Hollywood Walk of Fame

==Nomination process==
[[File:JamesCameronStarDec09.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=director James Cameron squats by his new star, left hand propping up his plaque|Director [[James Cameron]] unveiling his star in 2009]]

Each year an average of 200 nominations are submitted to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Walk of Fame selection committee. Anyone, including fans, can nominate anyone active in the field of entertainment as long as the nominee or their management approves the nomination. Nominees must have a minimum of five years' experience in the category for which they are nominated and a history of "charitable contributions".<ref name="Jet111"/> Posthumous nominees must have been deceased at least five years. At a meeting each June, the committee selects approximately 20 to 24 celebrities to receive stars on the Walk of Fame. One posthumous award is given each year as well. The nominations of those not selected are rolled over to the following year for reconsideration; those not selected two years in a row are dropped, and must be renominated to receive further consideration. Living recipients must agree to personally attend a presentation ceremony within two years of selection. If the ceremony is not scheduled within two years, a new application must be submitted. A relative of deceased recipients must attend posthumous presentations. Presentation ceremonies are open to the public.<ref name="WOFFAQ"/>

A fee of $75,000 ({{as of|2023|lc=y}}),<ref name="Walk of Fame FAQs"/> payable at time of selection, is collected to pay for the creation and installation of the star, as well as general maintenance of the Walk of Fame. The fee is usually paid by the nominating organization, which may be a fan club, film studio, record company, broadcaster, or other sponsor involved with the prospective honoree.<ref name="ap2006"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Donaldson-Evans, Catherine |date=December 3, 2003|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,104660,00.html |title=Hollywood Boulevard's Price of Fame|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060629115439/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,104660,00.html|archivedate=2006-06-29|publisher=foxnews.com; News Corp}}</ref> The [[Starz (TV channel)|Starz]] cable network, for example, paid for [[Dennis Hopper]]'s star as part of the promotion for its series ''Crash''.<ref name="ap2006"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Duke, Alan|date=March 26, 2010|url=http://www.cnn.com/2010/SHOWBIZ/Movies/03/26/dennis.hopper/index.html |title=Dennis Hopper attends Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony|publisher= Cable News Network|accessdate=2024-01-24}}</ref>

[[File:Matt Damon Star Under Construction.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Actor Matt Damon's star under construction, showing the brass star-shaped rim, exposed wire grid foundation, brass letters attached to two horizontal brackets, and the Motion Picture emblem, prior to pouring of pink terrazzo|Actor [[Matt Damon]]'s star under construction, August 2007]]

Traditionally, the identities of selection committee members, other than its chairman, have not been made public in order to minimize conflicts of interest and to discourage lobbying by celebrities and their representatives (a significant problem during the original selections in the late 1950s). However, in 1999, in response to intensifying charges of secrecy in the selection process, the Chamber disclosed the members' names: Johnny Grant, the longtime chair and representative of the television category; [[Earl Lestz]], president of [[Paramount Pictures|Paramount Studio Group]] (motion pictures); Stan Spero, retired manager with broadcast stations [[KMPC]] and [[KABC (AM)|KABC]] (radio); Kate Nelson, owner of the [[Avalon Hollywood|Palace Theatre]] (live performance); and Mary Lou Dudas, vice president of [[A&M Records]] (recording industry).<ref>{{cite news|last=Pool|first=Bob|date=January 6, 1999|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1999/jan/06/local/me-60983|title=Hollywood Tries to Help Stars Shine|newspaper=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Since that 1999 announcement, the chamber has revealed only that Lestz (who received his own star in 2004) became chairman after Grant died in 2008. Their current official position is that "each of the five categories is represented by someone with expertise in that field".<ref name="WOFFAQ"/>

