UK bookmakers have stopped taking bets on hotly-tipped contender Jamie Foxx winning the best actor Oscar for his starring role in Ray.
Ladbrokes and William Hill have closed the book on Foxx taking the best actor prize on Sunday. Ladbrokes previously shortened his odds from 1/6 to 1/16.
A spokesman for Ladbrokes said: "There's no point betting when he's almost a certainty."
Foxx is also nominated for his best supporting actor role in Collateral.
The actor is only the second man in history to be up for two awards in the same year - the other was Al Pacino.
Best director battle
Chief rival for the best actor award Leonardo DiCaprio, who has been nominated for his portrayal of Howard Hughes in The Aviator, has seen his odds lengthen from 5/1 to 8/1.
"It's a case of Foxx first and the rest nowhere," said a Ladbrokes spokesman.
In other categories Martin Scorsese's The Aviator remains favourite for best picture but in the closely-fought best director battle between Scorsese and Clint Eastwood it was still too close to call.
Hilary Swank is hot favourite to win best actress for her role in boxing drama Million Dollar Baby, with Cate Blanchett tipped to take the best supporting actress prize for The Aviator.
The race for best supporting actor has seen Morgan Freeman take the top spot after starting as the outsider, with former favourite Clive Owen trailing behind.
Meanwhile Mel Gibson's Braveheart has come top of a list of the most undeserving films to win a best picture Oscar, compiled by film critics for magazine Empire.
It was closely followed by Ron Howard's 2001 drama A Beautiful Mind and 1952 circus spectacle The Greatest Show on Earth.
Some of the poll's winners have become less renowned than movies which originally lost out to them in the Oscar race, including Citizen Kane and Singin' In The Rain.
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