annual Oscar roundtable, but this year they were forced to submit to a live audience of ticket buyers — a potential antidote for candor if ever there was one — at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

That said, the above awards contenders still had some fun during the two-hour session; celebs talking amongst themselves is the new black. Among the confessions? “We’re all in it for the free food,” jokes Helen Mirren. Cate Blanchett, meanwhile, got in a nice, tangential Battlefield Earth dig, which makes me wonder… did she really watch the movie? I mean, when she and husband Andrew Upton were making it a Blockbuster night, did someone actually pick that up? For the entire Oscar roundtable, click here.