Brad Pitt, George Clooney and Meryl Streep were amongst the great and the good of Hollywood who gathered together yesterday for the annual Academy Award nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills. (Yes, you can only call a meal of this stature luncheon, not common old lunch.)
These pictures confirm our long-held belief that George Clooney is the most entertaining man in Hollywood and if we happened to be at his local pub during a lock-in he'd be the person holding a bottle of wine in one hand and a funnel in the other. Look at how much fun he and best buddy Brad Pitt are having! No doubt everyone else spent the entire meal staring at their boring table wishing they could hear all the uproarious jokes.
George is celebrating two nominations, for Best Actor in The Descendents and for Best Adapted Screenplay for The Ides Of March which he co-wrote. Here he is posing with his Best Actor rivals: Brad Pitt (Moneyball), Jean Dujardin (The Artist), Gary Oldman (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) and Damien Bichir (A Better Life).
Dujardin told OK! magazine that he's exceptionally chuffed with the success of The Artist and his new found fame: "'I enjoy watching people smile at me as I walk down the street. I always try to sign autographs even if sometimes you might be tired. It is my belief and experience that you feel very badly when you don't stop to take a few minutes to express your gratitude that people appreciate your work.' What a nice chap. We'd definitely invite him to our lock-in. The winners will be announced at the 84th Academy Awards on February 26. Visit oscar.com for the full list of nominees.