"Close only counts in horse grenades"

It turns out I majorly jinxed myself yesterday. After being able to find and download all of the foreign nominated pictures, I thought I was golden for the remainder of my films. Of course, never underestimate the obscure nature of documentaries. I was unable to find Chasing Ice (nominated for Best Original Song) and The Gatekeepers (Best Documentary Feature). According to my friend Kerry though, if I listen to the nominated song for two hours straight, I am fine. Therefore, I am going to be one film short (but really two). A little bit of a let down since I am so close but I can't believe how close I actually got this year! Oh well, on with the festivities!

During the four hours of fashion, inevitable musical numbers and awards, I would suggest the always entertaining drinking games for those 21 and up. You can also see who is the most insightful Swami with their Oscar ballots or who has the best dumb luck with bingo.

Now for the food. I'll provide you with as many recipes as I actually have. Some I just come up with off the top of my head.

• For drinks, I'll be making Prosecco with a splash of pomegranate-blueberry juice and a few fresh blueberries tossed in as well. 
• Appetizers will consist of healthy spinach dip, brie and apple crescent rolls, Parmesan-tossed popcorn (self-explanatory), Lemon Sabra hummus with mini-pita rounds and prosciutto, goat cheese and honey crostinis (making this one up as I go). 
• Dessert will be my most pathetic effort: berry-topped, box-made brownies. I had all intentions of making tuxedo strawberries but according to my local grocery man, this week's batch of strawberries were no good due to the cold weather. 

I'll be sure to post pictures tomorrow to let everyone know how this turned out.

In the interest of space and your attention span, you can check out my final ballot here. This is based on who I think the academy will vote for but not necessarily my favorites. For anyone interested, I will also be live tweeting again, @paigehowarth, including snarky retweets from my friend Kerry and updates on the winners.

Thanks again for reading along with my this year. Fingers crossed for better luck next year!

Final score: 50 watched, 2 unwatched