Oscar odds: Best Picture

For all the marbles ... will the epic bulldoze all other comers once again, a la "Gladiator" and "Braveheart?" Or can a smaller picture on Boxing Hilary or even wine freaks pull it out? One of the toughest calls this year, although thankfully made easier by the omission of "Spanglish."

BEST PICTURE:
"The Aviatior": A lot of steam here between the big budget and Scorsese, but man ... this movie went on forever and didn't even get to the Las Vegas years. Did you know that Howard Hughes owned a Vegas TV station and would regularly order it to re-start movies if he fell asleep during them? Forget George W. Bush ... that's power. ODDS: 4-to-1
"Finding Neverland": I'm sure it's a nice film, but this is the only one of these I didn't see. Dude, it's about "Peter Pan." ODDS: 15-to-1.
"Million Dollar Baby": You know the story by now: Clint Eastwood doesn't want to train Hilary Swank to box because she's not a guy. There's some kind of dramatic twist, too. Turns out Hilary Swank's character actually is a guy. "I know all there is to know about the crying game ... " ODDS: 7-to-2.
"Ray": Did I tell you about the time I saw Ray Charles at the Atlanta airport? True story. He didn't see me, though. (Thank you, folks. I'll be here all week. Try the veal.) ODDS: 15-to-1.
"Sideways": My personal favorite, and a pretty funny movie overall. (Although the end of Million Dollar Baby was hee-larious, too.) I had hope before the Aviator-Baby tilt came into focus. Now I'm thinking the only winners in this camp are Pinot Noir makers. ODDS: 9-to-1.