VegasBeat — Timothy McDarrah: Oddsmaker’s Oscar forecast rings true

Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2003 | 10:47 a.m.

So far, he's right on the money.

In his early Oscar odds, Bally's/Paris Las Vegas oddsmaker Johnny Avello made "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" his favorite for Best Picture.

On Monday the three-hour-plus epic that closes a trilogy based on J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novels nabbed Best Picture honors from the New York Film Critics Circle.

"So far, so good," Avello told VegasBeat on Tuesday. "I also had Sandra Diaz-Twine as the winner on 'Survivor,' so it's been a pretty good week for me."

He says he'll likely adjust his odds after the Academy Award nominations are announced Jan. 27. The Oscar ceremony will be Feb. 29 at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre.

"Rings" is a 4-to-1 favorite, followed by "Mystic River" (5-1), "21 Grams" (7-1) -- which hasn't opened yet in Las Vegas -- and "Lost in Translation" (10-1).

Farther down Avello's Best Picture chart is "Master and Commander" (15-1), "Seabiscuit" (30-1), "Something's Gotta Give" (200-1), "Sylvia" (750-1) and "The Human Stain" (1000-1).

For Best Actor, Avello likes Sean Penn, but he isn't sure for which movie. A performer cannot be nominated for two roles in the same category. Penn is a 3-1 favorite for either "Mystic River" or "21 Grams."

"It's like I have horse 1 and 1A in that category," Avello said.

For Best Actress, Oscar rookie Naomi Watts is a 4-1 favorite for her role in "21 Grams," followed by Nicole Kidman ("Cold Mountain"), Gwyneth Paltrow ("Sylvia") and Diane Keaton ("Something's Gotta Give"). The odds are for entertainment purposes only.

Happy Day

When Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman sees a red carpet and cameras, he immediately perks up.

But he wasn't the focus of attention as he strolled down said carpet Saturday night at Four Seasons. Instead, he was giving away his daughter in marriage.

Cara Goodman and optometrist Dr. Adam Schwartz were wed in what Hizzoner described as "the perfect night" when we spoke to him Tuesday.

"It was all a father could ask for his daughter," Goodman told us. It was even more satisfying, he said, than when she earned her master's degree at Stanford 10 years ago.

"Everything was incredible. Can you mention the florist? It was John DiBella. He turned that place into a wonderland," Goodman said.

The guest with biggest smile might have been Laura Goodman, 93, the bride's grandmother and the mayor's mom, who recently moved to Las Vegas from Philadelphia. She attended with her three sisters.

And what does Goodman think of his new son-in-law? "He's perfect for my daughter because she can boss him around."

The happy couple are now honeymooning in Hawaii.

Party

In some quarters at least, the economy is jumping.

KirvinDoak Communications, one of the most prominent public relations firms in Las Vegas, had its holiday party last weekend.

The entire office staff and significant others -- about three dozen folks in all -- were treated to a lavish dinner at the Ritz Carlton, Lake Las Vegas, and then set free inside the new MonteLago Casino.

And in case anyone imbibed too much (which rarely happens at office holiday parties!), every couple was given a deluxe room in the high-end property to spend the night.

Lakeview rooms at the resort start at $229 per night.

Good start

Lots of holiday cheer in the Sinclair Broadcast Group newsroom on Jones Boulevard.

It produces the new 7 p.m. newscast on KFBT Channel 33 (Cox cable channel 6) and the 10 p.m. show on KVWB Channel 21 (Cox cable channel 12).

"We are delighted to report that the new WB Las Vegas News at 10 is one of the most successful start-up operations in Sinclair's NewsCentral history," news director Carla Carlini told us Tuesday.

Sinclair produces about 60 local newscasts. They have national news, sports and weather anchors in a Washington-area newsroom, and also have local news anchors and reporters in each locality.

VegasBits

Open: THEhotel, the new luxury tower at Mandalay Bay, opens for business today. Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt heads a long list of dignitaries expected at the ribbon cutting, which was scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ...

Talk: VEGAS Magazine Publisher and Greenspun Media Group President Michael Carr was the guest speaker at the Business Professionals, Up and Comers, Socialites and Entrepreneurs networking event at the Stirling Club Tuesday night ...

Pet: The Lied Animal Shelter is making a holiday push to find homes for as many of its abandoned pets as possible. Gift certificates are available that allow the adopter to visit the shelter and personally select a pet. Call (702) 384-3333 for more info ...

Sing: The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will perform in Las Vegas for the first time in a generation when it hits The Orleans Arena on April 20. Tickets, priced from $25 to $100, go on sale Friday.

From Sun wires

Journalist Hunter S. Thompson is recovering, but faces surgery after breaking his leg in a fall at a Waikiki, Hawaii, hotel, his wife said Tuesday.

Thompson, 66, had traveled to Hawaii to cover Sunday's Honolulu Marathon as a columnist for ESPN.com. His wife said he was injured early Friday when he slipped on the bathroom floor.

Judd sentenced: Country singer Wynonna Judd will lose her driver's license for one year and must perform 200 hours of community service after she pleaded guilty Tuesday to drunken driving in Nashville, Tenn.

Judd was charged last month after a police officer stopped her speeding Land Rover close to Music Row.

Police said Judd registered a blood alcohol level of 0.175 percent, more than twice the 0.08 percent legal definition of drunken driving in Tennessee.

Klum expecting baby: German supermodel Heidi Klum is expecting her first child with Flavio Briatore, managing director of Renault's Formula One team, Klum said Tuesday.

Klum, 30, and Briatore, 53, have been together for about a year.

Blige marries: Singer Mary J. Blige married record producer Kendu Isaacs at her Bergen County, N.J., home on Dec. 7, People magazine says.