Who should win - and who will win - at the 2015 Oscars?

After months of campaigning the race for best picture for 2014, the top prize for the 87th Academy Awards has come down to two unlikely candidates: Boyhood v. Birdman.  One, a laid back cinematic scrapbook compressing 12 years into 166 minutes. The other, a flashy firework of a film about an actor in the midst of a mental breakdown. So as the accountants begin tallying the ballots for this Sunday's show, here's my best guesses on the results.

J.K. Simmons, left, and Miles Teller in a scene from Whiplash. (Daniel McFadden/Sony Pictures Classics/AP photo)

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Will Win: J.K. Simmons for Whiplash. 

The distinctively bald character actor has had this category in the bag for months for his performance as Fletcher, the jazz instructor who showers his students with saliva and abuse in Whiplash. Sure it's a one-note symphony of vitriol and rage, but Simmons plays it perfectly.

Should Win: Mark Ruffalo for Foxcatcher

While I'll be happy to see J.K. Simmons take home the Oscar, Mark Ruffalo's wonderfully low-key turn as wrestler David Shultz in Foxcatcher deserved more attention.

Patricia Arquette and Ellar Coltrane in a scene from the Oscar-nominated film Boyhood. (IFC Films/AP)

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Will Win: Patricia Arquette. 

As raw as it is real, Boyhood's Patricia Arquette will take home the Oscar for her role as the long suffering mother. Arquette set the tone for the film right from the first scene telling her daughter to cut out her "horseshit" and continued right up to the tear-your-heart-out scene as she's packing, when she explodes in tears asking, "Is that all there is?"

Should Win: Happy to see Arquette win, but if by some surprise Laura Dern won for her live wire of a mom in Wild, it would be a wonderful thing.

Eddie Redmayne as Stephen Hawking in The Theory of Everything. (Focus Features, Liam Daniel/Focus Features/AP)

BEST ACTOR

Will Win:  Eddie Redmayne for The Theory of Everything.

While the industry's love of Michael Keaton has given Eddie a run for his money, this role is Oscar catnip for voters. A handsome young actor taking on a true story of overcoming challenges and the added bonus of a performance where the character's journey is manifest by an extreme physical transformation?  Sorry Keaton, maybe next time.

Should Win:Jake Gyllenhaal for his role as Lou the sycophantic salesman in Nightcrawler.

Oh wait he wasn't nominated was he?  (Shakes fist at heavens.)

Julianne Moore wins for best actress in a mini-series in Game Change.

BEST ACTRESS

Will Win: Julianne Moore in Still Alice.  

An amazing performance in an imperfect film, Moore — who is practically Hollywood royalty — will finally take home an Oscar for her role as a linguistics professor struggling with Alzheimer's.  

Should Win: Wild featured something from Reese Witherspoon that frankly I didn't think she was capable of. A vivid primal scream of a performance as a woman who hiked her way to sanity.

Actress Patricia Arquette and Boyhood director Richard Linklater. (Mark Renders/Getty Images)

BEST DIRECTOR 

Will and should win:  Richard Linklater for Boyhood.

Boyhood would not have happened if it wasn't for Linklakter, who took a gamble on an inspired idea and found a way to make it work. The film is the essence of Linklater's directing style, a movie that feels like non-fiction but was in fact informed by Linklater's own boyhood, growing up with divorced parents.

Michael Keaton as Riggan in a scene from Birdman. (Atsushi Nishijima/Fox Searchlight/AP)

BEST PICTURE

Will Win: Birdman

Should Win: Boyhood 

Here's where things get messy in what's become one of the tightest races this year. For a while now the conventional wisdom was that in the face of a weak year Boyhood was a lock for best picture. But since the nominations were announced Birdman has been coming on strong winning a number of guild awards. Also, keep in mind the Academy has a soft spot for movies that celebrate the act of filmmaking (remember The Artist?).

While many critics have been clinging to the hope that Academy will reward Boyhood's groundbreaking nature, I have trouble believing the generally conservative members of the Academy will "get" Boyhood and enjoy the slow-paced reflective story for what it is. Faced with the choice of the quiet pleasures of Boyhood and Birdman, the latter a movie overflowing with emotion and visual pyrotechnics, look to see the Birdman swoop in for the win. 

