Titanic, L.A. Confidential rank tops with Vegas oddsmaker

Monday, Jan. 12, 1998 | 2:06 a.m.

Lenny Del Genio, who has been picking the pics for 15 years, also sees the two films as good bets to be nominated for best supporting actress and best director.

The odds are for entertainment purposes only. Nevada law allows betting only on sporting events.

"Titanic" leads with eight nominations for next Sunday's Golden Globe Awards, and is expected to be among the leaders when the Academy Awards nominations are announced Feb. 10.

"Titanic" remained No. 1 at the box office for a fourth weekend and was expected to top $200 million in ticket sales Monday, according to industry estimates. The film earned a surprising $29.2 million over the weekend, more than the $28.6 million it grossed in its debut weekend.

"Independent films swept all the major Oscar categories last year," Del Genio said. "But this year looks solidly studio."

"Titanic" is a product of Paramount and Fox, "L.A. Confidential" is from Warner Bros.

Del Genio is picking "Titanic" director James Cameron and "L.A. Confidential" director Curtis Hanson as most likely for nominations in that category.

"L.A. Confidential"'s Kim Basinger and "Titanic"'s Gloria Stuart are Del Genio's leading candidates for nomination as best supporting actress.

Jack Nicholson ("As Good As It Gets") is Del Genio's leading candidate for nomination as best actor.

Helena Bonham Carter ("The Wings of the Dove") and Judi Dench ("Mrs. Brown) are most likely to be nominated as best actress, Del Genio said.

He sees nomination for best supporting actor as a toss-up between Burt Reynolds ("Boogie Nights) and Greg Kinnear ("As Good As It Gets.")

Del Genio, a longtime sports oddsmaker here, is moving to the Frontier Hotel when new ownership takes over Feb. 1.

The oddsmaker admits he's not a movie buff, although he claims a 66 percent winning ratio picking nominees and 64 percent picking winners.

"I never see many films," he said Monday in announcing his odds on Oscar nominations. "It would prejudice the whole process. What I'm good at is analyzing numbers."

He said he receives input from some 50 people in the film industry, including actors, actresses, critics and scholars.

But before you bet the farm on his picks, even if you could, Del Genio has a word of warning.

"Remember, we're the same people who made (Mike) Tyson a 25-1 favorite over (Evander) Holyfield," Del Genio said, referring to a November 1996 fight which Holyfield won in an 11th-round TKO.