No wonder it’s “an honor just to be nominated!” Whether they win or lose the coveted trophy their vying for, celebrity nominees and presenters always walk away with elaborate gift bags—originally conceived at the Academy Awards in 1989 as a way to thank actors for presenting awards—frequently worth more than a teacher’s yearly salary. Who picked up what and where? We’ve got the breakdown from 2006’s Award Season.
The Golden Globes Gift Bag
The Top 10 Items from the InStyle/Golden Globes gift bag:
1. Quark Expeditions (Value: $22,000): A two-week excursion for an Antarctic Peninsula Adventure to Tasmania, Antarctica and New Zealand on a 54-cabin ship. The package includes airfare for two to Argentina, hotel accommodations the night before the expedition begins, all meals and expeditions, plus gear to wear during the journey.
2. Rare in Nature: Diamonds of the Canadian Arctic (Value: $15,000): Includes airfare for two, luxurious hotel accommodations, professional diamond cutting and polishing lessons, a private tour of top-security facilities where diamonds are crafted and certified for quality and origin, a personally engraved government certified Canadian diamond mounted in a pendant designed by top Canadian designer Paul Hardy and crafted in New York by Moshe Namdar & Co., plus a luxurious shawl made of Qiviuk fiber harvested from the Arctic muskox.
3. Lumineers™ by Cerinate® (Value: $4,000): A gift certificate for lumineers, which whiten and brighten and give you that Hollywood smile.
4. The Sports Club/LA (Value: $4,000): A six month bi-coastal health club membership.
5. Auberge du Soleil-Napa Valley (Value: $3,000): A getaway package including two night stay, dinner for two, spa for two and amenities.
6. Chopard (Value: $2,000): A golden diamond ring.
7. Denim For Immortality Jeans (Value: $1,250): Jeans exclusively designed for Golden Globes presenters with diamond button by famed jeweler Sol Rafael
8. Hugo Boss Fashions Inc. (Value: $1,200): A certificate for an outfit from the Spring/Summer 2006 BOSS Black or BOSS Orange Menswear or Womanswear collections.
9. Charlie Lapson (Value: $800): An Italian leather handbag.
10. WalkStyles Inc. (value: $729): Fitness monitor, Dash Trak faceplates, $500 certificate for WalkStyles Walk Wear clothing, plus one year subscription to www.walkstyles.com.
Other Notables: Saeco USA’s Italia espresso machine, Philip Stein Teslar’s Uni-sex watch, The Container Store’s Organization makeover, Taryn Rose men’s shoes, Marble Slab Creamery’s custom made quarts of homemade ice cream, Broadway tickets to The Woman In White, and twenty gift bags for the presenter’s next party from Kiehl’s.
TOTAL VALUE: $62,089
The Screen Actors Guild Awards Gift Bag
The top ten items included:
1. Adara Hotel: Three nights at Adara Hotel Whistler.
2. AireHeart by Sydney Available: Pearl bracelet.
3. Berchet: Titanium & 18k gold bracelet.
4. Techno Source: Swarovski crystal-coated electronic touch-screen sudoku.
5. The Inn at Palmetto Bluff: Three-night cottage stay.
6. The Sports Club Company: Three month bi-coastal membership.
7. Vespa LX Motorscooter: For lease.
8. Salish Lodge & Spa: Four-night stay for two.
9. EnterTrainer: Watch and monitor.
10. IOGEAR: GBE201 Bluetooth Wireless Headset.
Other notables: Jan Marini Skin Research, two tickets for the LA Opera, Michael Kors from Marchon Eyewear, Fendi scarves, three private pilates sessions from Core Response, gift certificate and showroom shopping from White + Warren and a YK timepiece from Youngblood Timepieces.
TOTAL VALUE: SAG does not disclose.
