The Academy Awards: HELP!

I promised a friend I'd help her plan and organize her birthday party, and then she tells me all I can do for her is to adapt the concept of Oscar's Night to the party and she'd not ask for anything else.

Problem is, I have never seen an Awards ceremony or whatever, and I have blindly accepted her request. Now, I must find out how to make invitations, program, decorations, music, etc Oscars-themed.

Does anybody have any ideas or suggestions? I mean, what happens generally in any Oscars-night anyway? (All my friends and I know about is the red carpet entrance. Wah.)