Who Will You Be Rooting For Come Oscar Night Both On and Off the Red Carpet? #PEOPLEforOscars #PMedia

Are you excited about the Oscars, which air on ABC this Sunday, February 24th, starting at 7E/4P.  Even though I love seeing who takes home each award, especially Best Actor, Actress and Movie, I have to say my favorite part of the Oscars is the pre-show Red Carpet Walk.  There is something about this magical night that makes you stop and take notice of what each of the celebrities are wearing.

Since college, I have had a small group of friends who come to my home and spend the better part of the afternoon and evening preparing for and watching the Oscars.  Once the nominees are announced, that is when we start planning our annual Oscar bash.  Even though we all now have children, it is the one night a year that we pencil in our calendars, as if it is a mandatory appointment or vacation day, and have our husbands watch the children, so we can get together and watch the Oscars.  Yes, our husbands think we are crazy, but hey, we spend most of our days in sweatpants or pajamas taking care of the children -- we deserve a night to dress up, pamper ourselves, enjoy tasty tapas we each make and sip great tasting wine, as we watch each celeb take to the red carpet. 

And, like John Rivers and all the other fashion critics, we sit there and dish about the best and worst dresses of the evening, whose makeup and hair was flawless, and the jewels -- this is always a talking a point.  While some think you should all out with bling, others are more reserved and like a more subtle approach.  Either way, from the time the Oscars pre-show starts to the wrap up parties and post-show recaps, we are glued to the television dishing and having fun.

Remember the days of homework in school?  Well, we have homework prior to the big.  However, our homework is more fun.  We tune in to see who is nominated for each category, including the top movies, and make a point to rent and watch each.  This not only gives us something to talk about come Oscar night, but also helps us decide who or personal picks are for each category (as we have a little contest that night).  In addition to watching movies, we also pick up copies of PEOPLE Magazine a few weeks prior to the big night and begin picking out celebs we are most excited to see grace the Red Carpet.  Once we have gathered twelve must-see celebs, we send our lists off to Sue (the crafty one in the group).  Sue, then turns each of our must-see celebs, which we have chosen from the pages of the PEOPLE Magazine into a Bingo card.  Come Oscar night, we use these Bingo cards kind of like score cards, marking off each block with a celeb in it that we all agree rocked the carpet.  For those who had a fashion miss, we leave these boxes blank.  Once everyone walks the red carpet, we review our Bingo cards and see who has the most squares marked, and how many lines across or diagonal we have filled in.  The person with the most squares marked, wins a $50 gift card, while the person with the most lines wins a $25 scratch ticket.  Cool huh?  We think so. 

While men gamble on sports, this is the one time a year we gamble on Oscars.  In addition to the fashion bingo we play, we also cast our votes for each category and put them in envelopes (which our children now decorate for us) ;-)  After each category is awarded, we take turns opening each casted vote in that category and mark a wipe off board, to track who guesses the most awards right.  And, once the final award of the night is given, we tally up the points and award the winner with a $100 gift card -- usually a Visa card that the winner uses to take their husband out to dinner as a thank you for watching the kids. This usually helps us seal the deal with babysitting each year, as each of our husbands hope we win the top prize of the night. :-)

So, with only a couple of days until the big night, we are getting ready with finalizing our votes and watching some of the nominated movies, to help us decide on our final picks, as Sue puts together or Fashion Bingo cards. Yeah!! Do you have particular celebs you are excited to see this year walk the red carpet?  Or, are there certain actors/actresses that you watch for each year?  Leave your comments below and let me know you will looking for.  Here are a couple celebs I always look forward to seeing, even if they are not nominated, as they really do light up the Red Carpet with their elegant style year after year:

Don't ask me to share my picks for each award, as those are sealed away in my Oscar envelopes until the big night. :-)  All I will say is that I think predicted the winners for each category. :-)  I am just saying!!!!   But, the fun doesn't stop on Oscar night -- no, no, no.  We then follow up and relive this magical night of fashion by picking up a copy of PEOPLE Magazine 2013 Oscars Double Issue, which arrives on newsstands on March 1st this year.  This special issue of PEOPLE Magazine has it all!  From the best and worst dressed, including page after page of beautiful gowns and hot celeb pics! And, what night would not be complete without gossip? Well, PEOPLE Magazine has you covered and includes all the juicy gossip, so that you can get your fix!  I love picking up this special double issue and reading it cover to cover - a few times.  Then, my girlfriends and I always find ourselves planning a lunch/playdate at one of houses to dish about the PEOPLE Magazine 2013 Oscars Double Issue, which we bring to show all the pages we marked up.  Ahh, I am getting excited just thinking about Oscar night and the fun to be head on this night, as well as the anticipation as we wait for the  PEOPLE Magazine 2013 Oscars Double Issue that goes on sale starting March 1st (and is only available until March 18th).  PEOPLE Magazine never disappoints and does an amazing job at covering special events like the Oscars in their special issues.  Did you not see the Sexiest Man Alive issue?  I sure did, and I even guessed who would be on the cover, Mr. Channing Tatum, who is now expecting his first baby. :-)  And, I can't wait to see who lands on the cover of the PEOPLE Magazine 2013 Oscars Double Issue.

So, why not make this Oscar night extra special and fun, and invite a few girlfriends over for wine and snacks.  Or, if you can't all be together, get on the phone and chat away as you watch your favorite celebs strut their stuff on the red carpet, and give your own opinion of hits and misses, like the other fashion police critics do.  It really is so much fun. :-)

----Test Your Celeb/Pop Culture Knowledge with PEOPLE and Win!!!!----

Looking for some Pre-Oscar fun?  Why not test your PEOPLE Trivia skills for a chance to win!
Enter each week for a chance to win one of hundreds of rewards cards!  Click the link to play now -- www.people.com/winforyou.

---GIVEAWAY---

I am excited to award one lucky winner with a $20 Target Gift Card, which they can use to purchase the upcoming  PEOPLE Magazine 2013 Oscars Double Issue, a new outfit, or splurge on nail polish or makeup -- whatever your hearts' content.  To enter this giveaway, let's pretend you will be joining us on Oscar night and answer a few fun questions on my Rafflecopter form below.  Good luck!

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Disclosure:  This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and PEOPLE Magazine  but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #PEOPLEforOscars  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.