Oscar Nominee Luncheon

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honored this year’s Oscar contenders at its annual Nominees Luncheon today at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Seventeen of the 20 nominees in the acting categories were among the more than 100 nominees from 24 categories who gathered at noon for the traditional pre-Academy Awards fete. The Oscar Nominees Luncheon is one of the great traditional events in the lead-up to each year's Academy Awards. Held in the Beverly Hilton Hotel, the luncheon is staged behind closed doors in a lavish ballroom away from the paparazzi and media, providing an intimate afternoon for the Oscar nominees.

It's a time for the likes of nominated Sydney make-up artist Nikki Gooley and Brisbane-born cinematographer Dion Beebe to rub shoulders with other nominees Charlize Theron, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Spielberg. The Academy mixes up its nominees, so a documentary nominee could be sitting next to Spielberg. Ledger could be seated next to a visual effects nominee. "I just saw George Clooney," a starstruck Keira Knightley, nominated for the best actress Oscar for Pride and Prejudice, told reporters on her way into the lunch. “That was quite cool."

The nominees have the option to talk to the press or not, with Clooney, Knightley, Felicity Huffman, Reese Witherspoon, Matt Dillon, William Hurt, Terrence Howard and Amy Adams opting to stop for a chat in a press conference room. Ledger and Williams, both nominated for Brokeback Mountain, opted not to talk, instead heading straight into the luncheon where the A-List guests snacked on Peking Duck in a Mandarin pancake, smoked salmon canapes with dill mousse and Chilean Seabass (otherwise known as Patagonian toothfish) with Papaya and Maui onion salsa.

Hollywood playboy and prankster Clooney, up for three Academy Awards, revealed his date for the Oscar ceremony. “I'm bringing [US Vice-President] Dick Cheney as my date," Clooney, a vocal opponent of the Bush Administration, said. “It's so nice. He called me up and invited me to go hunting.” I said 'Well, why don't you come as my date?" Clooney, nominated for directing and co-writing the screenplay for Good Night, and Good Luck and for the best supporting actor for Syriana, made headlines around the world in recent days for saying he did not think he would win an Oscar. Clooney is just happy being invited to "the big dance" and is especially proud of Good Night, and Good Luck scoring six nominations. “I like the idea of showing up and I'm excited to be nominated," Clooney said.

Not all the Oscar nominees could make it.

Best supporting actor hopefuls Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener), Paul Giamatti (Cinderella Man) and Brokeback Mountain director Ang Lee were stranded in the snowstorm that struck New York and paralysed airports.

The 78th Annual Academy Awards ceremony is set for March 5 in Hollywood.