Jan 12
'09
Vanessa Hudgens survives the recession with $12,000 worth of swag

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Swag is one of the tackier aspects of celebrity. And that’s really saying something. It’s always aggravating to see wealthy famous people loading up on thousands of dollars worth of luxury goods, but it’s particularly annoying when the vast majority of the rest of the country is struggling to meet basic needs. That didn’t stop actress Vanessa Hudgens from stocking up on $12,000 worth of luxury items at the Golden Globes last night – nor did it keep her from bragging about it, along with her giant new house.

Vanessa Hudgens has a unique recession strategy: Get as much as you can for free. The “High School Musical” star hit the Golden Globes swag suites hard over the weekend, leaving her assistant to carry four “overflowing” bags of freebies, totaling a whopping $12,000.

Hudgens overtook “Access Hollywood’s” Stuff You Must … lounge suite, making sure to “take something from every booth,” our witness said. Among the gratis goods were a one-year pass for her and a pal to a AMC Theatres, a BlackBerry Pearl, a coffee machine, a $4,000 diamond pendant, designer clutches, a year-long gym membership and more.

It was more than a little ironic when, during her spree, Hudgens commented on how overjoyed she was with the “huge house I just bought.” We’re guessing it’s a little easier to fill a new home when you’re spending three hours in a gift lounge.

[From Gatecrasher]

I’m surprised we didn’t see Vanessa’s assistant lugging home a nice couch from the swag sitting areas. Of course a lot of other celebs partook of the free merchandise. But Gatecrasher points out that many refuse, or at least are gracious enough to limit it to one or two items.

At the BAFTA/L.A. Tea Party, Clint Eastwood, nominated for “The Changeling” and “Gran Torino,” told us: “I don’t want anything. I don’t want any gifts. [These] companies are trying to advertise, and they figure it’s low-cost advertising. They want to sell their product and help make the economy better, which is okay, but it’s not for me.”

Over at the HBO Luxury Lounge, Ricky Gervais picked up only a pair of shades from Solstice. “Sunglasses are the only things I can bear to take from these lounges,” he said. “I’m kind of like Elton John that way.”

[From Gatecrasher]

Clint Eastwood has a point – companies are trying to get free (or relatively inexpensive) press in exchange for getting celebs to use their products, so there certainly is a point to the whole thing beyond gratuitous excess. There’s just something about it that always seems so tacky to me, even when the economy is doing well. If there’s anyone who can afford expensive stuff, it’s celebrities. Some donate their items, which is definitely a more gracious way to go. But I do like the idea of just grabbing a pair of sunglasses or something similar as a nice compromise.

Here’s Vanessa Hudgens with Zac Effron at the Golden Globes last night, and at an afterparty later that evening. Images thanks to WENN, Bauer-Griffin, and Splash.

Posted in Swag, Tacky, Vanessa Anne Hudgens

Written by JayBird         20 Comments »
Aug 18
'06
The end of swag!


Award shows like The Oscars and The Emmys are going to have trouble getting celebrities to accept their swag bags. The IRS is reminding everyone that all the crap they receive, typically worth $50,000 and up, is subject to taxation. Presenters at next week’s Emmy awards have to sign a statement acknowledging that they accept tax responsibility for all the gifts they receive. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences also said there will be no more skyrocketing swag bags for Oscar presenters! Oh no!

The Internal Revenue Service launched a campaign Thursday aimed at clarifying the tax consequences of the gift-jammed goody bags and luxury giveaway suites that surround awards ceremonies and film festivals. The bad news for every A-lister and low-level minion alike who ever pockets a freebie: It’s taxable income.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in a related announcement, said it would eliminate the luxurious gift baskets it customarily offers to Oscar presenters such as Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell, starting with next year’s show.

Without specifying whether any money changed hands, the academy and the IRS also said they have settled any tax obligations presenters may have owed the government from gift baskets received through 2005. Recipients of the Oscar gift baskets in this year’s ceremony will soon receive a tax form from the academy detailing the fair market value of its contents.

It goes beyond the Oscars. Next week, an array of Emmy-timed swag suites are scheduled to open for business ahead of the Aug. 27 awards show. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said it has also informed this year’s Emmy presenters (among them Heidi Klum, James Gandolfini and Eva Longoria) that their gift bags are taxable, but would not say whether it planned on eliminating the bags altogether.

Gift bags and swag suites have exploded in recent years, as clothing companies, hotels, cellphone manufacturers and the makers of seemingly every imaginable kind of consumer goods (chocolates, lingerie, cufflinks, sunglasses, luggage, etc.) dole out items to celebrities in the hopes of garnering free advertising when those celebrities are photographed wearing those shoes or chatting into that cellphone.

So that’s why George Cooney donated his presenter gift bag. The IRS had already announced that Oscar gifts were taxable at that point, it just hadn’t received much press. You’re going to see a lot more press releases about celebrities donating their spa stays and luxury goods to charity, except you’ll know it’s not so selfless. What’s Life and Style to do now that they can’t market a bunch of expensive products to laypeople that celebrities get for free? Those poor luxury goos manufacturers will have to find another marketing strategy.

This affects much more than just award shows, because companies often sponsor parties for celebrities, hoping to get pictures of them posing with the free stuff. Spa suites are set up before The Oscars to get celebrities “prepared” to market more crap. Hopefully the IRS will crack down on that practice, too. What will happen to Sundance? Will celebrities stop showing up to so many events? How will celebrities cope with having to buy their own stuff? Will divas get a little more humble?

Posted in Oscars, Swag

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