Who's going to win an Oscar?

These days, awards season is followed almost as closely as the latest Instagram from the "Star Wars" set, leaving little room for the unexpected, CNN reports.
Between handicapping sites, wins from various guilds and simple Oscar chatter, predictions harden fairly quickly into conventional wisdom.
Still, it's not as if the envelopes have already been opened. Here's what to expect at Sunday night's show.
Best picture: For much of awards season, "Spotlight" was leading the best picture race. The film, about a group of investigative reporters looking into sexual abuse by Catholic priests, won best film honors from the broadcast film critics, the American Film Institute and the SAG Awards, among others.
But in recent weeks, "The Revenant," starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a vengeful trapper left for dead in the 1820s frontier, has come on strong. It won the Golden Globe for best drama, the BAFTA for best film and the Directors Guild honor. "The Revenant" was also nominated for pack-leading 12 Oscars, often a good indicator of best picture strength.
Still, don't count out such nominees as "The Big Short," about financial wizards who take advantage of the 2008 market meltdown, or "Room," which may be helped by a best picture voting system that gives everyone's second choice an edge. Assuming "Room" is everyone's second choice.
Read more