Here's a list of general things you can do to set the stage for your party:
- Buy, rent, or make a red carpet out of fabric or carpet remnants to welcome your guests at the door.
- Before the big show begins, play the soundtrack from your favorite Oscar winning movie in the background.
- Pretend that you're one of the paparazzi and snap instant photos of your guests as they arrive at the party. Put them into cardboard frames that have been decorated with stars and give them as party favors.
- Decorate with large silver and gold star cutouts, either purchased or homemade.
- Use black, gold and/or silver tablecloths and napkins.
- Decorate your table with star confetti and glitter.
- Dangle unwound rolls of film from your ceiling.
- Don't plan a sit down dinner. You need food that can be eaten in front of the television balanced on plates.
- Prepare an Academy Awards trivia game to play with your friends during the commercials. Award prizes at the end of the evening for highest and lowest scores.
- Hand out ballots before the ceremonies begin. After tallying all the scores at the end, hand out awards for most and least correct picks.
And now here are suggestions for decorations and menu items that will remind your guests of the Best Picture nominees.Mix and match recipes to reflect either your favorite cuisine or movie.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
- Incorporate beautiful Chinese silks into your decor.
- Drape them over chair backs, or hang them from your ceiling over your buffet table either vertically or horizontally.
- Since so many of the fabulous fight scenes took place among the treetops, arrange large or small bamboo plants around your rooms.
- Serve Chinese food as part of the menu. Choose appetizers like dumplings or egg rolls to start the meal.
- I would suggest a toxic waste punch, along the lines of a Halloween Swamp Slime Surprise, with the caveat that it would only work if your guests have a good sense of humor.
- How about settling for posters of Julia Roberts? After all, she is the movie.
Gladiator
- Create a centerpiece of bread loaves to commemorate the Roman "bread and circuses."
- Imprint the ubiquitous Roman acronym SPQR (Senatus Populusque Romanus) into your pâté or on the top of a cake you're serving for dessert.
- Serve Italian food. Lasagna is a perennial favorite and balances well on party plates. An Italian salad will round things out well.
Traffic
- Elegant party planners, close your eyes. Now, for everyone else: put out bowls of confectioners sugar.
- Serve Mexican food. Quesadillas are a fun party food.
- What a great opportunity for a dessert buffet! Celebrate the movie by serving all chocolate desserts. Mix a few white chocolate selections in with the milk and dark chocolate choices.
- In addition to coffee, teas and other beverages, serve Mexican hot chocolate.
- If your buffet isn't rich enough, you can add French food to your selections. How about some Foie Gras among the appetizers?
