January 16, 2007

L’Oreal Slips Through Golden Globe Swag Loophole?

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Elizabeth reports below that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (known only for producing the Golden Globes) have, thanks to IRS pressure, eschewed handing out ridiculously lush goodie bags to celebrities earning multi millions at a ceremony designed to up their status and therefore their earnings.

Who’s gonna tell Vanity Fair? In the January issue, the FanFair section (which seems designed to get its editors swag aplenty) reports:

The Kwiat Diamonds [their boldface] compact for L’Oreal Paris [ditto], valued at $10,000, will be included in all Golden Globe nominees gift bags. Kwiat’s design was inspired by Old Hollywood glamour, complete with a “red carpet” ruby embedded in the clasp. A less expensive version in rhinestones, which benefits the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, is now available.

Ugh, especially love the treachly pinkwashing justification. L’Oreal, btw, is a regular advertiser in Vanity Fair and the sponsor of the Golden Globes — their once-a-break ads star folks like nine-time nominee, two-time winner Diane Keaton. Hey, now that’s synergy! (And Heather Locklear, six [!!!] nominations, which is kinda all you gotta say about the Golden Globes.)

Here at Mother Jones, there’s not nearly enough swag. Sometimes we get free Clif Bars. I thought for a moment that TerraPass had sent me some swag (free fluorescent lightbulbs!), but then I realized: it was my Mom.

(You can read about other perks of privilege here.)

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From the desk of Mother Jones CEO, Monika Bauerlein...

Newsrooms can be funded in many ways. One of the most controversial (and volatile) ways is by a for-profit corporation or a billionaire owner. We see it across the headlines on a weekly basis: the claw backs in public media, the gutting of The Washington Post, the bending over backwards to appeal to Trump and his allies.

But not here.

When Mother Jones first started publishing 50 years ago, our founders made a critical decision: to be a reader-supported nonprofit. They knew that no corporate owner would be interested in a muckraking newsroom; they also knew that no muckraking newsroom would be interested in following the agenda of a corporate owner.

And so, we’ve been reader-funded for half a century. We rely on contributions from our readers—readers like you—whether it’s $50, or $15 a month, or whatever fits your budget. People give what they can, and every donation makes a difference for our newsroom, which has grown tremendously—in size and reach and renown—since its inception in 1976.

You may be wondering: What does it take to publish an investigation? And what does my donation actually fund? The answers are one and the same: It takes people, resources, and time. And that’s what your donation funds directly.

Every donation Mother Jones receives from readers fortifies our newsroom, whether we’re covering underreported scandals out of Washington, DC, or the most important news of the day. And right now, each donation will be doubled because of our $50,000 match. So when you make a donation—$5, $50, any amount—it’ll go twice as far.

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