If you hear an actor say they’re “humbled” during an acceptance speech at Sunday’s Academy Awards celebration, you can officially call out the BS. Because in addition to being nominated for a gold-plated trophy on Hollywood’s biggest night, all the big names in the acting and director categories receive a swag bag at the event worth $215K. And its contents challenge all reason.
The promotional present from marketing company Distinctive Assets is called the “Everybody Wins” bag and this is the 18th year in a row it’s being given out to Oscar nominees. In previous years, movie stars and filmmakers were given expensive vibrators, luxury train rides, and so forth and this year is just as insane.
According to USA Today, they will receive a 24K gold bath bomb, a five-night stay in Waikiki, a 12-day cruise for two on a luxury yacht, and even a urine collection and analysis system. What… why? More perks of getting nominated for an Oscar include organic cotton bust support tape, a phone consultation with a life coach, one-year membership to a matchmaking agency, cannabis-infused chocolate, a vape pen with 24K gold finish, handmade luxury eyelashes, a pill to give relief from monthly breast pain, a ton of alcohol, and more.
And we wonder why celebrities look so unattainably attractive? They get free vacations and a ton of perks like this! Now, the only thing is these items are taxable. Someone needs to start a charity to give these swag bags away. Now, this just reminds me of when Saoirse Ronan went on Ellen to give away some of her “swag” from the Golden Globes when she presented at the 2019 ceremony. She was really holding out! She must have received something of the sort when she was nominated for Lady Bird, Brooklyn, and Atonement before nabbing her fourth nomination for Greta Gerwig’s Little Women. Check it out:
Really, a water bottle? Napkins? Tulips? The Ellen audience was played. But, who knows? Are the actors and directors forced to take these crazy items? Is it the kind of thing where you stuff it in a closet and don’t even look at the 24K gold bath bomb just waiting to be soaked? The companies involved apparently pay at least $4,000 to be included in the “Everyone Wins” swag bag. The price to have your product or experience used by an influential celebrity, I guess!
This year’s Oscars features a ton of films being recognized, including frontrunners such as 1917, Joker, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, and Parasite. There will not be a host again this year, which nine-time emcee Billy Crystal thinks is a problem. On the road to the Oscars, there’s certainly been talk of a lack of diversity among the nominees and snubs such as Adam Sandler’s performance in Uncut Gems had cinephiles talking.
The 92nd Academy Awards airs on ABC on Sunday, February 9. Stay tuned here on CinemaBlend as we cover the ceremony.
