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Stars gather for Oscars luncheon ahead of awards
2007-02-06
A constellation of Oscar-nominated stars gathered for an informal get-together ahead of the greatest cinematic awards show on earth later this month. From eight-time Oscar nominated 74-year-old Peter O'Toole to 10-year-old first-timer Abigail Breslin, around 143 nominees were on hand for the annual nominees luncheon at a luxury Beverly Hills hotel. Oscars organisers issued a friendly exhortation to Hollywood's assembled great and the good to keep their acceptance speeches at the February 25 extravaganza short, sweet -- and not boring. "The success of the show depends on you," said telecast producer Laura Ziskin, urging Oscar-winners to refrain from long-winded acceptance speeches or from rattling off a shopping list of thank you's. And while organisers would never try to order anyone to be witty, Ziskin advised nominees to bear in mind the advice of Mark Twain as the Oscars loom ever closer: "It takes at least three weeks to come up with a decent, off-the-cuff speech." Ratings for the Oscars have dropped steadily year-on-year since 2003, and fell by 7.8 percent last year to 38.8 million from 42.1 million in 2005. Welcoming guests to the luncheon, meanwhile, Sid Ganis, the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said the event tried to treat all nominees as equals. "There's no top table, there's no bottom table," Ganis said. "We try to be as democratic as possible today." The luncheon's format saw legendary figures like Steven Spielberg, Clint Eastwood and O'Toole rubbing shoulders on tables with the unsung members of Hollywood's elite -- from make-up artists to sound mixers to special effects. While there were a handful of notable absentees -- including best actress contenders Meryl Streep, Kate Winslet and Judi Dench -- most of the nominated were on hand for the annual group photograph. Best actor nominee Will Smith summed up the mood of the event, saying it was the highlight of the Oscars experience. "This particular event is like the best one," said Smith, who was also nominated for an Oscar in 2001 for his lead role in "Ali." "For me, it's so not competitive, and I say that and it sounds like cliche, but it's really a celebration for me," said Smith, who has been nominated for his performance in "The Pursuit of Happyness." Meanwhile several nominees jokingly confessed to voting for themselves on the Oscars ballot papers. "Who else is going to vote for me?" said "Blood Diamond" star Djimon Hounsou, nominated in the best supporting actor category. British veteran Helen Mirren described voting for herself as harder than anything she had to do while making "The Queen." "It's a terrible moment, an awful moral dilemma," Mirren told reporters, tongue firmly in cheek. "You think 'I can't possibly vote for myself.' "But then you start thinking 'Maybe it will be the one vote that makes the difference.' It's an awful moment that I shall have for the rest of my life." Asked to confirm if she had indeed voted for herself, Mirren went coy. "I'm not telling you," she said, before adding: "Anyway, you all know what I did!" Sound mixer Kevin O'Connell, meanwhile, is hoping that this year will be lucky number 19. O'Connell has the unwanted distinction of being the most unsuccessful Oscar nominee in history, being overlooked 18 times. O'Connell, nominated this year for his work on "Apocalypto" said he has written his acceptance speech already. "I'd like to win,: he said. "But if that ever happens, they probably won't hand it to me because my head will have exploded."
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