No mere spheres of air for Oscar stars.
Photograph: Simela Pantzartzi/EPA
To most of us a goody bag contains the odd party popper and a selection of coloured balloons stuck to a squashed piece of birthday cake. To Oscar nominees it is an altogether different bag.
The contents of the official Oscar gift bag is supposed to be a secret, but this year's list has leaked out. With the contents worth an estimated $150,000 (£78,500) it reveals that everyone was a winner at last night's ceremony.
To start with, the bag, or large sack, was apparently weighed down with a Tara and Sons pearl and diamond necklace, a packet of personalised M&Ms with the nominees names printed on each sweet, and a Firefly mobile phone for the kids.
Other free booty includes a Kay Unger vintage silk kimono worth $500, a year's supply of exclusive Manni olive oil, a Krups premier espresso machine, a cashmere travel blanket worth $1,495, and two nights plus surfing lessons at the St Regis resort in Monarch Beach, California.
Then there's the personal pampering - yoga sessions, spas, and entire days of beauty treatments. Nominees' dogs don't miss out either. They are given a luxury dog bed and are invited to Doggie Daycare, where one Tamar Geller "will introduce dogs and their companions to her innovative methods for creating a better relationship".
The best actress nominees get the best bling. Their gifts include a Kodak camera with the actress's initials studded in $20,000-worth of diamonds, and a Victoria's Secret bra and panty set with a removable gold and diamond brooch.
USA Today reports that celebrity goody bags are now such big business that many companies devote whole advertising divisions to this form of product placement.
A-list celebs can make all the difference to a product, one expert told the Guardian's Dan Glaister.
America's tax authority, the IRS, said last week that Oscar nominees and presenters would have to declare all the contents of their goody bags on their tax returns. Poor loves.
