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Every year, ahead of the biggest night in Hollywood, Academy Award nominees get invited to a special luncheon party.

It’s become an annual tradition, the unofficial start of the countdown to the ceremony, with the stars mingling, eating a fancy meal, having their photos taken, and generally getting to know each other before the big night – kind of like a big Oscars hen or stag do, without the fancy dress and budget airline flights.

Tom Cruise, celebrating a best picture nomination for his Top Gun return, was among the stars in attendance, along with 182 nominees including Bill Nighy, Colin Farrell, Jamie Lee Curtis, Angela Bassett, Brendan Fraser, Austin Butler and more.

The luncheon, held at a Beverly Hills hotel, is also a chance to highlight the work of some of the less well-known nominees, including those who worked behind the scenes on this year’s biggest film contenders.

Here are some of the photos from the glitzy shindig.

Everyone wants a bit of Cruise

Jamie Lee Curtis, left, and Tom Cruise attend the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
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Tom Cruise is known for always taking time to meet fans, but here he was in demand with the celebs, too. Jamie Lee Curtis (pictured), Steven Spielberg and Michelle Yeoh were just some of the stars spotted with Maverick. Pic: Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Tom Cruise, left, and Ashli Ferguson attend the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
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Actress Ashli Ferguson feels the need… the need to grab a selfie. Pic: Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP
Tom Cruise, left, and Michelle Yeoh attend the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP)
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Best actress nominee Yeoh played it a bit cooler. Pic: Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP

No one wants a boring portrait

Bill Nighy poses for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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A bit like school photo day, the Oscars luncheon is a chance for the nominees to get some nice pics to show mum and dad. But there’s always one, isn’t there, best actor nominee Bill Nighy? All portraits: AP/Chris Pizzello
Ruben Ostlund poses for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Feeling camera shy? If in doubt, throw your (pretend) Oscar in the air: Swedish filmmaker Ruben Ostlund is up for three awards – best director, best original screenplay, and best picture – for dark comedy Triangle Of Sadness
Brian Tyree Henry poses with a miniature Oscar statuette for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Or stick it on your shoulder: Brian Tyree Henry is nominated in the best supporting actor category for his performance in Causeway, alongside Jennifer Lawrence
Daniel Scheinert, left, and Daniel Kwan pose for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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It looks like Everything Everywhere All At Once directors Daniel Scheinert, left, and Daniel Kwan – aka The Daniels – opted for Rock, Paper, Scissors to decide who was front of shot

The Irish contingent

Colin Farrell, left, and Brendan Gleeson pose for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Thanks to The Banshees Of Inisherin, set on a fictional island off the west coast of Ireland, there’s a lot of love for Irish stars at this year’s Oscars. Banshees stars Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson were reunited at the luncheon…
Kerry Condon poses for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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… and Banshees actress Kerry Condon also joined them. All three are up for acting prizes, along with co-star Barry Keoghan, and the film is up for nine awards in total
Paul Mescal arrives at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
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Irish actor Paul Mescal is also up for the best actor award alongside Farrell, for his performance in coming-of-age drama Aftersun. Pic: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

A big year for newbie nominees

Austin Butler poses for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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This is a huge year for first-timers, with 16 of the 20 actor nods going to actors who haven’t been in the running before – including Elvis star Austin Butler (pictured) as well as Nighy, Farell, Mescal, Henry, Brendan Fraser and Andrea Riseborough
Stephanie Hsu poses for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Stephanie Hsu is also up for her first Oscar, for her performance in Everything Everywhere All At Once
Jamie Lee Curtis poses for a portrait at the 95th Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon on Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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As is her co-star, Jamie Lee Curtis, who believe it or not has never been up for an Academy Award before, despite her decades in showbiz

And the accessories award goes to…

Domee Shi, director of the animated film Turning Red, attends an interview at the Oscars Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California, U.S. February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Lauren Justice
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While most save their big outfits for Oscars day, Domee Shi, director of the animated film Turning Red, raised the bar for lunchtime glam
Domee Shi, director of the animated film Turning Red, attends an interview at the Oscars Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California, U.S. February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Lauren Justice
Domee Shi, director of the animated film Turning Red, attends an interview at the Oscars Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, California, U.S. February 13, 2023. REUTERS/Lauren Justice

This year’s Oscars ceremony takes place on Sunday 12 March. Madcap multiverse sc-fi Everything Everywhere All At Once and dark comedy The Banshees Of Inisherin are the favourites to win the best picture prize, with Top Gun: Maverick, The Fabelmans, All Quiet On The Western Front, Tar, Elvis, Avatar: The Return Of Water, Women Talking and Triangle Of Sadness also in the running.

Last year’s event infamously saw eventual best actor winner Will Smith slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage – an “unprecedented” incident that Academy president Janet Yang addressed at the luncheon, saying the organisation’s response was “inadequate”.

Read more on the Oscars:
Why British star’s nod has sparked controversy
The full list of nominees
Blockbusters, first-timers and snubs – all the talking points this year

She said the organisation had learned from what happened, telling the attendees that the Academy “must be fully transparent and accountable in our actions, and particularly in times of crisis we must act swiftly and compassionately and decisively for ourselves and for our industry. You should and can expect no less from us going forward”.

Surely everyone will be on their best behaviour this year, no?

