Boys, Birds and Nerds: Oscar Nominee Predictions 2015

Take these to Vegas: 7 nominations for Birdman and The Imitation Game. 6 for Boyhood and Grand Budapest Hotel — plus many more for a bunch of nerds.

Best Picture 
American Sniper

Birdman 

Boyhood

The Grand Budapest Hotel

The Imitation Game

Nightcrawler
Selma

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash
If they choose ten: Foxcatcher

Best Director

Ava Duvernay, Selma

Alejandro G. Inarritu, Birdman

Richard Linklater, Boyhood

Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel

Spoiler: Damien Chazelle,Whiplash, is a sound bet. 
Shocker: With all these new names, perhaps there is room for Clint Eastwood, American Sniper 

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper, American Sniper
Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game

David Oyelowo, Selma

Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

Michael Keaton, Birdman

Spoiler: Gyllenhaal is the front runner, but Bradley Cooper is a hit on Broadway and impressing in American Sniper and could take Gyllenhaal's spot. Steve Carell would be a better bet if he was in the supporting role for Foxcatcher
Shocker: Timothy Spall, Mr. Turner, could be that "out of nowhere" surprise on Oscar morning

Best Actress

Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything

Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

Reese Witherspoon, Wild

Jennifer Aniston, Cake,

Spoiler:  Amy Adams (Big Eyes) could easily slide into TV star Aniston's slot

Best Supporting Actor

Robert Duvall, The Judge
Ethan Hawke, Boyhood

Edward Norton, Birdman

Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher

J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Spoiler:  Not many options. Carrell should have entered in this category. I'll go with Miyavi, who stole scenes in Unbroken

Best Supporting Actress

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Jessica Chastain, A Most Violent Year
Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game

Emma Stone, Birdman

Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

Spoiler:  Laura Dern played a memorable mom in Wild (and in The Fault In Her Stars). She could take Knightley's spot.
Shocker: Rene Russo, Nightcrawler

Adapted Screenplay

American Sniper

Gone Girl

The Imitation Game

The Theory of Everything

Whiplash

Shocker: Wild could displace Whiplash, which was removed from Original Screenplay category by the Academy.
Spoiler: Unbroken (There were two writers before the Coens took over.)

Original Screenplay

Boyhood

Birdman

The Grand Budapest Hotel
Nightcrawler

Selma

Spoiler: Foxcatcher

Animated Feature

Lego Movie

How To Train Dragon 2

Big Hero 6

Boxtrolls

The Tale of Princess Kaguya

Spoiler: I'd bet on the inventive The Book of Life to take the Boxtrolls' spot.

Foreign Language Film

Ida

Wild Tales

Force Majeure

Leviathan

Timbuktu

Spoiler:  Tangerines could take the place of Timbuktu, the first film ever submitted from Mauritania for the award

Cinematography

Birdman

Interstellar

Mr. Turner

Nightcrawler

Unbroken Roger Deakin (overdue honor)

Spoiler: The Theory of Everything or American Sniper

Costume Design

The Grand Budapest Hotel
The Immigrant
Into The Woods

Maleficient

Mr. Turner

Spoiler: If Selma builds up a sweep across many categories, this will be one of them.

Film Editing

Boyhood
Birdman

Foxcatcher

The Imitation Game

Whiplash
Spoiler:  Interstellar or a Selma sweep
Shocker: Unbroken would be a shocker since Goldenberg was brought in to shorten Squyres' project.

Production Design

Into The Woods

Interstellar

Birdman

The Imitation Game

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Spoiler: Unbroken, Selma, Mr. Turner, The Theory of Everything

Makeup and Hairstyling

Maleficent

Foxcatcher

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Spoiler:  Guardians of the Galaxy

Original Score

Unbroken 

The Imitation Game

The Theory of Everything

Gone Girl

Interstellar

Spoiler: Big Eyes    

Shocker: It won't be Birdman, that frontrunner was declared ineligible.

Original Song

I’m Not Gonna Miss You, Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me

Everything Is Awesome, The LEGO Movie

Glory, Selma

Lost Stars, Begin Again

Yellow Flicker Beat, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay

Spoiler: Big Eyes, Big Eyes, Mercy Is, Noah, Miracles, Unbroken

Sound Editing

Interstellar

Unbroken

Guardians

Whiplash

Hobbit

Spoiler: Intro the Woods Fury

Sound Mixing

American Sniper
Interstellar

Unbroken

Guardians of the Galaxy
Whiplash

Spoiler:  The Hobbit or Into The Woods

Visual Effects

Interstellar
Dawn of Planet of the Apes

Guardians of the Galxy

Hobbit

Transformers

Spoiler:  Godzilla, isn’t he always

Documentary Feature

CitizenFour

Keep On Keepin’ On

Last Days in Vietnam

Life Itself

Virunga

Spoiler: Finding Vivian Maier

Documentary Short

Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1
Joanna
The Lion’s Mouth Opens
The Reaper (La Parka), 

White Earth,
Spoiler: Kehinde Wiley: An Economy of Grace