Bradley Cooper favored for best actor

Bradley Cooper's turn as America's most lethal military sniper and Reese Witherspoon's portrayal of a woman on a journey of self-discovery should win this year's top acting Oscars, in the view of Americans surveyed in the annual Reuters/Ipsos Oscars poll.
Twenty-eight percent of respondents said Cooper, a four-time Academy Award nominee, should win best actor for his depiction of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, in the Clint Eastwood-directed "American Sniper," based on the late Kyle's autobiography. That was more than the percentage of respondents who saw the movie.
Cooper, 40, is also a producer on the Iraq war film that has become a huge commercial success, while stirring up a heated national debate about the role of snipers, the accuracy of Kyle's accounts and Americans' views of the war.

The second most favored for best actor is Michael Keaton for his portrayal of a washed-up actor attempting a comeback in "Birdman." Twelve percent of respondents picked him in the online survey of Americans conducted Feb. 9-12.
Frontrunner Eddie Redmayne, the British actor who has picked up numerous awards this season for his role as physicist Stephen Hawking, was the first choice for 5 percent of respondents, 46 percent of whom said they were unsure who should win.