We have not yet seen the film Selma. Pending this, we are surprised and perplexed as to why there should be any controversy about the respective leadership roles of Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. and President Lyndon B. Johnson concerning the events in Selma, Alabama, January though March of 1965. Then again, we remember the charges and countercharges between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during the South Carolina Democratic primary presidential campaigns of 2008. “Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Senator Hillary Clinton said. “It took a president to get it done. That dream became a reality. The power of that dream became real in people’s…

We have not yet seen the film Selma. Pending this, we are surprised and perplexed as to why there should be any controversy about the respective leadership roles of Dr. Marin Luther King, Jr. and President Lyndon B. Johnson concerning the events in Selma, Alabama, January though March of 1965. Then again, we remember the charges and countercharges between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama during the South Carolina Democratic primary presidential campaigns of 2008.

“Dr. King’s dream began to be realized when President Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964,” Senator Hillary Clinton said. “It took a president to get it done. That dream became a reality. The power of that dream became real in people’s lives because we had a president who said, ‘We are going to do it,’ and actually got it accomplished.”

This statement by candidate Hillary Clinton was in interpreted by several leadership persons in the African-American community as demeaning and diminishing the leadership role of Dr. King in the successful passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Bill.

Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan is credited with originating the saying “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”

Aside from the actual audio tapes, photos, etc., from the Presidential Library of President Lyndon Johnson, the seminal book on Selma and the respective roles of Dr. King and President Johnson preceding and during the events presumably depicted in the movie is Judgement Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Laws That Changed America by Nick Kotz.

Joseph A. Califano was a former White House special assistant to President Johnson. In a Washington Post Op-Ed, he claims that the film “falsely portrays President Lyndon B. Johnson as being at odds with Martin Luther King Jr. and even using the FBI to discredit him, as only reluctantly behind the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and as opposed to the Selma march itself.”

According to Mashable:

Califano says LBJ in fact came up with the idea behind the Selma march, which was to find the worst area of voting suppression and make a stand there; that the President considered the Voting Rights Act to be his administration’s greatest achievement; and never used the FBI to disparage the civil rights leader.

We have had and continue to have great respect for the contributions of Mr. Califano to our country. Historical facts, however, require us to state categorically that LBJ did not in fact come up “with the idea behind the Selma march.” The initiation of the March arose from the leadership role of Dr. King and the African-American leaders in Selma, Alabama, in January 1965 for voter registration in Selma and other parts of Alabama. This initiative in the community of Selma was captioned “The Alabama Project.”

According to Judgement Days by Nick Kotz:

Dr. King had launched the Alabama Project with a powerful sermon at the Brown Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Selma on January 2, two weeks before his conversation with the President (on Jan 15, 1965, the date cited by Mr. Califano as the date ‘LBJ in fact came of with the Idea behind the Selma march’). Speaking to an enthusiastic audience of 700 black citizens who jammed the church, King called Selma ‘a symbol of bitter-end resistance to the civil rights movement of the Deep South.’

As we said, we have not yet seen the film. But, we do not have to see the film to know what the historical facts were. We knew them from our role as a former political advisor and lawyer for Dr. King, before, during and after the 1965 events in Selma and the passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

The march from Selma to Montgomery and the plan to initiate a voting registration drive in Selma did not because “LBJ in fact came up with the idea behind the Selma march, which was to find the worst area of voting suppression and make a stand there.”

The Selma march was a result of the political evolution and development of a movement by the African-Americans of Selma, and civil rights allies to insist once and for all, that the African-American citizens living in Selma have the unimpeded opportunity to register and vote.

From “30,000 feet” it appears that both the producers of the film and Joseph A. Califano misunderstand or simply do not know that the success of the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 was a result of the joint leadership and cooperation between Dr. King and President Johnson.

The director of Selma, Ava DuVernay, has been reported as citing, as “evidence,” that President Johnson “opposed” or “did not support” Dr. King’s efforts in Selma because President Johnson did not prevent J. Egar Hoover from conducting a concurrent campaign to disparage and destroy Dr. King’s character by the FBI’s dissemination of wiretaps of Dr. King with women other than his wife.