[PAGEBREAK]The Grammys Gift Bag
The top ten items included:
1. Concierge Services International (Value: $10,000): Gift certificate for concierge services.
2. Valhalla Shooting Club (Value: $8,000): Six person adventure package.
3. ASSIL Eye Institute (Value: $5,600): Complimentary bi-lateral LASIK eye surgery procedure.
4. Chopper Farm (Value: $5,030): Hat & gift certificate.
5. Sports Club/ LA (value: $4,000): 12 month bi-coastal membership.
6. House of Blues (Value: $3,500): Foundation Room gold membership.
7. Las Vegas Skin Spa (Value: $2,700): Gift certificate for a series of 12 DermaSonic sessions.
8. Laser Solutions (Value: $2,000): Facial treatments.
9. General Moters (Value: $1,500): Cadillac two-week test drive.
10. Hard Rock Hotel (value: $1,000): Rehab at the Hard Rock membersips.
Other notables: Gift certificate and pre-lash treatment to Lavish Lashes, Pretty Punk certificate, ceramic ionic iron and evolution hair dryer from T3 Micro, Quick Gym six-month membership, a XM2GO portable satellite radio and one year of service toXM Satellite Radio, and KY Brand massage products.
TOTAL VALUE: $54,249.54
The People’s Choice Awards Gift Bag
The top ten items included:
1. Grevil Watches (Value: $10,000)
2. MTI Whirlpools bathtub (Value: $1,500)
3. Disneyland package (Value: $1,100)
4. Hudson Bags (Value: $600)
5. UvaSun Lumiere (Value: $500)
6. Ro Collection luggage (Value: $375)
7. Blackberry 8700 (Value: $300)
8. Oliver Peoples Eyewear new John Mosley line (Value: $230)
9. Rock & Republic Jeans (Value: $225)
10. Clos Du Val Wine (Value: $200)
Other notables: Karen Zambos Couture, Kumi Kookoon, Logitech Wireless Headphones, Maggie Coulombe, Voluspa Candles, WowBow and Neuros Audio MPEG4 portable DVR’s.
TOTAL VALUE: $17,879.00
The Critics Choice Awards Gift Bag
The giftees got to assemble their own gift bag at this show. The top ten options:
1. Ziamond Limited Edition (made exclusively for the awards) SuperStar Pendant and SuperStar Lapel Pin featuring custom Kite Cut Ziamonds invisibly assembled to create a brilliant star set in 14K solid white gold.
2. Invicta Watches
3. SOLSTICE Sunglass Boutique Spring 2006 Designer Sunglasses Collections from Dior, Gucci, Giorgio Armani, Marc Jacobs, Ralph Lauren and more.
4. Laser Eye Center of Silicon Valley certificate for complimentary Wavefront Guided LASIK Surgery for both eyes.
5. SALT Works Jeans Denim.
6. Carrie Valentine handbags.
7. Palm Inc. Palm Treo 650 smartphone or Palm LifeDrive mobile manager.
8. Keurig Special Edition Single Cup Brewing System with three-month Supply of Coffee/Tea.
9. Chantelle Graphie Collection.
10. Vera Wang Fragrances Limited Edition Gift Collection for Men and Women.
They also receive a pre-packaged gift bag that includes: Bebina denim jackets, Breathe gift certificate for three acupuncture treatments, Crunch Fitness one-year passport membership, Kipling Las Vegas 24” expandable trolley, Mattel Scene It? Turner Classic Movies Game Pack, and SPANX Original Footless Pantyhose, Power Panties, Control Top Fishnets and Footless Turbo Tights.
TOTAL VALUE: Approximately $20,000
[PAGEBREAK]Independent Spirit Awards Gift Bag
The giftees also can assemble their own gift bag at this awards show. The top ten options:
1. A private tw-day, four-wheel drive training adventure with legendary Bill Burke of Bill Burke’s 4-Wheeling America.
2. Ziamond Cubic zirconia set in 14k white gold and platinum.
3. The Ritz-Carlton New York Central Park: Two-night stay in a luxurious Parkview suite.
4. Palm Treo 650: Smartphone with matching Swarovski crystal encrusted Bluetooth earbud.
5. Palm LifeDrive mobile manager.
6. Invicta Diamond encrusted “Anatomic” watch.
6. From IFC and Acura: Apple’s Video iPod (And if the stars are too busy, they can send 1,000 CDs to Riptopia and they’ll burn them to your iPod for them!).
8. Netflix: One-year membership to Netflix, and four more to share with their closest friends.
9. Kipling’s Coast Tote & Los Angeles Trolley.
10. Sunglasses from Ray-Ban’s new Spring collection.
Other notables: a gift collection from L’Oreal Paris, UGG Australia’s Layback sandal, Chantelle Lingerie, Dior Beauty’s “Star of the Show” gift collection, Dockers customized for each star, one-year passport membership to Crunch Fitness and a Lauren Merkin one-of-a-kind evening clutch.
