If you’re planning to have some friends come over for the Academy Awards on Sunday night, there are a few ways that you can liven up the festivities. At the most basic level, you should have everyone fill out a ballot and make their picks for the 2013 winners.

However, there are a few other ways to get everyone in the Oscar spirit even more. Check out some tips for fun additions you can make to your Oscar party – and they are all pretty easy, so I’m sure you can put them in action before Sunday. Happy Oscars!

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Prizes, Prizes, Prizes!

Hey, it's an awards show, after all! You can get prizes yourself or see if everyone can chip in a couple bucks to get some cool ones, like movie tickets or DVDs. It just makes the competition of picking winners that much more fun for everyone. Plus, you can always assign prizes to some of the other party ideas in this gallery (so keep reading!).

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Dress The Part

There's a few ways to do style for your party. You can simply ask people to dress fancy or you can tell people to dress like their favorite past Oscar outfit. For a real challenge, pick an actor who has attended multiple years (like Kate Winslet). Then, assign each guest a different year, and they need to base their outfit on the actor's fashion from that year's Academy Awards. See who can put together the best twist on their assigned outfit!

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Film-Specific Food

My professor back in college actually introduced me to the idea of having themed dishes around each of the nominees. Just so you don't have to spend all day preparing food, ask each of your guests to also base a dish around one of this year's movies. That way, you get a whole variety of creative snacks with an Oscar theme!

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Movie Trivia Madness

This makes a great pre-show activity that you can take this in a couple directions. You can do straight up past Oscar trivia or make it specific to this year's ceremony. IMDb.com usually has pretty extensive trivia pages for movies, so collect a bunch of questions and challenge your guests to see who is the most in the know when it comes to movies.

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Oscar Bingo

Keep everyone focused by having bingo at your party. A lot of websites will make their own boards that you can download, but you can also make your own with things to look out for on the red carpet or during the show. They can be general (someone gets a standing ovation) or more specific (so-and-so wears a green dress). Just be sure to vary up the boxes so not everyone gets the same card (I may have made that mistake before). See who can get 5 in a row first!

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Acceptance Speech Showdown

Invite guests to write their own acceptance speech for whatever category they dream of winning. Give everyone about one minute to perform their speech (and if they run long, play them off!) to see who can pull off the best excited/grateful/crying performance. Whoever wins this may not get an Oscar, but they probably should get a prize.

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Play Six Degrees Of Nominees

You've heard of the "Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" game, right? Basically everyone is connected through links of other people. For this game, list out all the nominees and put them in a bowl. Have someone draw out two at random, and see who can link those actors the fastest. No using Google though!

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Make Future Predictions

It's fun to go back a few months and see what movies people thought were sure to win Oscars. If you're planning on having this party annually, after the show have everyone make picks for NEXT year. There's not a whole lot to base it on besides movies you know are coming out, but it'll make a fun surprise to break out those picks at next year's party and see if anyone was close at all.

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Will you be throwing or attending an Oscar party this year? Do you have any Academy Awards traditions? Who or what are you hoping get crowned winners during Sunday’s show? Tell us in the comments! 

 Learn more about this year’s 9-year-old Best Actress nominee!

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Okay, if you still don’t like the sound of any of those things, you may get annoyed when all of your friends are super excited about the game. What better way to make yourself feel better than spoiling their fun?! Here’s eight ways to ruin a Super Bowl party (I mean, perhaps the better thing to do would be to still try to be a good guest and avoid doing these things entirely, but you know, your choice)!

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Make Your BF Hate It, Too!

Hey, you don't really want to be at this Super Bowl party, so why should your boyfriend be enjoying himself?! It's not like the Super Bowl comes around only once a year (oh, wait...). Anyway, starting a fight with your boyfriend before the game starts is a great way to make sure he hates being at the party as much as you do.

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Bring Terrible Snacks...

Instead of bringing a fun Super Bowl snack to share, use the party as an opportunity to pull out whatever leftovers have been lurking in the back of your fridge. Not sure what is in this pot here, but I'm going to bring it so everyone else can deal with it!

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...Then Steal Everyone Else's

Take the chip bowl for yourself and eat right over it so your mouth crumbs lay claim to the bowl. Do the same with any type of hummus or french onion dip laying about by totally participating in as much double (triple? quadruple?) dipping as you like. Now all the food is yours!

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Check What Else Is On

Grab the remote to "just check" what else is going on tonight on the TV. There must be some good Say Yes To Dress re-runs on that some people may not have seen!

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Talk Over Everyone...

It's Sunday night, so don't let that stop you from having your usual gabfest with your mom or BFF. You're not ashamed of your conversations, so no need to leave the room. Just keep talking over the game and the commercials (everyone gets equal interruption!).

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...But Also Be The Noise Police

If people start cheering, be on the front lines to shush them back to an appropriate level. Hey, you're just trying to create a calm environment! Isn't that what everybody wants at a sports-related party?

