Swag Me with a Spoon
So, I watched the Oscars last night because I'm a sucker for that type of thing. I thought Chris Rock would be much better than he was, although there were some funny moments. I'm not too sure about presenting people their Oscars in the middle of the aisle, although the people who received them that way reacted with better aplomb than I would have.
For some reason, my mind wandered to celebrities and why we are so fascinated with them, myself included. I got to wondering why in the world these Oscar presenters were getting so much "swag" just for standing up and reading off a few names. "Swag" is the term used here in Hollywoodland for freebies. Like these people, who make millions of dollars per film, need freebies. And, as they say, there is no such thing as bad publicity, so why the need to give them presents worth upwards of $20,000? Are you telling me that Halle Berry cannot afford to pay for a watch with her own money?
Then I thought, what a nice gesture it would have been to perhaps donate the money they would have normally spent on the swag to tsunami victims or even some of the items themselves to families of military personnel serving in active combat. I am sure a military wife with two kids would surely need and appreciate a massage more than Gwyneth right now.
But, bleeding heart that I am, that is not the way things work. I don't know how many stars donated money to tsunami victims, or how much, or even if they did at all. Perhaps they all donated millions of dollars, anonymously. The companies that provide the swag are looking to increase sales of that particluar item, be it a watch, digtal camera, or sunglasses. They hope that if we see it on Kirsten Dunst, we will want it, too. Perhaps all those companies donated millions of dollars, I couldn't tell you if they did or not.
Hey, I'm a really popular gal, how about throwin' some swag my way? Heck, I'll volunteer to take anything they're not interested in. I'm sure that Barbara Streisand doesn't need yet another boring cellphone. You've got my number Babs, give me a call.
For some reason, my mind wandered to celebrities and why we are so fascinated with them, myself included. I got to wondering why in the world these Oscar presenters were getting so much "swag" just for standing up and reading off a few names. "Swag" is the term used here in Hollywoodland for freebies. Like these people, who make millions of dollars per film, need freebies. And, as they say, there is no such thing as bad publicity, so why the need to give them presents worth upwards of $20,000? Are you telling me that Halle Berry cannot afford to pay for a watch with her own money?
Then I thought, what a nice gesture it would have been to perhaps donate the money they would have normally spent on the swag to tsunami victims or even some of the items themselves to families of military personnel serving in active combat. I am sure a military wife with two kids would surely need and appreciate a massage more than Gwyneth right now.
But, bleeding heart that I am, that is not the way things work. I don't know how many stars donated money to tsunami victims, or how much, or even if they did at all. Perhaps they all donated millions of dollars, anonymously. The companies that provide the swag are looking to increase sales of that particluar item, be it a watch, digtal camera, or sunglasses. They hope that if we see it on Kirsten Dunst, we will want it, too. Perhaps all those companies donated millions of dollars, I couldn't tell you if they did or not.
Hey, I'm a really popular gal, how about throwin' some swag my way? Heck, I'll volunteer to take anything they're not interested in. I'm sure that Barbara Streisand doesn't need yet another boring cellphone. You've got my number Babs, give me a call.
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