Over 150 Oscar nominees showed up for the annual Academy Award luncheon held this afternoon at the legendary Beverly Hilton Hotel in the heart of Beverly Hills. Facing entertainment reporters at a press conference adjacent to the ballroom where the meal was served, nominees were charming as they answered questions on a variety of subjects:

For VIOLA DAVIS, being a Best Actress nominee for her role in THE HELP means attending posh events (like this one) and she admits that’s something completely out of character (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

GEORGE CLOONEY (nominated for his role in THE DESCENDANTS) seemed sincere in saying that being nominated isn’t so much about competition as it is getting together with friends he doesn’t see as often as he’d like. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

KENNETH BRANAGH took the opportunity to talk about playing LAURENCE OLIVIER in the biopic MY WEEK WITH MARILYN. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

For GLENN CLOSE, her nomination for ALBERT NOBBS is the culmination of a 14 year dream. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

And, MONEYBALL nominees double-teamed the crowd of reporters to give their thoughts on why the film resonated with audiences to the degree it did. (CLICK ON THE MEDIA BAR FOR AUDIO)

THE 84th ANNUAL ACADEMY AWARDS SHOW will air 2/26 on ABC