On Oscar Night, Even Losers Get the Loot

Feb. 26, 2004 -- -- They arrive, on Oscar night, svelte, unencumbered and beaming for the popping cameras.

But what the cameras don't catch is the free loot the stars stash into the back of their limousines at the end of the show, or have shipped to their luxury homes.

It's called the "gift bag" in celebrity circles, the little collection of tchotchkes the stars and top studio execs take home after big shows as a sign of the consumer market's love.

Except that it's not, strictly speaking, a "bag" that we're talking about. These days, it's more like a whopper "gift basket" or a cavernous "gift sack" crammed with delectable items worth tens of thousands of dollars.

Last year, the luxury loot — which included video phones, mobile phones, jewelry, a $1,500-dinner party coupon, free spa offers and gym memberships valued at about $20,000 — arrived in an enormous wicker basket.

This year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has been characteristically reticent about the contents of the much-sought after bag, which will be given to presenters and performers at Sunday's 76th Annual Academy Awards ceremony at the 3,100-seat Kodak Theatre.

The Academy however won't say how many bags are dished out or how much they're worth. "We don't talk about the gift bag," a spokeswoman for the academy told ABCNEWS.com. Earlier this year, the California-based organization imposed a strict media embargo on companies whose wares are featured in the 2004 Oscars bags.