Oscar Swag Goes Undercover & Green

Luxurious Swag is usually a star magnet. But these days snagging the swag involves more cloak and dagger skulduggery while wearing a top ten Tim Gunn essential black belted trench coat. Grumpy Uncle Sam Scrooge is peeping in bags and boxes to see how much to charge the hapless star holding the gifted Prada. Hollywood's tumultuous writers strike helped stop the surfeit of swag style parties as award shows were potential casualties of the producers versus the writers economic star wars, leaving many projects bleeding red ink on everything they touched. Swaggy newcomer, The Indiana Jones Bullwhip, just provides too much opportunity for flogging...

The Writer's Strike is over, but the repercussions live on. Is it a recession, a change in values, a new political and social climate or just a bump in the red carpet? Only time will tell.

Until then, we can tell you what we saw this weak suites week. In Hollywood, the land of wretched excess, perhaps less may be better. There were fewer, more scaled down suites than in previous years and much harder to get in to. Yet, the few we swept through still had the film festive vibe in the air.

Local papers like to brag about swag from their areas that gets put in THE bag. Its an economic boost to businesses far away from the blingin' hills of Hollywood. It also shows a diversity of product coming from a variety of sources touting innovation outside of the regular star chamber. From Sarasota, Florida comes children's organic fashions - brand spanking new twin mommy J. Lo are you listening - a fierce dedication to chic green for the kiddies. Worth two Benjamin$ from Tulsa are unique named bangettes which are bags with feathers and other accoutrements for the terminally hip. Even a spa in Connecticut is massaging their way into Oscar glory.

Pooches and pooty cats are cleaning up in this year's swag race. Unilateral disarmament on obtaining spoils of celebrity by getting one's goods in the bags will not happen anytime soon as hot star of the moment effect happens when they are wearing a unique piece or photographed reading a book. There are distribution channels, certain influences or tipping points or persons to establish relationships with and marketing of goods that great entrepreneurs follow to compete enthusiastically for the place amongst all the goodies even if its at the bottom of the gift basket.

Celebrity attendees were invited to fill green gift bags full of such gratis goodies as jewelry from Alyse Ziede and Heather Hyde, bottles of Icelandic Glacial H20, desserts from Nothing Bundt Cakes and watches from Curtis and Co.

There were even some goodies for pampered celebrity pooches and kitties, including accessories and clothes from John Paul Pet, Happy Go Lucky Dogs and K9 Duds.

Prep continues at a frenzied pace as OSCAR gets the super statue spray tanned treatment in a shimmery gold filigree. Those presenting on stage on Sunday will garner the best swag bags. Many stars regift the bags and the goodies inside this year are a reflection of our concerns for the environment, desire for the unique and love of bling. I honestly think those that lucky enough get the rare Suzy Birstein pitchers are keeping them and hiding them. Academy Master of Ceremonies, Jon Stewart, gets one and only one.

On the night in question here are some picks of the movies actually up for Academy Awards. I like these very much. This is bling to have:

La Vie En Rose (2007) or the wonderful George Clooney in Michael Clayton
& Denzel Washington in American Gangster