The events in Selma Alabama in 1965 and the passage of the Voting Rights Act transformed and expanded opportunities for hundreds of thousands of previously unregistered African-American voters in our country. They are unique and enduring testaments to the special historical roles played by both President Johnson and Dr. King.

Joseph Califano and others (like us) should be grateful that a film has been made depicting those persons and events that played such important real life roles in the movie’s tribute to Selma, Alabama’s, legacy of the struggle for political empowerment during the 20th century.

Original source: 

For the Record

ST. LOUIS (AP) — From street-artist paintings on boards protecting store windows to signs bearing the now iconic statement, “Hands Up. Don’t Shoot,” cultural images from the Ferguson protests have become firmly established in recent Missouri history. So much so that the Missouri History Museum is gathering images and items cataloguing the unrest that followed the August shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer. The museum in St. Louis’ Forest Park is in the process of gathering not only physical artifacts from Ferguson, but Twitter feeds, oral histories from protesters, residents and police, and even cellphone videos. It’s …

ST. LOUIS (AP) — From street-artist paintings on boards protecting store windows to signs bearing the now iconic statement, “Hands Up. Don’t Shoot,” cultural images from the Ferguson protests have become firmly established in recent Missouri history. So much so that the Missouri History Museum is gathering images and items cataloguing the unrest that followed the August shooting death of Michael Brown by a Ferguson police officer.

The museum in St. Louis’ Forest Park is in the process of gathering not only physical artifacts from Ferguson, but Twitter feeds, oral histories from protesters, residents and police, and even cellphone videos. It’s all meant to give future generations a real-time perspective from those affected by the shooting and the aftermath that included protests, riots, and the strained relations between police and minority communities. The items aren’t being collected for a specific exhibition and will mostly be used for research. The goal is to seize on history as it happens.

“This is a rare example of being at a point where history is made all around you,” said Chris Gordon, Library and Collections director for the museum. “We’re standing in the midst of it, and we haven’t had that chance very often. Documenting everything we can — getting all sides, all perspectives — is very important.”

Aside from its regular exhibits, the expansive museum offers a public library housing an array of documents, relics and written words from events dating back more than two hundred years, including the Lewis and Clark expedition and the Louisiana Purchase.

The historical significance of what happened in Ferguson quickly became evident. Brown, 18 and black, was fatally shot on Aug. 9 after a confrontation with a white police officer, Darren Wilson. Brown was unarmed, and some witnesses said he was trying to surrender. Wilson said Brown was threatening his life.

A day after the shooting, protesters flooded the streets near the site. Several businesses were damaged and looted.

Anger percolated in the community for months, and escalated on Nov. 24 after St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Bob McCulloch announced that a grand jury would not indict Wilson. Furious protesters swarmed streets across the St. Louis area, spurring a nationwide movement protesting police brutality. Some protests became violent. A dozen Ferguson-area businesses were destroyed in fires and other businesses were damaged.

The shootings and unrest made the St. Louis region a focal point of media attention, with images of police in riot gear facing off with angry protesters dominating headlines and news broadcasts around the world.

Gordon said the museum has already collected T-shirts, protest signs, buttons. Photos have been taken of a makeshift memorial for Brown in the street where he was killed. And efforts are in place to secure graffiti art, still highly visible in Ferguson. Plywood boards over store windows still contain messages such as, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere,” and “Stop the Violence.”

On a recent chilly morning, Carol Snyder of Lehighton, Pennsylvania, walked along South Florissant Road snapping photos of the plywood art with her phone as her husband, James, followed along in the car.

Standing in front of a plywood sheet painted with the words, “Hands Up Let’s Pray,” the 60-year-old retired physical therapist felt a mixture of sadness and hope.

“I do hope for a brighter future,” she said. “I do hope for peace for the people here in Ferguson and throughout the United States.”

Some items have been hard for Gordon to procure. He has failed to find a spent tear gas canister or rubber bullet — items used by police when the protests turned violent. He is also pursuing buttons, T-shirts and signs showing support for Wilson, but they are hard to come by because there were not so many demonstrations in the officer’s favor.

The museum is not just collecting physical items. Museum officials are working with Washington University, where researchers are collecting cellphone video along with Tweets, emails, Facebook posting and other social media related to unrest in Ferguson and St. Louis for a project called “Documenting Ferguson.”

