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    More than 150 Oscar nominees gathered at a Beverly Hills hotel in California on Monday to celebrate the joy of just being nominated.

    Honorees in all 24 of this year’s Oscar categories — from hairstylists to A-listers* — turned out for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences annual nominees luncheon*.

    But the festivities held in a blue-hued ballroom at the Beverly Hilton Hotel were not without a little business — like when Oscar show co-producer Craig Zadan told prospective winners to keep it moving on the big night.

    “Please get to the stage quickly, really quickly,” Zadan said. “The moment you reach the microphone, the timer begins and you will have 45 seconds to speak.”

    Seeking to tighten a broadcast that has approached four hours in recent years, Zadan warned potential group winners to select a designated speaker “who should begin to speak immediately before the whole group has assembled onstage.”

    “The show is successful if the pacing of the evening feels brisk,” he said.

    The 86th Academy Awards will take place on March 2 at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.(SD-Agencies)