Sundance celebrity gift bags get a little lighter
(Reuters)Updated: 2007-01-23 15:18
PARK CITY, Utah - Robert Redford chafes at the descent of what he calls "ambush marketers" on the celebrities attending the Sundance Film Festival he founded as a showcase for independent film without all the commercial trappings of Hollywood.
Actress Teri Hatcher relaxes outside the T-Mobile Cafe at the Village at the Lift as she attends the 2007 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah January 20, 2007. [Reuters]
But he may be encouraged by the latest trends in so-called "swag" on the
sidelines of this year's event. Celebrity gift baskets, a phenomenon driven by
companies' hopes that celebrities will be shown using their products, are
becoming lighter and greener and just a bit more discreet.
Stars at Sundance also have more opportunities to make donations to charity, from underwear for a local women's shelter to phone cards for soldiers.
And who is playing the leading role in this new version of swag? None other than the tax man.
Last year, months before the Academy Awards, the Internal Revenue Service launched a swag crackdown, putting Hollywood on notice that the $100,000 goodie bags for Oscar participants -- stuffed with Hawaiian hotel suites and surfing lessons -- were not gifts but rather compensation and subject to taxes.
"The rule has always remained the same -- people have to pay their taxes. But the awareness of it, that has changed," said Karen Wood, founder of the Backstage Creations Gift Retreat, set up this year on Park City's Main Street.
At the opening news conference for the festival, which runs until Sunday,
Redford noted the rise in celebrity giveaways, which have become pervasive in
Hollywood, and said they were inevitable here given Sundance's growth.
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