It was a truly a majestic, fun-filled affair sparkling with stars this past weekend, January 9-10, 2009, at the 3rd Annual Access Hollywood “Stuff You Must…” Gift Lounge. Access Hollywood collaborated with On 3 Productions, a leader in celebrity gifting, for the event, which was held within the elite Beverly Ballroom of the Sofite LA Hotel. CVS/pharmacy even made a generous contribution to “Best Buddiesâ€, an organization committed to enriching the lives of people with intellectual disabilities, and “Lollipop Theater Networkâ€, a non-profit that brings the wonder and amusement of movies currently in theaters to children nationwide who are hospitalized resulting from life-threatening illness.For every star that stopped by, a donation was made, and a check, which was graciously accepted by “High School Musical 3” star Vanessa Hudgens, “Twilight” star Taylor Lautner, and Access Hollywood hosts Nancy O’Dell and Billy Bush, making this $100k earning event an extra “out of the ordinary†gift lounge.
Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place), Robert Buckley (Lipstick Jungle), Tom Wllkinson (John Adams), Sally Hawkins (Happy Go Lucky), Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill), Jack McBrayer (30 Rock), Neal McDonough (Desperate Housewives), Jaime King (The Tudors), Rachelle LeFevre (Twilight), Madeleine Martin (Californication), and Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, and C.S. Lee of “Dexterâ€, were just of few of the famous faces there to take advantage of the massive assortment of special goodies compiled specifically for their pleasure.
“Bertolli Oven Baked Meals†really got things cooking by serving their scrumptious, mouth-watering lasagna and ravioli to celebrities such as AnnaLynn McCord (90210), the Southern beauty who spoke of being a laidback Zodiac Cancer as she eagerly demolished two whole plates of Bertolli lasagna, Taylor Lautner (Twilight), who adorably flexed his new muscles with Ross “The Intern” Mathews for admiring fans as they both chomped down on a steaming plate of Bertolli ravioli, and Vannessa Hudgens, who enthusiastically ditched her all almond diet to sample two plates of Bertolli lasagna and share in the food and the fun. While “Dancing with the Stars†judge, Carrie Ann Inaba, polished off her ravioli and licked clean her plate, actress Kimberly Elise enjoyed her own delicious portion and then bashfully admitted to Ross “The Intern” Matthews, who hosted the suite and interviewed the stars, that she often passes off Bertolli’s Oven Bake Meals as her own cooking to fool her boyfriend and kids. 
Actor Blair Underwood even said that after the Golden Globes, he definitely plans to break his yearly master cleanse with Bertolli Oven Bake Meals. Later, Ross “The Intern” Matthews (Tonight Show regular) and Jack McBrayer (Kenneth the Page from “30 Rock”) conversed about working for two of NBC’s hottest shows and life in general all over a plate of piping hot Bertolli lasagna. Celebrities were allowed to lounge in a cozy Bertolli living Room, walk away with a year’s supply of Bertolli Oven Baked Meals, and the hottest new universal touch-screen remote control, making Bertolli’s presence at the “Stuff You Must…” Gift Lounge undeniably one of the most tasteful. www.villabertolli.com
Furthermore, as hard as it may be to believe that this event could get any better, it undoubtedly did as stars were pampered and made even more beautiful at the CVS/pharmacy “Reinventing Beauty Barâ€. Celebrity makeup artist, Laura Geller, was there on hand to give young and fabulous Selena Gomez and Rumer Willis fun, uplifting makeovers at the Beauty 360 Prestige Suite, from Beauty 360, CVS/pharmacy’s new chic shopping hotspot for prestigious beauties. Good friend of Fergie, Stacy Kiebler, stopped in at the “Reinventing Beauty Bar†to have Cristophe create and style her in a marvelous, new updo for Fergie and Josh Duhamel’s Saturday wedding.
