Every year millions of Americans hunker down in the comfort of their living room surrounded by finger foods and drinks to watch the Academy Awards. Nestled between friends, they cheer favorites and stain furniture and it's safe to say someone probably created a pool-bracket so at the end of a night the Best Guesser, or "Industry Buff", can be crowned.
Oscar is Exclusive
We resign ourselves to these domestic celebrations for a number of reasons. For starters, since the first Academy Awards in 1929, the event has been invitation only. However, even with that barrier removed, the travel, cost, and hassle of actually going to LA prove obstacles. And of course, this all assumes you would want to in the first place. In fact, many people prefer a small gathering, sprawled around a television in the comfort of good company.
An Oscar Party with the Academy
But maybe the glamour, the lights, the pizazz of it all are enticing to you. In that case the exclusivity combined with stone-faced guardians of VIP party doors might really irk you. Getting into the Awards Show is practically impossible and slinking through the seams into a commercialized after party are slim to none, unless you have a social network that can leverage something of this caliber.
However, if you are intent on finding some glamour on Oscar night beyond that imported hummus on your TV snack tray there is good news. The second largest Oscar Party in the country, behind the main event itself, is the Academy of Friends Gala in San Francisco, a Black-Tie Oscar affair with food and drink tasting, a silent auction, and dancing.
Not unlike us, The Academy of Friends began as a pack of friends who used to fit the above description: comrades in a house armed with food and drink celebrating the Academy Awards. Since 1980 they have thrown Oscar parties with food, champagne, and an attempt creating an air of celebrity magic to raise money for the fight against AIDS. Twenty years later the party has metamorphosed into the AOF Gala, the premiere Bay Area charity event.
Oscar Party: A Good Recipe
Of course, if you cannot make the Gala, or transport yourself into the real thing, the recipe for a good time is simple:
1. Friends - to make the marathon ceremony fun and engaging it helps to have friends for competitive predictions and ensuing debates.
2. Food - Lots of snacks for maximum noshing. Since it is over 2 hours it helps to be constantly eating instead of putting away one big meal, which might induce a mild food coma, forcing you to "rest your eyes" and miss a good portion of the broadcast.
3. Drink- Martinis for the striving stars, wine for the "classy", and cold beer all compliment an appetizer-laden meal. If you plan on having martinis for the duration, you'd better bring a sleeping bag if the party isn't at your house.
4. Games- Either a guess sheet or Academy Trivia is a great way to pass the many advertising breaks. They also spark engagement and conversation.
For information about the Academy of Friends Gala, visit www.academyoffriends.org
