The nominees have been selected, but it still remains to be seen who will be taking home the Oscar at the 87th Academy Awards Ceremony on February 22nd at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. In the categories of Best Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress and Best Director, who will leave with the coveted statuette on Oscar night and who will instead receive a consolation gift bag with a value in excess of $167, 000?

Nostalgia Baskets

For the 16th year in a row, Distinctive Assets, the L.A. marketing firm founded by Lash Fary, will make Oscar night losers feel like winners by delivering a bag to their doorstep on Monday morning filled with “fun, fabulous and functional items.” Fary sheds some light on putting together a gift bag for those who have everything…

There are many new items on the list this year. How did you go about putting this year’s bag together?

“Yes, there are over 80 items in the bag this year . . . ranging from mass market consumer products to high-end vacation packages. Putting the gift assortment together is a year-long process for my team. We pitch companies, companies pitch us . . . we are always looking and considering items that would make a good gift for the nominees. We are already talking to numerous product and service providers about NEXT year’s bag in fact.“

Are there any items that stand out to you as being particularly distinctive or unusual?

“Many of the items are unique and distinctive . . .a few of the highlights for me:“

Rejuvel: this is the ONLY cosmetic product to use licensed NASA microgravity technology in their product . . . and the documented before and after results are STELLAR. $150 per bottle at www.rejuvel.com

Haze:  this is the first time we have ever included a vaporizer in one of our gift bags. Haze is the first portable dual-chamber aromatherapy vaporizer. Previous nominees James Franco and Matthew McConnaughey would approve!  www.hazevaporizers.com

Nostalgia Baskets: this is a completely personalized and unique gift bag experience. When I received one as a gift last year, I was blown away by the customization and every item I pulled out had me exclaiming “That’s so me!”. www.nostalgiabaskets.com

Lat & Lo: Lat & Lo inscribes the geographic coordinates of a special location onto jewelry for a gift with meaning. This year’s Oscar nominees are receiving a silver necklace with the coordinates of the Dolby Theatre inscribed. Love this as the perfect gift for an anniversary or other special occasion. www.latandlo.com

Dove Dry Spray Antiperspirant: Many people are surprised that I would include such a non-glamorous item . . . but the reality is that even Oscar nominees sweat and need the ultimate odor and wetness protection on the red carpet!  And more importantly because it sprays on instantly dry there is no residue on your fabulous red carpet outfit! www.dove.com

Can you share any stories about the recipients of last year’s gift bag and how they reacted to this post awards ceremony honor?

“We are always thrilled when a recipient of one of our Oscar Nominee Gift Bags likes a product enough to wear it or when they use a gift voucher we have given them. Two years ago, Amy Adams wore the JNL Fitness t-shirt in her gift bag to the gym the day after we delivered and the photographs appeared everywhere. Marisa Tomei, Diane Keaton, Hugh Jackman, Ron Howard and Meryl Streep have all gone on trips we gifted them in the past. And last year, Julia Roberts, Meryl Streep, Barkhad Abdi and June Squibb all chose animal shelters they loved to receive the 10,000 meal donation from Halo Natural Pet Food.“

Do you have any favorite movies or performances among this year’s nominees?

“I always watch all of the Oscar contender screeners over the holidays and my favorite films this year were St. Vincent (totally snubbed), Whiplash, The Theory of Everything (Eddie will FOR SURE win), Still Alice (Julianne Moore is a lock) and Big Eyes.“

If Fary’s Oscar predictions are correct, Julianne Moore and Eddie Redmayne may take home the gold on Sunday night, but miss out on some serious Oscar swag on Monday morning.

Other items in this year’s record-breaking gift bag include:

A Rocky Mountaineer Luxury Rail Journey through the Canadian Rockies valued at: $14,584.00


TerraVelo Tours ultimate “glamping” adventure valued at: $12, 500.00

A three-night stay in a suite at the exclusive Villa Armena in the heart of Tuscany valued at: $1,500.00

A year’s worth of luxury car rentals from Silvercar, the all-Audi airport car rental company valued at: $20,000.00

Ambrosia Apples, the ultimate eating apple for Oscar nominees, their name means “Food of the Gods”. Valued at: $75.00

– Rhonda Erb




Better Bets 2-20-15

Samsung Galaxy Note 4

Watch your favorite movies on the Galaxy note 4’s brilliant 5.7inch QUAD HD Super AMOLED display. Writing with the S PEN on this large display is similar to writing with a pen on paper, allowing you to jot down notes or get creative with photos.

The Note 4 also features front (3.7MP) and rear (16MP) facing cameras. The wide-angle front facing camera lets you capture your best selfies. The rear camera allows you to take better photos thanks to built in Optical Image Stabilization.

Multi Window was designed for your busy multi-tasking lifestyle and the long lasting, fast charging battery saves time when you need to recharge.

Available at: http://www.samsung.com/us/explore/galaxy-note-4-features-and-specs/

Panasonic Magic Mirror

Photo: Rhonda Erb

Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all? This new concept mirror may answer that question and much more. The Panasonic Magic Mirror, featured at the Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas in January, provides skin analysis as well as showing you how you would look with various hairstyles, makeup looks and brow shapes. It can even show you how you would look with a mustache.

Expect to see this tell all mirror arriving in department stores in the near future.

For more Better Bets visit: http://betterbetsny.tumblr.com/

– Rhonda Erb

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