Hollywood Walk of Name Game

Walking with my head down not in shame, but along with all the other tourists as I read the names we step on as we wonder down the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Adding to the “hey looks” and “who’s thats” heard around me as we get hassled to go on bus tours every few feet. Created as a lasting homage to the people who have notably made their mark in the entertainment business and Hollywood’s hegemony, the walk of fame has been a Hollywood attraction since 1958. The latter description obviously serving to be my criticism of the attraction.

Hollywood is more than a district of Los Angeles. A place supported by the movie and television studios that inhabited the district physically; it is the capital of fame and fortune. As a tribute to the men and women that embodied this fame a star with their name centered in the middle of it is added to the walk each month.

Simple in shape and design, the star is a metaphor for famous entertainers in American culture, a person shining out above all the rest. The “shining out” being the factor that has made Hollywood stardom such an interest, goal, or envy of all who desire success in the entertainment business or are enticed by the power stardom holds in American culture.

Since the golden age of film and television, legendary Hollywood studios through its representation of life have set our cultural status quos. The people notably contributing to production of entertainment fascinating all who have enjoyed their work. Even those not fascinated by fame most likely would be affected by a chance encounter with a celebrity. So, as the tourists step on each star I can’t help but wonder how many are daydreaming of meeting anyone of the stars lining Hollywood Boulevard or excited by the fact that the celebrity owning it once touched that star. Even in the desecration of certain now unpopular stars like David Hasslehoff shows the power of that celebrity’s notoriety.

Even though I would like to think that stardom , fame, and fortune doesn’t interest me I have to admit finding certain stars like Johnny Cash was fun and I joined in the act of walking over each star thinking about the celebrities contributions. However, the most thought provoking moment in this event was when we asked the city employ tasked to polish the stars with brass cleaner where a particular star was he grumbled an "I don’t know" and drug his one-legged body onto the next star putting fame and stardom in what I think is its rightful place in the end.