In 2010, Lestz was replaced as chairman by John Pavlik, former Director of Communications<ref>{{cite web|url=http://photos.presslist.oscars.org/listanevent.php?events=781 |title=Academy Appoints Unger Communications Chief|publisher=Oscars.org|date= February 14, 2007|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727154237/http://photos.presslist.oscars.org/listanevent.php?events=781|archivedate=2011-07-27}}</ref> for the [[Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences]]. While no public announcement was made to that effect, he was identified as chairman in the Chamber's press release announcing the 2011 star recipients.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/index.php?page=13|title=Walk of Fame 2011 Selection|work=hollywoodchamber.net|publisher=Hollywood Chamber of Commerce|date=June 17, 2010|access-date=June 21, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100914174820/http://www.hollywoodchamber.net/index.php?page=13|archive-date=September 14, 2010|quote="It was not an easy job to winnow down the extra large number of nominations this year to reach these 30 names", said John Pavlik, chair of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Committee ...}}</ref> In 2016, the chair, according to the Chamber's 2016 selection announcement, was film producer Maureen Schultz.<ref>{{cite web|author=Holmes, M |date=June 22, 2015|title=Bradley Cooper, Quentin Tarantino Among Hollywood Walk of Fame 2016 Honorees|url=https://variety.com/2015/biz/news/hollywood-walk-of-fame-2016-bradley-cooper-quentin-tarantino-1201525119/|publisher= Variety.com |accessdate=2024-01-24}}</ref> In 2023, the selection committee chair was radio personality [[Ellen K]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://walkoffame.com/press_releases/hollywood-walk-of-fame-class-of-2024-announced-by-walk-of-fame-chair-ellen-k/|title=Hollywood Walk of Fame Class of 2024 Announced by Walk of Fame Chair Ellen K|publisher=Hollywood Walk Of Fame|accessdate=2024-01-24}}</ref>

===Rule adjustments===
[[File:HollywoodWalkOfFameMoonAtHollywoodAndVine.jpg|thumb|alt=Moon Landing monument, with square pink terrazzo surround (not the usual charcoal color), with light gray terrazzo Moon disk showing TV emblem at top and the brass lettering "Neil A. Armstrong, Edwin E. Aldrin and Michael Collins, 7/20/69, Apollo XI"|One of the four monuments recognizing the Apollo 11 astronauts at the corners of Hollywood and Vine]]

Walk of Fame rules prohibit consideration of nominees whose contributions fall outside the six major entertainment categories, but the selection committee has been known to adjust interpretations of its rules to justify a selection. The Walk's four round Moon landing monuments at the corners of Hollywood and Vine, for example, officially recognize the [[Apollo 11]] astronauts for "contributions to the television industry." Johnny Grant acknowledged, in 2005, that classifying the first Moon landing as a television entertainment event was "a bit of a stretch".<ref name="Q&A"/> [[Magic Johnson]] was added to the motion picture category based on his ownership of the [[Magic Johnson Theatres|Magic Johnson Theatre]] chain, citing as precedent [[Sid Grauman]], builder of [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre]].<ref name="Q&A"/>

[[Muhammad Ali]]'s star was granted after the committee decided that [[boxing]] could be considered a form of "live performance". Its placement on a wall of the [[Dolby Theatre]] makes it the only star mounted on a vertical surface, acceding to Ali's request that his name not be walked upon,<ref name="Jet111">{{cite magazine|last=Christian|first=Margena A.|title=How Do You Really Get A Star On The Hollywood Walk Of Fame?|magazine=[[Jet Magazine]]|volume=111|issue=15|date=April 16, 2007|pages=25, 29|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BjsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA29|access-date=October 12, 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|title=A Star for the Greatest|magazine=[[Jet Magazine]]|volume=101|issue=6|page=52|date=January 28, 2002|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2LQDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52|access-date=September 22, 2010|via=[[Google Books]]}}</ref> as he shared his name with the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/muhammad-alis-star-hollywood-boulevard-floats-butterfly-ground/story?id=39634073|title=Ali Is Only Person With Hollywood Star on a Wall|work=ABC News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxingnewsandviews.com/2016/06/04/ali-hollywood-star/|title=Why Ali Hollywood Star Is On The Wall Not The Floor|first=Niall|last=Doran|date=June 4, 2016|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112043625/https://www.boxingnewsandviews.com/2016/06/04/ali-hollywood-star/|archivedate=2020-01-12}}</ref>

All living honorees have been required since 1968 to personally attend their star's unveiling, and approximately 40 have declined the honor due to this condition.<ref name="Q&A"/> The only recipient to date who failed to appear after agreeing to do so was [[Barbra Streisand]], in 1976. Her star was unveiled anyway, near the intersection of Hollywood and Highland.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sanello, Frank ([[UPI]])|date=December 5, 1984|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2318&dat=19841205&id=LpYpAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7YIDAAAAIBAJ&pg=4064,2288190 |title=Want your star on walk? It isn't easy |accessdate=2024-01-24}}</ref> Streisand did attend when her husband, [[James Brolin]], unveiled his star in 1998 two blocks to the east.<ref>{{cite web|author=Halza, George |date=August 28, 1998|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1955&dat=19980828&id=E4oxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=L6YFAAAAIBAJ&pg=3045,1628160 |title=Brolin, Streisand Revel in Stardom|pages= B8|accessdate=2024-01-24}}</ref>