Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Twitter Floored By What Was In Oscar Nominees' Gift Bags—Including A 'Small Plot Of Land In Scotland'

Twitter Floored By What Was In Oscar Nominees' Gift Bags—Including A 'Small Plot Of Land In Scotland'
P. Lehman/Future Publishing/Getty Images; @filmaroni/Twitter

There are numerous perks to being nominated for an Academy Award.

In addition to taking home the golden Oscar statuette and earning the title of "Academy Award nominee"—or better yet "Academy Award winner"—nominees also get to take home luxurious gift bags.


For the last 20 years, the gift bags for the Oscars, known as the "Everybody Wins" gift bags, have been the work of Los Angeles based marketing company Distinctive Assets.

This year, there were 28 lucky recipients of these lavish gift bags which included all the nominees for Best Leading Actor and Actress, Best Supporting Actor and Actress, the five nominees for Best Director, and the ceremony's three hosts, Regina Hall, Amy Schumer, and Wanda Sykes.

This year's bags contained 53 items, which were collectively valued at roughly $137,000.

Among the items in the bag were a $12,000 liposuction procedure, $25,000 worth of home renovations, an assortment of high end popcorn and an assortment of tea from The Chai Box.

Scotland also featured prominently among the gifts.

The most expensive item was a $50,000 three-night stay at Turn Castle in the Scottish countryside, complete with a bagpiper welcome and full butler service.

But the item which has received the most attention was "The title of 'Lord' or 'Lady' of Glencoe, along with a small plot of land in Scotland."

As the list of gift bag items circulated on Twitter, people expressed their feelings on these lavish gifts.

Several found the gift bags to be garish, emphasizing how most Americans don't even come close to making the combined value of the items in a year of full-time work.










Joining in on condemning the excess of the gift bags was comedian Ricky Gervais.

After one Twitter user expressed how they wished he was hosting the Oscars, Gervais responded by saying he would immediately point out how the extravagant gift bags were an insult to all viewers who were struggling financially.

He tweeted:

"I'd start with 'hello', I hope this show helps cheer up the ordinary people watching at home."
"If you're unemployed, for example, take some comfort in the fact that even if you had a job, your salary probably wouldn't be as much as the good bag all the actors have just been given."

Failing to find humor in Gervais' tweet was Distinctive Assets founder Lash Fary.

Fary called out Gervais' "hypocrisy" in a statement to Metro, even throwing Gervais' own words back in his face.

“While we do not spend money buying any of the items in our gift bags (much like advertising, this is simply a promotional campaign for brands), the valuation is indeed significant…but not nearly as substantial as Ricky’s recent Netflix deal, the residuals he receives for The Office or his multi-million-dollar home.”
"So if you’re unemployed, take some comfort in the fact that even if you had a job, your salary probably wouldn’t be as much as Ricky Gervais makes for a single episode of After Life."

Many Twitter users were in disbelief a plot of Scottish land as well as a title could be given away in a gift bag.


If being given a title and a plot of land in a gift bag seemed too good to be true, that's probably because it is.

The plots of land are "souvenir plots" where for a price you will be given an honorary title and one to one hundred square feet of land to be advertised as owned by you.

Highland Titles, the company behind these souvenir plots has denied multiple accusations which have called the operation a scam.

But Andy Whitman, a former member of Scottish Parliament, made it abundantly clear in a letter addressed to the gift bag recipients that Highland Titles has no legal claim to offer them either the title or the land they appear to have received.

"First and foremost, you are not the owner of any land in Scotland despite what this company might have led you to believe."
"You have also not been given any right to style yourself Lord or Lady of Glencoe."
"Highland Titles has no authority or power to bestow such a title on you."
"You have a piece of paper (several probably) with impressive sounding claims and illustrations."
"They remain just pieces of paper, however and provide you with nothing more than that."

When the truth behind the "plot of land" became clear, Twitter users expressed their amusement.


There were others, however, who were not amused by the gift bags inclusion of the plot of land, even finding it insulting.

Lesley Riddoch, a columnist for The National, started a petition to remove the title and plot of land from the gift bags, pointing out how the people of Scotland have famously had trouble purchasing their own land.

“Scotland is one of the last places in Europe where land can be bought and sold on a whim with no questions asked."
“As a result a tiny number of people own the land – fewer today than in 1872."
"This storm in a Goodie Bag reminds Scots why land reform is urgent and necessary – to turn the ownership of our beautiful country into the shared responsibility of Scots, not a trinket to be traded by strangers."

Riddoch's petition has received over 7,400 signatures, as well as ample promotion on Twitter.



Oscar nominees might want to think very carefully before asking to be addressed as the "Lord of Glencoe."

More from Entertainment/tv-and-movies

Francois Arnaud; Miley Cyrus
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association; Taylor Hill/FilmMagic

'Heated Rivalry' Star Has Cheeky Reaction After Miley Cyrus Says She Wants To Do Music For Season 2

The HBO Max series Heated Rivalry is pretty much THE break-out TV hit of the past several months, so no wonder singer Miley Cyrus says she's "so in" on collaborating on season two.

But one of the stars of the show, François Arnaud, doesn't seem so sure it's quite the right fit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mark Kelly; Pete Hegseth
Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Mark Kelly Rips Pete Hegseth After Pentagon Moves To Cut His Pension And Demote Him Over Video About Illegal Orders

Senator Mark Kelly, who flew combat missions during the Gulf War in the U.S. Navy before being selected as a NASA Space Shuttle pilot, blasted MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, for his part in the latest Trump administration attempt to lash out at their political rivals.

Hegseth previously demanded the Navy provide punishment recommendations to the Pentagon's Office of General Counsel for the retired Captain, who flew 39 combat missions during the Gulf War before going to space four times for NASA.

Keep ReadingShow less
Tucker Carlson Dragged After Offering Truly Bonkers Theory For Why Trump Captured Nicolás Maduro

Tucker Carlson Dragged After Offering Truly Bonkers Theory For Why Trump Captured Nicolás Maduro

Former Fox News host turned far-right podcaster Tucker Carlson raised eyebrows after he claimed that President Donald Trump captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro in order to bring same-sex marriage to the people of a country now in a dangerous state of flux after the U.S. invaded.

Weirdly, he claimed “pro-gay forces” were secretly driving regime change, pointing to Nobel Peace Prize recipient and opposition leader María Corina Machado's support for same-sex marriage. He suggested this is proof that "globo homo," his term for progressive liberal elites, are hard at work.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jimmy Kimmel; Donald Trump
Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association; Win McNamee/Getty Images

Jimmy Kimmel Thanks Trump After Winning Critics Choice Award In A Roast For The Ages

Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mockingly thanked President Donald Trump when he took home the Critics Choice Award on Sunday for Best Talk Show, suggesting Trump helped him win the honor in part because of 'all the many ridiculous things you do each and every day."

Kimmel's remarks were considerably pointed considering the role Trump played in pulling Kimmel off the air this past autumn.

Keep ReadingShow less
Groom placing wedding ring on bride's finger
Photo by Jeongim Kwon on Unsplash

Married People Explain How Often They Take Their Wedding Ring Off

When two people get married, there's an assumption that others tend to make: that the couple will wear their wedding rings no matter what, and if they don't, it's a sign of a troubled marriage and a lack of commitment.

But there are lots of reasons not to wear wedding rings full-time, from cleanliness to safety to health concerns.

Keep ReadingShow less