Oscar hopefuls gather for luncheon
The casts of “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” gathered Monday at the annual Academy Award nominees luncheon alongside dozens of less famous and firsttime Oscar hopefuls for handshakes, hugs, a huge group picture and instructions on nailing an acceptance speech.
The event at the Beverly Hilton is a warm, feelgood affair where nominees in categories like best animated short get to rub shoulders and share tables with acting nominees like Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone.
Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie, whose snubs for best director and best actress, respectively, for “Barbie” caused a major stir, both showed up for the nominations they did get and were all smiles.
Gerwig, nominated for adapted screenplay, was surrounded by selfieseekers as soon as she entered the banquet hall while Robbie, up for best picture as a “Barbie” producer, beamed nearby as she hugged and chatted with Sandra Hüller of “Anatomy of a Fall.”
The centerpiece of the event is a class photo of the entire group of nominees. Nearly all of them usually attend, both as part of the Oscars experience and as part of their unspoken campaigns for votes.
Gerwig and Robbie got some of the loudest cheers when their names were called during the class picture roll call that feels like a school commencement. The names are read and nominees called up to risers.
Martin Scorsese, nominated for best director for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” may have gotten the loudest ovation of the day when he was called up. He sat between the favorites in the actress category, Da’vine Joy Randolph of
“The Holdovers” and Lily Gladstone from his film. Both towered over the shorter Scorsese. “Oppenheimer” director Christopher Nolan reached across Gladstone to shake his hand as he sat down.
Most major nominees including Cillian Murphy, a favorite for best actor for “Oppenheimer,” and Bradley Cooper, one of his category competitors, spent the hours before and after lunch making the rounds of media outlets set up in cabanas around the Beverly Hilton pool.
Usher marries in Vegas:
Usher and longtime partner Jenn Goicoechea married in Las Vegas just hours after the R&B superstar’s headline appearance at the Super Bowl halftime show, according to officials and documents.
The couple married Sunday at Vegas Weddings, according to a marriage certificate made public
Monday. Witnesses included Jonnetta Patton, Usher’s mother.
“Congratulations to the newlyweds! We were beyond thrilled to host in this epic day for Usher and his new wife,” chapel owner Melody Williswilliams said in a statement. “As much as we love love, this is the couple’s news to share any further details on. We’ll always be fans of Usher! Yeah!”
Usher, 45, and Goicoechea, 40, have been together since 2019 and have two daughters.
Feb. 14 birthdays: Saxophonist Maceo Parker is 81. Magician Teller is
76. Actor Ken Wahl is 67. Singer Renee Fleming is
65. Actor Meg Tilly is 64. Singer D’wayne Wiggins is
63. Actor Sakina Jaffrey is
62. Actor Simon Pegg is 54. Singer Rob Thomas is 52. Actor Danai Gurira is 46. Actor Freddie Highmore is 32.