Brit Awards BETTING: Best Male

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Traditionally this is the prize awarded to Robbie Williams (1999, 2001, 2002, 2003), allowing him to strut on stage and say something arrogant, but this year the dick from Stoke on Trent isn't even nominated. This is great news for a young un-homosexual gentleman from Beirut, apparently.

Mika
Mika is rumoured to be performing on the night, which strongly suggests a win. Last year three of the seven acts performing won (Winehouse, The Killers, Take That), and in 2006 six of the eight live performers went home with gongs (Coldplay, KT Tunstall, Kaiser Chiefs, James Blunt, Kanye West, Jack Johnson). He has already won Best Male at some Vodaphone awards, and his song Grace Kelly made a massive dent in the hit parade. The man to beat, he's a bit like Freddy Mercury. Only not so gay. Or in a band.

Mark Ronson
More a producer than a solo artist, Ronson's successful work has exclusively involved other singers than himself (Winehouse, Allen), performing his re-imaginings of songs he didn't write. So it would seem bizarre for him to get the Best Male. All other Best Males have been singers - George Michael, Elton John, James bloody Blunt. Even The Streets (winner 2005), who he has most in kind with.

Jamie T
Jamie T would make it a hat-trick of James' winning Best Male (after James Morrison, 2007; James Blunt, 2006). He attended the same school as Prince Zeid Raad of Jordan and Tim Henman, which surely doesn’t specialise in churning out rappers, but his Grange Hill impression of poor people saw him win an NME award. Could be a surprise package.

Newton Faulkner
Enjoyed a number one album, but Newton is lacking the sheer volume of nominations to win - favourite Mika is also up for the breakthrough artist and best single ones. Hence the ginger haired English Rastafarian from Surrey must surely be lacking the firepower.

Richard Hawley
Jarvis Cocker and Thom Yorke failed to take the prize last year, which essentially leaves fellow 90s indie icon Hawley with absolutely no chance this time around. His last single – Tonight the Streets are Ours - scraped into the charts at 40, and a hunch suggests that not one of the kids in the audience will have it as a ringtone. No chance.