MSN Shopping, May 16th, 2007
There really aren't many television events that you can build a party around. There's the Super Bowl, of course. And a friend of mine once hosted an especially dismal State of the Union gathering which, if nothing else, proved that actual fun should be a key component of any social affair. The annual Academy Awards, on the other hand, is fertile party ground for two main reasons:
1) It's certainly long enough, and 5-8 p.m. are ideal hours for a cocktail party.
2) The languorous pace of the event isn't likely to distract you from having a good time with friends.
If you're thinking of inviting the gang to join you for the festivities on February 25, try planning the evening around one or two of these scenarios.
Imitation is the sincerest form of mockery
Your home may not look much like Hollywood's Kodak Theater (at least let's hope not), but that doesn't mean you can't stage a major production of your own. First, encourage your guests to dress up. Black tie would be ideal and gold lamé is perfect. Feather boas, even better. Hit the thrift stores and remember gaudy is good. If there was ever a time to take a few fashion risks, this is it. If Bjork can get away with dressing up as a swan, the possibilities are limitless indeed. Single-use cameras are required.
Rent a red carpet from a party supply company and run it up to your front door. Velvet ropes would be a nice touch too, but skip the klieg lights unless you plan to move out of the neighborhood the following day. Station all early arrivals, with disposable cameras ready, on both sides of your front walk. They're your paparazzi and their job is to snap shots of all the rest of your guests as they tread the carpet. Air kissing is mandatory.
Once inside, pour the drinks, pass the popcorn and, if you've managed to convince your significant other to play the role of waiter, serve the hors d'oeuvres and dip (Oscar Meyer cocktail weenies or sliced ham optional). Mix well.
Everybody in the pool
Cocktails and betting go together like Hollywood pre-nuptial agreements and marriage. Just ask the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. Instead of passing out full ballots, issue separate ones for each category you choose. (Make sure you lean heavily on the top awards since most of the lesser categories have been awarded before the show gets underway.) Guests sign each of their picks and drop them into the appropriately-labeled Price-Waterhouse manila envelopes for safekeeping.
Every time an award is announced, open the corresponding envelope and give a poker chip to each winner. The guest with the most chips at the end of the night wins the kitty. This makes things more fun through the evening as the competition heats up and eliminates the need for tabulating all ballots after the show. If you'd rather not ask everyone to kick in cash, you can always offer movie passes or DVDs as prizes.
Act up
Pay homage to the era of silent film with a round of "nominee charades." Divide the crowd into two teams. Players take turns drawing the name of a nominated film or actor from the hat and are given two minutes to get it across to their team. Of course you can also pad the hat with hand-picked selections from past award winners. Dances with Wolves, The Silence of the Lambs and Titanic all spring to mind.
Star treatment
Give everyone the chance to be a star … but don't let them know which one. Stick the name of a Hollywood legend on each guest's back. Their mission is to ask other loyal party members a series of yes and no questions to try to figure out who they are. To make things a little more challenging, use the names of stars from the '30s to '60s. To make things a little more interesting, mix the sexes up. It's tough to top a 230-pound guy desperately trying to discover that he's Vivien Leigh.
Enjoy celebrating the glitz, the glamour and the glory and toast the success of the famous and the few. And remember, as Oscar Levant once said, "Strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood and you will find the real tinsel underneath.”
