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BEVERLY HILLS, California - The Oscar nominees gathered for their annual lunch in Beverly Hills yesterday -- with Leonardo DiCaprio trading high fives with 10-year-old Abigail Breslin and Steven Spielberg huddled in deep discussion with Peter O'Toole.
It was a high-powered group that included a who's who of Hollywood and the global stage -- actors Helen Mirren, Will Smith, Forest Whitaker, Penelope Cruz, Eddie Murphy, Mark Wahlberg and Alan Arkin among others.
Director Martin Scorsese was there and got one of the biggest cheers of the day from his fellow Oscar contenders. He has earned eight nominations during his career, including one this year as best director for his work on The Departed.
Scorsese has yet to win but many predict the dry spell will end when the 79th annual Academy Awards are given out later this month.
Before sitting down to lunch, the nominees posed for several group photos, then were called to the stage in reverse alphabetical order, testing the patience of 10-year-old Breslin, nominated as best supporting actress in Little Miss Sunshine.
She appeared bored as the roll call of stars dragged on, until DiCaprio's name was called, which caused her to light up with her scene-stealing smile as he gave her a high-five on the way to the podium.
In all, 140 nominees showed up at the Beverly Hilton, more than any previous Oscars luncheon, and the guests included the man who has lost more Academy Awards than anyone else -- sound mixer Kevin O'Connell.
Now nominated for a 19th time -- for his work on Mel Gibson's Apocalypto -- O'Connell is hoping to finally win, and said his advice to first-time nominees was simple: "Never give up."
"I've saved all my acceptance speeches, all the ones I've written on the backs of napkins and programs," he said. "They are all in a drawer at home. I have my thank-you written. If I win this year, I will thank my mother."
He credited his mother with persuading him to give up firefighting for sound mixing 29 years ago.
At a brief press conference that preceded the luncheon, several nominees half-jokingly said they intended to vote for themselves.
"Who else is going to vote for me?" asked Djimon Hounsou, the African actor nominated for his supporting role in Blood Diamond.
Mirren, nominated as best actress for her role as Queen Elizabeth in The Queen, called the whole idea an awful moral dilemma. "You think, 'I absolutely can't do this.' And then you think, 'Well, it's the one vote.'"
But as she spoke, she used her hands to form horns on her head to give her the look of a Satan.
Supporting actor nominee Mark Wahlberg said his work in the crime thriller The Departed was drawn from real-life experience. As a youth, he was arrested by the Boston Police Department between 20 and 25 times, Wahlberg said.
"When I got the call that I was nominated, I was able to call my parents and tell them good news," he said.
- REUTERS