It is unclear if any of the items will ever be put on display.

“The biggest portion of this will be for research purposes,” Gordon said. “Our hope is to preserve this for future generations so they can get a clearer picture of what actually happened.”

___

AP National Writer Allen Breed contributed to this report.

Link – 

Museum Capturing Ferguson History As It Happens

Madonna sparked outrage on Friday after her Twitter account posted images of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela photoshopped onto her “Rebel Heart” album cover. Here’s what the album cover looks like: X-mas is coming early! Pre order my album and download 6 tracks! Happy Holidays! ❤️#rebelheart pic.twitter.com/YBiJccfQQ4 December 20, 2014 Here’s Nelson Mandela: This❤️#rebelheart fought for freedom! pic.twitter.com/7OxGT28TuY January 2, 2015 And Martin Luther King: This ❤️#rebelheart had a dream! pic.twitter.com/PIwcwosS2G January 2, 2015 Following the tweets, fans and journalists posted things like “STOP,” “WTF” and “highly disrespectful.” Here are some other reactions: #1 pop culture problem of 2015 so far is Madonna force-wrapping peoples’ faces in Rebel Heart promo how do…

Madonna sparked outrage on Friday after her Twitter account posted images of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela photoshopped onto her “Rebel Heart” album cover.

Here’s what the album cover looks like:

Here’s Nelson Mandela:

And Martin Luther King:

Following the tweets, fans and journalists posted things like “STOP,” “WTF” and “highly disrespectful.” Here are some other reactions:

A representative for Madonna was not immediately available for comment.

Throughout December, Madonna’s account tweeted various fan photos in the style of the cover, as well as ones of Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, Marilyn Monroe and Skrillex and Diplo all wrapped in black cords. It also included photos of a statue of Jesus Christ …

… and Homer Simpson:

“Rebel Heart” leaked online last month. Six of the album’s tracks are available in an official capacity at the moment, before the record’s release date in March.

Taken from:  

Madonna Sparks Outrage After Using Images Of Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela To Promote ‘Rebel Heart’

New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan has listed 17 “hopes and dreams” for the newspaper heading into 2015 in an end of the year article published Wednesday. Though much of the list deals with editorial goals and ways to round The Times’ coverage moving forward, Sullivan also touched on issues of diversity in the paper’s newsroom following this year’s wave of layoffs and buyouts. In September, television critic Alessandra Stanley wrote a review of Shonda Rhimes’ “How To Get Away with Murder” which some readers felt propped up harmful racial stereotypes, and in December news broke that the cuts had left The Times’ culture section devoid of black reporters. Sullivan hopes the newspaper will remedy a few of its diversity issues with “the addition of some black critics…

New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan has listed 17 “hopes and dreams” for the newspaper heading into 2015 in an end of the year article published Wednesday.

Though much of the list deals with editorial goals and ways to round The Times’ coverage moving forward, Sullivan also touched on issues of diversity in the paper’s newsroom following this year’s wave of layoffs and buyouts.

In September, television critic Alessandra Stanley wrote a review of Shonda Rhimes’ “How To Get Away with Murder” which some readers felt propped up harmful racial stereotypes, and in December news broke that the cuts had left The Times’ culture section devoid of black reporters. Sullivan hopes the newspaper will remedy a few of its diversity issues with “the addition of some black critics to the culture staff; and a more diverse staff in general.” Sullivan added that she wishes to see more bylines from female writers on the front page, and more women’s voices on the paper’s op-ed pages as well.

The article also touched on the departure of labor reporter Steven Greenhouse, who, after accepting a buyout in December, left The Wall Street Journal as the only daily newspaper in the country with a full-time labor writer.

“Writers assigned to cover labor, television and advertising (and many other subjects) who are as good as their recently departed predecessors, who were among more than 100 Times newsroom employees who took buyouts or were laid off this month,” Sullivan wrote as her 13th point.

Other issues included more coverage of press-rights stories like Freedom of Information Act legislation, but issues stemming from the staff cuts seemed to loom especially large for Sullivan.

“Please, no 2015 newsroom buyouts or layoffs,” she wrote. “Enough cake was cut, enough toasts made, enough tears shed for at least a year.”

