Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA, that serves as an entertainment hall of fame. Designed by Southern Californian artist Oliver Weismuller, who was hired by the city in 1953 to give Hollywood a "face lift", the Hollywood Walk of Fame represented one of a number of improvements the city undertook at the time. It is embedded with more than 2,000 five-pointed stars featuring the names of not only human celebrities but also fictional characters honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for their contributions to the entertainment industry. The Walk of Fame is maintained by the self-financing Hollywood Historic Trust. The first star, awarded on February 9, 1960, went to Joanne Woodward.
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Characteristics
The Walk of Fame runs west on Hollywood Boulevard from Gower Avenue to La Brea Avenue and north to south on Vine Street between Yucca Street and Sunset Boulevard. The Walk of Fame is nearly a three and a half (3 1/2) mile round trip walk. Locations of specific stars are permanent, except when occasionally relocated for nearby construction or other reasons. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is sought after as much as Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, BAFTA and Golden Globe awards.
Each star consists of a pink terrazzo five-pointed star rimmed with bronze and inlaid into a charcoal square. Inside the pink star is the name of the honoree inlaid in bronze, below which is a round bronze emblem indicating the category for which the honoree received the star. The emblems are:
- Motion picture camera for contribution to the film industry
- Television set for contribution to the broadcast television industry
- Phonograph record for contribution to the recording industry
- Radio microphone for contribution to the broadcast radio industry
- Twin comedy/tragedy masks for contribution to live theater
There are a few exceptions. Disneyland's star has an emblem of a building, and honorary mayor of Hollywood Johnny Grant's star depicts the Great Seal of Hollywood. Former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley has a star depicting the seal of the city of Los Angeles. [1] Also, the crew of the Apollo XI mission are named in four identical moons at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine.
Nominations are submitted annually by May 31, and the Walk of Fame committee meets the following month to pick the next year's group of honorees. Star ceremonies are open to the public and formerly were led by honorary Hollywood mayor Johnny Grant prior to his death in 2008.
History
Origins
The Walk of Fame was created in 1958. Many honorees received multiple stars during the initial phase of installation for contributions to separate categories; however, the practice in recent decades has been to honor individuals not yet represented, with only a handful of previous honorees being awarded additional stars. In 1978, the city of Los Angeles designated the Walk of Fame as a Historic-Cultural Monument.
The Walk of Fame began with 2,500 blank stars. A total of 1,558 stars were awarded during its first sixteen months. Since then, about two stars have been added per month. By 1994, more than 2,000 of the original stars were filled, and additional stars extended the Walk west past Sycamore to La Brea Avenue, where it now ends at the Silver Four Ladies of Hollywood Gazebo (with stars honoring The Beatles and Elvis Presley).
Restoration
In July 2008, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that the Walk of Fame will undergo a US$4.2 million face-lift.[1] 778 stars will have to be replaced because of the wear and tear that they have undergone since they were first laid down. Some of the stars have become so damaged that they are tripping hazards to tourists who traverse the walk. At the same time, Hollywood Chamber announced the Friends of Walk of Fame(sm) program will begin with Absolut Vodka becoming the first Friend and will be given an award on private property in front of the Kodak Theatre, as the first major contributor to the restoration process. This program is a collaboration between the Hollywood Chamber and various city entities.
Firsts
- Gene Autry is the only person to have been honored with all five possible stars, for his contribution in each of the five categories.[2]
- Diana Ross is one of only a handful of celebrities to have two stars in the same category, one as a member of The Supremes and one as a solo artist. Michael Jackson was the first to achieve this, through his solo career and as a member of The Jackson Five. Smokey Robinson will soon be added to this list, as he was honored with a star as a solo artist several years ago, and will , in early 2009, be honored again, as a member of his original group, The Miracles.
