It's no secret most people don't get invitations to the Oscars. But that doesn't mean you can't enjoy Hollywood's biggest night from the comfort of your own home. From decor to delicacies, here's how to plan an Oscar party to remember.
Not unlike watching the Super Bowl, Oscar Sunday is a great day for star-gazing with friends.
"The Oscars, you want to enjoy the party, so you can prepare it all in advance," said Ashley James, executive chef at the Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills.
Put out movie posters and memorabilia, maybe a red carpet runner: Doing advance work helps to make your Oscar home party award-winning.
Start with invites.
"Even if you're celebrating with two or three people, it's great to make it that much more ceremonious by sending an invitation," said Marc Friedland, chief style director, Evite Postmark.
Friedland actually created the official winners envelope for the Oscars. Now it's been digitally duplicated in the form of an electronic invitation or "e-vite."
"It is all available at no charge," said Friedland.
Even more fun, get Oscars Red Carpet Bingo cards that you download and print out and play while watching stars arrive on the red carpet. Looking for items of interest like who's got a baby bump, who's arriving with their mother for example. Have guests fill out ballots and run your own contest.
"You can have fun prizes like the 'golden hangar award' for the best dressed," said Friedland.
So you've fancied up your house. You put on some fancy clothes. Now it's all about the food.
"The dishes I've prepared, they're all pretty much finger food or easy food, comfort food," said Ashley James.
"Let's face it: You want to watch the Oscars. You don't want to be in the kitchen slaving away," said James.
Oscar Night Recipes
Croque Monsieur Recipe for 'Les Misérables'
Cucumber-Mint Raita with Grilled Papadums Recipe for 'Life of Pi'
Philly Cheese Inspired Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe for 'Silver Linings Playbook'
Shirazi Salad Recipe for 'Argo'
Oscar Night Fun
With Oscar Sunday just days away, play the My Picks game to choose who you think will win in each award category.
The My Picks experience will live on Oscar.com, the Oscars App, Facebook, ABCNews.com, OTRC.com and GMA.Yahoo.com. Play My Picks right now!
Have a smart phone or tablet? Download the free official Oscars app to get news and updates about the show. It's available for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
Get the full list of 2013 Oscar nominees
The Oscars will air live on ABC7 on Feb. 24.
Oscar Sunday lineup:
- 1:30 p.m.: On The Red Carpet at The Oscars
- 4 p.m.: The Oscars Red Carpet Live
- 5:30 p.m.: The Oscars
- 8:30 p.m.: On The Red Carpet at The Oscars
- 10 p.m.: Jimmy Kimmel Live
- 11 p.m.: Eyewitness News
