Odds Is As Odds Does
Art Manteris’ slogan might sound something like “And the winner probably will be. . .”
Manteris, senior vice president of race and sports operations at the Las Vegas Hilton, isn’t as plugged in as Price Waterhouse when it comes to knowing who the Oscar winners are, but he does spend a fair amount of time setting the odds for six major Academy Awards.
Betting on the Oscars is illegal in Nevada, so it amounts to something of an academic and publicity exercise. He says he makes the odds by soliciting the opinions of industry insiders he knows, such as producers, actors, directors and publicists. Then he factors in his personal preferences.
Manteris won’t set his official odds until after the nominations are announced Tuesday morning, although he said at this point he thinks the movie “Forrest Gump” and its star, actor Tom Hanks, are the clear favorites.
Manteris said he’s usually right, but admits to having goofed in the past. In 1993, Manteris said, he listed “A Few Good Men” to win over eventual winner “Unforgiven.”
Business With a Future?
Proof that a contrarian business can survive in these times comes in the form of the “Hillary Clinton Quarterly.”
Despite the rough times the President and the First Lady are going through these days, the publication is still selling at $15 for an annual subscription.
Featured in the current issue is the “Hillary Clinton Quarterly Expert Crossword for First Lady Fanatics,” a puzzle that asks readers to name the First Lady’s high school and her astrological sign. Three players picked at random will receive T-shirts.
High-Yield Reunion
Today marks the fifth year since once-powerful investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert disclosed that it was closing up shop.
And what would an anniversary be without a reunion?
Former Drexel employees have scheduled one tonight in New York at Ryan McFadden restaurant at 2nd Avenue and 42nd Street.
Drexel was the highest-flying firm on Wall Street during the takeover craze in the 1980s, when it pioneered the use of “junk bonds” under Beverly Hills-based financier Michael Milken. But the firm developed a liquidity squeeze after it pleaded guilty to breaking federal securities laws and agreed to pay $650 million in penalties.
The announcement of the reunion appears on old Drexel letterhead, with the phrase “Lots of Guts, Lots of Glory! 5 Years later . . . Here’s the Story.”
Briefly. . .
New buzz word: Silicon Valley consultants Robert Johansen and Rob Swigart have published a book about “upsizing” individuals in downsized companies . . . Team Marketing Report newsletter says the Denver Nuggets basketball team arranged for a Colorado mountain to be named “Mount Mutombo” after team star Dikembe Mutombo.
