It’s been a slightly different year when it comes to hit films and those that are lined up to win an Oscar. At present it’s unsure as to how the April event will be held, but one thing’s for sure, there will still be tears, bizarre speeches and even more bizarre outfits, whether on Zoom or in a studio.
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Nomadland currently leads the list of Oscar contenders with the bookmakers, with The Trial of the Chicago 7 and Mank also hotly tipped in the Best Picture category, but no matter what the winner, what he category, we can always expect the same Oscars cliches to be reeled out.
While 2020 was the year of the likes of Nomadland and Mank, it was also the year of bingo, a game many actors have confessed to loving down the years, from the likes of Russell Crowe to Catherine Zeta-Jones and more. Bingo has grown immensely in popularity over the last 12 months, with the likes of Robinhoodbingo.com becoming one of the most trusted bingo sites around. We’ve certainly become big fans here over the last 12 months, which is why, ahead of the Oscars, we thought we’d explore exactly what would be suitable on an Oscars bingo card, whether it is held on Zoom or in a theatre…
Winner Cries
It perhaps goes without saying that we expect to see some crying, and perhaps this year more than most. It’d be the first square on any Oscars bingo card and one we’d expect to see first marked off too. There have been many blubbering speeches down the years, from Nicole Kidman’s 2003 speech after picking up Best Actress for The Hour, to Natalie Portman, Ben Affleck, Gwyneth Paltrow, and more.
Trump Gets Mentioned
He may have left the White House, but you can be sure Donald Trump will once again get his fair share of coverage through the art of the victory speech. Politics is never far from the lips of actors and we’re sure plenty will be sticking the boot in after Joe Biden’s victory in the Presidential Election.
A Winner’s Connection Gets Cut
A new entry for 2021 is an actor’s internet goes down during a speech. We all know the temperamental nature of Zoom calls and it seems inevitable somebody is going to get cut off while receiving their gong. We just hope it also leads to a rather funny image stuck on screen too.
Source:usatoday.com
A Winner “Hasn’t Prepared Anything”
It’s the age-old trick of trying to be modest, but it’s one that’s all too common. We know the game and if an actor claims they haven’t “prepared anything”, then we know deep down they have and they’d have been devastated if they lost. It goes on the bingo card, and we expect at least one mention of this in 2021.
Someone Wearing No Trousers
Game Awards Bingo
There’s always a joker among the pack at the Oscars and if much of it does take place over video, then we expect one gag in which a presenter or actor is dressed only from the waist up, only to reveal some snazzy underwear as they get up. It’s a gag destined to happen and may be the only opportunity anyone has to do it.
Winner Forgets To Thank Someone
You’d hate to be that person who gets missed off the thank you speech, but it happens way more often that you’d think. In the heat of the moment, those lines get forgotten in the speech and some poor director, cast member, or worse, family member is missed from a victory speech.
There have been many instances where a winner has forgotten to thank their partners, in particular, with Hilary Swank famously forgetting to thank husband Chad Lowe during her 2000 best actress speech, eventually thanking him five years later after winning the same gong for Million Dollar Baby.
Sean Penn has notably done this on two occasions too, while Emma Thompson failed to thank fellow actor and former husband Kenneth Branagh during her best actress speech in 1992.
Thank You Academy
They’ll always thank the Academy though, and you’ll be marking this one off on your card almost all night.
The Commercials
Of course, like the Super Bowl, a big part of the Oscars is the commercials too. Brands pay big bucks to showcase their products throughout the event, but they always follow a similar pattern. So, make sure you get your dabber at the ready for the following:
- Car commercial
- Perfume commercial
- Alcohol commercial
Someone Gets Bleeped
No matter what year it is, someone always manages to let a naughty word slip and while the champagne won’t be flowing as fluidly as it perhaps would be in a theatre, you can bet your bottom dollar there will be a potty-mouthed actor testing the event’s designated bleeper.
In 2011, Melissa Leo became the first person to use a swear word after winning best supporting actress and it made major news, as well as seeing the auditorium erupt with laughter. Many have since followed in her footsteps though across multiple awards events, with Christian Bale giving a particularly no-holds-barred speech during the 2019 Golden Globes.
A Political Point Gets Made
There will be plenty of mentions of Trump, but that won’t be the only political point made during the Oscars and it’s been a springboard for many to offer their views on how to make the world a better place.
From gender equality to gay rights, the environment and more, plenty will be looking to push these topics into the news agenda for the following weeks as stars look to use their power for good.
Someone Makes Fun Of A Hollywood Legend
Presenters and award presenters are always looking for a laugh and that usually involves making fun of some Hollywood stars. Plenty of legends have been roasted down the years, and that will certainly be the case again this year. But who will it be? Clooney? Pitt? Streep? We can be sure someone will be on the end of it.
Oscar bingo is back! This is the eleventh year of my printable Oscars bingo game. It’s always customized with the year’s presenters, nominees, guesses about the telecast, and the classic events we all yearn for. Tripping. Tears. Children named and occasionally told to go to bed. I mostly aim for sure bets since it’s not fun if nobody wins.
My secret dream is to befriend a presenter and get them to do the wildly unexpected things I’ve put on bingo squares in advance. Next year when Meryl Streep does jumping jacks, orders a pizza, and goes crowd surfing, you’ll be stunned by my psychic powers.
Some years I make the cards more different from each other, with a bigger variety of squares. This year I kept them fairly similar since it’s fun to look for the same thing as your friends.
How to play
Mark off squares as events happen in the ceremony. The winner is the first person to get five squares in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line.
Printing
The printable Oscars bingo file has 20 different pages. Download and print the number of pages you need for your group. Trim off the white margins if you want to get fancy. To jazz things up even more, you could print on colored paper to match your party theme.
Matching ballot
If you’re into matching, there’s a coordinating 2019 Oscars ballot, printable Oscar poster, and Oscar wine and beer labels in my Etsy shop. Proceeds pay for my Mailchimp mailing to the thousands of people on the bingo mailing list. Guests could fill out the ballot while they’re waiting for the show to start. Make it a swanky event!
Oscar Scorecard
Prize ideas for your Oscars party
Gift cards, mini champagne bottles, and movie candy make good prizes. You can also buy little Oscar statuettes at party stores or Amazon. Critics seem to think Roma is going to take Best Picture, so maybe your winner gets a tomato. Then again, it could be A Star is Born. Maybe you need this lamp.
Some folks play long-distance with buddies over social media. That’s fun, too. Find me @howaboutorange on Instagram and Twitter. Hashtag #haobingo.
Annual fallibility disclaimer:
Someone might get a bingo ten minutes into this strangely hostless 2019 Oscars ceremony, or maybe your group won’t even have a winner if this year is an outlier. Please don’t sue me.
Have fun!
2019 Oscar bingo printable file
Oscar Bingo 2020
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