Oscar Luncheon 2011: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence Among Attendees

Best Actress Oscar group image: Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicole Kidman and Annette Bening.

Best Actress nominees Oscar Luncheon photo

Best Actress Academy Award nominees Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicole Kidman, and Annette Bening are seen above at the 2011 Oscar Luncheon held in Beverly Hills on Monday, Feb. 7. They’ve been shortlisted for the following movies:

Natalie Portman for Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan.
Michelle Williams for Derek Cianfrance’s Blue Valentine.
Jennifer Lawrence for Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone.
Nicole Kidman for John Cameron Mitchell’s Rabbit Hole.
Annette Bening for Lisa Cholodenko’s The Kids Are All Right.

Jennifer Lawrence: Only Oscar newcomer

Jennifer Lawrence is the only first-time nominee among this year’s Best Actress contenders.

Annette Bening had been previously nominated for Stephen Frears’ The Grifters (as Best Supporting Actress, 1990), Sam Mendes’ Best Picture winner American Beauty (1999), and István Szabó’s Being Julia (2004) – in a role akin to Bette Davis’ in Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve.
Nicole Kidman was nominated for Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! (2001) and won for Stephen Daldry’s The Hours (2002), in which she plays Virginia Woolf.
Michelle Williams was a Best Supporting Actress nominee for Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain (2005), in which she plays the wife of gay cowboy-sheepherder Heath Ledger.
Natalie Portman was a Best Supporting Actress nominee for Mike Nichols’ Closer (2004).

The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27.

Photo of Best Actress Oscar nominees Natalie Portman, Michelle Williams, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicole Kidman and Annette Bening: Todd Wawrychuk | © A.M.P.A.S.

Best Actor Oscar nominees Javier Bardem, James Franco, Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth and Jeff Bridges.

Best Actor nominees Oscar Luncheon 2011

James Franco, Colin Firth, Javier Bardem, Jesse Eisenberg, and Jeff Bridges, the five Best Actor nominees for the 2011 Academy Awards, attended the Oscar Luncheon held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on Monday, Feb. 7. They are in the running for the following:

Javier Bardem for Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Biutiful.
James Franco for Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours.
Jesse Eisenberg for David Fincher’s The Social Network.
Colin Firth for Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech.
Jeff Bridges for Joel and Ethan Coen’s True Grit.

Oscar newcomers James Franco, Jesse Eisenberg

James Franco, who will be co-hosting with Anne Hathaway the 2011 Oscar ceremony, and Jesse Eisenberg are first-time Oscar nominees.

Colin Firth has a previous nomination for A Single Man (2009).

Javier Bardem had been previously nominated as Best Actor for Before Night Falls (2000) and won Best Supporting Actor for No Country for Old Men (2007).

Jeff Bridges has five previous nominations: Best Supporting Actor for The Last Picture Show (1971), Thunderbolt and Lightfoot (1974), and The Contender (2000); and Best Actor for Starman (1984) and Crazy Heart (2009). He won for the latter.

The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will be held on Sunday, Feb. 27.

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Photo of Best Actor Oscar nominees James Franco, Javier Bardem, Jesse Eisenberg, Colin Firth, and Jeff Bridges: Todd Wawrychuk | © A.M.P.A.S.

Best Supporting Actress Oscar Nominees Helena Bonham Carter, Melissa Leo, Jacki Weaver, Hailee Steinfeld, and Amy Adams.

Best Supporting Actress Oscar 2011 nominees

Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nominees Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech), Melissa Leo (The Fighter), Jacki Weaver (Animal Kingdom), Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit), and Amy Adams (The Fighter) pose together at the 2011 Oscar Luncheon held in Beverly Hills on Monday, Feb. 7.

Best Supporting Actress Oscar contenders Jacki Weaver, 63, and Hailee Steinfeld, 14, are first-time nominees.

Helena Bonham Carter had been previously nominated in the Best Actress category for Iain Softley’s The Wings of the Dove (1997).

Melissa Leo was a Best Actress nominee for Courtney Hunt’s Frozen River (2008).

Amy Adams has two previous Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominations, for Phil Morrison’s Junebug (2005) and John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt (2008).

Helena Bonham Carter, Melissa Leo, Jacki Weaver, Hailee Steinfeld, and Amy Adams Oscar Luncheon 2011 image: Todd Wawrychuk | © A.M.P.A.S.

Oscar Nominees Luncheon 2011 group image: Annette Bening, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams and more.

Oscar Nominees Luncheon group photo

Annette Bening, James Franco, Jeff Bridges, Amy Adams, Nicole Kidman, Michelle Williams, Jeremy Renner, Natalie Portman, Jennifer Lawrence, Helena Bonham Carter, and Colin Firth were among the nearly 150 Oscar nominees gathered at The Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills on Monday, Feb. 7, ’11, for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon.

The Oscar Luncheon was held in honor of all 2011 nominees and special award winners. Each one of them was handed an official certificate of nomination by Academy President Tom Sherak.

Make sure to click on the photo above to enlarge it (4696 x 1800).

