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Peek inside the gift bags for Oscar nominees in 2024, valued at $178,000
Only those Oscar nominees who win in their categories will go home with a bronze statuette, but all actors and directors who are nominated for awards will receive a complimentary bag full of expensive goodies.
The Oscars haven’t given ceremony attendees or nominees official gift bags since 2006, when the Academy nixed the longstanding tradition, under scrutiny from the IRS. The tax agency insisted celebrities were responsible for paying taxes on the gifts, should they choose to accept them.
Since then, enterprising marketing guru, Lash Fary, founder of LA-based marketing firm Distinctive Assets, has been filling the swag void in an effort to get brands’ products in front of some of the world’s most influential consumers.
Dubbed the “Everyone Wins” gift bag, the freebies are not affiliated with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, but the bags’ contents are still taxable.
The nominees, most of whom are well-known celebrities earning millions of dollars a year, are often the recipients of lavish gifts from brands seeking their endorsements. The six-figure swag bag is also a valuable opportunity for small, lesser-known brands to raise their profiles and gain buzz-generating seals of approval from Hollywood’s elite, according to Fary.
“While our gifts may be famous for being fun, fabulous and unique, they also serve to elevate small businesses, minority-owned brands, female entrepreneurs and companies who give back. This is celebrity marketing with a mission,” Fary said in a statement provided to CBS MoneyWatch.
“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. 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,” he added.
Who gets an “Everyone Wins” gift bag?
Fary offers the bags to the 25 actors and directors who are nominated for Academy Awards. This year, nominees in the acting categories include Colman Domingo, Jeffrey Wright, Lily Gladstone, Carey Mulligan, Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Annette Bening and others. Christopher Nolan and Martin Scorsese are among the directors who are nominated for Oscars this year. Typically, Fary either delivers or ships the baskets to recipients’ homes or offices.
How much is the gift bag worth this year?
The gift bags for Oscar nominees this year are worth a total of $178,000, according to Fary, but only if recipients redeem all the certificates and credits offered to them — which no gift bag recipient has ever done, he said.
The certificates have zero value if the recipients don’t redeem them, Fary said. “A lot of the gifts aren’t redeemed because of scheduling alone, but there are usually a couple of people who take a trip.”
What’s the most expensive gift bag ever for Oscar nominees?
Fary’s most expensive gift bag for Oscar nominees was valued at $225,000, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Handed out to Oscar-nominated stars and directors at the 2020 Academy Awards, the gift bags contained among other A-list treats, a 24k-gold vape pen, smart bra and cruise to Antartica.
What’s in the “Everyone Wins” gift bag for 2024?
This year’s freebies, collectively valued at $178,000, include luxurious travel experiences, home renovation opportunities, beauty products, health and wellness tools, food and beverage samples and more. The priciest items include a stay at Chalet Zermatt Peak, a luxury chalet in the heart of Zermatt, Switzerland, a popular European ski destination. The experience is valued at $50,000, according to Fary, and includes daily meals and massages, among other perks.
“It’s one of the top three most expensive gifts we’ve ever given,” Fary told CBS MoneyWatch.
Also included in the gift bags is a three-night stay at a private villa in St. Barts, at Saint-Barth Paradise. Week-long rentals start at $4,080 and go up to $34,000, according to the company’s website. The fancier villas offer beach views, infinity pools, a fitness center and other amenities.
What’s the most expensive Oscars gift bag item ever?
All-expenses paid travel packages including stays at luxury hotels around the world, are among the most expensive gift-bag items for red-carpet VIPs at the Oscars.
The most expensive travel-package ever included in an “Everyone Wins” Oscar-nominee gift bag was 2020’s Antarctic cruise, valued according to Forbes at the time, at $78,000.
Here is everything included in this year’s gift bag
Travel and leisure
- All-inclusive luxurious Swiss getaway for up to ten guests at Chalet Zermatt Peak
- Seven-day holistic wellness retreat from the Golden Door
- Three-night stay in a private villa at Saint-Barth Paradise
Home
- Maison Construction complimentary home project management
- Schwank Grills Portable Infrared Grill
- THOR Kitchen luxury kitchen appliances + culinary accessories
Beauty
- Adonis Arcana men’s grooming and skincare red carpet gift set
- Danucera award-winning cerabalm and D22 Tonic
- EpicLight Beauty Radiant Duo blush + lip balm
- Goodal Vitamin C serum + eye gel patch
- Hotsy Totsy Haus Deafinitely Divine Glow Kit
- Instytutum result-driven skincare gift set
- Kenra platinum blow-dry spray
- Miage ultra-luxury transformative skincare products
- Potenza RF microneedling by Cynosure
- Serucell post-procedure restorative recovery serum
Charity
- 10,000 donated plant-based meals for dogs from v-dog, in support of PETA’s Global Compassion Fund.
