-
Step 1
Go see as many of the nominated movies as you can.
Do not listen to any "experts" (spoilers) tell you who they think will win. A lot of them call every actor and ask him or her whom they voted for, so of course they know.
Mute the TV, hit the power button, or cover your ears and sing "la la la" if someone on a talk show, news show, or any show starts talking about their movie or the joy of being nominated (tape it and save it for later). -
Step 2
Work on your gardening, knitting, housework, start your taxes, learn a foreign language, or start reading War and Peace (okay, Harry Potter) with your kids a chapter a night, until Oscar night to avoid the TV. It will be a long month.
Do not watch or read any nominee interviews (save them for after). Do not watch the Barbara Walters' Special.
Tell family and friends that you do not want to know anything about the Oscar nominated movies or actors before the show. If you do not trust your family or friends, keep you mission a secret (subtly change the subject, or go to the bathroom) some people do try to tell you everything if they think you don't want to know. -
Step 3
Take a nap the afternoon of the Oscars, and do not turn the TV on until the show begins (not the red carpet thing--the show).
Almost everything on the Oscars will be a surprise if you are successful. (When Penelope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress for Vicky Cristina Barcelona I was happily shocked--everyone else was saying, "Oh they told us that..." Good luck.
