It's so transparent that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has a race/diversity issue that I'm not going to even go there. It's been well documented and spot-on that voters for the 87th Annual Academy Awards dropped the ball. No David Oyelowo. No Ava DuVernay. No Chadwick Boseman. That list goes on. Having said that, there were a ton of others left off like Nightcrawler's Jake Gyllenhaal? American Sniper's Clint Eastwood? The Grand Budapest Hotel's Ralph Fiennes? Which brings me to my point - 2014 was just an incredible year for acting and directing - we were bound to be letdown come Oscar morning when the bottomless snubs came. I still can't believe the Academy snubbed Babs for The Prince of Tides again. Discussing diversity at this point would be just about as fruitful as reading a story about Jack White's supposed guacamole rider, which by the way, is horse dung.
But let's move on... the telecast is this Sunday, host Neil Patrick Harris is going to kill it, and the top two prizes are still up for grabs. Here's my attempt at picking the winners in each category. I hear other writers may be doing the same... and here I thought my piece about predicting the Oscars was original. My bad...
Best Motion Picture
The toughest to call. I'm going to say "Boyhood" although "Birdman" may very well win or even "American Sniper" could slide in there. But... here's what I think...
Will win: "Boyhood"
Should win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel" or "Whiplash"
Could upset (but it's not quite an upset): "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
Best Actor
Holy crap this is a tough category to call. It's a three-man race in my opinion:
Bradley Cooper in "American Sniper," Michael Keaton in "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)", and Eddie Redmayne in "The Theory of Everything." The race has been between Keaton and Redmayne for so long but the Sniper momentum is something to keep your eye out for. And what if they all split the vote? Will we get some Cumberbatchin' love?
Will win: Redmayne
Should win: Keaton
Could Upset: Cooper
Best Actress
Will and Should Win (and there will be no upset): Julianne Moore in "Still Alice"
Best Supporting Actor
Will and Should Win: J.K. Simmons in "Whiplash"
Could Upset: It's doubtful since Simmons has had this wrapped up for months but the superb Foxcatcher's Mark Ruffalo or Birdman's Ed Norton could slide in. Doubtful.
Best Supporting Actress
Will Win: Patricia Arquette in "Boyhood"
Should Win: Emma Stone in "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
Could Upset: No one. This is all Arquette. Stone's "huge" scene is epic but she'll be nominated again.
Best Director
This is the second toughest race to call but my gut tells me Linklater pulls it out even though Iñárritu won the Director's Guild Award .
Will and Should Win: "Boyhood" - Richard Linklater
Could Upset (but not really an upset): Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Animated Feature
Will Win: "How to Train Your Dragon 2"
Could Upset (But It's Not Really an Upset): "Big Hero 6"
Adapted Screenplay
Will Win: "The Imitation Game" - Graham Moore
Should Win and Could Upset: "Whiplash" -Damien Chazelle
Original Screenplay
Will and Should Win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel" - Wes Anderson & Hugo Guinness
Could Upset: "Birdman" but doubtful
Cinematography
Will Win: "Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)"
Costume Design
Will Win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Documentary Feature
Will Win: "CitizenFour"
Documentary Short Subject
Will Win: "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1" (Unfair educated guess)
Film Editing
Will Win: "Boyhood"
Foreign Language Film
Will Win: "Ida"
Makeup and Hairstyling
Will Win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Original Score
Will Win: "The Theory of Everything" - Jóhann Jóhannsson
Original Song
Will Win: "Glory" from "Selma"
Production Design
Will Win: "The Grand Budapest Hotel"
Animated Short Film
Will Win: "Feast"
Live Action Short Film
Will Win: "Aya" (Unfair educated guess)
Sound Editing
Will Win: "American Sniper"
Sound Mixing
Will Win: "Whiplash"
Visual Effects
Will Win: "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes"
About A-Sides with Jon Chattman:
Jon Chattman's music/entertainment series usually features celebrities and artists (established or not) from all genres of music performing a track, and discussing what it means to them. This informal series focuses on the artist making art in a low-threatening, extremely informal (sometime humorous) way. No bells, no whistles -- just the music performed in a random, low-key setting followed by an unrehearsed chat. In an industry where everything often gets overblown and over manufactured, Jon strives for a refreshing change. Artists have included fun., Charli XCX, Imagine Dragons, Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, Gary Clark Jr., American Authors, Echosmith,and many, many more!