Oscars 2015: Birdman, Grand Budapest Hotel tie with 9 nominations each

The extravagant comedies Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel are tied for the most Oscar nominations with nine each, including for best picture, the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed this morning from Hollywood.

Birdman,about a washed-up actor who played a superhero,andThe Grand Budapest Hotel,about aconciergewho teams up with an employee to prove hewas framed for murder,were joined in the race forbestpicture by:

• Boyhood.
• Whiplash.
• The Theory of Everything.
• The Imitation Game.
• American Sniper.
• Selma.

Among Birdman's nominees isMichael Keaton, who is joined in the best-actor category byEddie Redmayne, for his portrayal of physicist Stephen Hawking inThe Theory of Everything.Keaton and Redmaynelast week won Golden Globes in the comedy and drama acting categories, respectively.

• CHAT LIVE about the nominations with EliGlasnerat 7 p.m. ET
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The other best-actor Oscar nominees are:

• SteveCarell(Foxcatcher).
• Bradley Cooper (American Sniper).
• BenedictCumberbatch(The Imitation Game) in the category of best actor in a leading role.

MarionCotillardwas the big surprise for her turninTwo Days, One Nightin the category of best actress in a leading role. She's joined by:

• Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything).
• Julianne Moore (Still Alice).
• RosamundPike (Gone Girl).
• ReeseWitherspoon(Wild).

Cakestar JenniferAnistonwas notably missing from the list.

Predictably, all but one of the nominees for achievement in directing Alejandro InarrituforBirdman, RichardLinklaterforBoyhood, WesAnderson forThe Grand Budapest HotelandMortenTyldumforThe Imitation Gameall have their filmsrepresentedin the best-picture main event.Bennett Miller was nominated for directingFoxcatcher, which is not up for best picture.

American Sniper surprises with 6 nominations

The vaunted academy unveiled itslist of nominees in all 24 categories on Thursday, in a two-part news conference from the Dolby Theatre inCalifornia.

The Imitation Game, with eight nominations, trailed closely behind Birdmanand The Grand Budapest Hotel.

Clint Eastwood's Navy SEAL drama American Sniperlandedsix nods, including for best actor for Cooper.

Also with six nominations was Linklater's coming-of-age epic Boyhood, which remains the best-picture favourite.

Canadians nominated in animated categories

Canadians arerepresented in the animated film categories, with three nominations.

How To Train Your Dragon 2director Dean DeBlois, fresh off a Golden Globe win for best animated feature, is now up for an Academy Award in the same category. He's from Aylmer, Que.

Graham Annable of Sault Ste Marie, Ont., is also nominated for a best animated feature Oscar as a co-director for TheBoxtrolls.

And Norway-born, Montreal-raised Torill Kove is up for a prize in the best animated short film category for Me and My Moulton.She won the Oscar in the same category in 2007 for The Danish Poetand was nominated for her animated short My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirtsin 2000.

Dragon 2 won the Golden Globefor best animated feature film, so might be considered a favourite for Oscar,especially since the mega-popularThe Lego Movie wasn't included in the list of nominees in that category.

The latter's ubiquitousanthem Everything is Awesome, arguably bigger than the movie it's featured in, was nominated for best original song.

Wild's Canadian director not nominated

Wild's Witherspoon and Laura Dern(best supporting actress) were nominated, though Montreal-born directorJean-Marc Valle was passed over.

It's a nearparallel of his absence in the best director category last year forDallas Buyers Club.Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto won best actor and best supporting actor awards, respectively, for their turns in the film, which centres on the HIV/AIDS crisis.

Anderson's old Europe caper The Grand Budapest Hotel, which also won best comedy or musical at the Golden Globes, has emerged as the most unexpected Oscar heavyweight.

Released nearly a year ago last winter, the film CBC's Eli Glasner calls "a weird, wonderful, strange kooky masterpiece" is also the most lucrative entry in the best picture category. That may change once the final numbers for American Sniper, which doesn't open in Canada until this Friday, are tallied.

Announcement flub gets guffaws

The nominations announcement ceremony Thursday had a few unexpected moments as well.

Director J.J. Abrams introduced his Star Trek leading man as "an actor named Chris Pine" at the end of the first session of announcements.

As well,academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacsmay have cemented some online notoriety for herselfwhen she announced Dick Pope as a nominee for cinematography in Mr. Turner, mispronouncing his name as "dick poop" before quickly correcting herself.

Last year's Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, drew 43 million viewers, making it the most-watched entertainment telecast in a decade.12 Years a Slavetook best picture.

This year's ceremony on Feb. 22 will be hosted by Neil Patrick Harris.

You can take part in a live chat with CBC's Eli Glasner and CBC Online's Lauren O'Neil breaking down the entire slate, and what to expect at the main event, tonight at 7 p.m. ET.