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Harris Wittels, comedian and writer, dead at 30

Wrote, produced for Parks and Recreation, Eastbound and Down

Thomson Reuters Posted: Feb 19, 2015 10:18 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 20, 2015 12:32 AM ET

Harris Wittels, known for co-exec producing Parks and Recreation and for his work on other comedies, has died of a possible drug overdose, sources confirm. He was 30.

According to the Los Angeles Police Department, he was found at around noon Thursday by his assistant at his home. Wittels had previously been open with his struggles with drug addiction, and has been to rehab twice.

Along with serving as an co-executive producer on NBC's Parks and Recreation, Wittels produced and wrote for The Sarah Silverman Program, Eastbound and Down and Secret Girlfriend. He was also a recurring guest on the podcast Comedy Bang Bang.

Parks and Recreation will air its final episode next Tuesday.

The Houston native has a large Twitter following , and is credited with creating the popular phase "Humblebrag." In 2012, he published Humblebrag: The Art of False Modesty, based on the tweets culled at a Twitter account he ran.

Wittels also performed stand-up comedy, and played drums and provided backup vocals for musical group Don't Stop or We'll Die with fellow comedians Michael Cassady and Paul Rust. The trio was scheduled for a performance at the UCB Theater on Feb. 28.

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Les Paul's 'Black Beauty' guitar sells for $419,900

The 1954 Les Paul Gibson guitar known as "Black Beauty" has sold at auction in New York for $335,500 ($419,900 Cdn).

Guernsey's auction house says the six-string instrument with gold-plated hardware set the standard for other Les Paul Gibson guitars.

Tom Doyle holds Black Beauty, which was given to him by Les Paul in 1976. (Steven D'Souza/CBC)

Paul was a jazz, country and blues guitarist. He made frequent modifications to his basic guitar over the years, refining the sound.

Paul, whose hit songs include How High the Moon, played his instruments in concerts, recordings and on the Les Paul and Mary Ford television show. He died in 2009.

There was no pre-sale estimate for the "Black Beauty" guitar, and Guernsey's could not provide the name of the buyer.

The auction record for a guitar belongs to the Fender Stratocaster that Bob Dylan played at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. It sold for $965,000 US in 2013.

Paul collaborated on his original design with Gibson after the guitar maker approached him about making an electric guitar bearing his name.

The auctioneer calls it the most significant electric guitar ever made.

Years ago, Paul gave the instrument to his friend, guitar technician and builder Tom Doyle of Wantage, N.J.

Guernsey's president, Arlan Ettinger, said the Les Paul guitar is considered a "holy grail" among musicians because it gave birth to thousands of instruments that bear his name.

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Oscars 2015 glory possible for X-Men visual effects pro Cameron Waldbauer

Cameron Waldbauer is in Los Angeles for the 87th Academy Awards this weekend, waiting with excitement to find out if he will win the Oscar for Visual Effects.

The Pitt Meadowns, B.C. man said just being nominated for his work as a special effects supervisor for X-Men: Days of Future Past is an "amazing" honour." 

That's because when the top 10 films for the category are put forward by the Academy, its members from their Visual Effects Branch who choose the five nominees. 

"It's your direct peers that are voting for you, [so] to get nominated is amazing," Waldbauer said.

Vancouver's thriving visual effects scene

Waldbauer said it is a good reflection on Vancouver's visual effects industry that a second movie with a special effects team from Vancouver made the top 10 finalists.

(Joel Whist, from West Vancouver, was also nominated for his work as the special effects coordinator for Godzilla.) 

"The fact that we had two special effects from Vancouver representing the top 10 films in the world — that says a lot," Walbauer said.

"This really is a great place to make a futuristic film."

This is the first nomination for Waldbauer, who has worked on a number of major films – including Elysium, Quantum of Solace and Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Non-digital effects are important in film

Though CGI – computer generated imagery – continually improves in quality and has become more widespread in film, Waldbauer said non-digital visual effects remain essential.

Cameron Waldbauer on the set of Elysium in Mexico City. (Stephanie Blomkamp)

Waldbauer said that by having items falling or flying in front of the camera, the actors can react more instinctively. Then, using CGI, more effects can be layered on top of those scenes.

