Read fast enough and you won't even miss Joan Rivers.

4 p.m.

• Call one friend. Put that incredibly organized person in charge of calling the rest of your crew so you can start movin'.
  
• Write a grocery list. Plan on quick foods that are fairly self-serve. A brief sweep of your pantry will give you an idea of what you have on hand and what you need to buy (for ideas, keep reading!). Oh, and stick with what you know. This isn't the time for your first foray into osso buco.
  
• Prep now; cook later. If there's anything in the house you can throw together now, get it going. Know how to whip up a spinach-and-feta quiche? Crack the eggs! Have some peeled shrimp to defrost? Start the thaw! We love a good baked ziti or lasagna, and we bet you already have ingredients for a makeshift version (frozen ravioli, jarred sauce, Parmesan cheese). Boil a pot of water and throw in some ravioli. When they're done, layer them in a baking dish and pile on the cheese and sauce. You can finish cooking it just before guests arrive.

5 p.m.

• Give your honey some assignments. Give your mate a task or two -- like making the bed, straightening the living room, and printing out a few Oscar ballots to make a competitive game out of it.
  
• Head to the store. Along with two bunches of flowers, Champagne, and beer, buy the ingredients for three to five of these appetizers
  
  
  
  • A log of goat cheese you can roll in chopped herbs or crushed walnuts; serve with crackers.
    
  • Hummus with baked pita chips. Pick a great flavor of this dip or doll up a plain version with swirls of pesto, a handful of pine nuts, or a sprinkling of your favorite spice (we love curry).
    
  • Endive spears filled with store-bought herb cream cheese or pico de gallo.
    
  • Toasted French bread slices topped with soft goat cheese and a dollop of olive tapenade or grilled and sliced portobello mushrooms.
    
  • Veggie salsa with tortilla chips. Take store-bought fresh tomato salsa (in the refrigerator aisle) and add chopped veggies, like carrots, jicama, radishes, corn, and red and yellow peppers. Mix in some avocado right before serving.
    
  • Antipasti (cold Italian-style appetizers). Place little mozzarella balls (bocconcini), roasted red peppers, basil leaves, rolled slices of salami and provolone, and olives around a platter. And don’t forget the toothpicks (we prefer the natural to the colored ones, as no one wants blue dye to bleed onto their mozzarella ball).
    
  • Popcorn. It's a movie night, after all. Personalize it by sprinkling on one of a variety of additions: garlic powder, paprika, oregano, even cinnamon and sugar!
    
  • Bowls of cinematic treats, like Junior Mints, Milk Duds, Raisinettes, and Twizzlers, look fun (instant decor) and are sure crowd-pleasers.

6 p.m.

• Tidy a teensy bit. Do a quick Swiffer sweep of the three rooms that will be used:
  
  
  
  • Living room/TV room: Straighten pillows and vacuum (if you feel so inclined).
    
  • Bathroom: Wipe down the counter, sink, and toilet. Make sure there's ample toilet paper and fresh hand towels.
    
  • Kitchen: Clear the counters of clutter in case you need that space for serving. Start with an empty sink and dishwasher so dirty pieces can get out of sight ASAP.
• Finish the foods. Mix, pour, or arrange the edibles you just bought. Nothing should take more than five minutes to prepare (warm the main course in the oven after guests get comfy). Make it fun: Use the fine china kept under lock and key, the bright blue bowl you got as a gift but never knew how to use, and some pretty baskets layered with napkins.
  
• Glam up the joint. Take the bouquets you bought and divide them into small groups that can be placed in the three rooms of the night. Having blooms scattered about lets guests know you’re trying to make the evening special. Seriously, when we go to a pal’s place, flowers say a lot about her good taste.
  
• Get a game ready. If you want to make the night a bit sillier (with the help of the Champagne, of course), take the printed ballot lists and have guests choose who they think will win. Tally up the points and see who got the most at the end of the night. The winner can make up his or her own speech, reflecting some of weirder speeches that you know will be all over the news the next day.
  

7:00 p.m.

• Turn on the red-carpet preview. Yes, Seacrest is annoying, but not as bad as Joan and Melissa. And where else can you see the who's who of Hollywood?!
  
• Get the food on the table. Your friends are soon to arrive!

[Nestpert] Diane Rossen Worthington, author of Seriously Simple: Easy Recipes for Creative Cooks

-- Grace Jidoun