| According to the LA TImes, “Next week, nominees for this year’s Emmy awards can expect the usual “gift basket” full of award season freebies: lavish jewelry, plasma TVs, Celine Dion backstage passes, gold-plated cellphones. But there will be a lump of coal at the bottom of each one: an IRS tax form.” While gift baskets have long been a staple of awards shows, they have grown increasingly lavish in the past few years as companies realized the advertising potential of having their product associated with top celebrities and events. |  |