BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The traditional Academy Awards luncheon turned into a time of hope for many nominees Monday.
The very pregnant Catherine Zeta-Jones said she hoped she won't go into labor at the March 23 show, while "Adaptation" co-star Chris Cooper hoped another actor with his first name will defeat him in the supporting category - an apparent reference to Christopher Walken of "Catch Me If You Can."
Julianne Moore, meanwhile, hoped her double nominations won't turn into a double-edged sword.
"When you have two nominations, you can be a two-time loser," she joked. Her performance in "Far From Heaven" is up for a lead-actress trophy while her role in "The Hours" has a supporting bid.
The actors were among nearly 100 nominees who gathered for a lunch at the Beverly Hilton, where they posed for a group photo, received certificates of merit from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - and collected Oscar sweat shirts emblazoned with the word "nominee."
The informal event was conceived 22 years ago as a way for contenders from various fields to hobnob outside the formal setting of the official awards ceremony.
Jack Nicholson, a lead-actor contender for "About Schmidt," chatted in a dark corner with Nicole Kidman, a lead-actress nominee for "The Hours." Later, Kidman traveled around the room holding hands and hugging two of her competitors, Renee Zellweger of "Chicago" and Diane Lane of "Unfaithful."
"Gangs of New York" director nominee Martin Scorsese used the event to reunite for a chat with his "Bringing Out the Dead" star Nicolas Cage, who has a lead-actor mention for "Adaptation."
Some nominees expressed disappointment that the awards season will effectively end after the Oscars.
"It's fun to celebrate for a living," said John C. Reilly, who appears in three out of the five best-picture candidates - "The Hours," "Chicago" and "Gangs of New York" - and is named in the supporting-actor class for "Chicago."
The other best picture nominees were "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" and "The Pianist." "Chicago" has a leading 13 bids at the ceremony, which is set for broadcast live on ABC.
Zeta-Jones, whose work as a jazz-singing killer in "Chicago" is nominated for supporting actress, joked that her pregnancy will be a unique accessory on the red carpet.
"I'm carrying something else, not just a handbag," said the actress, whose second child with husband Michael Douglas is due in April.
Cooper, whose role as a toothless flower poacher in "Adaptation" is up for a supporting award, suggested that Walken had his vote for the award.
"I voted for another person in this category, because I like the other person's performance," he said. "I'll say he has the same first name as I do."
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