Oscar Winner Predictions: Best Original Screenplay

The competition: Birdman (Alejandro González Iñárritu, Nicolás Giacobone, Alexander Dinelaris, Jr., Armando Bo), Boyhood (Richard Linklater), Foxcatcher (E. Max Frye and Dan Futterman), The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness), Nightcrawler (Dan Gilroy)

Previous winners: Her, Django Unchained, Midnight in Paris, The King’s Speech, The Hurt Locker, Milk, Juno
My winner: Announcing shortly after the Oscars!
The facts: Anderson has been nominated twice before, for "The Royal Tenenbaums" and "Moonrise Kingdom," and is nominated for Best Director this year. This is Inarritu's first nomination in this category, though he has contended before - and does again this year - for directing. Linklater was previously nominated for his adapted screenplays of "Before Sunset" and "Before Midnight," as is also nominated for directing this year. Futterman was nominated for adapting "Capote" in 2005. "Birdman," "Boyhood," and "The Grand Budapest Hotel" are up for Best Picture and Best Director. "Foxcatcher" is up for Best Director. "Her" won last years without nominations for either, and the previous film to win without those a Best Picture bid was "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" in 2004.

Who should win: “Birdman”
Who will win: I’ll vote for Birdman over “Boyhood” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” even if it doesn’t win Best Picture.