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Oscar Nominees Luncheon photo Who’s Who

Below is the 2011 Oscar Nominees Luncheon photo’s Who’s Who, from left to right:

Front, Row 1: Mitchell W. Block. Iain Canning. Helena Bonham Carter. Angus Aynsley. Simon Beaufoy. Stuart Craig. Rick Baker. Lisa Cholodenko. Stuart Blumberg. Nicole Kidman. Jeff Bridges. Annette Bening. Amy Adams. Trish Adlesic. Dana Brunetti. Darren Aronofsky. Ian Barnes. Jeff Cronenweth. Joel Coen. Craig Berkey. Ethan Coen. Colleen Atwood. Geefwee Boedoe.
Row 2: David Parker. Ren Clyce. Michael Semanick. Randy Newman. Gary Gilbert. Celine Rattray. Jacki Weaver. James Franco. John Lasseter. Andrew Stanton. Sara Nesson. Mark Weingarten. Scott Franklin. Darla Anderson. Gary Rizzo. A.R. Rahman.
Row 3: Mike Creagh. Stephen Trojanski. Glenn Slater. Gwendolyn Yates Whittle. Charles Ferguson. Debra Granik. Thomas Lennon. Chris Corbould. Mike Medavoy. David Seidler. Javier Bardem. Natalie Portman, Brian Oliver, Christopher Nolan, Todd Lieberman, Ed Novick, Tom Hooper, Lucy Walker, Pamela Martin, Jaime D’Cruz, Ruby Yang, Jennifer Lawrence, Jenny Beavan, Jennifer Redfern, Trent Reznor.
Row 4: Aaron Sorkin. Michael Arndt. Lee Unkrich. Robert Stromberg. Karen O’Hara. Janek Sirrs. Scott Millan. Greg Orloff. Guy Hendrix Dyas. Scott Silver. Ken Ralston. Chris Sanders. Andrew Weisblum. Tim Hetheringtin. Sebastian Junger. Richard King. Nancy Haigh. Jess Gonchor. Jeremy Renner. Joe Farrell. Jesse Eisenberg. Geoffrey Rush. Tanel Toom. Tim Metzger.
Row 5: Carey Villegas. Ben Snow. John Hawkes. Dean DeBlois. Daniel Sudick. Alix Madigan Yorkin. Anne Rosellini. Wally Pfister. Emma Thomas. Addison Teague. Josh Fox. Angus Wall. Mark Stoeckinger. Roger Deakins. Greg P. Russell. Larry Dias. John Midgley. Michael Silvers. Skip Lievsay. Sean Phillips. Kirk Simon. Samantha Waite. Mark Ruffalo. Paul Franklin. Emile Sherman. Atticus Ross.
Back, Row 6: Bryan Grill. Luke Matheny. Doug Mowat. John Powell. Eric Johnson. Adrien Morot. David Schaub. Paul Tamasy. Alan Menken. Hailee Steinfeld. Hans Zimmer. Peter Kurland. David Hoberman. David O. Russell. Mark Wahlberg. Melissa Leo. Teddy Newton. Jeffrey J. Haboush. Karen Goodman. Michael DeLuca. Dave Elsey. Gareth Unwin. Tom Myers. Yolanda Toussieng. Edouard F. Henriques. Gregory Funk. Kirk Baxter. Audrey Marrs. Mary Zophres. Keith Dorrington. Colin Firth. Michelle Williams.

The 2011 Academy Awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, Feb. 27. Among the Best Picture nominees are Black Swan, True Grit, The Social Network, Inception, 127 Hours, The Kids Are All Right, and The King’s Speech.

Annette Bening, Natalie Portman, Amy Adams, et al. in 2011 Oscar Nominees Luncheon image: Greg Harbaugh | ©A.M.P.A.S.

Oscar Luncheon: Christopher Nolan ensconced between Wally Pfister and Hans Zimmer.

‘Inception’ crew at 2011 Oscar Luncheon: Wally Pfister, Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer

Cinematographer Wally Pfister, director-screenwriter-producer Christopher Nolan, and composer Hans Zimmer can be seen above at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ 2011 Oscar Luncheon in Beverly Hills, on Monday, Feb. 7.

Christopher Nolan

Double nominee Christopher Nolan wrote and co-produced Best Picture nominee Inception. Nolan also directed the sci-fi thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio, but failed to be shortlisted in that category.

Two years ago, there was a major uproar when Nolan’s blockbuster The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Aaron Eckhart, failed to be shortlisted in the Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay categories. Ledger, however, received a posthumous Best Supporting Actor Oscar.

The first film in Nolan’s Batman trilogy was Batman Begins. Next in line is The Dark Knight Rises.

‘Inception’

Inception was nominated for eight Academy Awards. Both Wally Pfister and Hans Zimmer were also shortlisted.

In addition to Leonardo DiCaprio, Inception features Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Michael Caine, Pete Postlethwaite, Cillian Murphy, Tom Berenger, Dileep Rao, and Ken Watanabe.

Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth: Best Actor competitors chat away at Academy’s Oscar Luncheon.

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Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth

Best Actor Academy Award nominees Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth chat away at the Academy’s 2011 Oscar Luncheon in Beverly Hills. Eisenberg was shortlisted for David Fincher’s The Social Network. Firth, the odds-on favorite for the award, is in the running for Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech.

2011 Oscar competitors Jesse Eisenberg and Colin Firth have something else in common: they have both been nominated for their portrayal of real-life characters: in The Social Network, Eisenberg is Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg; in The King’s Speech, Firth is the U.K.’s stuttering King George VI.

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.) website.