Oscar Party: A Night at the Movies

If your friends are into movies and you're not having an Academy Awards party, you're missing out on a great entertaining opportunity! Our has become a great tradition over the last five years or so. It's elegant and black-tie optional. I'll share some of those ideas in the week leading up to the big day. In the meantime, I've realized that there are LOTS of ways you could theme a party like this. Here's one. Turn your house into a theatre and invite your friends over for a night at the movies.

The awards show is an important part of this shindig, so center the party on the room with the biggest TV, then fix it up for your guests. Rearrange things if you need to to provide lots of comfortable seating with places to set drinks and snacks. I like to set chairs of different heights out. Maybe a foot stool in front of the couch. Tall bar stools or director's chairs behind. You want everyone to have a great view! And of course crank up your theatre sound system if you have one. (You might also create "satellite" locations in other rooms too. Turn the TV on in the guest room or kitchen so folks have another area to congregate in.)

Decorate the place with whatever you'd find at your neighborhood theatre. Movie posters and those big stand-alone displays. (Check with theatres or video stores in your area and see if they'll share some of their cast-offs with you.) And it never hurts to have someone volunteer to be the ticket taker/greeter as they come in the door. (No worries--you don't have to get your floor sticky with Coca-Cola--no need to make it that realistic a theatre experience!)

And then there's the food. Everything you'd find at the movies. Of course popcorn. (Rent or borrow one of those big popcorn machines if you can.) The more butter-flavored topping the better. Serve it with lots of paper napkins in red-striped bags or cups you can find at the party supply places. And all the old-fashioned candies--Whoppers, Raisinets, Goobers and Dots--are available at drug stores these days. Buy a whole slew of them and set them out for your guests to grab their favorites. And sodas. And, if you feel obligated to serve a "main course, " set out hot dogs and all the fixings. It's not healthy, but delicious and lots of fun.

This is a kid-friendly party too. They'd love the opportunity to gorge on junk food! They probably won't be too interested in the awards show though, so set up another room with a DVD player showing classic kids' films like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Mary Poppins. Or show some of the recent Academy Award animation winners.

And of course, have giveaways. Whether in a contest to see who best predicts the winners or just random drawings, award prizes like DVD's. movie tickets, passes to your local film festival. Lights...action...PARTY!