Description-Hollywood walk of fame

Description

The Walk of Fame runs 1.3 miles (2.1 km) east to west on Hollywood Boulevard from North Gower Street to North La Brea Avenue, plus a short segment of Marshfield Way that runs diagonally between Hollywood and La Brea; and 0.4 miles (0.7 km) north to south on Vine Street between Yucca Street and Sunset Boulevard.

Each monument consists of a coral-pink terrazzo five-point star rimmed with brass (not bronze, an oft-repeated inaccuracy) inlaid into a charcoal-colored terrazzo background. In the upper portion of the pink star field, the name of the honoree is inlaid in brass block letters. Below the inscription, in the lower half of the star field, a round inlaid brass emblem indicates the category of the honoree's contributions.

The emblems symbolize five categories within the entertainment industry:

•  Classic film camera representing motion pictures
•  Television set representing broadcast television
•  Phonograph record representing audio recording
•  Radio microphone representing broadcast radio
•  Comedy/tragedy masks representing theater/live performance (added in 1984)

One of the four Moon landing monuments at Hollywood and Vine.

To date, 47% of the stars have been awarded in the motion pictures category, 24% in television, 17% in audio recording, 10% in radio, and less than 2% in the live performance category. Twenty to thirty new stars, on average, are added to the Walk each year.

Nineteen "special category" stars recognize miscellaneous contributions by corporate entities, service organizations, and special honorees, and display emblems unique to those honorees. For example, the Los Angeles Police Department star's emblem is a replica of an LAPD badge; former Los Angeles mayor Tom Bradley's star displays the Seal of the City of Los Angeles; and stars representing corporations, such as Victoria's Secret and the Los Angeles Dodgers, display the honoree's corporate logo.

There are two exceptions to the trademark "star" shape of the monuments. The Apollo XI mission to the Moon is commemorated in four identical, circular "moons" containing the names of the astronauts (Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. ("Buzz") Aldrin Jr) the date of the first Moon landing ("7/20/69") and the words "Apollo XI", set on each of the four corners at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine. The "moons" are silver and dark grey terrazzo circles rimmed in brass on a square pink terrazzo background, with the television emblem (dubious rationale discussed below) inlaid at the "twelve o'clock" position on the circles.

The other exceptions are the two "Friends of the Walk of Fame" monuments, which are simple charcoal squares, rimmed by miniature replicas of the pink terrazzo stars displaying the five standard category symbols, along with the sponsor's corporate logo, with the sponsor's name and sponsorship recognition in the usual inlaid brass block lettering.