Op-Ed: A Star On The Walk Of Fame For Stormy? Why Not?

LOS ANGELES—We happened to be tuning across the AM radio dial the other day and landed on station 870, "The ANSWER" (though The QUESTION, apparently, is, "Who would hire all these jackasses?"), when we heard someone (possibly host Michael Medved), after mentioning her receipt of the key to the city of West Hollywood, ask offhandedly something like, "So what's next for Stormy Daniels? A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?" And we couldn't help but think, "Well, why not?" That led us to check out a list of who's already "starred" on the Walk, which extends 15 blocks along Hollywood Boulevard, from Gower to LaBrea, and three blocks on Vine Street between Yucca and Sunset Boulevard. Turns out there are more than 2,600 stars, including a few multiples honoring the same person, though not all of the stars represent people. For instance, the LAPD has one, as do the LA Dodgers—and Victoria's Secret. And not all of them are actually stars. For instance, at the intersection of Hollywood and Vine, there are four moon-shaped ones, representing the first moon landing and the three astronauts who made the trip. In order to qualify for a star, one must be accomplished in one or more of five categories: motion pictures, broadcast TV, music or other audio recording, broadcast radio or live/theatrical performance. (Though mostly shot on video, we're pretty sure Stormy would qualify for the "motion picture" category.) One performer, cowboy legend Gene Autry, has a star for each of the five categories; four folks have four stars each, and 33 people have three stars each—so it's not as if they couldn't find room for Stormy. And it's not as if the granting of stars has been without controversy. Classic Comedian Charlie Chaplin almost didn't get one, likewise singer Paul Robeson, both because they were far lefties (and Chaplin did have a juicy sex scandal in the '40s)—something the Selection Committee didn't like, so Chaplin's star was postponed for 16 years, while Robeson only had to wait one. And it's not as if existing stars haven't been the subject of controversy. In the past couple of years, there have been calls to remove the stars of convicted and/or accused rapists/molesters Bill Cosby, Kevin Spacey and Brett Ratner, but the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce had a simple if unsatisfying response: "The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a registered historic landmark. Once a star has been added to the Walk, it is considered a part of the historic fabric of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Because of this, we have never removed a star from the Walk." Thank goodness for that, or else some of today's more rabid bluenoses might have wanted to remove Hedy Lamarr's for her nude scene and on-screen orgasm in Ecstasy! On the other hand, there are some pretty horrendous characters that are part of that "historic fabric." For example, take Hedda Hopper, the actress-turned-gossip-columnist-turned-blacklist-henchwoman. "It was Hopper, more than self-appointed Hollywood patriots like John Wayne or Ronald Reagan and far more than any Washington politician, who drove the creation of the blacklist, an informal but inflexible policy under which actual or suspected Communists or 'fellow travelers' were barred from working in the movie industry," noted Salon journalist Andrew O'Hehir. Hopper was a member—indeed, one of the founders—of the Motion Picture Alliance for the Preservation of American Ideals, which provided a host of "friendly witnesses" to the House Un-American Activities Committee which was attempting, in the late '40s and well into the '50s, to investigate "alleged disloyalty and subversive activities on the part of private citizens, public employees, and those organizations suspected of having communist ties." From such witnesses' testimony were developed the Hollywood blacklist and the pamphlet titled Red Channels, which together contained the names of more than 200 "subversive" Hollywood actors, screenwriters and other personalities, all of whom were denied work because of their "communist leanings." So if it were possible to get rid of some Walk of Famers, here are a few other members of the Alliance that the Chamber might want to consider bumping: Gary Cooper, Cecil B. DeMille, Walt Disney, Irene Dunne, Clark Gable, Ronald Reagan, Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, King Vidor and John Wayne, to name a few. But the point is, Stormy Daniels has made clear, perhaps better than anyone else, what sleazebags—if not outright criminals—Donald Trump (who also has a star on the Walk) and his cronies are, and as such, has done humanity a great service—and one which, if humanity survives Trump, should guarantee Stormy at least a place in the history books. If any "motion picture" entertainer deserves a star, certainly she does. Note: One drawback to the "A Star For Stormy" campaign is that there's currently a $40,000 fee attached to each star, payable to the Chamber, "to fund the Walk of Fame's upkeep and minimize further taxpayer burden." But whatthehell; all that's needed is a well-publicized GoFundMe campaign and she'd be a shoo-in!