The Hollywood Walk of Fame located in Hollywood on Hollywood Blvd is the largest outdoor museum in the world. The idea was birthed in 1955 by EM Stuart and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce came up with the design of the star framed by brass and submitted it to the Los Angeles City Council for approval. The LA City Council approved the project, and the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce proceeded to nominate over 1500 people involved with the entertainment industry to receive a star.
Construction on the project began in 1958, but was delayed by two separate lawsuits. After the lawsuits were cleared up, 8 stars were picked at random from the original nomination list of 1500. Those stars included Joanne Woodward, Olive Borden, Ronald Colman, Louise Fazenda, Preston Foster, Burt Lancaster, Edward Sedgwick, and Ernest Torrance. Legend has it that Joanne Woodward was the first person to receive her star on the Walk of Fame, but there is no evidence to support that claim. Many people say that all 8 stars were laid down at the same time.
During the 1960’s and 1970’s, growth of the Walk of Fame stalled and very little stars were added. The area of Hollywood was subject to Urban Decay and little development happened along Hollywood Blvd during that time.
Radio Personality, Television Producer, and Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Member Johnny Grant decided in the 1980s to revitalize the Walk of Fame. Grant revitalized the nomination process, added the presentation ceremony, and made a number of changes to the way the Walk of Fame ran in order to increase tourism to Hollywood Blvd. The best thing that Grant did was institute a fee for the nominating party and star recipient in order to keep the Walk of Fame funded, and to lessen the need of city taxes to fund the Walk of Fame.
In 2008, over 2000 stars were included in the Walk of Fame and the greatest outdoor museum in the world was in need of a face-lift. A $4.2 million dollar restoration project was started in order to repair and replace broken stars, as well as add new ones. Absolut Vodka and L’Oreal Cosmetics both donated money to the project, and they were both awarded with stars on the Walk of Fame for doing so. More than 700 stars will be replaced or repaired apart of this project, and the Walk of Fame will be expanded.
There are 5 star categories: Motion Pictures, Recording, Radio, Television, and Live Performance. (Live Performance was the last category added in 1984.) People get awarded stars in their respective categories and many people have multiple stars in multiple categories. Gene Autry is the only person to be awarded all 5 stars on the walk of fame. Many people have multiple stars.
The only American President and one of two California governors with a star on the Walk of Fame is Ronald Reagan. The other governor with a star being Arnold Schwarzenegger. The four astronauts from the infamous Apollo XI mission to the moon have stars, the only astronauts to have them. The Walt Disney Company, Victoria’s Sectret, former Los Angeles Major Tom Bradley, and The Los Angeles Police Department all have stars on the Walk of Fame.
Some fictional characters have been awarded stars: The Munchkins from Munchkinland (from The Wizard of Oz), Mickey Mouse, Lassie, Snow White, Bugs Bunny, and many others have stars. 
About 20 new stars are added every year. Unveiling ceremonies are completely free and open to the public. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announces the ceremonies here on their website. Their website also has information on how to nominate people to receive stars on the walk of fame as well as locations of the stars.
My favorite thing about the walk of fame is the shear variety of people awarded with stars. Actors, directors, cinematographers, special effects gurus, radio personalities, composers, opera singers, musicians, athletes, and many other types of people get awards on the Walk of Fame, its not an exclusive club. There are people on the walk of fame that your grandparents will recognize, that your parents will recognize, and possibly even your great-grandparents will recognize. Since the Walk of Fame has grown so much, one could spend a considerable amount of time looking at the stars and finding their favorites.
The Hollywood Walk of Fame keeps their stars clean by employing the local homeless people to clean them. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce oversees the Walk of Fame as well as managing nominations and ceremonies.
Go visit the walk of fame, seriously. Get online and do some research and figure out where your favorite stars are. Be a tourist and take pictures. Its the cheapest (free) entertainment you’ll find on that part of town, and on a nice day, its a fun little adventure.
(All pictures were taken my me on one of my many trips to the Walk of Fame.)
Extremely Behind the Camera 