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Amid the luxuries, this year's Oscars gift bags include wildfire recovery help

Amid the luxuries, this year's Oscars gift bags include wildfire recovery help

Reuters27-02-2025
LOS ANGELES, Feb 27 (Reuters) - This year's Oscars swag bags are replete with luxury skincare products, film-inspired merchandise and five-star vacations.
One element will be a little different, though. The same year that Los Angeles suffered devastating wildfires that ripped through suburban neighborhoods, recipients will get a one-year membership to Bright Harbor, a disaster recovery service that helps survivors navigate what happens next.
As well as the personal membership, each nominee will receive 10 further memberships "that they can gift freely to friends, family, neighbors, even fans who might have lost their home in the LA fire," said Lash Fary, founder of Distinctive Assets, the company behind the gift bags.
For the 23rd year the Los Angeles-based entertainment marketing company will deliver its "Everyone Wins" Nominee Gift Bags, worth over $200,000 each, to 25 top acting and directing nominees. The gifts are curated independently of the Academy that organizes Sunday night's Oscars.
Other highlights of this year's bags include a private in-home show from a local magician, a DNA kit that comes with a deep dive into the nominee's history with a genealogist, and a coat for a pet dog recycled from designer clothing.
"This is California and this is a stressful week for a lot of these folks. So we've got four different cannabis options for them," added Fary, pointing to rose gold vape pens, gummies, pre-rolls and THC-infused margaritas.
The majority of the nominees will inevitably miss out on the coveted Oscar statue but they can console themselves by choosing between vacations at a Maldives villa, a Sri Lankan wellness resort, or a five-star Barcelona hotel.
As well as brightening the day of the A-listers, the bags also serve as a platform to promote small businesses, minority-owned brands and companies that give back to the community, Distinctive Assets says.
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The Guardian

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Terence Henry Stamp was born on 22 July 1938 in Stepney, east London. Here he is on 5 May 1961 at a reception at the Savoy hotel in London to introduce the stars of the forthcoming movie Billy Budd, which was to be his screen debut Photograph: Alamy Terence Stamp photographed with his mother Ethel, father Thomas, brothers Richard and John, and sister Linette at home in Plaistow, London on 28 May 1961. Stamp was about to depart for Spain to begin filming Billy Budd Photograph:Stamp was nominated for the best supporting role Oscar and won the Golden Globe for most promising newcomer for his performance Photograph: Alamy An undated portrait of Stamp Photograph:Stamp appeared alongside Laurence Olivier, Sarah Miles (pictured, in her film debut) and Simone Signoret in this British drama Photograph: Alamy Stamp with his girlfriend, the model Jean Shrimpton, in London in 1963 Photograph: Terry O'Neill/Iconic Images Stamp as Freddie Clegg, a psychotic butterfly collector and kidnapper of women Photograph:Shrimpton with Stamp and the horse Modesty, who she gave to him as a Christmas present, photographed in January 1965. Photograph:Stamp enjoys a beer with his friend and flatmate Michael Caine Photograph: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock Rossella Falk, Dirk Bogarde, Stamp and Monica Vitti in the spy spoof Photograph: Stamp and Caine in the Bag O'Nails club in Kingly Street, Soho in 1966, at the heart of swinging London Photograph: Alamy Model Celia Hammond with Stamp at a fashion show in London in 1967 Photograph:Stamp as Sergeant Troy and Julie Christie as Bathsheba Everdene in the Thomas Hardy adaptation Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock Stamp and Celia Hammond attend the premiere of Far from the Madding Crowd at the Odeon Marble Arch in London on 17 October 1967 Photograph:Stamp as Dave and Carol White as Joy in Ken Loach's bleak drama Photograph: StudioCanal/Rex/Shutterstock Stamp, (centre) and his younger brother Christopher (left) wait in Malibu justice court for their arraignment on a charge of possession of marijuana, 23 May 1968 Photograph: George Brich/AP Stamp as Toby Dammit in the Federico Fellini segment of an anthology film, aka Spirits of the Dead, based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe Photograph: Alamy Director Pier Paolo Pasolini talks to Stamp on the set of the Italian arthouse film Photograph: Collection Christophel/Alamy Marlon Brando as Jor-El, Stamp as General Zod, Jack O'Halloran as Non and Sarah Douglas as Ursa Photograph: Stamp reappeared as General Zod, the sequel's primary villain Photograph: DC Comics/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock Stamp in the television drama series about the activities of British counterintelligence agents. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock Tim Roth, Stamp and John Hurt in Stephen Frears' thriller Photograph: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock In 1984, after some initial reluctance, Stamp gave his permission to use an image from The Collector on the cover of the 7' single What Difference Does It Make? by the Smiths Stamp as Sir Larry Wildman Photograph: Stamp photographed in May 1993 Photograph: Terry O'Neill/Iconic Images Stamp played transgender woman Bernadette, who travels across Australia with two drag queens, in this worldwide hit comedy Photograph: Everett Collection/Alamy Stamp as Wilson, a vengeful Englishman on the rampage in LA Photograph: Alamy Stamp as Chancellor Valorum Photograph: Lucasfilm Stamp with Eddie Murphy in the US comedy-horror film Photograph: Disney/Kobal/Rex/Shutterstock Kevin McNally, Christian Berkel, Bill Nighy, Tom Cruise, Stamp, David Scofield and Kenneth Branagh in the dramatisation of the 1944 plot to assassinate Hitler Photograph: MGM/Allstar Stamp as a grumpy old man Arthur who, following the death of his wife Marion, played by Vanessa Redgrave, reconnects with his son through singing in the local choir Photograph: Alamy Stamp with Christina Hendricks in the Agatha Christie mystery movie Photograph: Vertical Entertainment/Alamy Stamp in his final film role as the 'silver-haired gentleman' in the British psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright Photograph: Album/Alamy Photograph: Linda Nylind/The Guardian

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