"The director and actors and everybody included wants that physical interaction. They want to have something that's in in camera that they can see and react to," Waldbauer said. "It's very hard to pretend that something is exploding beside you when it really isn't."

Waldbauer is in high demand. Shortly before leaving for Los Angeles he was in Montreal consulting on the next X-Men film (X-Men: Apocalypse), which he won't be able to finish because of other commitments.

He was recently in Calgary, where he was working on The Revenant starring Leonardo DiCaprio. He will also soon begin work on the new Star Trek film in Vancouver.

"Strangely enough when I started this 20 years ago, people thought we were five years from my job disappearing, but my job just gets bigger and bigger."

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Vanilla Ice charged with burglary, grand theft

The Associated Press Posted: Feb 18, 2015 10:28 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 19, 2015 1:18 AM ET

Vanilla Ice has been charged with breaking into and stealing from an abandoned home that is in foreclosure in Florida.

Police in the Palm Beach County town of Lantana say the recording artist and home-improvement-show host had been renovating a home next to the victim's house. They said in a news release that some of the items were found at his property.

Vanilla Ice, whose real name is Robert Van Winkle, rose to fame following the 1990 release of the hit song Ice Ice Baby. In recent years, he has hosted The Vanilla Ice Project on DIY Network.

The 47-year-old Van Winkle was charged Wednesday with burglary of residence and grand theft and taken into custody. He was released from the jail Wednesday night on a $6,000 US bond.

Authorities say furniture, a pool heater, bicycles and other items were removed from the home sometime during December and February.

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Oscars diversity deficit: Why the awards show is white and TV is in colour

Despite widespread acclaim for the Martin Luther King Jr. biopic Selma, starring British breakout star David Oyelowo, critics slammed this year's Oscar nominations for a startling lack of diversity.

While the civil rights drama received nods for best picture and best song, it was shut out of the acting and directing categories.

In fact, when the 2015 Oscar nominations were announced back in January, none of the 20 nominees in the acting categories were black, Asian or Latino — a fact that ignited a furious online discussion and saw the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite trend on Twitter. 

Can't see the tweet? See it here.

Now, as the broadcast date draws near this Sunday, a U.S. congressman is adding his voice to the growing chorus of outrage.

Scathing letter to the Academy

Tony Cárdenas, a Latino politician representing the San Fernando Valley just north of Hollywood, wrote a scathing open letter Tuesday to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences slamming its "unfortunate" selection of Oscar nominees.

"[W]hile the issue of diversity in the entertainment industry is a much deeper problem without an easy solution," wrote​Cárdenas, "it is unfortunate to see such a revered American institution fail to fully reflect our nation."

Stephan James, a Toronto-born actor who performs in Selma, echoes these sentiments, calling the nominations "disappointing."

"A little disappointing I must say, disappointing to know firsthand seeing the work David Oyelowo put in."

He also says it's time for the Academy to evolve.

"When you look at an actor like myself: a 21 year old dude," James told CBC, "you kind of wish there was someone in the Academy like you, someone who can reflect you."

Despite some recent efforts to diversify the Academy, and the appointment of its first-ever black president, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the roughly 6,000 voting members are still 93 per cent white, according to a recent survey.

Lupita Nyong'o was the first Kenyan and first Mexican actress to win an Academy Award for her role in 12 Years a Slave. (Danny Moloshok/Reuters )

Deanna Wong, past executive director of Toronto's Reel Asian film festival, points to the Oscars' checker-board past. 

"Every once in a while there's hope," Wong said in an interview with CBC.

"Last year there was hope after 12 Years a Slave and then what happened this year? It just reverted to the same old thing and I just feel that change is taking place at such a slow pace it feels like nothing is actually going to change in Hollywood."

Small screen, big changes

Despite the allegations of white-washed movie screens, television appears to offer the most fertile ground for multi-ethnic stories and characters.

Filmmaker Clement Virgo attends The Book Of Negroes screening at The Paley Center for Media on Dec. 16, 2014 in New York City. (Ben Gabbe/Getty Images)

Clement Virgo, director of the acclaimed mini-series The Book of Negroes, based on the bestselling novel by Lawrence Hill, said he tried for two years to raise the money to make the book into a movie, but he and fellow producers were told that the subject matter was too "risky" for film.

