Nearly all of the 230 people up for Oscars across 24 categories gathered Tuesday for the Academy Award nominees luncheon, an event that functions as a celebration, group portrait session and orientation for next month's big ceremony. Nominees including Jessie Buckley, Timothée Chalamet, Leonardo DiCaprio and Emma Stone sat for lunch and stood for a class photo alongside nominees for awards including best animated short and the newly created casting Oscar. The ballroom at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California, was especially full of nominees for "Sinners," the most nominated film of all time, including star Michael B. Jordan and director Ryan Coogler. Lynette Howell Taylor, elected in July as president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, made her first address to Oscar nominees, and gave them a set of instructions on how to handle their acceptance speeches if they win. "Be prepared," she said. "Don't say you didn't expect it. You have a one in five chance of winning." She urged winners to "make it heartfelt," not to try to thank everyone they can think of, pick one person to speak for a group of victors and hold speeches to 45 seconds. The luncheon is a relatively egalitarian affair where big names mix with small ones and veteran nominees stand for photos with first-timers. Craig Renaud, nominated for best documentary short for "Armed Only With a Camera: The Life and Death of Brent Renaud," got to chat with DiCaprio, up for best actor for "One Battle After Another," at the tables before the group photo. Nearby, Mohammaddreza Eyni, co-director with Sara Khaki of documentary feature nominee "Cutting Through Rocks," talked about his film with Ethan Hawke, nominated for best actor for "Blue Moon." The roll call where... Read More