How to Host an Academy Awards DVR Viewing Party

The stars will be out in Los Angeles…and not the ones you can see through the smog. The nominees of this year’s Academy Awards (a.k.a the Oscars) are ready to shine and the best seats for people watching--or star gazing--are at your place.At this party you don’t have to sit through the speeches that should get the hook like the ones who thank their great grandma’s cousins neighbor, and commercials about pharmaceuticals you will never use. Here are the steps to use your DVR’s stop, play, and pause abilities to their full potential.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Party decorations
• Food and beverage
• Containers for game pieces
• Printer with paper
• Tivo or DVR

1. Get the Goods: The key element for this party is a DVR. If you don’t have one, contact your cable provider or grab Tivo from an electronics store. Make sure you allow enough time to get your service running before the big event.
2. Action: Like a movie, a party needs “action” to get things going. Feature a "sighting" scavenger hunt to encourage guests to really watch the show. If you want to contest a possible sighting, just pause, rewind, and vote. Below is a list of items for guests to find. Feel free to add a few zingers:
   
   •Improperly tied, clip on, pre-tied, or red bow-tie
   •Brown shoes with black tux
   •Too much gel in hair
   •Cleavage ooops
   •Someone tripping on the carpet
   •Joan Rivers not knowing a celebrity’s name
   •Someone staring into the monitor
   •Political statement
   •Air kisses
3. Press "Pause": Think of acceptance speeches as an opportunity to press "pause" and have guests step in and make acceptance speeches of their own. Print out pieces of paper with fake people, places, and things for your guests to thank. Place them in three separate containers, and when each guest stands up to give their speech they take a piece of paper from each container. Here are some ideas:
   
   •People: Your mom for…
   •People: The Wicked Witch of the West for…
   •People: The waitress at the diner down the street for…
   •Thing: My favorite fanny-pack for…
   •Thing: My ping-pong table for…
   •Place: McDonald’s for…
   •Place: Car # 9 on the R Train for…

Tips & Warnings

• You want to make sure you are getting the most out of the DVR experience, so any excuse to pause, rewind, fast forward, or view someone falling on the red carpet in slow motion is always encouraged.

Who Can Help:

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