My Personal Oscar Ballot

Tabulating Oscar ballots are probably happening as I post this as the deadline for Oscar voting was yesterday. So as I do every year, I imagine what my own ballot would look like if I was given the opportunity to fill one out. These are NOT my predictions which I'll post in a few days.

Note: For Best Picture, Academy voters are asked to rank their choices. For the other categories, they are only asked to pick their choice of winner, which is exactly what I've done.

Best Picture
1 - Boyhood
2 - The Grand Budapest Hotel
3 - Whiplash
4 - The Theory of Everything
5 - Selma
6 - Birdman
7 - The Imitation Game
8 - American Sniper

Best Director: Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Lead Actor: Eddie Redmayne, The Theory of Everything
Best Lead Actress: Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl
Best Supporting Actor: J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Best Supporting Actress: Patricia Arquette, Boyhood
Best Animated Film: How to Train Your Dragon 2
Best Original Screenplay: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Theory of Everything
Best Foreign Language Film: Ida
Best Documentary: Virunga
Best Original Score: The Theory of Everything
Best Original Song: "Everything is Awesome," The LEGO Movie
Best Editing: Boyhood
Best Production Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Cinematography: Birdman
Best Costume Design: The Grand Budapest Hotel
Best Makeup and Hair: Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Sound Editing: Birdman
Best Sound Mixing: Whiplash
Best Visual Effects: Guardians of the Galaxy
Best Live Action Short: Butter Lamp
Best Animated Short: Feast
Best Documentary Short: Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1

My favorite Best Picture nominee Boyhood came out on top for me with 4 wins including Picture/Director while Grand Budapest Hotel and Theory of Everything were next with 3 wins a piece including being my picks for both Screenplay awards. I'm all about spreading the wealth always. So Oscar front-runner Birdman didn't walk home empty-handed with 2 wins along with Whiplash and Guardians of the Galaxy, the latter of which I've picked to win its two nominations. As blasphemous as it is, I did pick Pike over Moore, but Pike had the better role bar none (and Moore would've won in plenty of my personal ballots in previous years). And while I wish Selma would've gotten more love from the Academy, I still voted for The LEGO Movie for Best Song, because it is. What would YOU have done?