Oscar producers aim to cut out the boring parts

Among those attending the Oscar lunch were acting nominees Denzel Washington, Sally Field, Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Naomi Watts, Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro.

Also on hand was Ben Affleck, who missed out on acting and directing nominations for his CIA thriller "Argo" but does share a best-picture nomination as a producer on the film.

Affleck said he's thrilled with the awards attention the film has gotten and that he is not sweating his snub as director.

Since he got left out of the directing field on Oscar nominations morning, "Argo" has gone one to dominate other Hollywood awards, including the top prize for Affleck at Saturday's Directors Guild of America honors. "Argo" now has established itself as the Oscar favorite among the nine best-picture contenders, a rarity since films hardly ever win the main award if they are not nominated for best director.

"I just feel so incredibly honored to be nominated as a producer for this movie. To be here at the big party," said Affleck, who shared a screenplay Oscar with Matt Damon for 1997's "Good Will Hunting" but had not been nominated again until this season.

"There are nine amazing movies, any of which could win, any of which would deserve to win if they did. I don't get into worrying too much about who got what and who didn't get what. I mean, I've had many, many, many, many, many, many years watching from home."

About 160 nominees attended the lunch, an annual rite leading up to Hollywood's big night. The 85th annual Oscars air live Feb 24 on ABC.

At the lunch, stars discussed other rites of awards season, such as what to wear Oscar night and how to deal with the stress of it all.