See more here: 

NYT Public Editor Tackles Diversity Issues In ‘Hopes And Dreams’ For 2015

A woman died in Cleveland police custody nearly two months ago because she was physically restrained in a prone position, and her heart condition and bipolar disorder were also factors, a coroner said Friday. The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office ruled that Tanisha Anderson’s death was a homicide. Anderson died Nov. 12 at hospital after being handcuffed, taken into police custody and then losing consciousness while having a mental-health episode. Relatives said the 37-year-old was schizophrenic, and they claimed an officer used excessive force. In a statement, Cleveland police said its own use of force investigation team is looking into the death. The two officers involved are on restricted duty, the department said. Anderson’s…

A woman died in Cleveland police custody nearly two months ago because she was physically restrained in a prone position, and her heart condition and bipolar disorder were also factors, a coroner said Friday.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s office ruled that Tanisha Anderson’s death was a homicide. Anderson died Nov. 12 at hospital after being handcuffed, taken into police custody and then losing consciousness while having a mental-health episode. Relatives said the 37-year-old was schizophrenic, and they claimed an officer used excessive force.

In a statement, Cleveland police said its own use of force investigation team is looking into the death. The two officers involved are on restricted duty, the department said.

Anderson’s cause of death was ruled “sudden death associated with physical restraint in a prone position,” the medical examiner’s office said, while also citing coronary artery disease and her bipolar disorder.

Her family said at a news conference nearly two weeks ago that they wanted more answers about what happened and that Cleveland officers need better training on dealing with mentally ill people.

In December, the police force was heavily criticized in a U.S. Justice Department report that found excessive use of force and civil rights violations.

Federal investigators spent 18 months looking into use of force policies in Cleveland after a series of well-publicized incidents, including the killing of two unarmed civilians in a hail of police gunfire after a high-speed chase.

The Justice Department’s finding will force the city to devise a plan to reform the police department. That plan must be approved by a federal judge and will be overseen by an independent monitor.

See the original article here – 

Tanisha Anderson Death Ruled Homicide; Cleveland Woman Died In Police Custody

Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said he’s “thinking very seriously” about running for president, and said he would make an announcement about his plans by May 1. Carson told Newsmax he’s studying the issues in order to prepare himself for a potential White House bid. “You have to know a lot of stuff,” Carson said. “I’m rapidly acquiring that knowledge, listening to people and really finding a tremendous amount of frustration with the status quo, politics as usual, be it Republican or Democrat. Our system was designed for the people. It wasn’t designed for professional politicians. I’m thinking very seriously, listening to people and we’ll make a decision in a few months.” Carson shot down the idea that…

Dr. Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said he’s “thinking very seriously” about running for president, and said he would make an announcement about his plans by May 1.

Carson told Newsmax he’s studying the issues in order to prepare himself for a potential White House bid.

“You have to know a lot of stuff,” Carson said. “I’m rapidly acquiring that knowledge, listening to people and really finding a tremendous amount of frustration with the status quo, politics as usual, be it Republican or Democrat. Our system was designed for the people. It wasn’t designed for professional politicians. I’m thinking very seriously, listening to people and we’ll make a decision in a few months.”

Carson shot down the idea that “you have to be a longtime politician” to handle issues like foreign policy and finance.

“I’ve got to tell you something, you can even learn neurosurgery in a matter of years. You don’t have to be a lifetime politician,” Carson said.

Carson topped a CNN/ORC International poll of potential GOP presidential contenders released in early December 2014, coming in behind only 2012 Republican candidate Mitt Romney.

An hour-long documentary about the doctor called “A Breath of Fresh Air: A New Prescription for America” aired the weekend after the 2014 midterm elections. Amid news of the documentary, which many considered a campaign ad, Fox News cut ties with Carson, who had been a contributor to the network.

Read more on Carson at Newsmax.

