By Maggie Kruger

Toot your horns and sound your trumpets, it’s only the Oscars!  As I live in the UK and have to be at work on a Monday morning, the chances of me staying up to watch the ceremony are as skinny as Renee Zellweger, but for you lucky souls living Stateside, give Oscar Night a go next weekend– if only for me, so I know that someone out there is enjoying it whilst I’m attempting to get my 8 hours in.

Prepare for the Event

We’re not just talking about getting your mates around to watch the show here, you need to think a little bigger: food, games, and yes, dressing up for the occasion is obligatory.  Like most themed evenings, it takes some organisation, but with a little effort and forward planning, you can make it a lot of fun.

To get in the mood, sit yourself down and watch In and Out.  This is a glorious, wonderful, Oscar-themed comedy that is perfect for the occasion: it’s short, it’s sweet, and it’s got Tom Selleck in it, which can never be a bad thing. (By the way, is anyone else totally excited about the new Three Men and a… film?  It’s going to be brilliant).

Keep the Cuisine Classy

Next, think about your food: specifically, canapés.  Not just finger food, but something classy and a little bit swish.  Plug in ‘canape recipes’ into your favourite search engine or have a look on this food website and it’ll give you some good ideas.

You might want to think about drinks at this point too – champagne is fun and an obvious starting point, but why not think about some classic cocktails, or even some movie-themed drinks?

Add Your Own Soundtrack

Whilst you’re preparing your food and drink (and possibly also decorating…  Some silver balloons and artfully placed votive candles add to any occasion I find), what better accompaniment than your favourite movie soundtracks cued up on your MP3 player?  My own personal favourites include anything from the Rocky films, Dirty Dancing or Dick Tracy – whatever floats your boat.

If you don’t want to put a playlist together then any movie soundtrack compilation CD will do.  Make sure it’s upbeat, however, to get you in the party spirit: The Piano OST is also one of my favourites, but it doesn’t exactly scream ‘fun-times get together’, does it?

Play Games… Just Like They Do in Hollywood!

So, the party arena is set: now, to prepare your games.  You don’t want anything that’s going to distract you too much from the actual ceremony.  Write or print out the nominees from each category and as each guest arrives ask them to write out their predictions.  Whoever gets the most right at the end of the night should receive a prize.

You can also play the Oscar Drinking Game – take a drink every time:

You get the idea – try and think of some games of your own and leave them printed out around the room.  Of course, you don’t have to make this a drinking game, but just remember that you’re going to have to sit through all the technical awards and I honestly can’t think of another way to make those interesting.

Now that everything’s ready, go and get yourself dressed. Get your gladrags on and pour yourself a drink, welcome your guests and settle down for an evening of fun, food and posh frocks!

Maggie Kruger fell asleep on her dad’s lap on her first cinema trip to watch Return of the Jedi in 1983, and has loved the movies ever since, even going so far as to study them at college, where she worked on a number of short films. She lives and works in London, UK, and will tell you that her favourite film is Dr Strangelove, although when pressed will also admit a certain weakness for 1980’s brat pack movies and most of Adam Sandler’s early work.

Follow her on Twitter at @emmizzykay .