Health and wellness
- 1MD Nutrition’s LiverMD luxury mocktail kit fostering liver health
- Auro Wellness glutaryl topical glutathione
- BlendQuik personal portable blender
- Helight red light sleep therapy device
- Isopure collagen peptides drink mix
- Sound bath with Kate Schofield & The Earth’s Hum Tuning Fork
Food and beverage
- Ultra-premium Antigua Cruz Añejo Cristalino Tequila 100% Pure Agave
- C60 Power Sugar Free Tart Cherry Gummies
- Eatable premium gourmet popcorn inspired by the flavors of Happy Hour
- Élevé adaptogen-infused sparkling water
- Fetcha Chocolates handmade luxury vegan chocolate
- Gin Bothy award-winning small-batch Scottish gin
- Karma Nuts new bite-sized gluten-free Cashew Cookies
- Poppi reimagined soda
- Posh Pretzels handcrafted chocolate covered pretzels
- Windy City Sweets black licorice
Clothing and accessories
- BAGCEIT portable purse seat
- Blush Silks beauty pillowcases
- Bored Rebel graphic undershirts
- Cate Brown sustainable upcycled designer pillows
- Dooplikit full-color 3D selfie figurine
- Elboque sustainable artisan handbags and backpacks
- HEYDUDE comfortable + versatile footwear
- Jambys “performance inactivewear” boxers (with pockets) + JamTee gift set
- Overnight Travel Bags travel duffle
- Rose Box NYC luxury long-lasting roses
- Sattaché shoe bag
- Shinery Radiance Wash Luxury Jewelry Cleaner and Brush Duo
Experiences
- Private show with mentalist to the stars Dr. Carl Christman
- The Sagar Luxury Sugar Experience
- Wesper’s in-home Clinical Sleep Consultation
Books
- “Be nice. The end. Simple Wisdom of the Playground Kids.” by Bryan Scavnak
- “Glow: 90 Days to Create Your Vibrant Life from Within” by Dr. Stacie Stephenson
- “Memorable Movie Performances: A combination of reference and editorial review of films of the Classic Era” by J.B. Gould.
- “Safe: A Memoir of Fatherhood, Foster Care, and the Risks We Take for Family” by Mark Daley
- “There’s Something in the Water” from STEM4Real
- “‘You Talkin’ to Me?’ The Definitive Guide to Iconic Movie Quotes,” by Brian Abrams
Other items
- Rubik’s Cube 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition
- Smack Pet Food raw dehydrated super food for cats
- Wallis Annenberg GenSpace gratitude postcards fostering intergenerational connectedness
CBS News
Alexander McCartney sentenced in U.K. court for “catfishing” thousands, including U.S. girl who died by suicide
A Northern Ireland man was sentenced Friday to a minimum of 20 years in prison after being found guilty by a U.K. court in what has been described as the biggest criminal “catfishing” case in the country. Alex McCartney, 26, had pleaded guilty earlier this year to a charge of manslaughter in a Northern Ireland court after a young American girl who was among the thousands of alleged victims he blackmailed online died by suicide.
McCartney had admitted to a total of 185 charges involving 70 child victims in court — including blackmail, inciting a child to engage in sexual activity and producing and distributing indecent images of children. He was also held culpable for the death of 12-year-old Cimarron Thomas in West Virginia, according to the U.K.’s Press Association news agency.
Thomas, who lived in West Virginia with her mother, father and siblings, died of suicide in May 2018. During her online interactions with McCartney, authorties say he attempted to coerce her into sending graphic images involving a younger sibling.
Courtesy of the family of Cimarron Thomas
McCartney was already under investigation at the time, and was about to face charges from British investigators when authorities discovered Cimarron’s identity and the circumstances of her death, CBS News’ partner network BBC News reported Friday.
Thomas’ father, a U.S. Army veteran, died by suicide 18 months after his daughter, not knowing any of the circumstances behind Cimarron’s death.
Jim Gamble, a former senior British police officer specializing in child safety, told BBC News that it was a “shocking case.”
“The sheer scale of it and the horrific nature of the harm inflicted on these young girls makes it one of the worst I’ve ever seen,” Gamble said, adding: “Don’t watch this and think this happens very rarely.”
