I started small with a balloting thing when I was 16 in high school in Saint-Lambert, and it just grew. Every year since, it just got bigger and bigger. Not content to have his guests sit around and watch the awards on the three televisions he has set up in the kitchen, bedroom and living room, de Souza expects them to get into the spirit of the evening. He also assigns each of his guests a starring role, includes a biography of the character and asks guests to dress up as the nominees in various categories. This year, he's expecting about two dozen people.
People dress up as the best nominated movies or as characters from the films.
For example, last year for American Beauty one person came dressed in roses, another as a cheerleader. I had people dressed up in blackface for the Color Purple. This year, I imagine it will be a bit of a toga party, people dressed up as gladiators. Eric Pelletier, who has been attending the party for the past six years, is expected to show up tonight as Commodus, the Joaquin Phoenix character from Gladiator. It's a chance to get together with friends.