In three days, Hollywood's shiniest will gather at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles for the 81st annual Academy Awards ceremony. Afterward, they'll toast their big wins (or their "it's-an-honor-just-to-be-nominated" losses) at the Governors Ball, the official post-Oscar party for filmdom's glitterati.

But they won't be the only ones who'll be having some fun on the night the golden statuettes are handed out.

Some of you will attend the Pittsburgh Film Office's swanky "Lights! Glamour! Action!" Academy Awards benefit at Heinz Field on Sunday evening.

This party will be fun, too. In addition to a red carpet entrance and live telecast of the show, the black-tie benefit features gourmet foods prepared by local restaurants and hotels. This year, upward of 1,000 guests will nosh on grilled hanger steak, fresh pasta and shrimp lo mein salad; there also will be specialty popcorn and "all kinds of chocolate," says Dawn Keezer, film office director. (For tickets, which are $75, $125 and $250, go to pghfilm.org/events/events.jsp.)

But if you're not going, why not host your own Oscar event? ABC has already taken care of the entertainment -- the awards ceremony airs at 8 p.m. -- so all that's left is to prepare a few tasty refreshments, put out some some glitzy decorations and devise a fun way to get the word out to friends.

Make your own invites by tracing the Oscar statue on a piece of heavy gold paper or card stock, or by crafting an oversized nomination envelope from the Academy. Easier still are e-mail invitations. Evite.com offers 20 Oscar-themed invitations, free.

For decor, roll out the red carpet -- literally. Lay a red towel or blanket at the doorway, and string golden stars or twinkling white Christmas lights from the ceiling. Tape movie ads cut from the newspaper on the walls or buy old movie posters from your local video store or theater.

A few fancy hors d'oeuvres such as smoked salmon on crackers or shrimp cocktail will add to the glamor, especially if you're serving champagne. (And you should.) But you might also consider theming your food to the night's best pictures, say, po' boy sandwiches to pay homage to New Orleans, where "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is set, or chicken tetrazzini, which was invented in 1908 in San Francisco, the location of "Milk."

To celebrate "Slumdog Millionaire," Waverly Kitchens (waverlykitchens.com) is selling a "movie pack" with all the spices and instructions you need to cook an authentic Indian meal for half price, $30.

Not feeling that adventurous? For the first time, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is offering a free "Oscar Party Kit" for movie fans.

Available at oscars.org/partykit are downloadable Oscar ballots and play-along party games, such as Oscar bingo and trivia (Question: Name the only Oscar to win an Oscar. Answer: Oscar Hammerstein.)

It also features star-worthy recipes and video demonstrations from celebrity chefs Wolfgang Puck and Sherry Yard, including for a few dishes being served at the Governors Ball.

Not surprisingly, it's as fabulous as the stars that attend it (we're talking Hollywood's most glittering glitterati, after all): smoked salmon blinis, slow-braised Asian-spiced short ribs with spring vegetable risotto and molten lava chocolate cake.

Gretchen McKay can be reached at gmckay@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1419.