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Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Look inside this year's $217,000 gift bag for Oscars nominees
When watching the 97th Academy Awards, there was a clear divide between the A-listers and the rest of the film industry. Winners in less glamorous categories were played off relatively quickly, while Best Actor winner Adrien Brody gave a lengthy speech about his life in the film industry. Aside from the allocated speech time, there's actually another divide between the celebrities in the acting and directing categories and every other person who was nominated. Even the individuals who lost in those five categories went home with a $217,000 gift bag. The technical, foreign, short, and animated film nominees were not nearly as lucky. For more than 25 years, Distinctive Assets has distributed gift bags packed full of luxury goodies to the 20 nominated actors and 5 nominated directors. 'While our gifts may be famous for being fun and fabulous, they also serve as a means to elevate small businesses, minority-owned brands, female entrepreneurs and companies that give back,' said founder Lash Fary, in a statement. 'This year, on the heels of the historically tragic LA fires, we have found even more ways that our celebrity swag can do good in our community.' While many of this year's prizes are wellness or travel-oriented, there's also several products included in direct response to the Los Angeles wildfires. The most valuable item in the gift basket is $50,000 to spend at Maison Construction, which is offering nominees 'project management services' for rebuilding Los Angeles properties post-wildfires. 'Each celebrity gift can be redeemed for themselves or they can direct the opportunity to support fire victims,' the company said. Disaster recovery company Bright Harbor also offered nominees the opportunity to assist wildfire victims. Nominees received a one year subscription to Bright Harbors disaster relief services and an additional 10 subscriptions to give to others. 'Whether they pamper themselves or share these bountiful gifts as a care package for a friend who may have recently lost their home, we give these gifts not based on the recipients' need but out of a desire to brighten someone's day and to acknowledge a job well done,' said Fary. Click through to see some of the other luxury goods and services included in this year's gift bags. For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
01-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Scouted: This Year, Fire Relief Dominates Gifting for Oscar Nominees
Scouted selects products independently. If you purchase something from our posts, we may earn a small commission. Oscar nominees aren't just famous for lauded roles. They're also famous for regifting. Lash Fary, founder of Distinctive Assets and the man responsible for the most elaborate of awards season swag, will be the first to tell you that A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence will parlay gifts (like $5000 designer bags) into hookups for family. In the case of this year's 'Everyone Wins' swag—offered to the Academy Awards host Conan O'Brien and Oscar nominees in the best actor, best actress, best supporting actor, best supporting actress, and best director categories—a penchant for sharing the spoils is a good thing. Because aside from the $25,000 in services at a Floridian plastic surgery clinic, this year's gifts include big-ticket items meant for providing much-needed relief to those affected by the Los Angeles fires. Most notably, $1 million in Bright Harbor personalized disaster recovery support (ranging from help with insurance and government assistance paperwork to vetting vendors for remediation and rebuilding) is included and will be shared among 300 families. 'This isn't one of those things that's non-transferable or is just giving a month or two,' Fary says. 'The company gave to each of the nominees a full year's membership worth more than $3,500, so someone who lost their home, like Adrien Brody, can certainly take advantage of having a team of professionals helping walk them through this process.' What's more, each recipient will receive 10 one-year memberships to give to others who lost homes in the fires. 'It's a true gift that these celebrities can actually share with anybody that they want, and we all want it to reach as many people as possible,' he says. Additionally, Maison Construction, a firm headed by a born-and-bred Angeleno, is offering complimentary project management services and a 50 percent discount on construction services, which can be used by the recipient or passed on to someone who lost their home in the L.A. fires. For some nominees, this year's focus on supporting those in need while also celebrating the moment may take the sting off an Oscar loss (which for actors, can also mean missing out on six-figure cash bonuses contracted by distribution studios and/or producers or a 20 to 60 percent pay bump for subsequent roles). For the rest of us, the thoughtful, give-back component helps rationalize the idea of well-heeled celebs getting $216,191 in freebies (including more than $37,000 in vacations that have been hand-selected by a private concierge who caters to high-net-worth individuals). We're talking about a four-night stay at two Joali Maldives resorts known for villas-only accommodations and dedicated butler service, five nights at Santani, a wellness retreat in the hills of Sri Lanka, and a three-night stay at Barcelona's tony Cotton House Hotel. See what Timothée Chalamet, Cynthia Erivo, Demi Moore, Kieran Culkin, Zoe Saldaña, and others will find in awards season's biggest gift bag ahead.
Reuters
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
Amid the luxuries, this year's Oscars gift bags include wildfire recovery help
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.