You can watch the Oscars exclusively on Sky Showcase on Sunday 12 March from midnight. Sky News will be live on the red carpet at the ceremony in Hollywood on Sunday 12 and live with the winners at the Vanity Fair party on Breakfast with Kay Burley, Monday 13 March

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Lauren Laverne given ‘all clear’ following cancer diagnosis

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Lauren Laverne given 'all clear' following cancer diagnosis

BBC presenter Lauren Laverne has said she has been given the “all clear” after being diagnosed with cancer.

The 46-year-old said in a post on social media that she will return to work next week on The One Show and has been working on new episodes of BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs.

She said she is set to also return to her 6 Music show in the new year.

Laverne announced she was undergoing cancer treatment back in August after a screening test caught the disease “early and unexpectedly”.

She has not specified what type of cancer she had.

Thanking medical staff, friends and all those who sent her get well wishes, Laverne said on Sunday she would most like to thank her husband Graeme and her two children, who she said have been “absolutely extraordinary throughout”.

“It’s been a difficult time but one that has taught me so much about what really matters,” she wrote.

“I can’t say I suddenly regretted never having hiked the Inca Trail, more that I now see more beauty in ordinary things than I could have imagined, and feel more than ever that the small things in life – the connections we make and care we take with each other – are the big things really.”

A new episode of Desert Island Discs is due to air on 1 December, and will be a pre-recorded interview with comedian Mark Steel that is believed to have been done by Laverne before she went on leave.

Read more from Sky News:
Zayn Malik’s tribute to Liam Payne at show
Kanye West accused of sexual assault

She will return to record more episodes as well as Christmas editions of the series over the next few weeks.

A BBC spokeswoman said: “We’re delighted to welcome Lauren back to the studio this month for The One Show and Desert Island Discs, with new episodes airing on Radio 4 from 1 December, and we look forward to welcoming Lauren back to BBC Radio 6 Music in the new year.”

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‘Love you bro’: Zayn Malik’s tribute to Liam Payne at first show since former bandmate’s death

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'Love you bro': Zayn Malik's tribute to Liam Payne at first show since former bandmate's death

Zayn Malik paid tribute to former One Direction bandmate Liam Payne as he kicked off his solo tour.

Payne died last month of multiple traumas and “internal and external haemorrhage” after falling from a third-floor balcony in Buenos Aires, according to a post-mortem.

Images from Leeds’s O2 Academy on Saturday showed Malik – who delayed his Stairway To The Sky tour due to Payne’s funeral on Wednesday – shared a tribute.

A message was displayed with a heart on a large blue screen behind the singer reading: “Liam Payne 1993-2024. Love you bro.”

The 31-year-old also previously postponed the US leg of the tour after the “heartbreaking loss”.

He later rescheduled the Edinburgh shows, which had been planned for 20 and 21 November, to December due to “unforeseen circumstances”.

Following Payne’s death, Malik said he “never got to thank” him for his support during some of the “most difficult” times.

“I will cherish all the memories I have with you in my heart forever,” he said in a post on Instagram.

Read more:
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Malik rose to fame in 2010 when Simon Cowell teamed him up with Payne, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Niall Horan on talent show The X Factor.

Malik left the band in 2015 and all members went on to pursue their own solo careers.

An investigation has been launched into Payne’s death by prosecutors and three people have been charged in connection with the incident.

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Kanye West accused of sexual assault on set of music video in new lawsuit

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Kanye West accused of sexual assault on set of music video in new lawsuit

Rapper Ye – formerly known as Kanye West – has been accused of sexual assault in a civil lawsuit that alleges he strangled a model on the set of a music video.

Warning: This story contains details that readers may find distressing

The lawsuit alleges the musician shoved his fingers in the claimant’s mouth at the Chelsea Hotel in New York City in 2010, in what it refers to as “pornographic gagging”, Sky News’ US partner network NBC News reported.

The model who brought the case – which was filed on Friday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York – was a background actor for another musician’s music video that Ye was guest-starring in, NBC said, citing the lawsuit.

She is seeking compensatory and punitive damages against the 47-year-old.

A representative for Ye was approached for comment by NBC News on Saturday.

The New York City Police Department said it took “sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously, and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a police report so we can perform a comprehensive investigation, and offer support and services to survivors”.

The lawsuit alleges that a few hours into the shoot, the rapper arrived on set, took over control and ordered “female background actors/models, including the claimant, to line up in the hallway”.

The rapper is then believed to have “evaluated their appearances, pointed to two of the women, and then commanded them to follow him”.

The lawsuit adds the claimant, who was said to be wearing “revealing lingerie”, was uncomfortable but went with Ye to a suite which had a sofa and a camera.

When in the room, Ye is said to have ordered the production team to start playing the music, to which he did not know his lyrics and instead rambled, “rawr, rawr, rawr”.

The lawsuit claims: “Defendant West then pulled two chairs near the camera, positioned them across from each other, and instructed the claimant to sit in the chair in front of the camera.”

While stood over the model, the lawsuit clams Ye strangled her with both hands, according to NBC.

It claims he went on to “emulate forced oral sex” with his hands, with the rapper allegedly screaming: “This is art. This is f****** art. I am like Picasso.”

Read more from Sky News:
Cillian Murphy and his wife buy a cinema
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Universal Music Group is also named in the lawsuit as a defendant and is accused of failing to investigate the incident.

The corporation did not immediately respond to a request for comment by NBC.

Jesse S Weinstein, a lawyer representing the claimant, said the woman “displayed great courage to speak out against some of the most powerful men and entities within the entertainment industry”.

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