Name: The Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Age: 63.
Appearance: Mysterious, lifesize, trivia-based board game.
What is it? A series of stars, rendered in terrazzo and brass, embedded in the pavement along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of intersecting Vine Street in Los Angeles.
How many stars are we talking? More than 2,700, each bearing the name of a legendary Hollywood luminary.
Such as? King Baggot, Rod La Rocque, Jetta Goudal and Snub Pollard.
I’ve never heard of any of them. They have also squeezed in Frank Sinatra, Grace Kelly and Gwyneth Paltrow.
Even so, it sounds rubbish. Not for nothing has the Hollywood Walk of Fame been named the world’s worst tourist attraction, beating the Grand Bazaar in Turkey, the Taj Mahal in India and Busch Gardens in Florida.
Who awarded the title? The luggage storage company Stasher compiled the ranking using five data collection points, including safety, TikTok engagement and Google reviews.
So the thousands of Hollywood stars have got thousands of one-star reviews? “Smells like urine” is a phrase that keeps cropping up. There is drug-dealing and aggressive peddling in the immediate area. Parking is expensive. And the prime attraction is a bunch of dirty stars on the ground.
Whose idea was the Walk of Fame? The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce proposed the scheme in the 1950s. The first 1,500 stars were laid out in one go and the rest followed over the years.
How do the stars get assigned? Roughly 200 nominations in different entertainment categories are received annually, from which about two dozen names are chosen. The nominator has to agree to foot the $75,000 bill and the celebrity in question must attend the unveiling.
Sounds strict. It’s a mess – lots of celebs have more than one star. Gene Autry has five, for some reason.
And I suppose not everybody has remained famous. Many have become downright notorious. Donald Trump’s star, laid in 2007, has been repeatedly destroyed and repaired, leading to calls for its removal.
How do you get a star removed? You can’t. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is in charge and it insists that once a star is in place, it stays. Bill Cosby’s is still there, along with stars commemorating tax evaders, racists, sexual abusers and at least one murderer: the band leader Spade Cooley, who beat his estranged wife to death in 1961.
Another reason not to go. As if you needed another.
Do say: “Sorry, I thought you were meant to pee on them. Everyone else is.”
Don’t say: “Lie down next to this one so I can take your picture.”
This is what we’re up against
Teams of lawyers from the rich and powerful trying to stop us publishing stories they don’t want you to see.
Lobby groups with opaque funding who are determined to undermine facts about the climate emergency and other established science.
Authoritarian states with no regard for the freedom of the press.
Bad actors spreading disinformation online to undermine democracy.
***
But we have something powerful on our side.
We’ve got you.
The Guardian is funded by its readers and the only person who decides what we publish is our editor.
If you want to join us in our mission to share independent, global journalism to the world, we’d love to have you on side.
News
Hailey Bieber Is Pregnant! Model and Husband Justin Bieber Expecting First Baby Together
Hailey and Justin Bieber are going to be parents! The Rhode founder and model, 27, and her musician husband, 30, are expecting their first baby together, sharing the exciting news on Instagram. A rep for Hailey confirms to PEOPLE that the model is just…
Kylie Jenner breaks down in tears as mom Kris Jenner reveals she has tumor in The Kardashians season five trailer – amid pregnancy rumors and Timothee Chalamet split speculation
Kylie Jenner broke down in tears as mom Kris Jenner revealed a terrifying health scare during the emotional trailer for season five of The Kardashians. In the harrowing clip, a tearful Kris, 68, is seen telling her devastated children: ‘I had my…
Bond star Daniel Craig honored on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood star Daniel Craig has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame following the release of his final “James Bond” film, “No Time to Die”. Craig’s star is located just a few yards away from the…
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons receive Hollywood Walk of Fame star
A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Friday honoring the vocal quartet Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons for a career that began in 1962 and included such memorable songs as “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” and “Walk Like a Man.” On…
Sammy Hagar receives star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was unveiled Tuesday honoring hard rock and heavy metal singer, songwriter and guitarist Sammy Hagar for a career in which he sold more than 50 million albums. Singer John Mayer and Tom…
Willem Dafoe honored with star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
foe unveils his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters CNN — Actor Willem Dafoe, who has appeared in almost 150 films throughout his long career, has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first such event this…
End of content
No more pages to load