James Kyson Lee of “Heroes” dropped by the hit beauty destination to receive a relaxing facial with Scott-Vincent Borba at the Beauty 360 Prestige Suite, while newlywed “Dexter” star Jennifer Carpenter accepted a super special trim and blow-out from celebrity stylist Cristophe. The “Reinventing Beauty Bar†also featured featuring blowouts, relaxing aromatherapy treatments by trained massage therapists, and facial consultations with celebrity esthetician Scott-Vincent Borba. www.cvs.com, www.beauty360.com
PureVia, the all-natural zero calorie sweetener, was served into steaming hot coffee for celebs at the “PureVia Coffee Bar†as they were asked, “If you could have coffee with any person, dead or alive, who would it be?â€. Mark Moses (Mad Men) instantly replied, “Barack Obama, he is a fascinating man and I’m hopeful for 2009”, Chi McBride (Pushing Daisies) said, “My Uncle Raymond, he passed away in 1972, he was the best, and I named my son after him”, Taylor Lautner said, “My father”, Selena Gomez said, “Meryl Streep, she’s my idol. So either her or God”, Maureen MacCormack replied, “My husband, we have coffee every mornings at 5:30am, it’s our thing”, and James Kyson Lee (Heroes) said, “Teddy Roosevelt”. Later, Blair Underwood replied, “Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr”, Kelly Hu (The Tournament) replied, “Jesus, I’d want to pick his brain”, Carrie Ann Inaba (Dancing with the Stars) immediately replied, “Eartha Kitt, after the coffee then we’d go for drinks”, Shailene Woodley (Secret Life of an American Teenager) said, “Barack Obama, I’d tell him what we need”, and Joy Lauren (Desperate Housewives) replied, “I’d want to have High Tea with Queen Elizabeth”. www.purevia.com
A few lucky celebrities got the chance to personally choose from the newest collection of Genuine Australian Sheepskin Boots from Koolaburra. Vanessa Hudgens, who’s already been spotted in her lovely Koolaburra fringe boots, selected Koolaburra’s brand new peace dove design in chestnut and gushed, “I absolutely live in my Koolaburra fringe boots. These are so soft, I can’t wait. You will see me in these too.” Kevin Sorbo selected a pair of size 13 Koolaburra nautical star boots and exclaimed, “Last time I got a pair for my wife. Guess it’s time I get some for myself!” Greg German of “Bolt” stated, “I am a plain-Jane sort of guyâ€, and then asked, “What do you have that’s plain?†After a moment of debate, he chose the black Koolaburra Valhalla boot with a Vibram sole. Nancy Lenehan (Worst Week) chose a beautiful pair of fringe boots in black and said, “There’s something so fun about how they move” as she playfully twisted her foot back and forth. “I was just in Arizona and it was so cold. These will be fantastic.” Jennifer Carpenter of “Dexter” immediately said, “Fringe, man” as she skimmed over the new line, referring to her new Koolaburra boots. Rachelle Lefevre of “Twilight” said, “These are so comfy! Plus they’re shiny, which gets me every time…I’m like a magpieâ€. Upon first sight, she wanted the crown boots as she proudly displayed her crown tattoo on her forearm but then after some deliberation she too decided on the Koolaburra peace down. www.koolaburra.com
There was even something there for the eco-friendly celebrities. Passchal purses and briefcases, which are gorgeous, unique bags made from recycled Tractor inner tubes, were a huge hit at the 3rd Annual Access Hollywood “Stuff You Must…” Gift Lounge. “Hercules” star Kevin Sorbo spoke on growing up and river tubing as he selected out a sleek Passchal messenger-style bag, complete with a light inside! The “Worst Week” stars, Erin Hayes and Nancy Lenehan, both selected the same bag despite being at the booth at totally different times. It seems their “Worst Week†was turned into a “Good Weekâ€! www.passchal.com
Celebrities then ascended on Keurig’s newest single cup Premium Coffee System. “Worst Week” star Nancy Lenehan said that there was a Keurig machine on set and that she’s super excited to now have a machine of her very own. “High School Musical” star Vannessa Hudgens dished about being excited to put a Keurig machine in the kitchen of her new house, while Jennifer Carpenter was excited to have a new Keurig machine in her kitchen that’s being remodeled. Kevin Sorbo, a huge coffee lover, even said that the new Keurig machine is the greatest thing in the world. www.keurig.com
Jennifer Carpenter, who was obviously high off her “newlywed love†Michael C. Hall, enlisted the help of “ProFlowers†to send her mother two dozen fresh, beautiful red roses from the happy couple for Valentine’s Day. Vannessa Hudgens decided that flowers would be a tad bit too feminine for her boyfriend Zac Efron, and opted to send a special ProFlowers arrangement to her Mom instead! When asked about placing his own Valentine’s Day order, Robert Buckley of “Lipstick Jungle” played the lonely guy role and said, “I have no one to send one toâ€. Like Jennifer Carpenter, Selena Gomez also opted to send red roses and Cala Lily sent an ultra-seductive bouquet to a “mystery lover” on her set at Hollywood Center Studios. Christian Siriano jokingly said, “I feel fierce and Cinderella-like”, as he crouched down between the ProFlowers fresh-flowers display, while “Pushing Daisies” star Chi McBride, picked out a pretty ProFlowers bouquet of none of than daisies! The fun was really on at Proflowers when Carrie Ann Inaba decided to let loose and do an artsy high-kick with a long-stem rose between her teeth during a mock Tango and Adam Carolla humorously sent BFF Jimmy Kimmel a bouquet with a note that read: “To 15 more years with my gay bear lover! -Love, Ace!â€. www.proflowers.com
