Oscar voters’ nomination ballots are due Wednesday, and the stars and producers of awards season movies are jockeying for position until the very last minute.
“Cabaret” winner Liza Minnelli threw her weight behind Focus Features’ “Dallas Buyers Club” by hosting a Monkey Bar lunch for the film. Minnelli personally reached out to star Matthew McConaughey to congratulate him on his moving performance, and told him Monday, “Honey, if you don’t win the Academy Award, you can have mine!” She also praised Jennifer Garner as “[bleeping] great.”
Blocks away at the St. Regis, the Weinstein Company hosted a tea for its Best Picture contender “Philomena” with director Stephen Frears and co-star and co-writer Steve Coogan.
Judi Dench was in India shooting “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel 2.” (Coogan quipped of critics: “Do I read reviews? I don’t read all of them . . . Of course I read the one in The Post, and, of course, I disagree vehemently with Kyle Smith . . . but we live in a democracy . . . it’s fueled the conversation. I don’t mind one or two bad reviews. If they’re all bad then I’m upset.”)
Sony threw a Sunday party for “American Hustle” at LA’s Sunset Tower Hotel, where guests included John Travolta, Lorne Michaels and Tim Robbins. “The Graduate” writer Buck Henry was spotted chatting with its star, Dustin Hoffman.
On Tuesday, Paramount will fete Leo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese along with Bruce Dern at Michael’s before the trio accepts National Board of Review honors for “The Wolf of Wall Street” and Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska.”
At ‘21,’ Lorraine Bracco will host an event honoring the women of “12 Years a Slave” with Joanna Coles and Meg Ryan.
Proving that heated competition can’t spoil a good Hollywood party, Harvey Weinstein hosted a Palm Springs Festival bash at the Parker Hotel for guests including Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Idris Elba, Naomie Harris, Bono, The Edge, Bradley Cooper, Amy Adams, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Lupita Nyong’o and Steve McQueen.