ACADEMY AWARDS
Multiple locations
Admission: free – $225
www.oscars.org
The eighty-second annual Academy Awards plan to be bigger than ever, of course, hosted by those precocious twins, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin, but that doesn’t mean they’ll be any better, especially with the Best Picture Oscar spread way too thin with ten nominees. The Super Bowl of the movie industry can be watched this year at locations all over the city, with fellow film lovers or loathers adding their own opinions as the night runs too long. The Oscar Viewing Party at 92YTribeca will have themed drink specials, interactive fashion commentary, and more with hosts Michelle Collins, Sara Benincasa, and Sara Schaeffer; eight bucks gets you inside and a complimentary glass of champagne. Admission is free to the Oscar Viewing Party at Comix, but you’ll have to RSVP quickly to kcrews@comixny.com if you want to get in and compete for prizes in trivia contests and partake of such food and drink specials as the Lovely Boneless Chicken Tenders, the Whoopi GoldBurger, the Hurt Liqueur, and the Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire Gin & Tonic. The Bell House in Brooklyn is holding the free WitStream Oscar Party, with comic emcees Gabe Liedman and Jenny Slate promising a pretty crazy evening. Crazy comedy is also the name of the game at the free Heeb Oscar-Watching Party at West 3rd Common, where Eliot and Ilana Glazer will MC the night, focusing on Jewish-related cinema with the folks from Heeb magazine and the Office of Cultural Affairs Consulate General of Israel. There’s no telling what might happen at the ninth annual Murray Hill Oscar Party at Joe’s Pub, with plenty of contests, audience best- and worst-dressed awards, impromptu live performances, and other glamorous nonsense from Murray Hill, Neal Medlyn, Cole Escola, Kate McKinnon, Robin Cloud, and Our Hit Parade (20-$25). Things will be a bit fancier and more serious at Oscar Night and the City at Alice Tully Hall. New York City’s official celebration will run you $150-$225 , starting with a cocktail reception with live music by the Juilliard Jazz Ensemble and including a copy of the official Academy Awards program. And if you can’t wait until Sunday night to see the Oscars, several statuettes are currently on view as part of Meet the Oscars at the Time Warner Center, including one that you can get your picture taken with.