Tonight's 87th Academy Awards celebrates the best performances, achievements and films from the year 2014. Here are the nominations in the most notable categories:

BEST PICTURE

- American Sniper - The true story of Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in American history.

- Birdman - A washed-up actor tries to regain his relevance while struggling to keep his grip on reality.

Boyhood - Chronicles the ups and downs in a boy's life from childhood through adolescence.

The Grand Budapest Hotel - The eccentric workers at a fancy hotel experience zany misadventures involving a murder and impending war.

The Imitation Game - The true story of Alan Turing, whose genius codebreaking helped win WWII but was later prosecuted for homosexuality.

Selma - The true story of the 1965 Selma marches for civil rights.

The Theory of Everything - The biography of the world's smartest man, Stephen Hawking.

Whiplash - A tyrannical music teacher teaches a young drummer with tough tactics.

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... Boyhood seems to be the favorite as the touching and relatable story that is told over a real-life span of 13 years. Although, American Sniper could ride the wave of its record-breaking box office numbers to a win.

BEST ACTOR

Steve Carell, Foxcatcher

Bradley Cooper, American Sniper

Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game

Michael Keaton, Birdman

Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... Michael Keaton. Keaton kills it in a role that sees a desperate man struggle to keep it together while on the edge of insanity. Eddie Redmayne could take home the statue with a spot-on portrayal of Stephen Hawking, the Academy loves actors who play people with disabilities.

BEST ACTRESS

Marion Cotillard, Two Days, One Night

Felicity Jones, The Theory of Everything

Julianne Moore, Still Alice

Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

Reese Witherspoon, Wild

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... Julianne Moore. This should be the year for one of the greatest actresses of the past 20 years. It seems crazy that Moore has yet to win an Oscar, but tonight could be the night. But Rosamund Pike turned in a performance chilling enough to steal the statue.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Robert Duvall, The Judge

Ethan Hawke, Boyhood

Ed Norton, Birdman

Mark Ruffalo, Foxcatcher

J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... J.K. Simmons. His performance is one of the most talked about in years as a firebreathing music teacher utilizing tough "love."

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Patricia Arquette, Boyhood

Laura Dern, Wild

Keira Knightley, The Imitation Game

- Emma Stone, Birdman

Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... Patricia Arquette. She plays a mother striving to make a better for her son in a convincing and, at times, heartbreaking manner. Emma Stone turned in a sharp enough performance in Birdman to win also.

BEST DIRECTOR

- Wes Anderson, The Grand Budapest Hotel

- Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Birdman

- Richard Linklater, Boyhood

- Bennett Miller, Foxcatcher

- Morten Tyldum, The Imitation Game

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO... A tough call between two directors who exhibiting incredible feats of filmmaking. Richard Linklater filmed Boyhood over 13 years using the same actors and tells a touching coming-of-age story. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's Birdman is visually stunning, filmed to look like the entire movie is done without cutting. Linklater by a nose.

 

 

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