BuddyHawks

From the Des Moines Register
Friday, February 27, 2004.

Academy Rewards

No matter who takes home the little golden statues, everybody who makes it on stage at Sunday night's Academy Awards is going to win big. And we mean big. According to USA Today, every celeb who's kind enough to put up with the painful inconvenience of sharing themselves with the world as a presenter or a performer Sunday will receive a gift bag filled with goodies worth $110,000. (In the real world that's about twice what a Philadelphia police sergeant makes per year.) The bounty includes a gift certificate for a $6,000 43-inch Samsung DLP HDTV, plus a year of satellite TV; a pair of round-trip business-class tickets on Air New Zealand from L.A. to Auckland; a $1,500 steak dinner; and, to help digest that steak, there's also a $500 Krups espresso machine (probably the cheapest item in the bag).

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Damn, I wish I we're going to the Oscars.

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Cynthetiq

yeah those gift bags.... i've never gotten a gift bag with any thing really extravagant... then again. I'm just a peon.

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brianna

Nothing like giving the richest among us free stuff.

gmoot

$1,500 steak dinner? I could eat for months on the money those celebrities will waste on a single meal. Oh, to be rich and famous...

World's King

I'll get one of those fuckin' things some day.

As in I'll clock Tom Cruise in the back of the head and take his.

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heavy is the head that wears the crown

laconic1

Bingo, like they can't afford to get it on their own.

Ripsaw

Every single one of those people should be given the option to donate the monetary value of their gift packs to a worthy cause.

--OR--

They worked hard for it, they earned it.


I can see it either way.

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"We are supposed to be masters of space, but we cant even line up our shoes?"

One life, one chance, one opportunity.

MrFlux

Free tickets to New Zealand? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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flux (n.)
Medicine. The discharge of large quantities of fluid material from the body, especially the discharge of watery feces from the intestines.

kurty[B]

King, I'll distract him and his body guards for a minute while you run up behind and snatch the bag. Then, we can split it.

Harshaw

Maybe we could leave some of them there.

"Yes Mr. Seacrest 'one way' is the new term for first class, enjoy your flight"

I would feel sorry for all the New Zealanders who did nothing to deserve this fate... but someone needs to take him off our hands.

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This too shall pass.

bundy

do you reckon everyone at the airport wishing him farewell would do a silly little salute and then chant, "Seacrest, OUT!!!!" over and over...

kinda like he was being run out of town...


i'm really curious about this $1500 steak dinner... that must be some gold plated steak they'll be getting... or maybe they'll be sucking down some Petrus while they hoe into their side of cow...
very interesting.

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Ohayo!!!

Spartak

Everybody likes free stuff, even the filthy rich.

I wouldn't complain if I got such an awesome gift pack.

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I can read your mind... looking at you... I can read your mind...

lafemmefatale

Apparently only 10% of the free trips certificates in those baskets are used. (as reported by a local newspaper) AND the hotels and resorts have to APPLY to be in the basket, AND it's for publicity so their not paid for the celeb's stay either.

So not only are the rich rich, they also get free stuff, AND they don't even use up the free stuff. Horrible. Just horrible. I want in.

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-poor is the man whose pleasure depends on the permission of another-

onodrim

Here's to hoping they give away baskets like that in the Tony's so maybe I have about a .0005% chance of ever getting one.

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"The world is so exquisite with so much love and moral depth, that there is no reason to deceive ourselves with pretty stories for which there’s little good evidence. Far better it seems to me, in our vulnerability, is to look death in the eye and to be grateful every day for the brief but magnificent opportunity that life provides"
-Carl Sagan

MSD

We'll bribe you ... I mean, send you foreign aid, if you keep them.

MrFlux

I think we'd rather not have the movie stars quite frankly

Unless they give me one of these gift bags, then it's all good.

__________________
flux (n.)
Medicine. The discharge of large quantities of fluid material from the body, especially the discharge of watery feces from the intestines.

Hanabal

i wonder what peter jackson will do with his trip to auckland.
but seriuosly, $1500 steak.

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I am Hanabal, Phear my elephants

Kllr Wolf

I too am curious about the $1500 steak dinner. What do they do, set a cow aside for each person so they can get the exact part they want?

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Caffeine - the molecule of life.

Mephisto2

I presume it's for you and several guests.

If not, it must be one large steak.

Mr Mephisto

bermuDa

"I never knew how much I needed a plasma tv and a $500 espresso machine until I got them for free"

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I am the very model of a moderator gentleman.

water_boy1999

Isn't it slightly ironic how the richest and most famous people in the world never have to pay for anything?

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Doh!!!!


-Homer Simpson

Bill O'Rights

But...didn't we make 'em rich 'n famous?

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"I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B. Anthony

"Hedonism with rules isn't hedonism at all, it's the Republican party." - JumpinJesus

It is indisputable that true beauty lies within...but a nice rack sure doesn't hurt.

Macheath

pfft...$110,000 is just Joe Sixpack retail. The restaurants, airlines, etc want the publicity; either from the celebrity using their service or the name dropping in gushing or mocking newspaper articles. The jewellry trinkets are useless - diamonds are a scam anyway.

Total writeoff. If I were a celebrity I'd try putting it on eBay, though I'm sure there's some contract clause that prevents that.