Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hollywood Walk of Fame Hollywood Walk of Fame Coordinates: 34°06′06″N 118°19′36″W / 34.1016309°N 118.326684°W / 34.1016309; -118.326684 The Walk of Fame is nearly a three-and-ahalf-(3 1/2)-mile (5.6km) 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 fivepointed 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. CW network affiliate KTLA-TV (Channel 5) was honored with a star on the Walk of Fame. The picture on KTLA’s star shows a satellite dish, even though KTLA is a terrestrial television station. 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. Street performers perform on the 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. 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 eight stars were dedicated in September 1958 and placed in the sidewalk on the northwest corner of Hollywood Blvd. and Highland Ave. They were installed several months prior to the official 1960 Walk of Fame ground-breaking so as to be ready when the new, twelve-story First Federal Savings and Loan of Hollywood building was completed, in January 1959. The largest collection of Walk of Fame photos is the Bruce Torrence Hollywood Historical Collection. 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. History 1 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hollywood Walk of Fame collaboration between the Hollywood Chamber and various city entities. Origins 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] Subsequently, on April 29, 2004, MaryKate and Ashley Olsen became the youngest people in any category ever to receive a star - at the age of 18. Their star is outside the Kodak Theatre, near to Hollywood and Highland Mall. • 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 In 2000, The Simpsons was awarded a star on the Walk of Fame. The Walk of Fame was created in 1958. The original stars were installed by Consolidated Terrazzo Company. 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. 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 program will begin, with Absolut Vodka becoming the first Friend; it 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 2 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 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, recognizing the station’s pioneer status as the first West Coast TV station carried by satellite to viewers from Greenland to Panama.[6] On November 18, 1978, in honor of his 50th anniversary, 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 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] Ronald Reagan is the only President of the United States to have a star. He got his star for his work as an actor prior to his career in politics. Anna May Wong is the only AsianAmerican female to have a star (as of 2008); all other Asian-Americans that have been awarded stars are male. Strongheart was the first animal to earn a star on the walk of fame. Lassie and Rin Tin Tin were the other two. (Somewhat surprisingly, they were all canine) Hollywood Walk of Fame Star nomination process The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce "Walk of Fame Committee" is responsible for selecting a new group of entertainers each year to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. New recipients are announced each June for the following year. 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 • • 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. Some people vandalize the unassigned stars by writing their own names. One of four identical moons honouring the crew of Apollo XI at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. For a music achievement, the band itself will usually be named, instead of each member. The canopy at the beginning of the "Walk of Fame" at dusk. The Caryatids here are statues of actresses from the early 20th century. Types of Stars: Television, Motion Pictures, Live Theater, Recording and Radio. 3 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Bugs Bunny (2006) Star for Excellence in Motion Pictures. The Simpsons (2000) Star for Excellence in Television. Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1999) Star for Excellence in Recording. Hollywood Walk of Fame [5] http://alumni.american.edu/ content.cfm?id=113 [6] "TV pioneer KTLA gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame". sfgate.com. January 24, 2007. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/ article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/24/state/ n104631S41.DTL. [7] "Triple H, Shane McMahon to speak at Mr. McMahon’s Hollywood Walk of Fame star ceremony". wwe.com. http://www.wwe.com/inside/ overtheropes/news/walkoffame. See also • Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in Hollywood • Grauman’s Chinese Theater • Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong • Avenue of Stars, London • Hollywood and Vine • Canada’s Walk of Fame • St. Louis Walk of Fame • Birmingham Walk of Stars • Hollywood’s Rockwalk • Walk of Fame External links • Hollywood Walk of Fame official website • Hollywood Walk of Fame at Google maps • Hollywood Walk of Fame interactive tour guide for mobile phones - hwof.mobi • Hollywood Walk of Fame interactive tour guide for PC - hwof.com • Hollywood Walk of Fame at SeeingStars.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 Footnotes [1] Peter Frampton’s star is a safety hazard? [2] "Gene Autry". geneautry.com. http://www.geneautry.com/geneautry. [3] Jet Magazine, March 9, 2007; pg. 39. [4] "Hollywood landmark honours Spears". BBC. November 18, 2003. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/ music/3279455.stm. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame" Categories: Halls of fame, Hollywood history and culture, Landmarks in Los Angeles, California This page was last modified on 18 May 2009, at 20:43 (UTC). All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details.) Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a U.S. registered 501(c)(3) taxdeductible nonprofit charity. Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers 4