Where Are You Watching The Oscars?

By Steven Pate in Arts & Entertainment on Feb 18, 2011 10:30PM

Most of us will be watching the Oscars at home or with friends, and this is without a doubt the best way to enjoy them. We are very fortunate to have a standing invite to a gathering helmed by seasoned Oscar Party host, but if you're a novice in this department and someone who hasn't thrown a party of any kind before, the Academy has a Party Kit for you. Don't forget to turn on your television, too. If you have to venture out, there are several local options.

• There are only 50 Academy-sanction Oscar Night America parties around the country, but the bash at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of them. In addition to sipping cocktails and enjoying the simulcast of the awards ceremony on both of the big screens, there will be food, raffle prizes and a red carpet for you to walk on. Cocktail attire, please. A few tickets remain, so get your $100 ready and head to the Film Center website to RSVP.
• Lincoln Hall hosts an Oscar evening with a cocktails beginning as early as 4:30 and red carpet roasting preceding the 7 p.m. main event on their 220" projector. Raffle prizes, a best dressed lookalike contest and a ballot contest will also be on hand, with Mercedes Tyler hosting and Quixotic Comedy performing. The price is right: FREE.
• North Halsted Oscar Night staple Kit Kat club also chips in with a party this year, with a Black Swan theme. Red Carpet action starts at 5:30, and there will be a performance by the University Ballet of Chicago at some point during the evening. The martinis are half-price all night, so fill out your ballot early before you can't write legibly.
• Elsewhere in Boystown, The Center on Halsted features a Red Carpet Pre-Show and a Silent Auction before the Awards telecast, along with cocktail, a buffet and a red carpet. Tickets start at $75 (with $125 tickets for premiere seating and tabel service), and all but $55 of your ticket is tax-deductible.
• Richard Roeper headlines an oscar party at Rockit Bar and Grill, with food from the bar, Oscar pools and themed cocktails. Tickets start at $50.