Plan an Award Winning Oscar Bash With These Sites

I'm ready for the Oscars, aren't you? I don't know what it is about the Oscars that inspires people to throw lavish viewing parties, but after the lack of awards shows this season, I'm ready to fully join the festivities too. We may not all be able to attend the glamorous parties or walk the red carpet in Hollywood, but we can certainly have a great time watching the Academy Awards with friends and family from the comfort of our living room. If you're planning an award-winning party this weekend, you'll need to visit the sites below to borrow a few great ideas.

1. The Invite: You can always use Evite to send out invitations to your Oscar Party extravaganza, but if you want to hand them out check out this printable Oscar Party invitation or this one.
2. The Food: You can find plenty of great recipes online, but Epicurious put together five movie-themed dinner menus that represent each one of the Best Pictures nominees. Choose between a classy British dinner that honors Atonement or the more hearty American Southwest dinner inspired by No Country for Old Men. You decide.
3. The Cocktails: Ok, so Defamer set out to find drinks that would honor this year's nominees, and found The Polo Lounge had already concocted a whole drink menu for Oscar night. The clever bartenders created the "Blue Slushee" to honor Juno and the "Fixer" for Michael Clayton. YumSugar shows us how to make a Chocolate Martini here as seen in the movie Atonement, and if you need more ideas, check out That's The Spirit who has plenty of movie-themed drink suggestions like "Chicago," "Titanic," and "Bloody Caesar" to get the party started.
4. The Music: Every great party has great music, and Oscar night is no exception so don't forget to head over to iTunes or your favorite online music store and download songs from the Oscar-nominated movie soundtracks. Create a nice mixed playlist and play it before the show begins. I recommend you listen to the "Juno" soundtrack. The music is pretty amazing.
5. The Ballots: Get your guests a little more involved by asking them to fill out a ballot. Chiff.com has a printable Oscar Party Pool Sheet you can hand out to guests that lists all the names of all the nominees from Best Actor and Actress, all the way to Best Original Screenplay. You can also find an official printable ballot over at Oscar.com.
6. The Countdown: Remind your friends there are only 3 days left until your Oscar party by adding this widget to your blog or social network profile.
7. The Gear: You certainly need a big television to enjoy the Oscars, but if you don't have one find out if your friends have a projector you can borrow. There are places that rent out big televisions for these type of occasions too, but that may be a bit expensive. Also don't forget to tell your friends to bring their digital cameras, and if you have digital photo frames, upload pictures of all the nominees and create a slideshow with them. No digital frame, no problem. Use your laptop to or computer screen to play past Oscar moments.

Not sure you want to throw a party? Then go out and celebrate anyway. Most cities have restaurants that celebrate Oscar night, so go online and find out where to meet your friends for a drink. If you live in New York, you can find a few Oscar parties here.