At Friendly Oscar Luncheon, the Nominees Pass the Sugar

Let the studios fight their wildly expensive Oscar wars. When it came to the Oscar nominees, gathered Monday for a luncheon at the Beverly Hilton, all was sweetness and light--with a surf and turf meal thrown in for good measure.

The luncheon, given each year by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, is aimed at showing off the Oscar hopefuls in a relaxed and informal light. Whether it serves to relax the nominees, though, is open to question.

Best supporting actor nominee Geoffrey Rush (“Shakespeare in Love”) described his feeling as one of “terror,” even though he’s won an Oscar before for his performance in the 1996 film “Shine.”

“You never get used to something like this, but it becomes a little more familiar each time,” Rush said.

As for all that nasty Oscar squabbling reportedly going on behind the scenes--particularly between Miramax (“Shakespeare”) and DreamWorks (“Saving Private Ryan”)--the nominees would have none of it. Asked about the Miramax/DreamWorks situation, “Ryan” director Steven Spielberg said: “I believe I have to take the high road when it comes to talking about the competition. I’m just happy to be nominated.”

And though the competition will likely heat up even more in the final weeks before the March 21 Oscar ceremony, on Monday the nominees voiced only compliments for each other’s work.

“I don’t think much of awards,” said best actor nominee Nick Nolte (“Affliction”). “I don’t think there’s a best actor or a best film. They are all extremely talented and different, and to isolate out performances seems a little unfair.”

Best actress nominee Cate Blanchett (“Elizabeth”) echoed those sentiments. “I don’t see it as a competition.” Reflecting on the heavy advertising campaigns for the best picture nominees, Blanchett said, “Marketing has become a science which I don’t pretend to know anything about.”

Most of the nominees showed up for the luncheon in casual but elegant attire, except for best supporting actor Billy Bob Thornton (“A Simple Plan”), who wore a black baseball cap, a short-sleeved shirt, an outdoor jacket and snakeskin cowboy boots.

Spielberg is considered a front-runner for the best director award, and his film is also considered one of the favorites. But Spielberg said that only increased his anxiety.

“I’ll tell you the problem with being a front-runner,” Spielberg told the media mob covering the luncheon. “When you do have a shot at winning, it’s torture. Last year, I enjoyed the Golden Globes because I knew ‘Amistad’ didn’t have a chance.”

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A Big Serving of Oscar Praise: Despite some frayed nerves, Academy Award nominees fork over the compliments at a luncheon in their honor in Beverly Hills. F2