Oscar nominees will be itching to take home a golden statue this Sunday, but even if they end up without one, none of the acclaimed actors and directors will go home empty-handed.
The prize for winning their respective categories is really just the cherry on top of a trove of other gifts each will receive for their work, no matter what the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences decides.
It’s a courtesy of Distinctive Assets, a Los Angeles-based marketing company that’s been giving the big category nominees an “Everybody Wins” gift bag for 22 years running.
The Academy stopped giving out gift bags in 2006 after the IRS insisted stars should pay taxes on the items they accepted. Now this unaffiliated replacement, which contains taxable items, has filled the void, giving nominees a lavish consolation prize full of lesser-known brands hoping to get into their eyelines.
“Just as any A-list actor doesn’t ‘need’ millions of dollars to walk onto a film set, these gifts are given based on the invaluable stardust these nominees can bestow upon a brand,” Distinctive Assets founder Lash Fary told CBS News. “Of course they can afford to buy these things; they are also in a uniquely favorable marketing position. This is a straightforward win-win transaction.”
So who needs another item for the bookshelf anyway? Here’s what’s inside the so-called “gift bag” — more like a gift suitcase — and who will get one come March 10.
Who’s the “everybody” in this year’s “Everybody Wins” gifting crew?
The swag bag goes to all the acting and directing category nominees plus the evening’s host. This year, Jimmy Kimmel has the role for the fourth year in a row, meaning he’ll take home his fourth prize.
As for directors, the nominees and gift bag recipients this year are Justine Triet for “Anatomy of a Fall,” Martin Scorcese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things,” Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer” and Jonathan Glazer for “The Zone of Interest.”
Best actor nominees taking home the prizes include Paul Giamatti, Cillian Murphy, Jeffrey Wright, Bradley Cooper and Colman Domingo. Best supporting actors are Sterling K. Brown, Robert De Niro, Robert Downey Jr., Ryan Gosling and Mark Ruffalo.
This year’s best actress nominees are Annette Bening, Sandra Hüller, Carey Mulligan, Lily Gladstone and Emma Stone. And the final crew going home with gift bags are the best supporting actress nominees: America Ferrera, Jodie Foster, Danielle Brooks, Da’Vine Joy Randolph
and Emily Blunt.
What’s in the bag, and how much is it worth?
This year’s gift bag is worth $178,000 in value, but only if the recipients redeem everything that’s offered, Fary told CNBC. This has never happened, he said.
The most expensive item this year that nominees can choose to redeem is a three-night, $50,000 stay at Chalet Zermatt Peak in Switzerland. The trip to the popular ski destination includes daily gourmet chef-made meals and massages from an in-house therapist for up to nine guests, per CNBC.
The gift suitcase also holds a $24,000 ticket to Southern California’s Golden Door spa, where nominees can get daily massages, farm-fresh meals and other holistic wellness experiences during a seven-day stay. And if skiing or spa-ing isn’t their vibe, recipients also get a three-night stay at a private villa in St. Barts — a tropical vacay worth anywhere from $4,080 to $34,000, per CNBC.
There are also items for the homebodies, including a $1,350 portable Schwank Grill, a $139 Height red light sleep therapy device and a $15 retro Rubik’s Cube.
The rest of the trove includes various beauty and hair products, kitchen appliances, a donation that provides plant-based meals to dogs, different drinks and treats, books and a slew of clothing and accessories. Nominees will also get a private session with “mentalist to the stars” Dr. Carl Christman and a consultation with a clinical sleep specialist.
The rest of the full, name-brand list is available on CBS News.