Ringo Starr Honored On Hollywood Walk Of Fame

While the old prestige of the Hollywood Walk of Fame has long been snuffed out, it still manages to get it right occasionally. And with that we welcome Ringo Starr to the Hollywood Walk of Fame; the Beatles drummer was honored Monday evening during a ceremony that also marked the 50th anniversary of the sidewalk’s groundbreaking.

Starr’s name was the 2,401st to be unveiled on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“This is the start of the next 50 years of stars,” Starr said outside the Capitol Records building. “I’m proud to be the first one.”

Starr joins fellow Beatles John Lennon and George Harrison on the sidewalk. The Beatles as a group were given a star in 1998.

Where’s Paul?

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce developed the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1953 in an effort to return glamour to the decaying neighborhood at time when the film and television industry was on the decline.

“We’ve seen positive changes,” said Hollywood Chamber of Commerce senior vice president Bill Farrar. “We’ve seen an increase in housing, the opening of many new businesses, the significant reduction of crime and the continual influx of visitors. This walk represents much, much more. This is more than just a tourist attraction and a monument to art.”

Sadly, the Hollywood Walk of Fame has lost most of its significance; anybody can get a star for the right price, and more often than not a ‘star’ gets his or her Walk of Fame ceremony around the same time they have something to promote. Oh well.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame’s 50th anniversary celebration continues throughout the year; a community festival in July and a gala in November in which every living celebrity who has received a star will be invited to attend.

That is going to be both a wonderful and terribly depressing gala.

Other celebrities due to receive stars this year include ZZ Top,  Adam Sandler and Jimmy Kimmel. Jimmy Kimmel? Really? See… this is why.