Take the Oscars telecast, add 10 to 20 of your closest friends, throw in some award-worthy food and swagalicious gifts and you get one fabulous Sunday evening. Your funny observations about red carpet fashions and witty asides during the speeches are so much better when there are others there to hear them. Here’s everything you need to know to give your guests a night to remember.
Oscar-Themed Eats
You can make your Oscar offerings as easy or elaborate as you’d like. Below are three menus to choose from based on how much (or how little) time you want to spend in the kitchen..
Popcorn Bar
Focus on the fun of movie watching instead of cooking and cleaning. Treat guests to a sweet and savory popcorn bar with birthday cake popcorn, Asiago and thyme popcorn and caramel bacon popcorn. Offer traditional movie theatre candies like Twizzlers or Red Vines, Raisinets, Goobers, Snowcaps, Jujubes, and Junior Mints. Glam it up by offering your guests Champagne.
Global Finger Foods
Honor the nominated foreign language films by creating an international menu. You can buy or make this tasty menu. Serve Polish mini pierogies, Russian apple (Sharlotka) cake, Estonian deviled eggs and sun-dried or stuffed dates to represent Mauritania. Uncork a lovely Malbec from Argentina to round out the spread.
Best Picture-Themed Feast
For the serious foodie or cinephile, theme your food table to the Best Motion Picture nominees. Have your friends guess which movie each dish represents. For example:
- “American Sniper”: Make red, white and blue patriotic treats like red velvet cupcakes with white cream cheese icing and blue sprinkles topped with mini American flags.
- “Whiplash”: Create your own sweet “drumsticks” by topping large pretzel rods with marshmallows and dipping them in different chocolates.
- “Birdman”: Serve boneless chicken wings.
- “Grand Budapest Hotel”: Make Mendl’s Courtesan au Chocolat—the cake that rescues the heroes from prison.
- “Imitation Game”: Imbibe like you’re at an English pub with Boddingtons and Newcastle beers.
No time to prepare eight dishes? Ask guests to each bring a dish or drink themed to an assigned movie. This requires a bit of coordination on your part and some creativity from your guests, but the results are often surprising and funny. Cover the Oscar theme yourself with golden iced sugar cookies cut into award statues.
Friendly Competition
And the winner is…
Have your guests cast their votes for the Oscar award winners in your own mini-competition. Send ballots in advance or hand them out upon arrival to pit your friends against each other. Keep a running tally during the evening and announce periodic. Find free printable 2015 Oscar ballots at The Gold Knight or Fandango.
Oscar Bingo
Another fun way to create winning moments is to give each of your guests an Oscar bingo card to play during the telecast. You can make your own or create a customized version at Anchor Printables for a small fee. Your friends can mark off moments like “winner kisses Oscar” or “shot of Jennifer Lawrence in the audience” then call out “Oscar!” when they get five in a row.
Party Swag
Don’t feel too sorry for Academy Award nominees that lose; they may not take home the golden guy but they don’t leave empty-handed. All nominees get a bag stuffed with gifts totaling upwards of $85,000. Offer your guests some take-home glamour for winning ballot or bingo awards or just give gifts as adult-sized goody bags (why should kids get all the fun?).
Okay, so you won’t be giving your guests a $15,000 walking tour of Japan like last year’s nominees received, but there are definitely Oscar-worthy treats within your budget. It’s too soon to know what’s in this year’s swag bag, but here are some great items from Oscars past:
- Blossom Blends Tea: Choose from combinations like “Time Out” and “Body Beautiful”
- Wag Wrap: Reusable fabric gift wrap for the eco-conscious
- L’Duex: Their tagline, “Love your hair…love your arm candy,” explains these lovely dual use bracelet/hair ties
- Dosha Pops: Artisanal lollipops made using herbal teas
- Betty Jane Homemade Candies: Chocolate, sea salt, caramel, oh my!
- Maggie Wilson Leather Bangle Keyrings: Created on Chicago’s North Shore and sold at Maze Home in Winnetka (735 Elm St.)
Other gift ideas are copies of books that nominated movies were based on such as “American Sniper” by Chris Kyle or “Alan Turing: The Enigma,” the book that inspired “The Imitation Game.”
Get Digital
These days, we don’t just watch TV, we live tweet about it and interact with other viewers around the world on social media. Oscar night is prime time for getting in the digital game.
Twitter Fun
Watch the Oscars play in real time on your television and also in the ticker of Twitter messages. Prior to the show, follow Oscar movers and shakers like show producer Neil Meron (@neilmeron), show host Neil Patrick Harris (@ActuallyNPH) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (@TheAcademy) as in, “I’d like the thank the Academy.” Also add the handles of your favorite comedians and humorists like @FunnyorDie and @e_FashionPolice for live tweets that will keep your partygoers laughing.
During the show, periodically check out tweets with hashtags #Oscars and #Oscars2015 for on-the-fly snark you can share with your group. Each Oscar year, a flurry of new Twitter accounts debut that reflect and build on funny, unplanned moments. For example, previous years have seen the creation of @JLosNipple, @AngiesRightLeg and @AdeleDazeem. If you’re following the Oscar hashtags, you’ll get in on the campy fun.
Oscars Apps
Chicago is one of only eight markets that can utilize the official Oscars app to get a glimpse of the action backstage. Download the “Watch ABC” app at abc.com or iTunes for a live digital stream from the red carpet, behind the scenes and a thank you cam. Install the app on your iPad and you can have it on the table running right alongside the broadcast.
