USA West Coast Travel Part VII (Hollywood Walk Of Fame, Los Angeles)
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USA West Coast Travel Part VII
Hollywood Walk of Fame
Los Angeles City
Location of Los Angeles in U.S.A.
Los Angeles City, California, USA
At 9 a.m. of Day 10, Jay Ho, our tour-guide, informed us that we had last two places to visit in Los Angeles City, i.e. Hollywood Walk of Fame and Universal Studios, before our USA West Coast tour was over.
Jay Ho, our tour-guide, telling us that we are going to visit “Hollywood Walk of Fame” and Universal Studios in Los Angeles City, USA
Los Angeles City, also known as City of Angels and L.A., was founded in 1781 and has a population of about 4 millions making it the 2nd. most populous city in the U.S..
Hollywood Walk of Fame
After travelling for 40 minutes from Anaheim, we arrived in Los Angeles City. Immediately, we went to the Hollywood Walk of Fame which was along Hollywood Boulevard.
Tour group moving along Hollywood Boulevard before going for the Hollywood Walk of Fame on its walkways in Los Angeles City, USA
Writer and wife on the Hollywood Walk of Fame along Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles City, USA
Hollywood Walk of Fame is a famous tourist attraction. Created in 1958 on the walkways of Hollywood Boulevard, it has more than 2500 embedded pink stars with names of the celebrities who were honoured for their outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry. Each star has a picture that tells us the kind of entertainment industry a celebrity has contributed.
There are over 2500 prestigious stars on Hollywood Walk of Fame along Hollywood Boulevard, Los Angeles City, USA
Initially, there were 5 categories of entertainment industry, viz. film industry(denoted by a picture of a classic camera in the star), TV entertainment(a picture of a TV receiver), music recording industry(a picture of a record), radio broadcast(a picture of a microphone) and live theatre(a picture of two masks of comedy and tragedy). Later, another category for companies that deserved stars was created, e.g. Disneyland that has contributed to the film industry for more than 50 years, a local newspaper, baseball team, and police department to name a few.
Celebrities’ contribution to film industry on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Celebrities’ contribution to television entertainment on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Celebrities’ contribution to music recording industry on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Celebrities’ contribution to radio broadcast on Hollywood Walk of Fame
Celebrities’ contribution to live theatre on Hollywood Walk of Fame
The only person who received all the five initial categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame so far is Gene Autry(1907-1998), an American performer.
Gene Autry(1907-1998), an American performer, is the only celebrity to receive 5 Academy Awards or Oscars so far.
While my wife and I were walking on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the first star that attracted my attention was Bruce Lee( an actor), then Glen Campbell(a country singer), Jackie Chan, Mickey Mouse( an animated cartoon created by Walt Disney), Michael Jackson(a singer}, Bruce Willis(an actor), and many more.
But there was only one star that was on a wall at the entrance of Dolby Theatre. It belonged to Muhammad Ali(born in 1942), a famous heavy-weight boxer.
Writer squatting in front of Bruce Lee’s star on Hollywood Walk of Fame, L.A., USA
A star for Jackie Chan for his awesome, innovative stunts in fighting films. It is on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He has another star in Hong Kong Avenue of Stars.
A star for Tom Cruise on Hollywood Walk of Fame, L.A., USA
A star for Bee Gees, a pop music group, on Hollywood Walk of Fame, L.A., USA
A star for Robin Williams, an actor and comedian, on Hollywood Walk of Fame, L.A., USA
Kenny and his family posing in front of a star on a wall of Dolby Theatre for a heavy-weight boxer, Muhammad Ali, on Hollywood Walk of Fame, L.A., USA
In an hour, I was happy to find many stars belonging to my favourite idols on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. If I had more time there I would be able to discover many more.
TCL Chinese Theatre
TCL Chinese Theatre built in 1926 on Hollywood Walk of Fame in Los Angeles City is a home for movie premieres
Along Hollywood Boulevard, I noticed an unusual building that looked like a Chinese temple. In fact, it was a theatre known as TCL Chinese Theatre. Built in 1926 by Sid Grauman, an American showman(1879-1950), it is a home to many premieres including 1927 film, “The King of Kings” and 1977’s “Star Wars”.
In its forecourt there are some concrete blocks that have hand-prints, shoe-prints and autographs belonging to celebrities, like Michael Jackson, John Travolta, Shirley Temples, Anthony Hopkins, John Woo, Will Smith, Burt Reynold and more. Their intention is to wish the owner of the theatre good fortune.
Two members of our tour group looking at Michael Jackson’s hand-prints, shoe-prints and autograph in TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt on Hollywood Walk of Fame, L.A., USA
Anthony Hopkin’s hand-prints, foot-prints and autograph in TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt, L.A., USA (He is a Welsh actor appearing in about 100 films.
Shirley Temple’s hand-prints, foot-prints and autograph in the TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt, L.A., USA (She was a child star in the 1930s)
John Woo’s hand-prints,shoe-prints and autograph in the TCL Chinese Theatre forecourt, L.A., USA (He is a H.K. film-director)
Dolby Theatre
Next to TCL Chinese Theatre is Dolby Theatre. It is a centre for promoting motion picture industry and plays host to a prestigious annual award ceremony, Academy Awards. In the last ceremony, the 86th. Academy Awards, held on 2 March 2014, there were 2809 winners receiving the awards or Oscars for their excellent works in the film-making industry.
Dolby Theatre, on Hollywood Walk of Fame, hosts Academy Awards(Oscars) ceremony, annually.
The Oscars
An Academy Awards winner will receive an Oscar that is a statuette of a knight holding a sword and standing on a reel of film with five spokes representing the categories of actors, writers, directors, producers and technicians. It is 24 cm tall and weighs 3.85 kg, and made of gold-plated britannium on a black metal base.
The prestigious award, Academy Award or Oscar, for a celebrity whose work in film-making industry is excellent
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
There is a wax museum, Madame Tussauds, near TCL Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. It houses many notable personalities including actors, musicians, directors, athletes and television entertainers. A statue of Shrek outside the museum is its largest figure. As it is in the sun it is made of plastic instead of wax. Next to Shrek is another statue, a large blue transformer. They both attract cameramen, including myself.
As we did not have much time on Hollywood Walk of Fame, we gave that museum a miss. In fact, my wife and I visited one in London in 2004.
Madame Tussauds Wax Museum, Hollywood Boulevard, L.A., USA
A statue of Shrek, a green ogre in fairy-tale films, outside Madame Tussauds Wax Museum on Hollywood Walk of Fame, Hollywood Boulevard, L.A.. USA
A statue of a transformer outside Madame Tussauds Wax Museum on Hollywood Boulevard, L.A., USA
While walking on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, I stopped at a souvenir shop and was attracted to a man-sized statue of Elvis Presley, one of my singing idols. Immediately, I gave my camera to my wife and asked her to snap a photo of me with Elvis. You may see us in the photo here.
Writer taking photo with Elvis Presley in a souvenir shop on Hollywood Boulevard, L.A., USA
Having spent an hour on the Hollywood Walk of Fame along Hollywood Boulevard, we left the place at 2 p.m. for Universal Studios (Hollywood) where there were lots of thrill and excitement for visitors. It was about 10 km north-west of the centre of Los Angeles City.
(To be continued)
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U.S.A West Coast Travel:
Part II San Francisco, Fresno. Las Vegas
Part V Premium Outlets in S, California
Part VI Disneyland Resort, Anaheim
Part VII Hollywood Walk of Fame, Los Angeles