Host a Fafarazzi Celebrity Fantasy League Party!

First, allow me to introduce you to one of my top three favorite websites to visit: Fafarazzi.com. Fafarazzi is a website dedicated to hosting celebrity fantasy leagues, reality television competitions, and a fast-paced, diverse forum in which one can indulge in celebrity gossip with other members around the world!

Just to give you a brief description of Fafarazzi, it is very similar to fantasy sports teams in that your league members draft the celebrities they believe will be mentioned in the internet tabloid blogs the most. For each mention a celebrity receives, the team that drafted them receives the point. Throughout the season you can add, drop, and trade celebrities at your leisure. Virtual trophies are awarded at the end of the season, but the best part is the trash-talking and joking around your private league has the opportunity to do during the season.

The reality television competitions are equally entertaining. You simply choose three characters from the shows of your choice that you believe will score the most points for their drama. It gives you a way to be more interactive with your favorite television shows such as Survivor, Dancing With the Stars, Project Runway, etc.!

Membership as well as actually competing in the television games and the shorter leagues (three weeks in duration) at Fafarazzi are FREE! However, just recently I learned of a group of savvy women (and their supportive husbands) in Atlantic City, New Jersey who host regular Live Draft parties using the VIP leagues. After hearing of the fun they have, I felt inspired to write this piece about the VIP leagues and how to host your own Live Draft on Fafarazzi.com.

You should know that the VIP league has a one-time fee of $29.99, however, because you can involve more players (up to 18) and have a the option of a much longer season, the price is worth it. In fact, with eighteen teams in your league, you can split the cost equally, or create a pool.

If you decide to create a pool, we put together an example that you are welcome to use or customize for your own group.

Optional Pool:

Suppose you have 18 members and you decide to have everyone pitch in $30.00, your total pool would be $540.00.

After paying the one-time Fafarazzi VIP league fee, the pool becomes $510.00 (PLUS a $10 Amazon Gift Card courtesy of Fafarazzi, awarded to 1st place at the end of the league!).

At the end of the league, here is an example of how you could split the pool:

1st Place: 50% = $255.00 + $10 Amazon Gift Card
2nd Place: 30% = $153.00
3rd Place: 15% = $76.50
Last Place: 5% = $25.50

Now, let's talk about the party itself.

Invitations:

Since this is ultimately an online competition, it is perfectly appropriate to send evites. At evite.com, we typed in the search word "Hollywood" and found three adorable evites, and a fourth evite you can customize. Might we suggest customizing with a picture of the ever-formidable Britney? Or perhaps a random D-list celebrity?

Items Needed for the Draft:

For sure you will want to invest in a large dry erase board. Make sure each team (player) has ten empty slots under their name for their draft picks.

Prepare a way to decide the order of the draft. We suggest putting names in one hat, then putting the numbers in a second hat. Pull a name and a number to correspond with the drafting order.

You will also need a list of celebrities and a sheet for everyone to record their picks on. You will find these available on the Fafarazzi website once you sign up for your league.

Refreshments:

There are so many options! You could make it easy on yourself and organize a potluck or order pizza, but in case you are like me and insist on baking something special for your guests, I recommend our Perfect Cheesecake recipe.

Also, treat your guests to their own special drink. If you choose to keep your party more on the tame side, we love this non-alcoholic cocktail, and for the sake of our Fafarazzi party, we'll call it "FauxFauxtinis".

FauxFauxTinis: 1 part orange juice 1 part cranberry juice 1 oz. peach nectar 1 oz. grenadine syrup In a martini glass, mix equal parts orange juice and cranberry juice along with peach nectar. Stir. Add grenadine just before serving. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and/or a maraschino cherry.

Decor: If you really want to spice up your Fafarazzi VIP Draft Party, roll out the red carpet. Literally! We found an inexpensive red carpet and a fun "celebrity parking" sign on Oriental Trading Company!

This humorous sign is also silly fun to put in your lawn to make finding your home easier for your guests. And it is not beneath me to make a cardboard cutout of paparazzi photographers to stand up as well! (Images via Orientaltrading.com; click images to go to actual product.)

Optional Party Favors:

Option 1:

Let your guests be paparazzi for the night. Supply disposable cameras, then later scan and upload the pictures onto an online photo album such as Flickr.com.

Option 2:

Treat your guests like celebrities. Provide schwag bags filled with goodies such as ring pops (bling!), bottled water, the latest issue of OK! Magazine, and if you have a bit of a twisted humor, include a baggie with a rice cake and a carrot stick to provide your celebrity guest sustenance, and maybe a small plastic baby, since they're all the rage in Hollywood right now!

After the Party:

Over the next six weeks, don't forget to keep an eye on your picks and potentials for trades! Read the blogs and the forums to keep up on the latest celebrity news.

At the end of the season, you can hold an optional awards ceremony, simple dinner, or whatever is most appropriate for your friends.

If you have any questions about creating and running your Fafarazzi VIP Celebrity Fantasy League, you may email Fafarazzi at info@fafarazzi.com. I can guarantee with 99.9% certainty that you will receive a response from one of the friendliest people you've ever heard from!

For more ideas on hosting a Live Draft Party, check out this humorous take on it for more clever ideas!