its punch which will leave Emerson sitting in his chair. That leaves Slattery. He’s not the favorite, Danson is, but I still like Slattery. He’s the online wager in this category.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA
Glenn Close, Damages +125 5/4
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters +500 5/1
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit +600 6/1
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace +550 11/2
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer +300 3/1
Analysis: This is a deep, difficult category. Sally Field, Holly Hunter, Kyra Sedgwick and Glenn Close are all terrific movie actresses who have brought their talents to the small screen. Mariska Hargitay has won this award before. She probably doesn’t win again. Based on online betting odds, Sedgwick is an absolute overlay at + 300. But after analyzing everything, I really can’t go against the chalk, Glenn Close. The woman can flat out act. Everybody knows it and everybody loves her. The online wagering odds are only + 125 and usually I’d go with a long shot like Holly Hunter, but Close is tough. I have to take her in this.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA
Jon Hamm, Mad Men +275 11/4
Michael C. Hall, Dexter +300 3/1
Hugh Laurie, House +325 13/4
James Spader, Boston Legal +600 6/1
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad +650 13/2
Gabriel Byrne, In Treatment +700 7/1
Analysis: John Hamm and Hugh Laurie deserve the award every time I see them on television, but Hamm is the favorite and Mad Men still isn’t as popular as some think. Laurie is terrific but the character of Gregory House might be wearing thin on some Emmy voters. Spader, Cranston and Byrne are long shots in this thing. That leaves Michael C. Hall in Dexter. Hall got a huge bump when CBS, who owns Showtime, decided to air Dexter on Sunday nights during the writers’ strike. The online betting odds, + 300, are exactly where they should be. Hall takes home the statue.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, The New Adventures of Old Christine +225 9/4
Tina Fey, 30 Rock +250 5/2
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds +350 7/2
Christina Applegate, Samantha Who? +450 9/2
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty +500 5/1
Analysis: Mary-Louise Parker is awesome. The world is in love with Tina Fey. America Ferrera is adorable. Julia Louis-Dreyfus is well known and funny. But only one of these women went through a serious medical crisis just recently and came out guns blazing and no quit in her eye. That would be Christina Applegate who shows up on the BetUS online sportsbook at the overlaid betting odds of + 450. Applegate recently went through a double masectomy. That always counts for something. In this case she’s also terrific in Samantha Who? I love her chances. I especially love her chances at those overlaid online betting odds.
OUTSTANDING LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY
Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock +150 3/2
Steve Carell, The Office +250 5/2
Tony Shalhoub, Monk +400 4/1
Charlie Sheen, Two and a Half Men +550 11/2
Lee Pace, Pushing Daisies +700 7/1
Analysis: Ah, Alec Baldwin! The man can act. That’s for sure. He’s also going off at underlaid online wagering odds in this category. The BetUS online sportsbook odds of + 150 on Baldwin are just too low for me. Way too low when there’s a guy like Steve Carell hanging around the office, taking notes, making people pee in their pants with laughter. At the online wagering odds of + 250, a full + 100 above Baldwin, I have to take Carell. The Office was excellent last season and Carell was the main reason.
OUTSTANDING COMEDY SERIES
30 Rock +175 7/4
The Office +250 5/2
Curb Your Enthusiasm +450 9/2
Entourage +500 5/1
Two and a Half Men +550 11/2
Analysis: Entourage should win but that’s probably not going to happen. The same with Curb Your Enthusiasm. 30 Rock won this last year. It was a surprise then and no matter what the BetUS online sportsbook odds board is telling me it would be a surprise if the show won it again. I have to go with The Office. Last season brought The Office to Seinfeld status.
OUTSTANDING DRAMA SERIES
Mad Men +125 5/4
Boston Legal +700 7/1
Dexter +550 11/2
Damages +450 9/2
House +650 13/2
Lost +750 15/2
Analysis: There are only two real contenders in this - - Mad Men and Damages. Boston Legal, House and Lost are great shows, but they aren’t as deep as Mad Men and Damages. Dexter is a fantastic show but it’s too quirky for some. This comes down to Mad Men and Damages. From everything I’ve read, Mad Men is the show of the century. I think it’s fantastic, but I’m not ready to say it’s + 125 fantastic. I prefer to go with a show that’s offering a bit more of a price. That’s Damages. My online wagering money will be on Damages to pull a mild upset over the much hyped (for good reason!) Mad Men.
Good Luck!
