The Oscars, Queens-Style

As Oscar fever heats up this weekend, here's a new slogan for residents not able to afford the plane trip to the Left Coast to see the stars walk the red carpet:

Hurray for Holliswood.

Or Jamaica Estates, Bay Terrace — and dare we say it — Little Neck, as we honor this selected list of Best Picture nominees with fun Tinseltown-inspired activities happening right here in Queens.

Black Swan
Get in touch with your inner obsessive-compulsive prima ballerina (played in this Oscar contending film by Syosset High School grad Natalie Portman) by checking out the American Ballet School's Sunday at Claire Schulman Hall in Flushing Meadows. 

The Fighter
In Lowell, Mass., the setting for this true story of two brothers' struggles with life, love and defeat, it was all about the boxing. However, in northeast Queens, our fighters take their cue from a different source. So this weekend, why not emulate the tough-guy spirit of actor Mark Wahlberg's "Irish" Micky Ward by taking a class at studio in Bayside? 'Nuff said.

Inception
Prepare yourself for the dizzying twists and turns of this psychological thriller by browsing through the selection of brain teasing puzzles and games at the Toys 'R Us in . 

The Social Network
Maybe more than anything else, this spin on the Facebook creation myth taught moviegoers the pitfalls of valuing success over relationships. In order to get back to that warm, fuzzy, Mark Zuckerberg-less center, give the laid-back camaraderie of knitters and crocheters, meeting  at the , a try.

127 Hours
One could argue that the very opposite of the barren Utah landscape that trapped hiker Aron Ralston (played by this year's Oscar co-emcee James Franco) can be found in our own canyon-less 'Neck of the woods. Which, if you've seen this harrowing tale of survival against all odds, is probably just as well. But that doesn't mean you can't take the family out on an adventure of your own at Fort Totten's Winter Wonderland scavenger hunt on Sunday.