By The Numbers: Oscar swag bag
Now our second annual look at those Oscar swag bags ... By The Numbers.
The gift bags are put together by one company, Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles marketing firm.
They're being offered to 25 nominees in five categories -- the four best acting categories, plus best directing.
Reputedly included are:
- A vaporizer worth $250.
- Slimware plates valued at $30.
- Joseph's Toiletries toilet paper, priced at $275.
- Something called a Vampire Breast Lift for $1,900.
- A slew of travel packages ... everything from a three-day $4,800 stay at the Golden Door Resort and Spa in San Marcos, California, to a 10-day, $55,000 all-expenses-paid trip to Israel.
Also in the bag: Personalized M&Ms ($300), a protein bar ($6), skin serum and hair follicle stimulant ($193), laser treatments from 750 Park plastic surgery ($5,530), fitness package ($6,250), a year's worth of Audi car rentals ($45,000), a vibrator ($250), and a lifetime supply of Pu-erh Tea Nourishing Cream and Pu-erh Tea Cleansing Bars ($31,200).
And don't forget the Chapstick ($6)!
There's much, much more besides.
Though something you might want to consider is that the estimated value of each bag is said to be some $232,000 -- taxable, of course.
Which bring us to one last number of note: Zero, that being the connection between gift-giver Distinctive Assets and the Motion Picture Academy.
The Academy actually filed suit against Distinctive Assets, accusing the company of falsely using the Academy's trademarks to create an impression of affiliation.
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