The Independent
27-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
What's in the Oscars 2025 gift bag: LA wildfire relief, a luxury wellness retreat and cruelty-free lipstick
Although every Oscars nominee won't be a winner this weekend, they will each walk away with something special: A very pricey gift bag. Organized by Los Angeles-based entertainment company Distinctive Assets Legendary, this year's gift bags for nominees were given a special title: 'Everyone Wins.' Some of the Oscar-nominated A-listers who will be taking home a gift bag are Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Adrien Brody, Demi Moore, Kieran Culkin, and Timothée Chalamet. According to the founder of Distinctive Assets, Lash Fary, some of the gifts in the bag will support families who were victims of the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles last month. 'While our gifts may be famous for being fun and fabulous, they also serve as a means to elevate small businesses, minority-owned brands, female entrepreneurs and companies that give back,' Fary said in a statement. 'This year, on the heels of the historically tragic LA fires, we have found even more ways that our celebrity swag can do good in our community.' So, what's inside the luxurious bags each of which is reportedly worth more than six figures? Following the wildfires, the 2025 nominee gift bag will feature more than '$1 million of personalized disaster recovery services' from Bright Harbor, according to a press release. In addition, each nominee will receive a 'complimentary home renovation project management' from Maison Construction. The gift bag also comes with a slew of luxury skincare products from Miage, and a selection of Parisian-inspired Cosmetics and Hair Care products from L'Oréal Paris. Nominees can also plan for a vacation after the awards ceremony, as they'll receive a 'four-night luxury all-villa resort stay from JOALI Maldives and JOALI BEING, a five-night luxury wellness retreat' in Sri Lanka. In preparation for these travel plans, Oscar nominees will be gifted a Travel Pack from Nomatic and a 20-piece luxury gift box, including hydrating lip products from Petty Pout. Other smaller goodies include a collection of merch and gift cards from Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, an AncestryDNA Kit, an 'L.A. Strong" graphic undershirt from Bored Rebel, chocolate-covered pretzels from Posh Pretzels, and cruelty-free lipstick from VEDI. 'Whether they pamper themselves or share these bountiful gifts as a care package for a friend who may have recently lost their home, we give these gifts not based on the recipients' need but out of a desire to brighten someone's day and to acknowledge a job well done,' Fary added in his statement. You can find the full list of everything included in the 2025 Oscars nominees gift bag here. The biggest contenders at the 2025 Academy Awards include Netflix 's divisive Emilia Pérez, Brady Corbet's sweeping epic The Brutalist, and the pope drama Conclave, starring Ralph Fiennes. Meanwhile, Grande and Erivo were both nominated for their roles in Wicked, while Moore received a nomination for her role in The Substance. Emilia Pérez 's Karla Sofía Gascón became the first-ever openly trans individual to be nominated for an Academy Award in any acting category. Within days of making history, however, Gascón found herself at the center of controversy when journalist Sarah Hagi drew attention to a series of problematic tweets made from the actor's X account between 2020 and 2021. While Gascón sought to apologize for her mistakes — insisting she was 'not racist' in a tearful, hour-long interview with CNN en Español — Netflix erased her name and face from its 'For Your Consideration' campaign adverts. Although she missed the SAG Awards on February 23, amid the controversy, Gascón will reportedly attend the 97th Academy Awards on Netflix's dime this weekend.
The Guardian
26-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Inside this year's Oscar goody bags: $1m of disaster relief, spliffs and a reimagined backgammon experience
On Sunday, the Oscars take place after the devastating California wildfires which killed at least 29 people, forced more than 200,000 to evacuate and destroyed more than 18,000 homes and structures last month. In light of the tragedy, Distinctive Assets, the marketing company behind the goody bag handed out to this year's acting and directing nominees at the Academy Awards, has tweaked its offerings, with key inclusions reflecting the disaster. 'While our gifts may be famous for being fun and fabulous,' said Lash Fary, Distinctive Assets's founder, 'they also serve as a means to elevate small businesses, minority-owned brands, female entrepreneurs and companies that give back. This year, on the heels of the historically tragic LA fires, we have found even more ways for our celebrity swag to do good in our community.' The highest-priced item on offer in the bags is more than $1m worth of personalised disaster recovery services from calamity management outfit Bright Harbor, which can be used by the recipient or gifted by them to someone who might be able to make better use of it. Celebrities who lost their homes in the fires include Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Joshua Jackson, Anna Faris, Ricki Lake and Cary Elwes. It is not believed any of the nominees, who include Adrien Brody, Timothée Chalamet, Demi Moore and Ralph Fiennes, were victims of the fire. There is also the offer of complimentary home renovation project management from Maison Construction, plus three different cannabis products, including a packet of pre-rolled spliffs from Dogwalkers, which aims to provide pooch-owners with an easy hit when their mutt requests an outing. Canine companions are also catered for with sustainable luxury dog wear and toss pillows from Cate Brown Studio; they can also try out Peta's custom 'Let Monkeys Swing Free!' portable hammock. Other items in the bag include the opportunity to escape on assorted holidays, including short breaks in Barcelona, the Maldives and Sri Lanka. A three-month Ancestry World Explorer membership comes with a DNA testing kit. A-listers can also choose between membership in the Hollywood chapter of the Illuminati or a private live show from mentalist Carl Christman. Along with a wealth of skincare and wellness projects comes Helight's Nasa-inspired red light sleep therapy plus ArtLipo body contouring procedures with Dr Thomas Su. Once appropriately relaxed, celebrities can enjoy Gammn's 'reimagined backgammon experience' or leaf through one of three books in the bag. The literature this year comprises a $950 'immersive multi-sensory coffee table' book about Iceland and Bryan Bishop's memoir, Shrinkage: Manhood, Marriage and the Tumor That Tried to Kill Me. Bookworms can also enjoy – perhaps with a view to future film adaptations – 'international bestselling author' Samantha Skye's new romance novel Tanner. 'My new neighbour happens to be the grumpiest billionaire in Whispers,' explains the blurb, 'but his gravelly voice and golden brown eyes make this city girl weak at the knees.' The story's plot involves the female narrator inheriting an old rural farmhouse after losing her job and fiance in close succession. She then meets her new neighbour: 'startling good looking, yet much older … as his eyes linger a little longer and his words take new meaning, even the massive age gap is not enough to stop us.' Distinctive Assets has no official association with the Academy Awards, and it is understood contributors to its bag pay a fee for inclusion.
