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Posted on 03/05/2006 2:19:36 AM PST by Aussie Dasher
CELEBRITIES who have it all, fame, glamour and riches, will stagger to their limousines after tomorrow's Oscars under the weight of tens of thousands of dollars of free swag.
Whether they win or lose at the 78th annual Academy Awards the stars won't exactly be going home empty handed.
Each of the 120-odd nominees and the galaxy of Oscar presenters are rewarded for the time, nerves and red-carpet exposure to pesky paparazzi with a "swag bag" of luxurious loot that was last year worth more than $US100,000.
That figure dwarfs the entire production budgets of most of this year's best picture nominees, a string of small-budget or independent films that cost between $US6.5 million ("Crash") and $US14 million ("Brokeback Mountain").
"The real race lies in who can give celebs the best free stuff," the entertainment industry bible Daily Variety quipped of the one-week run-up to the 78th annual Academy Awards.
In their baskets of goodies this year, Hollywood's good and great will be treated to pampering ranging from vacations in Bora Bora, to sets of Tahitian pearls, to custom-made lingerie and even Botox injections and plastic surgery.
Other necessities that will be slipped into the groaning goodie bags are Swarovski crystal-encrusted Palm Treo smartphones, diamond rings, cameras monogrammed in diamonds, and custom-tailored Hugo Boss suits.
What started out as a thoughtful gesture by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bosses in 1988, has become a multi-million-dollar industry that has spread all the way across Hollywood's frenzied annual awards season.
While the Academy won't talk about what's inside the treasure troves of loot for the rich and famous or what it's worth, details of the sumptuous gifts makes leak out as gift donors frequently can't resist.
Among the other bundles of gifts coming their way are laser eye surgery, dog biscuits in the form of Oscar statuettes, anti-ageing cream and jewels that makers hope will pop up on stars the next time they sashay before the cameras.
Gifts, such as a voucher for $US20,000 worth of cosmetic surgery or the set of pearls that has been tailored to the look of South African best actress nominee Charlize Theron, will also be highly visible marketing tools.
Other goodies, such as a $US27,000 weekend in a five star hotel in the famed desert gambling hub of Las Vegas, will add glamour and prestige to the hotel when an Oscar-nominated turns up to stay.
And the giving will go on after the Oscars too, as stars showing up at music legend Elton John's AIDS foundation party a few miles away will reportedly get sparkling baubles from one of the party's sponsors, Swiss jeweller Chopard.
And one gift basket that will go to selected stars, a $US52,000 "Everyone Wins at the Oscars" hamper, will even make sure that the morning after the Oscars feels good too but adding a herbal hangover prevention potion.
"Many people tell us they cannot even enjoy a glass or two of champagne or other spirits without suffering the next day, and they thank us for our patented herbal extract because it really does prevent hangovers," the entertainment marketing firm Distinctive Assets boasted.
These two-faced assh*les sicken me!
Meanwhile, I'll find (in coupons), more than $1.50 off in this Sunday morning's Tulsa World to justify it's purchase and to get this weeks's TV listings.
No wonder they always feel guilty and want the government to give people all kinds of "free" goodies!
I doubt if any of these jokers know what "guilt" is...
They who promote homosexuality, islam, deception, atheism, narcissism, or communism will always have a special seat in Hollywood.
Hollywood people will subsequently have a special seat in HELL.
One thing's for sure they wont be paying for any of this loot from money I spend going to the movies. Nor watching this contest of ego masturbation either.
The loot is free. It's in a gift basket.
Nothing is free. Somebody has to pay. Moviegoers pay when they buy their tickets. They give away this stuff to millionaires who dont need it, but believe me it isnt free.
It is also taxable isn't it?
The stuff is given to the stars by the people who manufacture it in the hope that the stars will be photographed with it. Basically, the folks who make it only have manufacturing costs etc. that they get to deduct from their taxes as a "promotional" expense.
<< .... how many of these 'champions of the downtrodden' will be dropping their booty off at a shelter for the "homeless" .... >>
Not long ago a "homeless" caring gang set up and/or patronized by BarbAra Streissand bought a shopping trolly apiece for a couple hundred bums .. um .. vagrants .. um "homeless."
While up in Wisconsin and UW Madison a really really really really caring offshoot of the "really really caring stars'" group took their lead from the Streissandistas and to symbolize their caring spent a night on the streets. And when, during the night, the homeless about whom they really really really really cared, bothered them, they called the cops and had the homeless arrested.
So they could get on with symbolizing how much they were all really really really really caring about the homeless. Without being bothered by the bunch of smelly lowlifes who were interfering with their caring!
Off topic, but what's with the use of a "$", followed by "US"?
If I see "$", then I know it's US.
Why the redundancy?
Just more of the media "leadership" trying to make the world a simpler place to live in?
Yep, I'm sure that's it.
Thanks, media, for all that you do.
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Usually I see US$52,000.
But the point is that there are a lot of other currencies that are named dollars. A Taiwanese dollar, for example, is worth about $ 0.033. (I spent a couple of hundred Taiwan dollars in their airport for a small bottle of water and a chocolate ice cream. In other words, I spent about $6, which is still pretty bad, but at least not US$200.) There are about 7.5 Hong Kong dollars in a US dollar. And so on.
Even though the US is certainly the overwhelming majority of the dollars in existance, if you're going to publish an article internationally, you wouldn't want the Taiwanese to think the giftgivers were being cheap and only spending US$1,606 instead of $53,000 -- would you?
D
Well, yeah, I knew that..., but - I was kinda tongue-in-cheek, trying to perpetuate the "Ugly American" thing?
In other words, every one else should know that "$" is US, but anybody else that has hijacked our money symbol has to id themselves and not allow anyone to assume that they have the might of the US Dollar and the US people backing up their pitiful currency.
And the failure of the media to recognize that is...well, just another failure of the media.
As usual.
Who cares if the Hollywood types bring down the loot? What business is it of ours? As long as they declare the stuff on their taxes, more power to 'em.
They can give them the Koohinoor Diamond to use as a navel setting for all that I care. I still won't watch their stupid TV show.
Hypocrites!
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All the more reason for me to tackle long-overdue home projects tonight instead of TV reruns or that lame show. I'm so not into libnuts running America and the troops and the President down.
Yawn. Let's ensure they have the lowest ratings EVER. This particular "show" has been nosediving for the past few years as everyone is tired of the bloated egos and moronic behavior.
Not the moviegoers...consumers pay. Companies literally battle to get their products into these gift bags. They believe that if celebrities use their stuff, idiots like you and I will buy their products because they use it. The sad part is that for the most part, they're correct.
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