Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

Sports
The NBA championship’s are in two weeks, and with the playoff games coming to a end, one team is the front runner. The Cleveland Cavaliers have a 50% chance of winning the championships, while the LA Lakers have a 24%, the Orlando Magic have the lowest chance of winning at 20%.

Team to win the 2009 NBA Championship?

Science
Just one look at the Hubdub odds on where the Swine Flu pandemic alert level is going to go, and it’s easy to see no one truly knows what will happen. There’s a 35% chance the pandemic alert goes up to 6 and a 32% chance it goes down to 4 within 5 weeks.

Whats next for the Swine Flu alert level: 4 or 6?

Business
Oil has gone up to $60 a barrel, but will it continue to rise? Although there’s 39% odds the price rises above $65 a barrel, the highest odds are 47% for no change before July.

Oil- up or down? July Contract. Which comes first - $55 oil or $65 oil?

Entertainment
The MTV Movie Awards are in 6 days, and one of the most entertaining awards is sure to be ‘Best Kiss.’ This year Kristen Stewart & Robert Pattinson’s kiss in Twilight seems to be the no-brainer. Hubdubbers give the kiss a 71%  chance of being selected.

MTV Movie Awards: Best Kiss?

World
With North Korea’s announced nuclear test tensions are high on the Korean peninsula and throughout Asia. But will the test have any lasting repercussions on peace talks? For now it doesn’t look like it. Hubdub forecasts North Korean Nuclear disarmament talks beginning in 2009 are likely.

When will North Korean nuclear disarmament talks start again?

Uncategorized best kiss, business, Cleveland Cavaliers, diplomacy, gasoline, Kristen Stewart, la lakers, MTV movie awards, national basketball association, nba, nba playoffs, north korea, nuclear tests, oil, oil barrel prices, orlando magic, pandemic, Robert Pattinson, swine flu, twilight

Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

Politics
Undoubtedly the biggest news coming out of Washington last week was the retirement of  Justice Souter. As the dust settles, the focus is now on who will replace him. A smart trader wouldn’t forecast anyone just yet. That said though Sonia Sotomayor is getting a surprising amount of activity, now given a 42% chance of replacing Souter.

Who will replace Justice Souter?

Science
Apparently the end isn’t nye, which is a bummer since for the last week I thought the zombie apocalypse might be upon us, and we all know how cool those look! There’s still a chance we face imminent annihilation though! Hubdubbers give the Swine Flu alert level rasing to 6 a 62% chance. Alert level 6 means we’re in a pandemic.

Whats next for the Swine Flu alert level: 4 or 6?

Entertainment
Yes that’s right American Idol will soon be over, and whatever your feeling about the show in general it has to be said it’s developing into a American Institution. This season Hubdub is forecasting Adam and Danny have a 79% chance of being the last two contestants standing.

Who Will Be the Final Two Contestants on American Idol?

Sport
This week the main NBA playoff game is between the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic. Who will win? Hubdub says the current front-runner is Boston and the forecast is that they’re likely to win in 6 games.

NBA Playoffs, Boston Celtics - Orlando Magic, series outcome?

World

Don’t hate the player hate the game! Or in bad Italian Non odiare il giocatore odia il gioco. Silvio Berlusconi, Italy’s Prime Minister  is on the prowl for a ‘new thing,’ after his wife decided the 71 year-old’s flirtatious eye was too much. Currently Berlusconi, known for his young taste is 29% likely to next marry a 30 to 39 year-old.

What will be the age of Silvio Berlusconi’s next wife?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.

Uncategorized adam and danny, american idol, boston celtics, contestants, divorce, epidemic, female justice, final two, H1N1, influenza, italy, Justice Souter, mexican flu, mexico, national basketball association, nba, nba playoffs, new wife, orlando magic, pandemic, playoffs, Silvio Berlusconi, Sonia Sotomayor, souter, supreme court, supreme court justices, supreme court nominees, swine flu, WHO, World Health Organization, young woman

Hubdub’s Hot Predictions this week, as decided by Hubdub users and staff, are selected based on their newsworthiness for the week. These stories are bound to be big news this week - and we have forecasts on how they’re likely to turn out.

World
Roxana Saberi the Iranian-American journalist convicted in Iran of espionage has launched an appeal in a last ditch effort to get out of an 8 year sentence handed down last week. Although the trial and conviction are seen as a farce by many in the West, Hubdubbers doubt Saberi’s appeal will work, only giving it a 36% chance of success.

Will journalist Roxana Saberi’s appeal of spying on Iran succeed?

Politics
Cuba has been dominating the news these past few weeks, but how can we measure a softening in Cuban-American relations? One thing observers and the Obama administration are looking at is whether Cuba will release any political prisoners. Hubdub forecasts by July 1st there’s a 66% chance no political prisoners have yet been released.

Will Cuba release any political prisoners before July 1st 2009?

Business
At the start of the auto bailout a merger between Italian Fiat and American Chrysler looked like a no-brainer. Recent problems with debt though have left the prospects of a merger in murky waters. Now there’s only a 50% chance the merger goes through before the start of June.

Will Chrysler and Fiat enter into any type of merger prior to June?

Sports
The NBA playoffs have arrived, and next week in the first round the Atlanta Hawks and Miami Heat face off. In the seven game series Miami currently has the highest chances of pulling off a win, but the margins are very, very close!

NBA Playoffs, Atlanta Hawks - Miami Heat, series outcome?

Entertainment

In May flurries of Blockbuster movies start hitting theaters. Unfortunately my hopes that the new Star Trek would crush any competition seem to have been dashed. Hubdub gives X-Men Origins: Wolverine a 68% chance of having the highest grossing open weekend. Honestly Spock is so much more of a money maker than Wolverine…

Which movie will own the highest opening gross during its first weekend release in May 2009?

Trading percentages given are at time of posting and may not match up with markets after the fact due to Hubdub users forecasting on said markets.

Uncategorized america, Atlanta Hawks, barack obama, chrysler, cuba, espionage, fiat, iran, merger, Miami Heat, national basketball association, nba, nba playoffs, political prisoners, Roxana Saberi, summer blockbusters, united states, X-Men Origins: Wolverine