"[T]hey need to sell these [stories] around the world," Virgo explained, "and there is a sense, perhaps, a lot of people of colour can't sell films around the world."  

Instead, the producers turned to TV and picked up CBC and BET as their North American broadcasters. 

Not surprisingly, Virgo sees diversity flourishing on TV more than film. 

"I think TV shows are doing a much better job because I think the word is getting out through the gatekeepers that the audience is diverse," said Virgo. "There's a lot of people of colour who are watching TV and there's a sense they want to see themselves reflected back from the screen."

Virgo points to shows like Empire, Fresh off the Boat and Blackish as evidence of the positive changes on the small screen.

Still, for some, there is hope that Hollywood will embrace change. Acclaimed film producer Stephanie Allain was the recipient of the Legacy Award at this year's African American Film Critics Awards for her work on such films as Hustle and Flow and Dear White People.  

Why TV is better at diversity0:57

Can't see the video? Watch Stephanie Allain's clip here.

"The Academy has done an incredible job in the last few years in terms of inviting in members of colour," Allain told CBC. "A lot of my friends are in. It's happening."

When it comes to the Oscars, there's also a financial motive for the Academy to reflect a wider audience.

Recent number show that ratings for the awards show broadcast dip when there are few or no black nominees, since those audiences don't tune in to watch.

To offset that, this year's Oscars producers have invited a range of presenters to take part, including David Oyelowo, Viola Davis, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Idris Elba, Octavia Spencer, Lupita Nyong'o, and Oprah Winfrey.

The 87th Academy Awards will be given out at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on Sunday,  beginning at 8:30p.m. ET with the red carpet starting at 7 p.m.ET.

CBC arts reporters/producers are on the ground in Hollywood and will be live blogging from the parties, the red carpet and behind the scenes starting Saturday night. Watch for full coverage, including photo galleries and all the winners, here on CBCNews.ca/arts.

CBC's Eli Glasner explores why TV is better than  movies at representing multi-ethnic stories in the video above, titled "Why the Oscars are white and TV is in colour".

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Laura Poitras on Edward Snowden, spying and her Oscar-nominated film Citizenfour

Video

'A bit of a mystery,' says director of her film about the famous whistleblower

CBC News Posted: Feb 18, 2015 8:20 PM ET Last Updated: Feb 18, 2015 8:32 PM ET

Filmmaker Laura Poitras talks to CBC News about her film Citizenfour and the process of working with whistleblower Edward Snowden, a former intelligence analyst who leaked documents detailing the NSA's domestic spying program.

Poitras tells CBC's Amanda Lang about Snowden's initial — anonymous — approach, the decision to meet him and the process behind her Oscar-nominated documentary.

"People talk about the film sometimes and they describe it as sort of a bit of a mystery," Poitras says. "And that's what it felt like."

Click the video above to see the full interview. 

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Oscars 2015: 6 Hollywood fashion secrets from a celebrity stylist

A delivery has come into Karla Welch's Los Angeles studio. It's a boxful of jewelry.

"That's nice," Welch says as she unwraps a topaz bracelet from a California designer, a friend of hers. Later today, an actress will be slipping it over her slim wrist to make sure it goes with her Oscar party dress.

"This is part of the process," the stylist says, unwrapping another. "Cause we don't leave it until Sunday."

"This is all worth...?" I ask.

"Way too much," Welch says. "Don't rob us! You go to Beverly Hills this time of year, you see all the stylists walking like this," she tucks her arms in to her chest like a mother holding a newborn.

Canadian-born, L.A.-based stylist Karla Welsh poses in front of her impressive shoe collection at her home in Los Angeles. (Kim Brunhuber)

"If someone was really smart they'd knock us down and take our purses."

Welch, who grew up in British Columbia, has now risen to the top of Hollywood's ultra-competitive fashion styling scene. A look at one of her studio's clothing racks says it all: the tags above the hangers read "Amy" for Amy Poehler, and "Justin" for Justin Bieber. There's a wall of purses. The floor is littered with Jimmy Choos. This, she says, is "crazy time."