Source:  

Ben Carson To Decide On Presidential Run By May 1

NEW YORK, Dec 31 (Reuters) – A former Revlon Inc chief scientific officer has sued the cosmetics company, claiming he was fired after raising safety concerns that its chief executive did not want to hear and was discriminated against for being Jewish. In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, Alan Meyers claimed that CEO Lorenzo Delpani accused him of raising “ghost” safety problems at recently acquired laboratories, resulting in slower production. Meyers, who said he joined Revlon in 2010 and was fired this month, also claimed the Italian-born Delpani was hostile to him, frequently yelling at him in front of other executives and making anti-Semitic and anti-American comments. The lawsuit accuses Revlon of retaliation and discrimination, and seeks unspecified damages. Revlon …

NEW YORK, Dec 31 (Reuters) – A former Revlon Inc chief scientific officer has sued the cosmetics company, claiming he was fired after raising safety concerns that its chief executive did not want to hear and was discriminated against for being Jewish.

In a lawsuit filed on Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, Alan Meyers claimed that CEO Lorenzo Delpani accused him of raising “ghost” safety problems at recently acquired laboratories, resulting in slower production.

Meyers, who said he joined Revlon in 2010 and was fired this month, also claimed the Italian-born Delpani was hostile to him, frequently yelling at him in front of other executives and making anti-Semitic and anti-American comments.

The lawsuit accuses Revlon of retaliation and discrimination, and seeks unspecified damages.

Revlon in a statement called the lawsuit “completely meritless,” and said Meyers “repeatedly demonstrated critical lapses in judgment and failed to perform at the high standard we demand of our employees.”

“We will aggressively fight these baseless claims and this frivolous action,” Revlon said.

Meyers said many of the safety issues he complained about stemmed from Revlon’s $660 million acquisition of Spanish beauty care company Colomer Group in 2013.

He said he was concerned that raw materials used by Colomer did not satisfy regulatory and safety requirements, and that its laboratories did not meet Revlon’s standards.

But he said that after repeatedly raising such concerns, Delpani urged him to keep quiet so that the CEO could retain “plausible deniability” about the problems.

Delpani also sought to remove from company records a May 2014 email in which Meyers raised quality concerns about a plant in North Carolina, the lawsuit said.
f
Meyers also claimed that Delpani treated him differently from other members of his team, nearly all of whom were Spanish or Italian, because he was Jewish and American-born.

He claimed that Delpani referred to Americans as “small-minded” and “dirty,” and at one meeting said he was surprised at the lack of Jewish executives at Revlon because “Jews stick together.”

In making the comments, Delpani mentioned Ronald Perelman, Revlon’s billionaire controlling shareholder who is also Jewish, the lawsuit said.

Perelman is not a defendant. A spokeswoman for Perelman’s MacAndrews & Forbes Holdings Inc had no comment.

The case is Meyers v. Revlon Inc, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York. No. 14-10213. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Richard Chang)

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Revlon CEO Sued For Alleged Racist, Anti-Semitic And Anti-American Comments

The indignities didn’t stop for Florida State after the clock struck zero at the Rose Bowl. After being demolished by Oregon in a College Football Playoff semifinal, the defending national champion Seminoles drew criticism from ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit for an apparent lack of sportsmanship. As noted by Herbstreit and his broadcast partner Chris Fowler, many Florida State players went directly to their locker room after the final whistle without shaking hands with Oregon players. “That’s disappointing that 70 percent of the Florida State team is in the locker room,” Herbstreit said after Oregon’s 59-20 win on Thursday. “It’s easy to go across when you win a game to shake hands. You lose a game after 29 games and you can’t come over and shake a hand of an …

The indignities didn’t stop for Florida State after the clock struck zero at the Rose Bowl. After being demolished by Oregon in a College Football Playoff semifinal, the defending national champion Seminoles drew criticism from ESPN commentator Kirk Herbstreit for an apparent lack of sportsmanship.

As noted by Herbstreit and his broadcast partner Chris Fowler, many Florida State players went directly to their locker room after the final whistle without shaking hands with Oregon players.

“That’s disappointing that 70 percent of the Florida State team is in the locker room,” Herbstreit said after Oregon’s 59-20 win on Thursday. “It’s easy to go across when you win a game to shake hands. You lose a game after 29 games and you can’t come over and shake a hand of an Oregon player and tell him, ‘Congratulations?'”

Prominent among those Florida State players who crossed the field to greet Oregon were quarterback Jameis Winston and wide receiver Rashad Greene. Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher also greeted his Oregon counterparts after the defeat.

