Academy honors Oscar nominees at awards luncheon

Seventeen of the 20 nominees in the acting categories will be among more than 160 Oscar nominees who will gather at noon on Monday, Feb. 4, at the Beverly Hilton when the Academy honors this year's Oscar contenders at its annual Nominees Luncheon.

From the Lead Actress and Actor categories, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Quvenzahané Wallis, Naomi Watts, Bradley Cooper, Daniel Day-Lewis, Hugh Jackman, Joaquin Phoenix and Denzel Washington are expected to attend. Robert De Niro, Tommy Lee Jones, Christoph Waltz, Amy Adams, Sally Field, Anne Hathaway, Helen Hunt and Jacki Weaver will represent the Supporting Actor and Actress categories.

Four of the five nominees in the Directing category - Ang Lee, David O. Russell, Steven Spielberg and Benh Zeitlin - also are expected to attend. Three of the Academy's four 2012 Governors Awards recipients, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Hal Needham and George Stevens Jr., will join this year's nominees.

Oscars for outstanding film achievements of 2012 will be presented on "Oscar Sunday," Feb. 24, at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and will be hosted by Seth MacFarlane live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries worldwide.