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Celebrate All Other Sports

The whole day is dedicated to football, so it only seems fair to talk about all the other sports out there and give them attention. Did you know that "football" in England means "soccer?" This seems like the most appropriate time to talk about this. You've even worn a soccer jersey to make your point!

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The Game's Not Over, But The Party Is

If your family or roommates are hosting the Super Bowl party, kick everyone out at least before the fourth quarter starts. Those games don't end until way too late, and you need your beauty sleep! They can just read about the final score tomorrow in the paper or something.

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Are you attending a Super Bowl party this year? Who do you want to win the Super Bowl? Tell me in the comments!

This awesome girl is a football star!

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You’d better believe I was wearing one of these! | Source: Shutterstock

My hopes were more than high. I spent more than two hours getting ready, practicing my coolest dance moves and imagining what I’d say when that super dreamalicious guy approached me on the dance floor. Finally, we parked the car and wobbled into the club in our not-fitting-quite-right (but super chic, or so we thought) heels.

Were there a lot of people there? Yes. But were any of them . . . fabulous? Nope. It was just all the same people we’d seen at other clubs, wearing slightly more ridiculous looking outfits, and trying way to desperately to hit on everybody. After about 30 minutes of complete disbelief, my friend and I decided to ditch the idea of meeting anyone cool and started acting way goofy on the dance floor. We had an amazing time that night, but really only after we gave up our totally unreal New Year’s Eve expectations.

The thing is that December 31st really is just like any other day. Of course you can have an awesomely fun time, but I think you’re more likely to have a night to remember if you’re not expecting to. You know what I mean?

Do you think there’s too much pressure on New Year’s Eve? Tell us in the comments!

What’s Your Dream New Year’s Eve?!

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Have you ever thrown a party let us know in the comments!

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Sleep overs are one of the great things about being a girl. Do boys even have them? Whatever, who cares. From your first overnight party when you were seven to bunking at a Friday night sleep over with your BFF now, some things have changed…but not the fibs you tell!

What You Tell Your Parents

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She said: We’ll probably just rent a movie and paint our nails or something…

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She meant: Carrie got a copy of 50 Shades of Grey. We’re going to drink all her dad’s Schnapps and end up French kissing the pillows.

What to Pack

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She said: Um, I don’t think I need a sleeping bag, Dad. We’re not camping, you know. And Carrie has a guest room!

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She meant: Not like we’re going to sleep anyway!  Besides, I wouldn’t sleep on that spider-infested old thing if a bed of nails was my only other option.

Snacks

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She said: Let’s be super healthy tonight and try this new vegan muffin recipe I found!

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She meant: Oh did someone say Cheetos? And is that Ben & Jerry’s? And doesn’t she live right by In n’ Out??

Finding Your Friend’s Bra

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She said: OMG Jen, this is like something they wear on Mad Men! My head could fit in one of these cups!

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She meant: I’m so effing jealous I can’t even see straight.

Seeing Your BFF Change

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She said: Dude. Natasha. Do you seriously not wear thongs?? Haha you’re like Bridget Jones!

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She meant: So this is why you always look so lumpy in the back! Victoria’s secret is that granny pants leave panty lines, DUH!

Defending Your Stuffed Animal

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She said: Oh my mom must have thrown that in there. AS IF I still sleep with a sock monkey, pfff!

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She meant: Don’t you listen to them, Honey Monk. They’ll never tear us apart!

What You Tell Your Crush the Next Morning

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She said: We totally had a super sexy pillow fight in our undies. It was everything you’re picturing…

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She meant: We rented The Muppets Movie and painted our nails. :/

 
When’s the last sleep over you went to? Do you have any special sleep over rituals? What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you at a sleep over? Tell us everything in the comments!

Never Ever Tell Your Dad Any Of These Things!!

Cinco de Mayo is also a good excuse to dress up your pooch. Just look at this handsome bandito bulldog! | Source: Shutterstock

If you’ve ever asked, “When is Cinco de Mayo“, you’re probably not doing so hot (or caliente) in Spanish class–”Cinco de Mayo” means “Fifth of May,” which is this Saturday!

So what is it? A lot of people think Cinco de Mayo is like the Fourth of July in the U.S. because of its name. However, Cinco de Mayo isn’t Mexican Independence Day (that’s actually September 16!). Cinco de Mayo, which is celebrated regionally in Mexico (as opposed to just about everywhere in the U.S.!), is actually dedicated to the victory of Mexican soldiers over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. This was a big deal because the French army outnumbered the Mexican army 2 to 1 and was considered the best army in the world at the time–they were under Napoleon’s leadership!

While the Mexican army’s victory was pretty short lived–the French went on to win the war a year later (but not for long), the Cinco de Mayo win gave the troops and country as a whole a huge morale boost and a ton of well-earned pride. It was also super important to America, too–if the Mexican army lost the battle of Puebla, it’s widely believed that the French would have gone on to help the Confederate army in the Civil War, which could have made things very different and very scary.

