Oscar night is fast approaching – and since many of your friends and loved ones will be glued to their TVs when the big evening comes, why not gather everyone together for an Academy Award fiesta at your place? Here are some creative Oscar party ideas certain to make the night a memorable one:
Host an Oscar Pool
Hand out a list of all the categories and nominees. Then ask your guests to check off what they predict will win in each category. Have everyone contribute a small amount of money to a pool – the person with the most correct answers wins the dough. Oscar night is often a long one, so this activity is a time-tested Oscar party staple that helps to keep your guests engaged throughout the entire ceremony.
Movie Trivia
Oscar night is a perfect time to engage in fun film trivia games with friends. Do some research and prepare a variety of questions, from ones that the average moviegoer would know to ones certain to challenge even the most diehard film buffs. Then you can make teams or play every-man-for-himself-style. It's a great way to fill the time during commercial breaks and lulls in the Oscar ceremony.
Paparazi Fun
Set up a photo-op backdrop against one of your walls and, as guests enter the party, invite them to have their photo taken. This will make them feel like the stars arriving on the Red Carpet – and an added bonus is that your guests will have fun pictures of themselves and their friends to commemorate the party.
Play “Who Am I”
Cut out and decorate cardboard stars (the more glitter the better). Then pen the name of a famous Hollywood figure on each one. Tape a star on the back of every guest and have them try to determine who they are by asking ‘yes’ and ‘no’ questions of their fellow guests. This is sure to give everyone a good Oscar night laugh.
Glamorous Invitations
Prepare your guests for a great night by sending Oscar-themed invitations. Some possibilities: opt for a large thick-papered white envelope sealed with red wax if you want your guests to feel like they’re opening an actual Academy Award announcement (“and the winner is…”), make a movie-collage invitation with images from the year’s biggest films, or glue each guest’s photo on the body of a movie star for a fun and personalized invitation.
Wednesday, February 1st
7 to 8:30 p.m.
The Conference Center at Penn State Great Valley
All events are free and open to the community. Pre-registration is recommended.
Get an up-close perspective on the 2012 Van Gogh exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Van Gogh was an artist of exceptional intensity, not only in his use of color and exuberant application of paint, but also in his personal life. Drawn powerfully to nature, his works–particularly those created in the years just before he took his own life–engage the viewer with the strength of his emotions. Curator Jennifer Thompson will discuss his tumultuous years, a period of feverish artistic experimentation that began when Van Gogh left Antwerp for Paris in 1886 until his death in Auvers in 1890.
The exhibit, Van Gogh Up Close, runs February 1 through May 6, 2012 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
For an anniversary or birthday, grab your sweetheart and a bottle of wine and head to Fond. Situated on up-and-coming Passyunk Avenue, Fond has simple, sleek decor to create a cozy interior. Fond offers a similarly sparse, yet appetizing, menu of contemporary American cuisine, which varies depending on the season, ensuring the freshest, most seasonal food. Depending on the season, diners can share a garlic-y appetizer of escargot or the popular veal sweetbreads then enjoy entrees of swordfish or strip loin. The light, mostly organic meats come served in moderate portions on appealingly arrayed plates. The modest portion sizes allow diners to save room for the reasonably priced, yet very rich, desserts (Meyer Lemon layer cake, dark chocolate torte, and so on). Make sure to reserve a table online or over the phone to save your place at Fond for that special occasion!
Fond
1617 E. Passyunk Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 551-5000
The recording industry is changing quickly with the rapid rise of digital music, and streaming is becoming a preferred way to hear great tunes. Instead of clogging up your shelves or your hard drive with music files, these services let you reach out into the cloud and select from a massive library of songs. Here are four great music sites:
Spotify.com is the current darling of the streaming music world, letting you listen to full albums by a huge variety of artists. The service is free at the base level, but the paid subscription options add important features. With their offline mode, you can download songs and listen to them even when you don’t have an Internet connection.
Last.fm is one of the most well-established streaming music services. It allows you to set up and share customized playlists as well as discover new music through a "related artists" feature. It also lets you connect with people who have similar tastes and explore their favorite artists.
Pandora.com is an intelligent radio service that, unlike some of the other sites on this list, removes control from the user in favor of a clever algorithm that explores music by genre and style. By entering an artist’s name, you build a custom radio station and discover new favorite songs.
Live365.com uses the radio station model for its playlists, featuring a wide range of different genres of music carefully selected by experts for maximum listening enjoyment. The site offers both free and subscriber-only options.
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