5 ways to get party-ready for the Oscars

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By Robin McMacken, Staff Writer 1:43 PM Saturday, February 11, 2012

Editor’s note: Every Sunday in Life, our Steals and Deals will examine all aspects of shopping: from consumer hints and strategies to fabulous finds, local deals and what’s trending.

I am already over Valentine’s Day. (After all, it’s on a Tuesday.)

I am over Super Bowl Sunday, Gisele’s rant and the talk about the Clint Eastwood ad.

On to the next February reason to shop and plan for a soiree: The 84th annual Academy Awards to be broadcast Feb. 26 on ABC.

I picked the brains of my colleague Amelia Robinson, who is almost legendary in her party-planning ability, and Megan Cooper, executive director of FilmDayton, for five easy ways to add glitz and glamour to any fete you might be planning:

• Both women suggest setting a theme.

“Oscar-themed parties can go lots of different directions,” says Cooper. “The host for one of my favorite parties serves dishes that reflect some of the themes or titles of the nominees,” she explains.

Two clever examples:

Pineapple upside-down cake for “The Descendants,” set in Hawaii.

Or decorate powdered-sugar ball cookies to look like baseballs in celebration of “Moneyball.” (Best actor nominee Brad Pitt portrays a Oakland A’s general manager placed on a budget.)

• Let guests know well ahead of time what your theme is so they know what to expect — or bring — or wear.

For eco-friendly and free invitations to email people, visit www.evite.com. Several groovy awards-party theme designs are available.

Amelia invited folks to her Oscar bash via Facebook’s invite-only function.

(Just don’t forget friends or family members who might not be on Facebook.)

• Get people invested in the outcome. “Ballots are available online (www.oscar.com), so you can encourage guests to make their predictions and get in a pool for bragging rights or prizes,” says Cooper. She also suggests playing movie trivia or film-themed Pictionary during the commercial breaks.

• Be inventive with table decor. Amelia spraypaints Ken and Barbie dolls gold. She also likes to cut Oscar-related photos from Entertainment Weekly and then frame them.

• Log on to www.oscar.com for cool stuff, a downloadable ballot, and even a nifty (and free) official Oscars app for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

And if you simply don’t want to plan a party, then attend FilmDayton’s Oscar bash Feb. 26 at Geez Pub & Grill in Kettering.

The event starts at  7:30 p.m. Admission is $10 for members and $20 for nonmembers.

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