- In 2002, the Walk of Fame broke tradition with Muhammad Ali's star. His star is displayed on a wall of the Kodak Theatre, due to Ali's request that he not be walked on.[3]
- In 1960, Jimmy Boyd became the youngest singer to receive a star on the Walk Of Fame at only 20 years old. In 2003, Britney Spears became the second youngest singer to receive a star on the Walk of Fame at only 21 years old. Coincidentally, both were born in McComb, Mississippi forty years apart. Spears tied with former Little House on the Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert for being the second youngest person to accept a Walk of Fame star.[4]
- In 2005, companies became eligible for Walk-of-Fame-type stars; the first recipient was Disneyland, in honor of its 50th anniversary. Company awards are on private property near the Walk, and not part of the Walk itself. Companies must have a strong Hollywood presence and be at least fifty years old to qualify for this award.
- In February 2006, Judith Sheindlin (better known as Judge Judy) became the first (and so far only) television judge to be awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[5]
- On January 24, 2007, Los Angeles television station and CW network affiliate KTLA-TV (Channel 5) became the first television service (station or network) to be honored with a star on the Walk of Fame. The picture on KTLA's star shows a satellite dish, denoting a television broadcast station.[6]
- On November 18, 1978, in honor of his 50th anniversary, and him being the greatest cartoon character of all time at the time, Mickey Mouse became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located on 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
- On April 29, 2004, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen were the youngest people to receive a star at the age of 18. Their star is outside the Kodak Theatre, near to Hollywood and Highland Mall.
- On March 14, 2008, Vince McMahon got his own star. He is the first professional wrestling promoter or anyone from sports entertainment to receive a star.[7]
- Colombian singer/song writer Shakira has been announced to be receiving a star in 2009. She will be the first Colombian to be awarded the honor.
- Anna May Wong is the only female of Asian heritage to have a star (as of 2008); all other Asians who have been awarded stars are male.
Stolen stars
Four stars have been stolen from the Walk of Fame. Those of James Stewart and Kirk Douglas, which had been removed during a construction project, were stolen from the site on Vine Street. The culprit was a contractor who was later caught with the two stars, damaged and unusable, but not until after they had been replaced. One of Gene Autry's stars was also taken from another construction project. It was later found in Iowa. On November 27, 2005, thieves sawed Gregory Peck's star out of the sidewalk near Gower; the star has been replaced as of September 2006 but the thieves have not been caught.
Surveillance cameras are being placed in the walk district to catch thieves.
Star nomination process
In order for a person to get a star on the Walk of Fame, he or she must agree to attend a presentation ceremony within five years of selection, and a $25,000 fee must be paid to the Trust for costs such as security at the star ceremony; a 2003 FOX News story noted that the fee is often paid by sponsors such as film studios and record companies, as part of the publicity for a release with which the honoree is involved. On other occasions, the fee is paid by a fan club. Often, it is paid by the nominating person himself or herself.
List of stars
Gallery
See also
- Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong
- Avenue of Stars, London
- Hollywood and Vine
- Grauman's Chinese Theater
- Canada's Walk of Fame
- St. Louis Walk of Fame
- Birmingham Walk of Stars
- Hollywood's Rockwalk
- Walk of Fame
References
- ↑ Peter Frampton's star is a safety hazard?
- ↑ "Gene Autry". geneautry.com.
- ↑ Jet Magazine, March 9, 2007; pg. 39.
- ↑ "Hollywood landmark honours Spears". BBC (November 18, 2003).
- ↑ http://alumni.american.edu/content.cfm?id=113
- ↑ "TV pioneer KTLA gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame". sfgate.com (January 24, 2007).
- ↑ "Triple H, Shane McMahon to speak at Mr. McMahon's Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony". wwe.com.
External links
- Hollywood Walk of Fame official website
- Hollywood Walk of Fame at Seeing-Stars.com
- Hollywood Boulevard's Price of Fame, a December 2003 article from the FOX News website
- Scientists' Walk of Fame - a prank by Caltech students on May 4, 2005
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