TOTAL VALUE: Undisclosed
A-List Award Season’s Top Nominees
When all award show nominees are announced, Madison & Mulholland chooses, with a team of ten, their top nominees (win or lose) to receive their luxurious goodie bags. This year their list of recipients includes Charlize Theron, Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Aniston, Rachel McAdams, Angelina Jolie, Claire Danes, Kirsten Dunst, Gwyneth Paltrow, Keira Knightley, Scarlett Johansson, Teri Hatcher, Felicity Huffman, Geena Davis, Sarah Jessica Parker, Naomi Watts, Eva Longoria, Uma Thurman, Patricia Clarkson, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Downey Jr., Nathan Lane, Pierce Brosnan, Heath Ledger, George Clooney, Jamie Foxx, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Orlando Bloom and Jon Stewart. Top ten items include:
1. Mandarin Oriental Hotel New York (Value: $14,000): Presidential suite and gift certificate to the spa
2. Las Alamandas (Value: $10,000): Hotel suite.
3. Elk Mountain Resorts- Colorado (Value: $7,500): Weekend retreat with fly fishing.
4. Classic Cars (Value: $7,000): Club membership.
5. The Whaler Inn (Value: $5,000): Two bedroom suite.
6. Avianne & Co. (Value: $3,500): Diamond watch.
7. Therasage (Value: $3,200): Massage table.
8. Chocolate Graphics Tennesse (Value: $2,000): Customized chocolate.
9. Prime Resource.biz (Value: $1,500): Gift certificate for flat-screen TV cabinet.
10. Everpure (Value: $750): Water filtration.
Other notables: Euoko Skin Care, Carolyn’s Gourmet Chocolate, Clive Christian perfume, Haute Diggty Dog dog bed, a Swarovski ring from Julie Stein, London Sole’s ballet slippers, high end dog clothes from Monkey Daz and books from McGraw Hill.
TOTAL VALUE: $60,104
The Academy Awards Gift Bag
And then there’s the most elite and mysterious of all: While the official gift bags and their total value are kept top secret, last year’s swag haul was valued at an estimated $25,000 (per People magazine), All items are donated and must be worth at least $ 500 and while vendors do not pay an inclusion fee as with most gift bags, competition to be included is fierce. We do know the following items (thus far) are included:
1. Halekulani Hotel (Value: $25,000): Includes a four-night stay in the unparalleled Vera Wang Suite at Halekulani, a signature treatment at the famed SpaHalekulani, and dinner for two at Hawaii’s only five diamond restaurant, La Mer at Halekulani.
2. The Cornelia Day Resort (Value: $2,500): The “Ultimate Card” features a day of beauty and a collection of products hand-selected from Corneila’s exclusive spa and beauty lines.
3. TARA (value: $1,300): A natural colored 12-13 mm Tahitian cultured pearl and diamond, 14kt white gold pendant, which marries the sparkle of diamonds, with the deep, luxurious luster of cultured pearls.
TOTAL VALUE: Top Secret
The Mirage Gift Package
And finally, for those who don’t win the Oscar, the Mirage Gift Package from the famed Las Vegas hotel is quite the consolation prize. The top ten items:
1. Three-day/two-night stay in a luxurious Lanai suite, with private pool & courtyard and private butler service.
2. Limo transportation to and from McCarran Airport.
3. Four premium tickets to the new Cirque du Soleil/Beatles production show at The Mirage.
4. A private backstage visit with the Cirque du Soleil cast.
5. VIP access at JET Nightclub, including table reservation and European bottle service.
6. Dinner for four at Kokomo’s, dinner for 4 at STACK, the American Steakhouse, and an extra $2,000 food and beverage allowance for use during your stay.
6. VIP hosted cabana access at The Mirage Pool or the hotel’s new European-style pool for two days.
7. Swim with the Dolphins Experience at Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat (up to four guests).
8. $1,000 allowance for treatments and services at The Mirage Spa & Salon.
9. High-end welcome amenities package in the suite upon arrival, including Cristal champagne and a custom culinary creation from Mirage’s signature chefs.
10. CAR’MEL 38’s Elizabeth Diamond Watch.
TOTAL VALUE: Over $46,000
