What with Lupita jetting in for pre-Oscar R&R and the buzz palpable at New York Fashion Week as to who will wear what, and let’s not forget the infamous letter written in the New York Times about Oscar-nominated Woody Allen, SO turned Tuesday evening into our own super-intimate pre-Oscar confab. Leading the charge was official film critic Manuela Goren, who studied film at NYU, and played the utterly charming hostess at a viewing party of Allen’s film Blue Jasmine at her and developer hubby James Goren’s oceanfront Stella By The Sea villa at Tryall Club.

In-between sips of bubbly and bites of fresh-from-the-oven pizza and spring rolls, there was animated discourse in the sitting room about the diverse slate of nominees up for Oscar gold at next month’s glitzy awards event, which will be hosted by comedian Ellen Degeneres.

Don’t expect, however, to see Manuela at any Oscar parties. “I don’t like Oscar parties,” she tells SO, “because I take my Oscar watching seriously and having a lot of people around tends to distract.” Her 2014 Academy Awards Ballot, we glean, will include fun categories like Best Cleavage, Most Boring Speech and Best Use of Teleprompter, to name a few. Her predictions are:

“I like 12 Years A Slave for Best Picture. I was rather disappointed by American Hustle, which in my opinion did not live up to the hype (a great ensemble of acting, though). I love Matthew McConaughey for Dallas Buyers Club; awesome performance.

“Cate Blanchett is my pick for best actress, simply the best! I don’t care what anyone thinks of Woody Allen.

“Jared Leto for Best Supporting Actor. He is amazing in Dallas Buyers Club.

Lupita Nyong’o for Best Supporting Actress. Jennifer Lawrence is hilarious in American Hustle but Lupita is heartbreaking and amazing.

Best Director should go to Steve McQueen or Alfonso Cuaron.

Best Foreign Film always boils down to how many members of the Academy have actually seen them and The Great Beauty got a lot of early buzz and The Golden Globe. I really did not like it. I loved the cinematography but hated the depiction of the ennui and decadence of Roman society… it was boring but it will win.

The Great Gatsby was a mediocre film but will win Best Costume and U2 will get

Best Song.”

SO takes you to our Oscar countdown screening party, hosted by the Gorens.