Along with the excitement of “who will win” and “who wore what”, this year’s hype is around the contents of a coveted Oscar goodie bag.
Stars including Meryl Streep, Mel Gibson, Nicole Kidman, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling will be among the chosen few to receive the coveted collection of freebies handed out to coincide with the 89th Academy Awards later this month.
According to the Daily Mail, this year the stars will receive more than NZ$278,114 worth of goodies, including diamonds and a trip to Hawaii.
Topping off the list as the most expensive item is a three-night mansion stay at Northern California’s Lost Coast Ranch worth $30,599.
The stars will also be receiving a six-day Hawaiian getaway at a luxurious villa on Kauai’s South Shore valued at $16,861.
Also on the list is a luxurious selection of beauty-themed goodies, including a ten-year supply of Oxygenetix make-up products, Hydroxycut Platinum weight loss supplement pills, “Dandi Patch” sweat prevention patches, and ten sessions with a celebrity personal trainer.
For the tech-savvy celebrity, the goodie bag will include an $830 Oomi home security system valued at $830 and a state-of-the-art Haze Dual Vaporizer electronic cigarette worth $435.
While the majority of gifts are priced high, a number of cheaper gifts are also packed into the goodie bags, including a chapstick lipbalm, Crayola crayons and a box of special Opal apples, which never turn brown after cutting.
According to Lash Fary, a representative who works for Distinctive Assets – the company that puts together the goodie bags – A-list stars including Jennifer Lawrence often call ahead to ensure their precious gifts don’t get lost in the post.
“We call [Jennifer’s] mother and we say, ‘Where is Jen right now? Where should we send the bag?’,” Mr Fary said.
“And her mother lets us know the location of where to send it. She’s the nicest woman on the planet.
“Some celebrities will get in touch to make sure we have the correct address to send the gifts to. It all depends on who is nominated as each year we see new talent arrive, but everyone gets a bag.”
Other strange gifts which featured in previous years’ goodie bags include a $380 roll of luxury toilet paper, a $27,666 personal horoscope telling, and hand sanitizer mixed with gold and crystals worth $186.
