Throw an Academy Awards Party Your Guests Will Love

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be held at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, California but the best place to view the show will be right in your living room with these simple tips and tricks.

Choose Your Theme
Every party host needs a theme to make the evening memorable and fun. Anything is possible so use your imagination to decide on a theme that is truly fantastic and individual to your specific tastes. Some ideas include: Black Tie Affair, Pajama Party, Dress Like Your Favorite Academy Award Star, Wear Your Favorite Film of 2009 and Old Hollywood. Tell your guests well ahead of time so that they can go shopping for the perfect outfit. Give an award for "Best Dressed" or "Best Movie Star Look-Alike". Keeping your guests on their feet with games and awards will help move the evening along and ensure that everyone gets involved and has some fun. A great prize idea could be movie tickets, boxes of popcorn or even Oscar statuettes purchased from your nearby mall for a tiny price.

Printable Ballots
One really great and easy idea is to utilize the printable ballot found on the official website for the Academy Awards. It is located here: http://oscar.go.com/media/2010/pdf/OSCAR_BALLOT.pdf?cid=10_oscars_rightrail_oscar-night. Print out enough ballots to ensure that every attendee has one to mull over before the ceremony begins on television. Collect the ballots before the show starts so that everyone plays fairly and no one has time to change their answers when the categories are announced (hey, we all get a little competitive sometimes). Prizes can be awarded at the end of the evening (assuming your guests are still awake after the long telecast) so make sure you have a few different items on-hand to present to your friends.

Have Fun with the Menu
The menu for your Academy Awards party can be anything you desire. From movie theater popcorn popped in your very own popcorn machine to a cotton candy caddy and kettle corn, the possibilities are endless. Ordering pizza can be just as fun as creating a sit-down dinner for twelve. It all depends on your taste and your theme. One word of advice: Make sure your guests know whether or not dinner is included at your event. No one wants a hungry, grouchy guest...or host!

Arm Yourself with Knowledge
As the party host, your guests will look to you for information on the films presented in the telecast. While it's not necessary to go out and view every single film nominated, it would be a good idea to see some of the multi-nominated films because chances are they will be the talk of the party. Choose a day sometime before the party and invite friends out to the theater with you to watch a movie or two (or three, or four, etc.). What a great way to get excited about your big party with the people who will be there as your guests!

The 82nd Annual Academy Awards will air on ABC on Sunday, March 7, 2010. Visit the Academy Awards official website for more details: http://oscar.go.com.