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Weinstein Vs. Rudin: Handicapping Their Kate Winslet Oscar Grudge Match

4:40AM STV | While most of the filmgoing world probably wouldn’t have minded seeing Kate Winslet compete against herself for a Best Actress Oscar next February (at this point we’d do anything to improve her odds), we’d sacrifice that opportunity if it means we get to witness and/or feel the seismic power struggle rocking Winslet’s war-crime period piece The Reader. It was about a month ago that Harvey Weinstein cited positive test screenings and a Winslet Oscar push while moving the film’s release date up to 2008; alas, as we anticipated, co-producer Scott Rudin probably heard the news right around the same time we did.

So You Think You Can Dance Australia Round-Up: Rhys Renovates The House That Jack Built

9:53AM Clem Bastow | It’s the pointy end of So You Think You Can Dance Australia and that means we’re close to finding out who is Australia’s Favourite Dancer™, out of a choice of Jack, Rhys, Demi and Kate. We’d actually be pretty happy about any of those four winning, though the odds are on Jack, with Rhys steadily gaining in second place, and Demi and Kate coming third and fourth in the betting respectively. Assuming SYTYCDAus is following the US model, we should be able to look forward to a ‘greatest hits’ package for the finale – the only problem is, we can’t think of more than a handful of routines we’d care to see again. Are we the only ones having this problem? As we draw to the close, what is your take on this inaugural season of the local version? Personally, we can’t wait for – and hope Channel Ten bloody well show – the next round of “the real thing”. More »

Adam Hills Giggles While Delivering News Of His Gold Logie Odds’ Shortening

9:10AM Clem Bastow | Adam Hills, he of the perpetually amused demeanour and Spicks & Specks hosting duties, was one of the few surprise – in a good way – nominees for this year’s Gold Logie. And when we say “surprise”, naturally we meant it in a “probably won’t win and is lucky just to get a table at the Logies” kind of way. No disrespect or nuffin’, it’s just that Gold Logie land is generally the realm of the Colgate-smiling soapie star. That could all be about to change, however, with the news that Hills’ Logies odds have shortened considerably, according to one bookmaker, to second favourite! A mystery punter has sent Hills’s odds plummeting from $41 to $8 with Lasseters Sportsbook. While Hills suspects that Melbourne comedy duo Hamish Blake and Andy Lee are behind the plunge, he said he would be over the moon if the backer was a fan. Hills said he was bemused by the punter’s show of faith and would not do anything to dim his chances. “My number one aim is to try not to disgrace myself in the media between now and the awards,” he said. “I think I’ll be shaking a lot of hands and kissing a lot of babies.” Go Adam! Go ABC! Hooray for semi-intelligent programming getting a Logies nod in the first place! It remains to be seen whether Hills will actually cash in these odds, but the Logies is close to Defamer Australia’s favourite annual awards ceremony, so we look forward to tuning in with a glass or fifteen of Passion Pop and cheering the night away. More »