Nominees for the 83rd Academy Awards, which will take place on February 27, have been announced. So you know what that means — you have about a month to plan your Oscar party and only a couple weeks to get those e-mail invitations out there. FYI — Evite has a few awards party themes to choose from if you need some help on that front. But before you get carried away on what that invite looks like, you need to decide the essentials: who to invite and when they should arrive.

If you and your friends are serious Oscar watchers, let your seating space and TV-viewing area(s) dictate the number of guests. If your group is only interested in the “highlights,” you can be a little more generous with that list. And, keeping your friends in mind, you might want to tailor things even more. For example, if most of you are more into the red carpet fashion, then time it so your party is all about the pre-show activity. You can even make up some score cards for rating the gowns and tuxes.

Once you’ve got the guest list, the timing and the invitations squared away, it’s time to plan the actual event. First, no Oscar party is complete without ballots. You can e-mail ballots to your guests ahead of time, or have ballots printed and ready to go for when everyone arrives. You can have treats on hand for winners, and if you have the time and the cash you could even have a go at creating your very own swag bags (although, in this case, the winners would be getting them, instead). Next, think cocktails and nosh.

The easiest and most cost-effective option for drinks is to offer only one kind of cocktail and its mocktail (non-alcoholic) equivalent — well the party is going to be on a “school” night! As for nosh, simple finger foods, basic appetizers and a few easy-to-eat desserts are probably best. If you want to theme things out a bit, consider your favorite nominees and create refreshments centered on those films or folks. For example, if you’re rooting for “The King’s Speech” (and cutie-pie Colin Firth), your menu might look something like this:

• Tea-tinis (lemon vodka, freshly brewed and chilled sweet tea, lime twists and fresh mint for garnish)
• Miniature Yorkshire puddings
• Shooter-sized prawn cocktails
• Mushroom and Stilton canapés
• Assorted tea sandwiches
• Apricot scones
• Cream-filled shortbread tarts
• Madeleines with lemon curd
• Chocolate sponge cake

Or, going by a recent New Yorker interview with Firth, like this:

• Mango Lassi
• Spiced Nuts
• Fruit Chaat
• Cucumber Raita
• Veggie Pakoras
• Tandoori chicken bites
• Shrimp Tikka
• Assorted samosas
• Chai-infused butter cookies

What Oscars party ideas do you have? Feel free to share your tips, recipes and Oscar favorites. And while you’re ruminating the top films of 2010, don’t forget to follow How-to Stuff on Facebook and Twitter, and download the new HowStuffWorks iPhone app from iTunes!