What do you give to the ultra-rich star who has everything? A gift bag filled with over $100,000 worth of trips, jewelry, and electronic gadgets, apparently. This year's Academy Award nominees will be missing out on the massive goodie bags handed out in years past. 2016's bag included private trips to Japan and Israel, a lifetime's supply of luxe skin creams, and Audi rentals for a year -- but it's difficult to feel sorry for any of the 2017 nominees.
Gift bags worth half of last year's
While the 2016 gift bags were valued at around $263,000 each, this weekend's bag will still include multiple overseas vacations and nearly a dozen tech items.
A few of the swoon-worthy items available to nominees in 2017 include:
- A private stay at California's Lost Coast Ranch, a beach-front mansion boasting 18 bedrooms and gourmet catering services,
- A $5,000 vacation at Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria, a 5-star Italian hotel with views of Mount Vesuvius,
- A 6-day VIP vacation at Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu in Hawaii,
- An Oomi home automation kit worth nearly $600,
- $400 handbags by Jules K.,
- one-of-a-kind jewelry,
- portion control plates; even,
- a personally customized box of crayons from Crayola My Way.
These six-figure gift bags are available only to the nominees in the best acting and directing categories.
Secondary bags feature $25,000 in gifts
While the expensive nominee gifts are awarded to a select few show attendees, no one will be going home empty handed.
For the 11th year, product placement coordination company Madison Mulholland will be providing Hollywood A-listers with special award season swag bags, reportedly worth $29,000.
The substantially cheaper bags -- still worth more than some Americans earn in a year -- have been on display at Hollywood & Highland since February 13th in a one-of-a-kind pop-up experience.
Shoppers will be able to purchase the bag until March 14.
The bags include beauty products, jewelry, and smaller vacations including a stay at Baron Cove resort in the Hamptons.
Despite receiving the gifts for free, Celebrities are still expected to pay taxes on the full value price of the items. Some stars have been known in the past to avoid this by giving away or donating some of the pieces, (donations to charity net them big tax write-offs,) or refusing the gifts outright.
