LUNCH AND LAUGHS: OSCAR NOMS SCHMOOZE, RELAX AT ANNUAL GATHERING.

Byline: Evan Henerson Staff Writer

For one afternoon at least, awards-season hopefuls -- front runners and dark horses alike -- shared an equal footing. At the annual nominees luncheon, held Monday at the Beverly Hilton, the occasion is all about enjoying a meal, marveling over how far they've come and wishing each other luck.

Best actor nominee Will Smith (for ``The Pursuit of Happyness'') followed fellow category member Forest Whitaker (``The Last King of Scotland'') into the interview room and proclaimed, ``He's been taking my stuff everywhere I go.''

Whitaker has taken every critical prize to date, while Smith has been shut out. Yet Smith insisted, ``To see Forest win makes me feel good. I might not have felt as good if (Leonardo DiCaprio) had won.''

Sound mixing nominee Kevin O'Connell (``Apocalypto'') is up for his 19th Oscar without a win to date. The sound editor, who left behind a job as a firefighter 29 years ago, says he keeps memorabilia from all Oscar-related functions -- including bar napkins. Nomination certificates? He's kept every last one.

``There's no more room on my wall,'' O'Connell said, ``but there's plenty of room on my mantle.''

Helen Mirren is having the opposite problem. The bicoastal British actress, who has won every major award for her role in ``The Queen,'' joked that she is building additions to the homes she shares with director Taylor Hackford in England and Los Angeles simply to accommodate the awards-season loot.

``There will be a loop of all my acceptance speeches,'' Mirren said. ``Any visitor will have to endure it for 10 minutes.''

Best screenplay nominee Iris Yamashita was working for a software company when writer/director Paul Haggis tabbed her to collaborate on Clint Eastwood's ``Letters From Iwo Jima.'' Not too long ago, acting nominee Jackie Earle Haley was driving limousines, delivering pizzas and doing corporate videos before returning to cinema with an Oscar nominated role in ``Little Children.''

``I am tripping out,'' Haley said. ``This gives me the biggest warm fuzzy I could ever imagine.''

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz said her best actress nominated role in ``Volver'' has opened doors for her in American films. ``The way people are looking at me in the American market is changing now,'' Cruz said.

When he learned of his first Oscar nomination, ``The Departed's'' Mark Wahlberg noted that he was finally able to call his parents with good news. In his youth, the actor said he was arrested by the Boston Police Department more than 20 times. Now he's an Oscar nominee for playing a tough-talking Boston cop.

``It bothered (co-stars) Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon that my character was getting in their face all the time,'' Wahlberg said, ``And they really couldn't do anything about it.''

Although she used an interpreter to answer most of the questions thrown her way, ``Babel's'' best supporting actress nominee Rinko Kikuchi had no need for a translator when asked about her wardrobe for Oscar night. ``It's a secret,'' Kikuchi said.

Evan Henerson [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

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5 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) Helen Mirren and Peter Morgan, nominees for ``The Queen,'' arrive at the annual Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon.

(2 -- color) Peter O'Toole, recognized this year for his role in ``Venus,'' has received seven previous best actor nominations. He took home an honorary award in 2002.

(3 -- color) Will Smith finds himself in pursuit of the gold guy for his role in ``The Pursuit of Happyness.''

(4 -- color) Mark Wahlber, who copped a nomination for ``The Departed,'' says he has a history with the Boston PD.

(5 -- color) Jennifer Hudson is a first-time nominee for her first-ever film role in ``Dreamgirls.''

Andy Holzman/Staff Photographer