Celebrities Pay for Their Star on the Walk of Fame
May 11, 2010 at 5:00 am Chad Upton 8 comments
On Hollywood Boulevard and a few other streets in Hollywood, there are thousands of five-pointed stars laid into the sidewalk. Each star represents a person or fictional character who has made significant impact on film, television, music, broadcasting or theater.
The Walk of Fame is managed by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. They receive about 200 nominations per year and meet every June to decide who is worthy of a star. They award a star to an average of 20 celebrities per year.
Celebrities can be nominated for a star by anyone, as long as the nomination includes a letter from the celebrity or their management, indicating they support the nomination. For example, if you think Conan O’Brien deserves a star then you need to get a letter from him or his agent and provide that letter with the letter of nomination.
To be selected for this award is a huge honor. You really need to make a significant contribution to the entertainment world to get a Hollywood star.
If you’re given a star, it really is yours. In fact, you have to pay a one-time fee that covers the cost of the star to be manufactured and maintained forever. When the Walk of Fame began in 1960, the stars were free. However, the cost of repair and maintenance of so many monuments, made that infeasible. In 1980, they started charging a one time fee of $2500. Today, there are 2407 stars to maintain. It’s no surprise that the fee for new stars is higher than ever at $25,000.
Celebrities are required to show up for the unveiling of their star, they have 5 years after the announcement to schedule a date for unveiling. Among the awards, there is usually 1 posthumous award per year. To qualify for a posthumous award, the nominee must be deceased for at least 5 years and they are not required to show up for their unveiling.
Broken Secrets | By: Chad Upton
Sources: Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Wikipedia
Photo: cobalt123 (cc)
Entry filed under: Despite Popular Belief. Tags: belushi, canon, celebrity, fame, hollywood, john, o'brien, star, walk.
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1.
Steph | May 12, 2010 at 12:09 am
Hahaha I wonder why recipiants of the posthumous award don’t need to show up…
I enjoyed that. :)
2.
Ryan | May 14, 2010 at 3:49 pm
Very interesting! I think they should base the price of each star on some metric of how awesome the particular celebrity is. So, if you are relatively awesome (ex. Conan O’Brien) then your price would be $250 or something. If you are relatively un-awesome (ex. Weird Al) then your price would be $100,000. It seems like that would be a more fair system. Just a thought.
3.
Steve | May 19, 2010 at 2:39 am
Thank you for pointing out that deceased celebrities are not required to show for the unveiling of their posthumous awards.
4.
Chad Upton | May 19, 2010 at 7:56 am
My pleasure. I never miss an opportunity to make a joke.
5.
Robert Wolff | July 19, 2010 at 2:35 pm
What happens if someone dies after they are awarded a star but before the unveiling? They won’t be able to attend the unveiling, but also won’t qualify for the “must be dead for 5 years” requirement for posthumous awards. Also, who pays for the star in a posthumous award?
6.
The HOLLYWOOD Sign Originally Said HOLLYWOODLAND « Broken Secrets | December 20, 2011 at 2:01 am
[…] wood, which faired well considering its materials, but was falling apart by 1978. At this time, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce began a campaign to replace the sign with a more permanent version. Nine generous donors […]
7.
Theo | March 12, 2013 at 8:11 pm
” To qualify for a posthumous award, the nominee must be deceased for at least 5 years and they are not required to show up for their unveiling.”
LOL Well of course!
8.
billy.elliott (@ellebworkin) | August 17, 2015 at 10:16 am
. . .well, I for one think it’s deplorable to ask a recipient to *pay* for an award that you’ve bestowed upon me!