And the award for best Oscar party goes to …

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/03/2018 (3100 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Best actor? Best picture? Best dressed?

No one knows yet. This year’s Academy Awards — likely to dazzle, infuriate and inspire drinking games across America — won’t be handed out until Sunday night.

But we have a sneak peek at one of the envelopes: best Oscar party.

Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times files
Be sure to let the champagne flow at your party like Emma Stone’s 2017 Oscar dress.
Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times files Be sure to let the champagne flow at your party like Emma Stone’s 2017 Oscar dress.

And the winner is… you!

With just a little planning — and this script full of ideas — you can pull off your own star-studded affair. Our guide takes a page from this year’s feature-worthy flicks and indulges a little show-business-style glam. Here’s the trailer: a personalized Walk of Fame, film-themed snacks and swag bags. This is Hollywood, baby!

So, don your best duds, pass out the ballots and hit the theatre — OK, your couch — for a celebration that’s sure to have your guests babbling like first-time nominees.

Act 1: Deck the halls

Anything with the word “Oscars” attached to it needs a little flair. So start with the entryway. If you have a red (or sort of reddish) runner, roll it out, red-carpet style.

Another option? Create your own Walk of Fame. Buy large metallic star cutouts from a party or craft store, then use a permanent marker to write a guest’s name on each. Use double-sided tape to affix each star to the floor.

Give your living room some zip by adding gold, black and white — balloons, paper lanterns or streamers. Finally, dig out any old movie posters you or any teenagers you know have collecting dust in a closet. Ta-dah! You have a theatre.

Act 2: Get gussied up

For the Academy Awards, there’s a show before the show. It’s called the red carpet. Create your own by encouraging guests to dress to impress, and do so yourself. (Remember that sequins-laden slip dress you purchased after three mimosas while on a girls’ trip to Vegas? The one that’s never seen the light of day? This is its moment.) Reserve a space for paparazzi photos along one wall, or create an outside-the-booth photo booth with props, such as boas, sunglasses and a director’s megaphone (Amazon delivers). Motivate your guests with a special prize (mini bottles of bubbly are always great) for best-dressed guest.

Act 3: Pop some corks

Darling, it’s really not a party until the champagne is flowing like that dress Emma Stone wore last year. So, stock up on the real thing — or some other kind of sparkling wine. You’ll be on brand. Bubbly, if you recall, was included with nearly every meal in Darkest Hour. What else should you serve? Whiskey cocktails, of course, compliments of Lady Bird’s eager imbibing of the brown stuff. We suggest partygoers cap the bottle sooner than she did.

Act 4: Theme the snacks

Why not plan an entire menu based on noshes eaten in best-picture nominee films? Consider mini-mushroom quiches, as a nod to Phantom Thread.

If you can find fresh peaches, they’ll make a mean hors d’oeuvre, along with some prosciutto and ricotta on crostini. Anyone who’s seen Call Me by Your Name will either laugh or head for the restroom.

Devilled eggs are the perfect ode to the hard-boiled variety in The Shape of Water.

The Post offers a good excuse to whip up some roast beef sandwiches.

Bhu Mukdeeprom / Sony Pictures Classics
Amira Casar (from left), Michael Stuhlbarg, Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet feature in Call Me By Your Name. You could take some menu cues for your Oscar party from this flick.
Bhu Mukdeeprom / Sony Pictures Classics Amira Casar (from left), Michael Stuhlbarg, Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet feature in Call Me By Your Name. You could take some menu cues for your Oscar party from this flick.

For dessert? How about a frozen version of the creepy Froot Loops-and-milk scene we watched at the end of Get Out.

If you want to keep it simple, make a couple of batches of popcorn, then glam it up and serve it in movie theatre-style boxes.

Act 5: Hand out ballots

Find free printable Oscar ballots online (including on Oscars.com), and give one to each of your guests to fill out. No cheating: once the ceremonies begin, it’s pencils down, kids.

Act 6: And the winner is…

Once the academy has spoken, it’s time to count your ballots. The guest who picked the most categories correctly wins an Oscar! Well, a faux statuette that you got from Amazon, that is.

Need a tiebreaker? Make the finalists give a speech and let everyone else choose who nailed it.

Bonus points for actual tears during an acceptance speech.

Act 7: Send ’em home happy

No one in Hollywood goes home empty-handed. Make a lasting impression with sparkling gift bags. You don’t need to drop a lot of dough. Just look for anything star-shaped (sunglasses or tea lights) or glitzy. Get a set of mini lotions or lip glosses and divvy those up.

And if you’re one of those over-the-top hosts, make some cookies ahead of time with Oscar-shaped cookie cutters. (Hello? We’re still talking about Amazon.) Put them into individual baggies, tied with gold ribbon.

But let’s be clear: the real award goes to you, host of best Oscar party 2018. Just be sure to thank us from the podium.

— Minneapolis Star Tribune

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