Oscar parties get ready to roll out the toasts

By Christie D’Zurilla

Feb. 21, 2013 12 AM PT

Can’t wait to roll out the fondue, sample ballots and Champagne for your own at-home Oscar party? You’ll be in fine company as the stars roll out to their own celebrations surrounding the big show. Here are a few of the weekend’s biggies:

Starting out ahead of the game is the Weinstein Co., which returns to the Soho House with jeweler Chopard to toast its nominees on Saturday night. Keeping it informal and sentimental, Weinstein is known for taking the mike and serenading the journey of his filmmakers and stars to Oscar Sunday. Nominees Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, Quentin Tarantino and more can expect tribute.

On Sunday, the hottest spot to catch the awards on TV is the Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscar viewing and after-party in West Hollywood Park. Cocktails at 4 p.m. follow a red carpet arrival and precede a sit-down dinner by Gordon Ramsay that accompanies the show. Last year the event marked its 20th anniversary, with Elton and partner David Furnish bringing along their eldest, Zachary — then a little over a year old — to mingle with VIPs. New son Elijah, born in January, might be a little too young to make the cut this year.

The first stop for all winners is the Governors Ball, the official after-party of the Oscars. A total of 1,500 guests will enjoy catering by Wolfgang Puck in a ballroom immediately upstairs from the Dolby Theater right after the show. And those guests need not fear running low on the bubbly: 1,500 bottles of Thiénot Champagne will be on hand to toast the night and accompany those tray-passed hors d’oeuvres and hot and cold small plates of food. This is where the winners can see their statues engraved.

And of course, Vanity Fair caps off a whole week of its own festivities with an annual Oscar party known for an amazing guest list and impossible-to-get invites. Held at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, it’s the party where luminaries from the worlds of politics, art and fashion get a chance to mingle with Hollywood’s brightest stars. This is the gathering where famous people ask for cellphone snapshots with other famous people.