Detective Chief Superintendent Eamonn Corrigan of the Police Service of Northern Ireland’s Crime Operations Department issued a statement Friday, calling McCartney “nothing but a disgusting child predator who was posing as young girls online to groom, manipulate and sexually abuse his victims, as young as four, to satisfy his own sexual perversions and that of other online child sexual offenders.”
Northern Ireland Police handout
McCartney’s crimes occurred between 2014 and 2019, when he’s believed by police to have targeted about 3,500 victims, mostly via Snapchat, all over the world, including in Australia, New Zealand and the U.S., according to the Press Association. The case against him in the Belfast Crown Court focused on 70 child victims, including Thomas.
There was no immediate response to Friday’s verdict against McCartney from Snapchat. The social messaging app was accused in September of having features that make it a favored platform of sexual criminals targeting children, in a lawsuit filed by New Mexico against its parent company, Snap Inc.
An undercover investigation by the state found Snapchat has crafted “an environment where predators can easily target children through sextortion schemes and other forms of sexual abuse,” Attorney General Raúl Torrez said in a news release.
In a statement responding to the New Mexico case, Snap said the app was designed “as a place to communicate with a close circle of friends, with built-in safety guardrails,” and it said there were “deliberate design choices to make it difficult for strangers to discover minors on our service.”
“We continue to evolve our safety mechanisms and policies, from leveraging advanced technology to detect and block certain activity, to prohibiting friending from suspicious accounts, to working alongside law enforcement and government agencies, among so much more,” the company said, adding that it continued to work with “industry, government, and law enforcement to exchange information and concept stronger defenses.”
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While interest rates on traditional borrowing products like credit cards and personal loans are high right now – as they’ve been for much of the last few years – rates on home equity loans and home equity lines of credit (HELOCs) are in the single digits. And those rates could fall further if the Federal Reserve issues additional interest rate cuts to follow up on its September reduction. Combined with the knowledge that the average homeowner has approximately $330,000 in home equity right now, it’s understandable if borrowers are considering turning to home equity loans to help make ends meet.
But while there are timely benefits to using a home equity loan right now, there are also some significant risks that borrowers should be aware of heading into November. Below, we’ll break down three important ones to know before right now.
See what home equity loan rate you could qualify for here.
3 home equity loan risks to know this November
Home equity loans can benefit a wide swath of homeowners, but there are some inherent risks to the product that they should navigate around this November. Specifically, they should know that:
Interest rates could drop
Interest rates on home equity loans could and likely will fall in November if the Fed proceeds with another anticipated rate cut. That’s an advantage, on paper, but it means that the rate you secure earlier in the month may not be as low as what’s readily available later in November or in December. And you won’t be able to take advantage because home equity loan rates are fixed and will need to be refinanced to secure a lower rate. In this climate, then, a HELOC, which comes with variable interest rates subject to change monthly may be better. A HELOC will likely have lower rates — and, thus, lower payments — for multiple months to come as interest rates decline.
You may have an extra expense
As noted, home equity loan rates could drop, perhaps by a significant margin, after you’ve already opened a loan. You’ll then need to refinance to secure that newer rate and that will come at a cost. Home equity loan refinancing typically costs 1% to 5% of the total loan value. And if you’re taking out a significant amount of equity, that could prove to be a costly expense. To avoid this extra expense, then, it’s again worth considering a HELOC. HELOC rates adjust independently with no action — or expense — required on behalf of the borrower.
You may be tempted to overborrow
As mentioned above, the average home equity amount is closing in on $330,000 right now. That’s a lot of money to utilize, particularly at a relatively low interest rate. Knowing this, it may be tempting to overborrow right now. But that would be a mistake. Your home functions as collateral when borrowing home equity from a lender. And, if you withdraw too much and can’t repay your debt, you could risk losing your home in the process. So calculate your exact needs and borrow only that much with a home equity loan. If you don’t know precisely how much you need to borrow, consider a HELOC, which has more flexibility and works similarly to a revolving line of credit like a credit card.
The bottom line
Home equity loans offer unique benefits for borrowers, even now (they have slightly lower rates than HELOCs currently). But there are some timely risks to know this November, too, like the potential to get locked in at a higher rate as the overall rate climate cools, the extra expense of having to refinance and the temptation to overborrow via one lump sum. By understanding these risks and working around them via alternatives like HELOCs, home equity users can better position themselves for financial success, both in November and for the long term.
Have more questions? Learn more about home equity loans and HELOCs here.
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