Next, “Twilight” star Rachel LeFevre tapped into some tranquility while creating her own Zen-like work of art on the “Buddha Boardâ€, while her boyfriend, Jamie King of “Tudors” went crazily painted on the Buddha Board and whispered to passerbys, “I’m already a painter and this really helps me detach”. They then both cheerfully shouted in unison “The couple that Buddha Boards together, stays together!” www.buddhaboard.com
 
Even more amazing, exclusive AMC Signature Passes for 1 Year of Free Movies for 2 people were also available at the gift suite and as you can imagine, they were immediately eagerly snatched up. Blair Underwood was absolutely ecstatic to receive his annual AMC pass and said he’s saddened by the possible ending of “Dirty Sexy Money” but encouraged fans of the show to write in to ABC. Kevin Sorbo stated, “I’m good friends with Brad Pitt. Since I have 3 kids I only get to see Disney films. I’m going to use this card to take my wife on a date to see Brad in “Benjamin Button†and Stacy Kiebler (Dancing with the Stars) was also thrilled to receive her new movie pass from AMC! Carrie Ann Inaba said the “AMC pass is the best gift of the suite, this really makes me feel like a celebrity”, while Joy Lauren (Desperate Housewives) who admittedly goes to the movies 3 times a week said, “This is a crazy, awesome gift”. www.amctheatres.com
To her delight, Jennifer Carpenter of “Dexter” was elated to be able to finally replace her 1980’s clock radio iHome wireless, yet another popular vendor at the gifting lounge. Vannessa Hudgens feared the iHome would ” make me so lazy, I won’t get out of bed”, but still appreciated it’s ingenuity. Julie Benz of “Dexter” is totally juiced about fiddling with her new iHome Hidro –Fi shower to shore unit, a water resistant case/speakers for the iPod that can be used in the shower and she’s already made plans to use hers in her steam room. Ross “The Intern” Mathews said “meet my new significant other, this is the closest thing to a relationship I’ve had in a long time” as he held up the iHome Wireless iP9 unit and “Californication” star Evan Handler laughed and threatened to take off his clothes while holding up the Hidro-Fi unit that he intends to put to good use while singing in the shower. Robert Buckley, a self-professed electronics junkie stated, “I’m in a world of wonder,” as he gazed at all the iHome products on display. www.ihomeaudio.com
Later, Carrie Ann Inaba chose the newest AquaSwiss Diablo style watch, a watch that creatively twists 360 degrees to expose two different faces, at the AquaSwiss booth and Blair Underwood handsomely strapped on the new AquaSwiss Diablo with diamonds, which he plans to wear to the Inauguration of Barack Obama. Cloris Leachman (Dancing with the Stars) choose the same style watch as Carrie Ann Inaba and declared, “Maybe if we had the same watch she would have given me a 10”. However, Christian Siriano refused to be appeased and he desired the very same AquaSwiss watch owned by Heidi Klum.
Website: www.aquaswisswatch.com
Then, at the Habitual Jeans station, Carrie Ann Inaba nearly squealed with delight as she exclaimed, “I love these jeans, the skinnies make my butt look so good”. Samaire Armstrong absolutely loved her Habitual skinny jeans as well, while real-life transsexual co-star Candis Cayne couldn’t decide on whether to go for the men’s or the women’s Habitual styles. Rachelle LeFevre proclaimed, “I live in denim”, and promptly scooped up a couple Habitual skinny jeans and denim shorts and Vannessa Hudgens promised to let the paparazzi know her favorite brand of jeans as she scooped up six pairs. The stars loved their jeans so much 
that “One Tree Hill†star Sophia Bush is expected to walk down a red carpet rocking her new Habitual denim deck shorts soon. www.habitual.com
It seemed that nothing was neglected at the 3rd Annual Access Hollywood “Stuff You Must…” Gift Lounge, including healthy teeth as many a celebrity such as Vannessa Hudgens, Maureen MacCormack, and Blair Underwood all pocketed a year’s supply of Arm & Hammer’s Advance White to keep their smiles shiny and white. When asked what made him smile Kevin Sorbo stated, “My 3-year old makes me smile”, while Candis Cayne said, “Good friends keep me smiling”. Unexpectedly, Samaire Armstrong credited his amazing smile to “[His] dog Boogieâ€. www.myoralcare.com
To lighten up the mood, Palm Bay International provided a few fun, fizzy cocktails such as the Aperol and Ferrari to celebs as they perused the Access Hollywood “Stuff You Must…” Gift Lounge. Tichina Arnold of “Everybody Hates Chris” said that she thoroughly enjoyed the Ferrari sparkling wine and fully intends to serve it at a dear friends upcoming birthday. As Nancy Lenahan of “Worst Week” sipped on her Aperol cocktail, she contentedly stated, “The tiny bubbles are delightful”. www.palmbay.com
