Elegance or excess? The Oscar goodie bag

There are no losers here, only winners. Nowhere is this more true than at the 76th annual Academy Awards, where not only favorites Charlize Theron, Sean Penn, Tim Robbins and Renee Zellweger, but also every other nominee, presenter and performer will walk away with over US$100,000 worth of loot in a gift bag.

The Oscar goodie bag isn’t just any gift bag. This year, it’s the first-ever, suede-lined Manolo Blahnik leather bag, suitable for an overnight stay at the Exclusive resort (another item among all the goodies in the bag). Estee Lauder commissioned Hollywood’s favorite shoemaker to design his first carryall for the Oscar glitterati, complete with matching suede sandals. Since the bag won’t be sold in stores in the near future, there’s little chance of even the most diehard Blahnik fan toting the same bag as Charlize or Nicole. How’s that for exclusive?

But for celebrities like Jude Law, Johnny Depp and Julia Roberts, that’s not all in the goodie Blahnik. Here’s a peek inside, courtesy of USA Today and E! Entertainment:

• A bottle of La Grande Dame Veuve Clicquot champagne to celebrate a big win, or just a big night.

• From Baccarat, crystal earrings for the women and crystal lighters for men.

• A week-long, all-expenses-paid Mediterranean or Caribbean cruise.

• A getaway at either the ultra-private Auberge du Soleil or Exclusive resort. Value: $4,000

• Business-class air tickets from Los Angeles to Auckland, New Zealand, the new tourist destination and Hollywood-location hotspot, thanks to the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

• From Hermés, a cashmere throw to warm the chilliest jet-setter.

• From Victoria’s Secret to the five best actress nominees, a jeweled pink lace and satin bra-and-panty set. The Oscar bra comes pinned with an 18K white-gold Angel Wing, designed by jeweler Mouawad with 115 full-cut round white diamonds totaling 2.10 carats. Whether Naomi Watts decides to wear her Angel Wing as a brooch or necklace, she can naughtily pair it underneath a gown with her pink V-tanga, Victoria’s Secret’s new panty style. Value: $7,000.

• Also from Victoria’s Secret, a one-carat pavé diamond lip gloss and perfume wand filled with a custom lip color designed for each nominee and Dream Angel fragrance, with five years’ worth of refills. Value: $5,000

• From Samsung, a state-of-the-art high-definition TV set with one-year Voom programming subscription. Value: $6,000

• For those who love the nightlife and Vegas, baby, a two-night penthouse package at Caesar’s Palace, including four tickets to Celine Dion and $9,000 in spending money at the hotel.

• A dinner party at Morton’s Steakhouse. Value: $1,500

• A gourmet espresso machine. Value: $500

• From Jean Patou of Paris, "En Joy" perfume, bottled in Baccarat and personalized with each nominee’s name.

• From Motorola, the new V810 camera cell phone with the latest games and ring tones. (For us mere mortals, the phone will be available later this March.) Value: $350

• From major sponsor Estee Lauder, an invitation for two to the annual Estee Lauder Oscar Spa at the posh Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles for the week leading up to the Oscars on Feb. 29. Stars can get red-carpet-ready with treatments like microdermabrasion, massages and manicures. Or, if going to the spa is just too pedestrian for stars with a more diva-ish temperament, she can arrange for a "dream team" of hair, makeup and fitness experts to come to her house or hotel room. Plus, he or she can keep their glamour intact post-Oscar with a full line of Estee Lauder products for men and women. Value: Up to $16,000.

Total value: approximately $110,000.

Now, if all this bounty seems a tad excessive to you, consider that the giftees include names like Spielberg, Cruise and Travolta – forces of nature whose combined personal fortunes would equal the GDP of a small country, or at the very least buy a fleet of Learjets. It takes a lot to impress people who have it all, and besides, what does a company get in return when a Cruise or a Kidman flashes their latest cellphone or lip gloss wand? Instant status and millions in free advertising.

It’s hard to believe that the gift bag was originally conceived by Oscar producers as a small token of appreciation to about 40 presenters in 1999. What was then valued at about $8,000 has in five years undergone massive inflation. Goodies from past years have included such practical items as La-Z-Boy recliners, office chairs and Birkenstock gift certificates. More "fancy" items came later, like Ebel and Fendi wristwatches, Waterford crystal, and those private getaways to Cabo San Lucas. Perhaps that’s why producers are so eager to keep the goodie bag’s contents under wraps this year – in a post-9/11 world, it doesn’t seem right that while Afghans and Iraqis struggle to rebuild cities from rubble, genetically and otherwise blessed movie stars like Charlize Theron should swan around town in jeweled underwear.

But no matter. In Hollywood, there are no losers, only winners. And if, perhaps, an actor didn’t get the gold statuette this year, he can take comfort in – and endlessly replay his moment of red-carpet glory – on his brand-new, gigantic, high-def TV.