Los Angeles:

The US tax man has helped put a stop to the 100,000-dollar goodie bags, but celebrities will still be showered with an eye-popping array of lavish gifts at this year’s Oscars.

Luxurious holidays, state-of-the-art electronic gadgets and a lifetime supply of yoga pants are some of the freebies that will be on offer to stars this week.

Though the Oscars has put an end to free swag, companies big and small are still queuing up to try to get their products into the hands of a celebrity.

This year’s edition is valued at $71,000 and is stuffed with dozens of items ranging from a 26,000-dollar all-inclusive trip to Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas to a humble box of sweets.

Lash Fary, founder and president of Distinctive Assets, said tighter tax rules had little or no effect for super-rich movie stars.

“I’d heard Bette Midler once complaining after the Emmys that she’d gotten dressed up and came away with nothing, so I thought it would be cool to make sure that none of these amazing actors walk away empty-handed,” Fary said. “I believe it doesn’t matter how rich and famous you are, you’re still bummed out when you don’t win something like an Oscar. So we wanted to soften that blow... Hopefully, with $71,000 worth of distractions, you’re going to be a little bit less bummed out.”

What goes into the gift baskets is carefully thought through. Ten-year-old Little Miss Sunshine star Abigail Breslin, for example, will not be given the bottle of Snow Queen Kazakhstan vodka. “We’re getting her a selection of amazing teas,” said Fary. “We try to find products that are one of two things: either they’re super useful, like toothpaste, or they’re really amazing, like the Caesar’s Palace package.”

Lorena Bendinskas, co-founder of Silver Spoon Entertainment Marketing, said her company prefers to offer services such as beauty and spa treatments instead. Bendinskas is unimpressed by the IRS’s moves to clamp down on the gift-giving. “I’ve never had to declare a birthday present, so I find it a little silly,” she told AFP. “It’s kind of no-win situation for celebrities. If you see everything they have to deal with on an everyday basis... This is just a thanks for making great movies. These are the people who help put a smile on our faces — so why not give them something to smile about? Give them a break.”

Iron clad security

HOLLYWOOD: A steely security blanket will be draped across Hollywood on February 25 for the 79th-annual Academy Awards.

The streets around the Kodak Theatre will go into total lockdown on Sunday, with police manning barricades, conducting identity checks and searching cars, including celebrities’ limos.

Los Angeles Police Department Lieutenant Paul Vernon would not confirm the presence of police snipers on the rooftops around the Kodak Theatre, saying only that “several hundred” officers, including dog handlers and bomb disposal experts, will be deployed. — AFP