I'm not sure why this surprised me, but I recently saw a news article that this past Monday, Ringo Starr was honored with the 2401st star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. This event also marked the marked the 50th anniversary of the sidewalk attraction's groundbreaking. This Blind Bambi's first thought was: "Why Ringo Starr at this point in time?." I would have thought that all of the Beatles would have long ago received their stars. It turns out that the Beatles, as a group, were originally honored with a star in 1994, but the honor was short-lived as Capitol Records had the star removed weeks later. The removal was based on the label's concern that the installation of the star was not attended by at least one member of the band. In 1998, though, the British band was given a new star. After John Lennon's death in 1980, he was honored with a star in 1988. Just last year, George Harrison, who died of cancer in 2001, was also awarded a star. Apparently, Paul McCartney's star has been approved, but he has yet to schedule a ceremony. At some point, then, it looks like all of the Beatles will be immortalized on the Walk of Fame.
Curious, I did some simple research into how this process works. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce Walk of Fame Committee selects entertainers each year to receive stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star, however, doesn't come for free. The honoree must agree to attend a presentation ceremony within five years of selection, and a fee (currently $25,000) must be paid, by the honoree or a sponsor, to a trust which pays for installation, security, publicity, staging, and maintenance costs.
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