‘American Beauty’ early Oscar favorite

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000 | 8:41 a.m.

"American Beauty" is the favorite of a Las Vegas oddsmaker to win the Oscar for best picture.

Kevin Spacey is also favored to win the best actor award for his role in the movie.

The odds for the March 26 Academy Awards were made by Stardust Hotel oddsmaker Joe Lupo. They are for entertainment purposes only, as Nevada regulations don't allow betting on the awards.

Lupo lists "American Beauty" as a 5-2 pick, followed by "The Cider House Rules" at 4-1. Spacey is a 9-5 pick for best actor, followed by Denzel Washington at 4-1 for "The Hurricane."

Lupo lists Hilary Swank as the favorite for best actress in "Boys Don't Cry" and Tom Cruise for best supporting actor in "Magnolia."

He picks Angelina Jolie as best supporting actress in "Girl Interrupted," and Sam Mendes as best director for "American Beauty."

"We did a lot of research in this, talked to people and made the odds," Lupo said. "We take great pride in making the first lines."

Lupo's odds:

Best picture: "American Beauty," 5-2; "The Cider House Rules," 4-1; "The Green Mile," 8-1; "The Sixth Sense," 10-1; "The Insider," 18-1.

Best actor: Kevin Spacey "American Beauty," 9-5; Denzel Washington "The Hurricane," 4-1; Russell Crowe "The Insider," 8-1; Richard Farnsworth "The Straight Story," 15-1; Sean Penn "Sweet and Lowdown," 20-1.

Best actress: Hilary Swank "Boys Don't Cry," 3-1; Annette Bening "American Beauty," 4-1; Janet McTeer "Tumbleweeds," 10-1; Julianne Moore "The End of the Affair," 12-1; Meryl Streep "Music of the Heart," 25-1.

Best supporting actor: Tom Cruise "Magnolia," 3-1; Michael Clarke Duncan "The Green Mile," 4-1; Jude Law "The Talented Mr. Ripley," 6-1; Michael Caine "The Cider House Rules," 8-1; Haley Joel Osment "The Sixth Sense," 10-1.

Best supporting actress: Angelina Jolie "Girl Interrupted," 3-1; Chloe Sevigny "Boys Don't Cry," 5-1; Samantha Morton "Sweet and Lowdown," 6-1; Catherine Keener "Being John Malkovich," 8-1; Toni Collette "The Sixth Sense," 12-1.

Best director: Sam Mendes "American Beauty," 5-2; Lasse Hallstrom "The Cider House Rules," 4-1; Michael Mann "The Insider," 8-1; Spike Jonze "Being John Malkovich," 12-1; M. Night Shyamalan "The Sixth Sense," 20-1.