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If anything can make the Oscar's canned speeches, somber montages and questionable fashion choices bearable it's the company of your wittiest friends. A drinking game or two probably wouldn't hurt either.
Whether you go in for glamour or grunge, Oscar Party Tips will give you a few pointers on throwing a killer Oscar bash of your very own.
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Tips for Throwing an Oscar Party
- Go glam or not. You can either go the glamorous route and ask your guests to get all decked out, or host a simpler affair. If you do have your guests put a little extra effort into their attire, you should reciprocate by stepping up the quality of your edibles, decorations and party favors.
- Come up with a game plan. Even if you're planning a BYOB and bag of chips affair, it doesn't hurt to set aside a little time to figure out what your party will entail, logistically-speaking. While an itemized budget is not a must, you might want to plan a few important details such as printing out some extra Oscar ballots before the guests arrive.
- Send out the invites. You can get all fancy with paper invites that look like official Oscar ballots, or you can go digital with free, online invite services like Evite, Renkoo or Event Wax. Don't forget to include the major details, including time, place, dress code and the buy-in price of the Oscar pool if you plan on having one.
- Provide comfortable seating. The Oscars are one heck of a long ceremony. Be sure everyone has a comfy seat and a clear view of the TV screen.
- Theme it up. Since movies are the topic at hand, it's not difficult to come up with creative ways to decorate. Roll out the red carpet, throw some movie posters up or go Planet Hollywood and label a few well-chosen items from around your house like famous film props on display.
- Loop famous movies scenes on your TV. Pre-party, loop a few famous movie scenes on your television, or play a mix CD of soundtrack faves.
- Load up on bite-size movie snacks. Because an Oscar party centers around the television, you'll want plenty of hand-held snacks instead of an elaborate meal. Consider offering cinematic nibbles like popcorn, Milk Duds and Twizzlers. As a rule, you can't go wrong with three salty snacks and three sweet ones.
- Come up with a signature drink. Rename your cocktails after the night's honorees. Wouldn't Bailey's be that much better in your very own "I Drink Your Milkshake" concoction?
- Don't forget the teetotallers. Provide plenty of non-alcoholic beverages for your guests. Lots of people don't drink, and well, the Oscars are darn long. You don't need anyone crashing on your couch come midnight.
- Organize an Oscar Pool. Download a ballot from the Oscars website, let guests fill it out pre-party, have a buy-in and award the booty to the prize winner at the end of the night. You can also forgo the gambling and just have a few Oscar-themed prizes for the winners.
- -For a few extra tips on setting up an Oscar pool without tearing your hair out, make sure to read Mahalo's guide on How to Organize an Oscar Pool!
- Bust out the movie trivia. Those commercial breaks are long, and the accountants of PricewaterhouseCoopers are long-winded. Break up the monotony with some Oscar trivia. Raid the entertainment category of your Trivial Pursuit cards or make your own Q&A pre-party.
- Play 20 Questions. As each guest arrives, put a sticker with the name of a Hollywood star written on it on the guest's back. They can ask other guests "yes" or "no" questions about the star's identity until they guess it.
- Write a treatment. Ask your guests to write a treatment (short description) of the movie of their lives. Who stars as them, and what's the song playing over the opening credits?
- Make up an Oscar Drinking Game: Make up a drinking game according to your own Oscar-specific rules. Every time someone tearfully thanks his or her agent, take a drink. Every time the host's joke bombs, take a drink. Every time Joan Rivers mangles a star's name on the red carpet, take a drink. If you're not keen on serving quite so much alcohol, write the prompts down on homemade Bingo cards so the guests can mark off every time a the orchestra cuts off an honoree.
- Take lots of pics. You can play paparazzo by placing a Polaroid at the door or snapping pics of people pressed against the TV screen next to their favorite stars throughout the party. Afterwards, you can make an online Oscar party scrapbook for your friends with a free service like Scrapblog.
- Provide an alternate viewing area. Some folks remain glued to the screen through the Oscars. Others don't care quite so much. Provide a couple of alternate gathering places in your home for guests who'd like to move around and socialize during the party.
- Make swag bags. Do it like the Hollywood hucksters do. Make swag bags for your guests stuffed with movie-themed goodies. They don't need to be expensive. You can throw some microwave popcorn, Twizzlers and soundtrack mix CD in the bag, and you're done.
- Give out Oscar-themed door prizes. Buy a few Oscar-themed prizes for the winners of your party games like movie gift certificates, a screenplay from one of the nominated films, a book of Oscar trivia or, of course, a fake Oscar.
- Make a soundtrack-heavy mix CD. Surprise your guests with the gift of an Oscar-themed mix CD. Include songs about films and movie stars, or go the soundtrack route.
- Provide rides home. If the booze is flowing, you may need to take a few party-goers home. Stay sober or appoint a designated driver to attend to the tipsier of your guests.
Resources for Oscar Party Tips
- Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences: 80th Annual Academy Awards Nominees
- Oscars.com: 80th Annual Academy Awards Nominee List
- Yahoo! Movies: Coverage of the 80th Annual Academy Awards
- eHow.com: How to Throw an Oscar Party
- Oprah.com: Oprah's Oscar Party Tips
- Oprah.com: Throw a 'Swell' Oscar Party
- Oprah.com: Throw the Perfect Oscar Party
- G4 TV: How to Throw an Oscar Party
- Evite: Oscar Party Ideas
- Epicurious.com: An Oscar Party Fit for the Stars
