by Jenny Peters
(LOS ANGELES, CA) -- For those of you that thought the whole swag thing was over when the IRS stepped in and warned of taxation on the extravagant items that Hollywood stars are gifted during awards season, think again. This week in L. A., the Emmy "Luxury Suite" phenomenon was alive and well, and the celebrities flocked to them in droves.
Some of the swag suites cleverly added a charity component this year, to make everyone feel much better about all the free "Stuff We All Get." Silver Spoon added a big twist this season, holding their suite at the Beverly Park estate of Adrienne Maloof of the Vegas Palms Hotel Maloofs; it benefited the Noreen Fraser Foundation to fight women's cancers. That drew people like Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller (his latest wife); we noticed that Charlie was fascinated with the Sketchers Shape-Ups, the sneakers designed to keep you fit. There were beautiful Spanish-made shoes and evening bags to be had from Menebur and Pilar Abril, eco-friendly totes from Eziekel, and incredibly comfortable shapewear from Skineez. Celeb hair guru Bertrand W. did masterful trims, blowouts, and style consultations, and The Painted Nail made everyone's hands look better with manicures using their Breast Cancer give-back pink colors. Rosanna Arquette, Leeza Gibbons, Samantha Harris, and Niecy Nash made the trek up to the estate, as did "Entourage" star Kevin Connolly. We're not sure which of them went home with the sex-enhancement products offered from Sixty-Nine, but transgender favorite Candis Cayne sure did!
Over at the Madison & Mullholland Charitable Giving Suite at the London Hotel, stars like 2009 Emmy nominees Cherry Jones and Ken Howard, along with favorites like "Twilight: New Moon" vampire Rachelle Lefevre, "The Office" star Kate Flannery, Emmy winner Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad"), and "The Mentalist" hottie Amanda Righetti created gift bags that will be auctioned off on www.CharityBuzz.com. Naturally, they, and other attendees like A. J. Buckley, Gilles Marini, Joe Mantegna, Lisa Edelstein, and gorgeous Olivia Wilde took home some goodies, too, from companies like Lacoste Sunglasses, Kwiat Diamonds, Johnny Vincent Swimwear, and Coccinelle.
What was down this season were the pampering elements of the swag suites, so happily there were still a few places to go to get red-carpet ready. Kalologie, the skincare salon on Robertson, joined forces with makeup artist and eyebrow guru Brett Freedman, offering quickie alpha-hydroxy facials and eyebrow shaping, a perfect combo in preparation for Sunday's Emmy show; and at the HBO Luxury Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel, Bulgari estheticians used their gem-infused products to make celebs like "NCIS" star Cote de Pablo and "In Treatment" regular Michelle Forbes go all dewy.
The always-classy HBO Luxury Lounge drew a wide range of actors, everyone from "Twilight: New Moon" hunk Kellan Lutz to brainy (but not so hot, let's face it) Bill Maher and even the hottest guy in town, Emmy host and nominee Neil Patrick Harris. Tina Fey, Ricky Gervais, and Kate Flannery gave back a little, joining www.CardsDirect.com and their Cards for a Cause in creating holiday cards that will give proceeds to charities of their choice. Then they picked up Sharper Image suitcases and appliances, Camacho Honduran cigars, Solstice sunglasses, New Era hats, Tria Beauty home laser hair removal machines, and jewelry inspired by HBO's "True Blood." Missing this season were the Russell Simmons Jewelry line; too bad, because his cool looks were the bomb at the HBO Oscar Suite last February!
Over at The Suite Life: Skybar Emmy Suites at the Mondrian Hotel, celebs like Mya, Christina Hendricks, Sean Faris, Izabella Miko, and "Twilight" baddie Edi Gathegi jammed into the tiny upstairs space by the swimming pool, and jostled for position to grab up clothes by Moods of Norway, Fenix Cosmetics, teeth whitening from Ora Dentistry Spa, and Fake Bake tanning products, but it was really too hot and sweaty to stay there for long.
So it was on to the Kari Feinstein Style Lounge, where the swag was four floors high! Perhaps that's what drew so many happy stars to Zune on Beverly? We spotted Teri Polo, Carmen Electra, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Denise Richards, Rebecca Gayheart, Antonio Sabato, Jr., Kourtney Kardashian, and "Royal Pains" heartthrob Mark Feuerstein wandering the stairs; stylist George Blodwell made the scene wearing his trademark Peace symbol necklace, Seth Green and Clifton Collins, Jr., and even Ed Asner were in the house, checking out Superdry surf wear, vintage pro football duds at Retro Sport, and the super-cool tee-shirts designs from Counts of Barcelona. There were giant bags of GNC supplements to be had, cute headbands from Stella Accessories, and even a two-week treatment certificate from chiropractic care from Ptak Wellness in West L. A., which was a perfect ending to days of wandering through Emmy Swag Suites laden with heavy bags. Adjustment, anyone? |