Today, most of Mexico doesn’t go nuts over Cinco de Mayo (do we celebrate the Battle of Ticonderoga every year? Right. Didn’t think so!). But because of the Civil War tie-ins–and the excuse to party–America loves to celebrate the occasion. Think about it: Nachos, Mariachi bands, an excuse to wear a sombrero, and warm spring weather? It’s the perfect recipe for an awesome time, which explains the parades, parties, and pinatas.

Bust out the guac and green, white, and red decorations and get ready to have a good time–but if you’re going out, be sure to drive safely! Bars celebrate Cinco de Mayo harder than anyone, and margaritas and motor vehicles do not mix.

Have you ever heard of anyone asking “When is Cinco de Mayo?” Have you ever been to a Cinco de Mayo party (or fiesta!)? What’s your favorite holiday? Tell us in the comments!

Thinking About Throwing A Cinco de Mayo Party? Here’s How!

Sometimes the best place to shop is your own closet--or your bestie's! | Source: Shutterstock

Ever feel like despite having a closet (and a dresser, and a chest, and maybe another closet) full of clothes that you have nothing to wear? When stuff just starts to feel kinda “meh,” but you still don’t want to toss your good stuff–but may not be able to afford to hit the mall–a clothing swap may be an awesome idea for you.

Hosting a clothing swap with your most stylish pals can be a great way to not only get new (to you!) clothes, but you’ll also find fresh ideas for stuff you already have since your “panel” is all there! On top of the obvious wardrobe benefits, they’re so much fun when all your girls get together… And your mom will be stoked that you volunteered to spring clean out your closet.

Read on to find out how to have the most fun and fashionable clothing swap–also known as a “naked lady party.” Ow ow!

So awkward! | Source: ShutterStock

If there’s one thing girls can always bond about, it’s an embarrassing hookup story. Trust us: we all have them. So don’t be shy! Read this OMG reader hook-up confession, and then send your own to confession@gurl.com.

One day I went over to a friend’s house to go to a party. I thought it was a small get together, but it turned out to be a wild house party. My friends were having a good time dancing while I was sitting in the corner.

So when my crush walked up to me, I was super excited. He asked me if I wanted to go on a walk, and of course I said yes, thinking he was going to kiss me or tell me liked me too. We went outside by the pool, and then… he pushed me in! Fully clothed and in front of everyone!

Luckily, my best friend saved me by jumping in also. Then everyone started to jump in… so I guess it didn’t end up that bad. But I was still totally embarrassed that I was so wrong about him.

Do you think you can top this confession? Send your hook-up confessions to confession@gurl.com. Don’t worry: they’re totally anonymous.

Celebrate girl power and sisterhood with Katniss Everdeen! | Source: kansascity.com

The most highly anticipated movie of the year so far, The Hunger Games, premiered last night. Based on advanced ticket sales, we know you’re already stoked for the movie–it hits theaters on March 23 and is already expected to beat The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn in box office clout!

Since we love The Hunger Games and all the girl power that comes with it, we were psyched to think of ways to throw an amazing Hunger Games party. Check out these Hunger Games-themed party ideas to get a head start before pondering the really hard stuff–you know, like Effie Trinket’s lipstick or Gale vs. Peeta!

*Make your invitations in the style of Panem lottery tickets.

*Show up in costume! Have each of your pals represent a different district. District 1 is luxury, so faux jewels could work, while District 12′s coal mining can be done with overalls and strategic smudging. Get creative, ladies!

*Use an inflatable or plastic kiddie pool to represent the lake in the arena (and to keep your sodas cold).

*Use white roses for centerpieces like President Snow did–pretty and eerie at the same time (they represent death)!

*It’ll be tough to find actual Mockingjays–since, you know, they’re genetically engineered and not real–but you can create your own with stuffed blue jays. Just put a ring on it!

*Have your party favors resemble tributes. Attach them to toy parachutes with a district number on it for each guest!

*Food is an important part of any party. Honor your boy Peeta with some nicely decorated cookies (also fun: give guests the supplies to decorate their own), and check out these awesome recipes for lamb stew with dried plums (Katniss’ favorite!), the chicken with creamy orange sauce that Cinna enjoys, the Mellark Bakery’s goat cheese and apple tarts, and District 11 bread. Thirsty? Sip on some Capitol orange juice, or pour sodas into bottles labeled “Sleeping Syrup.”

The recipe for District 11 bread is pretty easy! | Source: fictionalfood.net

*Use Nerf bows and arrows or squirt guns to play a mean game of Assassin (Here’s how!). Manhunt and Capture the Flag also capture the Capitol essence.

*What kind of Hunger Games party wouldn’t include a Training Days sesh?

Are you excited for The Hunger Games? Do you plan on seeing it opening night? How do you think the movie will compare with the book? Are you Team Gale or Team Peeta? Sound off in the comments!
 
 

Need Music For Your Hunger Games Party? We’ve Got It Right Here!