Oscar® Party!
by Jennifer Anderson
The allure of the Oscars® is hard to ignore. Our imaginations take flight when we see the
performances, the images and the sounds of an award-worthy film. We get swept away in the
anticipation of seeing not only who is going to win, but who is going to have on the most
spectacular, and the most unfortunate outfits, who is going to give a moving acceptance
speech and who is going to regret their words in the morning...the excitement of seeing our
favorite actors starring as themselves for one evening... and the suspense of those
interminable seconds that it takes to open the envelope...
Oscar® night is perhaps the one night of the year that brings the stars close enough for all
of us to touch. So beckon Hollywood right into your living room by throwing an Oscar party
to remember! Invite your favorite film buffs, celebrity-gossip-loving pals, and beautiful
people to air out their black ties and sequins and come to your house for an Academy Awards
extravaganza. (Scroll to the bottom of the page to see this year's menus.)
Roll out the Red Carpet (no, really!)
You won't need to do too much decorating for your party since the main spectacle will be on
the TV screen. However, a few well-placed props will add just the right sense of occasion.
If you don't happen to have a red carpet lying around the house, you can pick up a length of
red felt or vinyl for a reasonable price from most any fabric or costume supply store and
unroll it along the walkway leading up to your front door. Add a few more special effects
by shining a spotlight on the walkway and get ready to play paparazzo as your guests
arrive. Snap the shots with a Polaroid camera and everyone will have instant souvenirs of
their glamorous evening. Hang a velvet rope (or a ribbon) across the front door and get a
friend to play "bouncer," treating every guest as a celebrity and lifting the rope for each
one to enter the exclusive ceremony.
The Envelope, Please
Make a copy of the list of nominees
for each guest and ask everyone to arrive at least half an hour before the show begins so
they can fill out their ballots. Buy some small prizes to give to the people who accurately
predict the winners in each of the major categories, or give one big prize to the person
with the most correct guesses. The prizes could be anything from movie rental coupons,
candy, packets of microwave popcorn, entertainment magazines, movie posters, movie
soundtracks, mini Oscar statuettes or bottles of champagne.
And the Main Attraction...
Of course, no soiree would be complete without the appropriate nibbles to match the occasion.
That's where our movie-inspired menus come in! We've made an 'A-list' of recipes inspired by
this year's Best Picture nominees. Pick and choose a few of your favorites, create and entire
dinner menu, or share the list with your guests and turn it into a potluck.
