On a long sidewalk along Hollywood Boulevard in the world center of cinematography, large stars are mounted with the names of celebrities who have achieved success in the world of cinema and other walks of life. In total, there are about two and a half thousand stars on the Walk of Fame, as this place is called, but some of them have no official status.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame is one of the top attractions in Los Angeles. On both sides of Hollywood Boulevard, which runs along fifteen blocks, and for another three blocks along Vine Street, there are terracotta stars with their names engraved on them. Here you can find not only famous actors and directors, but also other people who have made a great contribution to the film industry. Some stars adorn the names of fictional characters, there are stars dedicated to musicians or musical groups, producers, politicians and other famous personalities. But the majority belongs to filmmakers - 47%, the rest of the categories are the development of sound recording, theater, radio and television.
The exceptions are the names of American astronauts who have visited the moon, and the star of Mohammed Ali, a famous boxer.
New stars appear on the Walk of Fame every year, increasing the total by about a couple dozen. Therefore, the exact figure is always changing. The counting is complicated by the fact that not all stars have official status - the fact is that according to the rules, the person to whom it was dedicated must be present at the ceremony of laying the terracotta monument on Hollywood Boulevard. Some celebrities refused this honor, others simply could not attend the ceremony for other reasons.
Stars on the Walk of Fame
In total, about two and a half thousand stars can be counted on both sides of the boulevard: about half of them are officially open, others not according to all the rules. There are also posthumous stars: on the one hand, their owners were not present at the ceremony, on the other, this is an official title. And this figure grows every year. Every year, about two hundred candidates in various fields are chosen to open stars, and they must meet certain conditions: for example, they must have worked in this field for at least five years. From several hundred, several dozen are selected, usually no more than thirty people for whom stars are made.
For the star to receive official status, the celebrity must give his consent and later appear at the ceremony. If the person to whom the monument is being erected on the Walk of Fame has already died, then the presence of his relative is desirable.
Hollywood Boulevard stars Richard Crookes and Geraldine Farrar (for their work in the film industry) are supposed to be installed, but they were never found: either they were forgotten during the renovation of the Alley, or they were moved to another place.