A day later, Herbstreit stood by his criticism of those FSU players who went straight to the locker room after the game.

I don’t care if they were asked to leave the field-after any game you go across the field & shake hands-Jameis did, Jimbo did, R. Greene did

— Kirk Herbstreit (@KirkHerbstreit) January 2, 2015

See original article here: 

Florida State Players Slammed Over ‘Disappointing’ Lack Of Sportsmanship After Rose Bowl

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke issued a warning to Republicans who have criticized House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) for speaking to a white nationalist group in 2002, saying they “better be looking over their shoulders.” In an interview with Fusion, Duke said he has ties to politicians on both sides of the aisle, and he is ready to release names if criticism of Scalise continues: Overall, Duke was rather flabbergasted by the new focus on Scalise. He said he has hosted both Democratic and Republican legislators at everything from conferences to his children’s birthday parties. He said he has met with Democratic legislators at least 50 times in his political life. And he delivered a warning to both Republicans …

Former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke issued a warning to Republicans who have criticized House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) for speaking to a white nationalist group in 2002, saying they “better be looking over their shoulders.”

In an interview with Fusion, Duke said he has ties to politicians on both sides of the aisle, and he is ready to release names if criticism of Scalise continues:

Overall, Duke was rather flabbergasted by the new focus on Scalise. He said he has hosted both Democratic and Republican legislators at everything from conferences to his children’s birthday parties. He said he has met with Democratic legislators at least 50 times in his political life.

And he delivered a warning to both Republicans and Democrats: Treat Scalise fairly, and don’t try to make political hay out of the situation. Or he said he would be inclined to release a list of names of all the politicians — both Republicans and Democrats — with whom he has ties.

“If Scalise is going to be crucified — if Republicans want to throw Steve Scalise to the woods, then a lot of them better be looking over their shoulders,” Duke said.

Scalise has struggled to distance himself from Duke since a Louisiana blogger revealed earlier this week that the GOP leader had associated with the former KKK Grand Wizard and had spoken to a group Duke founded, the European-American Unity and Rights Organization, in 2002.

“I didn’t know who all of these groups were, and I detest any kind of hate group,” Scalise said on Monday.

Peter Wehner, a former adviser to President George W. Bush, said the news about Scalise’s 2002 speech is “acidic for the Republican Party.” But GOP leaders — including House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) — are standing by Scalise amid the controversy.

Read more at Fusion.

Link: 

David Duke Threatens To Expose Other Politicians With White Supremacist Ties

Welcome to For Your Consideration, HuffPost Entertainment’s breakdown of all things Oscar. Between now and Feb. 22, 2015, entertainment managing editor Christopher Rosen and entertainment editor Matthew Jacobs will pore over awards season and discuss which films will make the most noise at the 87th annual Academy Awards. The finish line is here. We are two weeks away from the Oscar nominations, which means studios need to put any last-minute campaigning into overdrive. With voting having already opened (see our dream ballots here), it stands to reason that the state of the race has more or less been determined. Still, we hope to see plenty of surprises when the nominations arive on Jan. 15, especially in the Best Picture field, where the number of nominees remains a question …

Welcome to For Your Consideration, HuffPost Entertainment’s breakdown of all things Oscar. Between now and Feb. 22, 2015, entertainment managing editor Christopher Rosen and entertainment editor Matthew Jacobs will pore over awards season and discuss which films will make the most noise at the 87th annual Academy Awards.

The finish line is here. We are two weeks away from the Oscar nominations, which means studios need to put any last-minute campaigning into overdrive. With voting having already opened (see our dream ballots here), it stands to reason that the state of the race has more or less been determined. Still, we hope to see plenty of surprises when the nominations arive on Jan. 15, especially in the Best Picture field, where the number of nominees remains a question mark. (Since a 2011 rule change, the Academy Awards can nominate anywhere between five and 10 films for Best Picture.) There’s arguably still no clear front-runner, but five movies (“Selma,” “Boyhood,” “The Imitation Game,” “Birdman” and “The Theory of Everything”) seem like guarantees, with ample contenders trying to edge their way into the remaining slots. Here are the 21 movies competing in the marathon:

Source – 

One Of These 21 Movies Will Probably Win Best Picture At The 2015 Oscars