英语文摘:Oscar nominees attend Beverly Hills luncheon

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Monday honored more than 120 Oscar nominees with a splendid luncheon at the downtown Beverly Hilton.

Fourteen of the 20 nominees in this year's Oscar acting categories attended the event.

Jeff Bridges, George Clooney, Colin Firth, Morgan Freeman, Sandra Bullock, Carey Mulligan, Gabourey Sidibe, Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick and Christoph Waltz were part of a starry constellation.

Kathryn Bigelow, James Cameron, Lee Daniels, Jason Reitman and Quentin Tarantino, who were nominees in the directing category, also attended the event.

However, only a few attendees paid much attention to the imminent award ceremony to be held on March 7 at the Kodak Theater, which was mainly due to the dismal recession that was still looming on the horizon. Many looked past the event and are considering what their next job would be.

"What do I do next?" a first-time nominee, "Blind Side" star Sandra Bullock, said. "I really have an obligation not to step back even the smallest bit," the 45-year-old actress added.

"Hopefully I'll get a decent job this year," Carey Mulligan, a fellow first-time best-actress nominee for the British drama "An Education," said of her nomination.

Still, some hoped their nomination would help bring money for new projects.

There are "very few films between five and 500 million that are being greenlit," said Vera Farmiga, who has been nomiated for her work in "Up in the Air."

However, she said that there were many more stories out there, and "I'd like to see them told," she added.

"This year, it seems to be more lively, more interesting than it has been in a while," Tom Sherak, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said at the luncheon.

Oscar organizers hoped that "Avatar" and other hits will draw more moviegoers to go see a show that saw ratings fall to an all-time low in 2008.

The Oscar awards presentation set a record when James Cameron's epic "Titanic" dominated the event in 1998.