Dick Wolf on Walk of Fame
posted by lljudge @ 8:55 AM
.:theReelblog:.
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5 Comments:
Does anyone know how someone gets nominated-does Vincent have a star-he should.
Pardon my utter jadedness on this topic, but given what I know of the process, this is not the nicest most heartfelt way to honor a person in the industry.
My best friend who is a fan of the late Ross Martin who played Artemus Gordon on the TV series 'The Wild Wild West' has worked for YEARS without success to get Ross a star. Here is what he has learned:
1) You need to spend mucho dinero...their fan group has already raised an astonishing $10,000+ towards Ross's star but still no dice (now the awarding committee has raised their fees yet again asking the group for $20K...when they first applied for Ross (over 10 years ago) the asking price was a few thousand dollars.
2) It's easier for a living 'star' like Vincent to get a star on the walk than a dead one (like Ross Martin who was also a heckuva character actor)
3) Movie studios or TV networks can and usually do 'buy' stars (to generate publicity). Fan groups who want to honor someone get pretty much ignored (or jerked around).
4) The timing of the placement of the star ceremony is everything -- the 'awarding' of a star is usually timed to a movie release, a TV show release, a DVD release...in other words to the release of a salable commodity (and nothing like that has been planned for Ross Martin for years, nor am I aware of any new VDO-related products coming out soon)
5) The star awarding committee has told the Ross Martin fan group they'll only honor one deceased person per year (probably because dead people can't show up and do publicity for the event).
While at one time I suppose this process was a lot less crass, it's pretty much now lame, perfunctory and a total sell-out.
Oh and did I mention that the necessary maintenance is not done to all the stars already placed on the walk of fame so some of them look pretty shabby (dirty, broken) now? It's a very sad thing really :(
I'd write Vincent a nice fan letter instead if I were you -- that's a better way to show your appreciation and who knows...he might actually read and enjoy it.
I think Dick Wolf deserves the recognition for the quality programs he's produced but a "star" on the HWOF is really a hollow honor when you consider who some of the people are on the list this year and who've received a "star" in the past and as VDOvault has mentioned who's been snubbed.
People may confuse the footprints at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre with HWOF but Grauman's is a tad bit more discriminating.
Videovault,I totally agree with your friend! I loved watching "The Wild Wild West", with Robert Conrad and Ross Martin. Robert Conrad is still alive, but Ross Martin, deceased, (whom I thought was a fantastic character actor, and so Handsome and Sexy),Deserves to have a Star on the Walk of Fame!! It's also a shame that the great actors,who are now deceased: Steve McQween,Robert Shaw, Montgomery Clift,etc., Star Symbols are crumbling, and not being taken care of. Hopefully they will be repaired!! P.S: Perhaps, some day,Vincent will have one,also.!
It's too bad that the process has become so capitalistic, it's also sad who they give stars too or for that matter, who they call a star. I loved Ross Martin also, always watched "The Wild Wild West" plus you are right, he was a great character actor. He should have a star, what a shame.
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