Soon after they got the bubblies in their system, no one could resist checking out the Mikey Stars collection. Jennifer Carpenter even sparked some baby rumors as she requested some gender-neutral onesies and t-shirts. Access Hollywood host Nancy O’Dell picked out a couple items from the Mikey Stars new line of leggings and dresses for her daughter Ashby Grace, while her co-host Billy Bush, chose onesies for his friend Scott Wolf’s expectant son. Evan Handler of “Californication” snapped up a few purple dress and hot pink Mikey Stars leggings for his one and a half year old daughter and Erinn Hayes of “Worst Week” couldn’t resist taking a pair the Mikey Stars purple pocket pants for her toddler. Although, Vannessa Hudgens wasn’t interested in the kid’s clothes, she did place a special order for Michael Stars tees stating, “I live in them when I’m on tour”. www.michaelstars.com
Afterward, Carrie Ann Inaba exclaimed, “I love “green art”, when she saw the Junk mail Mosaic Portraits A S Schimmel, and couldn’t wait to see herself in her junk mail. Vannessa Hudgens planned to fill her new house with art and even picked out an awesome, lovely piece for her boyfriend Zac. Candis Cayne of “Dirty Sexy Money” said, “I have a very sexy photo that I’d love to see transformed into art that I can hang in my home”, while Kimberly Elise stared at the portraits on display gushed, “Who does this, you’re a genius”. www.schimmelart.com
Soon after, “Twilight” star Rachelle LeFevre picked up the new Blackberry Pearl flip exclusively on T-Mobile at the BlackBerry booth and said that when she switches over to BlackBerry her friends will all stop teasing her, since she can barely text on her current phone. www.na.blackberry.com
Not to be outshined, Glamour Campaign, known for their remarkable Swarovski crystal-encrusted pieces, begin outfitting celebs such as Josh Gomez of “Chuckâ€, who picked out a Glamour Campaign blazer with Swarovski crystal skulls. Tachina Arnold of “Everybody Hates Chris” loved all the funky blazers and picked out a limited edition Travis Walker by Glamour Campaign with crystal skull and custom silk lining. www.glamourcampaign.com
“Dexter” star Jennifer Carpenter loved showing off her new sparkling diamond ring compliments of D’Annunzio Fine Jewelry. The newlywed said this is the first significant piece of diamond jewelry she’s ever owned! She looks forward to passing this gorgeous sparkler on to her daughter someday. It was recently confirmed that Jennifer married her “Dexter” co-star outdoors in Big Sur California on New Year’s Eve.
- D’Annunzio Fine Jewelry
Robert Buckley, Zach Levi, and Taylor Lautner all stopped by the Ultimate Ears booth and received custom molded earphones. www.ultimateears.com
But the fun didn’t stop there. Celebrities got the amazing opportunity to assemble their very own eco-friendly soda using the new SodaStream soda maker from Soda-Club USA. Vanessa Hudgens happily discovered that she can now make her own energy drink at home with her new SodaStream, a foul-proof way to achieve a “rad” energy boost after a long night out. Kevin Sorbo said, “I feel like I’m in the piazza in Milano”, while slowly sipping his own brand of delicious fizzy water. However, none were as excited as Robert Buckley of “Lipstick Jungle”, who was eagerly looking forward to creating his own personalized energy soda, and Carrie Ann Inaba, who says that perhaps now with the help of SodaStream, she can finally wean herself off Diet Coke. www.sodastreamusa.com
Access Hollywood is an entertainment newsmagazine that provides viewers with all the latest and updated showbiz news, deep, in-depth celebrity interviews, and behind-the-scenes accounts of the most important events in Hollywood. www.accesshollywood.com
Sofitel LA is an Accor hotel boasting 295 newly renovated guest rooms, many of which have fantastic views of the legendary Hollywood sign.
Website: www.sofitella.com
Best Buddies is a non-profit dedicated to enriching and enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing unique opportunities for one-on-one friendships and integrated employment. www.bestbuddies.org
The Lollipop Theater Network is a charity that brings the wonder of current movies in theaters to children hospitalized nationwide who can’t see them due to life-threatening illnesses. www.lollipoptheater.org
On 3 Productions is the ultimate, driving force behind the introduction and popularity of celebrity gifting.
Website: www.on3productions.com
Other Sponsors at the 3rd Annual Access Hollywood “Stuff You Must…” Gift Lounge:
ALTOIDS Small Mints ww.altoids.com
CARLOS FALCHI One-Of-A-Kind Evening Clutches www.carlosfalchistudio.com
Websites: www.thecorsagecollection.com, www.natasha.com, www.tweetyfinejewelry.com
Crunch Fitness 1-Year Gym Membership www.crunch.com
are we staying in hollywood for a few days
hay i hope i when i am your biggest fan
salena gomez is the best singer you can ever know. she has the most amasing voice ever. i hope i get her oter graph some day.