Grace under pressure

"It's the culmination of the entire award season. We've gone from the campaigning to the Golden Globes to the SAGs and the BAFTAs, and the Oscars is the 'big wow.' I feel the pressure. I don't really care about the 'hottest' lists, I just feel the pressure of making sure my client feels amazing and that everything's perfect."

Her most glamorous client? Oscar-nominated The Theory of Everything actress Felicity Jones.

"The approach with Felicity is we're really collaborators. She loves the process as much as I do. We came into award season with the intent of telling a story. She has a very consistent style, very modern, very classic and very elegant, so we're just weaving a thread throughout."

As for exactly what Jones will be wearing on the red carpet on Sunday night, Welch wouldn't reveal anything. Except this: "I can say her dress is an incredible work of art. I'm so excited. It's maybe not for everyone but it's…. aaahh! You'll have to wait until Sunday."

---

6 Hollywood fashion tips from celebrity stylist Karla Welch

1. Make sure your clothes fit properly
2. Wear the right underpinnings
3. Be comfortable because that helps project good style
4. Have fun
5. Find a pair of blue jeans you like
6. Get a good blazer 

---

The 87th Academy Awards will be given out at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif. on Sunday, beginning at 8:30 p.m. ET with the red carpet starting at 7 p.m. ET.

Our CBC Arts team is on the ground in Hollywood and will be live blogging from the parties, the red carpet and behind the scenes starting Saturday. Watch for full coverage, including photo galleries and all the winners, here on CBCNews.ca/arts.

Watch CBC's Kim Brunhuber's interview with Karla Welch in the video above.

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Lost Dr. Seuss book, What Pet Should I Get?, coming out in July

New

What Pet Should I Get? was likely written between 1958 and 1962, says publisher Random House

The Associated Press Posted: Feb 18, 2015 9:50 AM ET Last Updated: Feb 18, 2015 9:52 AM ET

More than 20 years after his death, there is still plenty of news about Dr. Seuss.

Random House Children's Books said Wednesday it will publish a recently discovered manuscript with illustrations called What Pet Should I Get on July 28.

The publisher plans at least two more books, based on materials found in 2013 in the author's home in La Jolla, California, by his widow and secretary.

Can't see the book cover? See Random House's announcement here.

The author whose real name was Theodor Geisel died in 1991.

Random House associate publishing director Cathy Goldsmith says What Pet Should I Get? was likely written between 1958 and 1962. The book features the same brother and sister seen in Dr. Seuss' 1960 classic One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.

With files from CBC News.

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Benedict Cumberbatch spends honeymoon on Jimmy Kimmel after marrying Sophie Hunter

Oscar-nominated actor Benedict Cumberbatch got hitched on Valentine's Day, but still managed to turn up for work Monday night.  

The British star of The Imitation Game made an appearance on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! show in Los Angeles, where Kimmel pointed out his surprise that Cumberbatch didn't cancel.

"You got married in England on Saturday," Kimmel quipped, "and here you are."

Can't see the video? Watch it here

"I felt bad about you not coming. So, I thought I'd bring you in on the honeymoon," the 38-year-old heartthrob responded. 

The late night host and Cumberbatch raised a pair of pina coladas in a toast to the newlyweds.

Cumberbatch and Hunter are also expecting their first child, which Kimmell referred to as the "Cumber-bun in the oven".

On Saturday, Cumberbatch tied the knot with theatre director Sophie Hunter, in a Valentine's Day ceremony in England's Isle of Wight.

Cumberbatch's spokeswoman, Karon Maskill, on Sunday confirmed the couple had wed during the weekend, surrounded by close family and friends.

She described it as a "magical day." 

Cumberbatch rose to prominence with his modern-day portrayal of the cerebral sleuth in Sherlock. 

He has been shortlisted for an Oscar for his role as code-breaking genius Alan Turing in The Imitation Game. 

Turing helped win World War II with his work on cracking Nazi codes, but he was later prosecuted for homosexuality and committed suicide. 

Hunter, 36, and Cumberbatch appeared together in the 2009 thriller Burlesque Fairytales.
 

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