Hollywood bvd 1

As Evan was mentioning there is not much to visit in LA. However there is one must when you come to LA for the first time: Hollywood and its famous Hollywood boulevard.

Hollywood boulevard is just like any other street downtown, i.e. from far away you wouldn't see the difference.

It just happened to have the Walk of Fame on its pavement.

The Walk of Fame is a series stars on a section of the sidewalk of Hollywood Boulevard  (and also a bit on Vine Street). "The stars recognize an eclectic mix of actors, musicians, directors, producers, musical and theatrical groups, fictional characters, and others for their entertainment contributions." There are more than 2400 stars, which is a significant number, isn't it.

We walked the whole Hollywood bvd part checking out every single star on the ground. I quickly realized that I knew only a fraction of those famous people. Seems I have some serious entertainment industry knowledge gap.

There are 5 different categories of stars one can get (with in each category the stars I knew of):
1. Movie Camera - for contributions to the motion picture industry

2. Record - for contributions to the recording industry

3. Microphone - for contributions to the radio broadcast industry

4. Television - for contributions to the television broadcast industry

5. Theater Masks - for contributions to theater

Based on the above, you can clearly see what I know (and don't know) about the entertainment industry made in Hollywood.
Now, in case you wonder, here is how you can get a star on Hollywood bvd (thanks Google):

Criteria for Getting a Star on the Walk of Fame:
1. Have a record of professional achievement within the nominated field.
2. Have worked in the entertainment industry for a minimum of five years.
3. Have made contributions to the community, typically through charitable activities.
The recipient must also agree to attend the dedication ceremony. In addition, a sponsorship fee of $25,000 must be paid. Non-human and fictional characters are also eligible for stars on the Walk of Fame.

Process for Getting a Star on the Walk of Fame
Nominations for getting a star on the Walk of Fame are announced in the entertainment trades. The nominations must be submitted by May 31 to the Walk of Fame Committee, which is division of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The committee receives a few hundred nominations a year and out of these typically chooses a couple dozen inductees. Once the Walk of Fame Committee has selected a nominee, the celebrity must be approved by the Board of Directors for the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Los Angeles City Board of Public Works and finally the Los Angeles City Council.

Anyone can nominate a celebrity so long as the celebrity agrees to the nomination - This mean you and I can nominate!

Celebrities can get more than one star on the walk of fame, for example singing cowboy Gene Autry has five stars on the Walk of Fame, one in each category (now who the hells is Gene Autry???).

As we walked the full series, we realized that some famous stars are not there (e.g. Brad Pitt or Clint Eastwood). Why is that? Either because nobody nominated them (hardly believable) or because they refused to pay the 25 000$ to get their name on a piece of pavement (would you?).