Shante, you stay — in a concrete block beneath a touristic stampede, souvenir shops and Spidermen whose heroism mostly comes in the form of charging money for selfies — forever. RuPaul was just added to the coveted list of Hollywood talent who get to live the ultimate dream of Hollywood Walk of Fame memorialization (if, as BBC notes, they or a sponsor are willing to pay $40,000 for it.)
Yesterday, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced their 2018 list of honorees who’ll be getting stars, and it includes some other very deserving stars, as well. (Though did you know people had to apply for this? Anyone, presumably including the celebrities themselves, can nominate a celebrity, via a written statement — and the eventual $40,000.)
Though RuPaul, whose ninth season of Drag Race ends tonight, is at the top of my list of honorees, this year boasts many performers of note, from Taraji P. Henson to Weird Al to Jennifer Lawrence to Snoop Dogg to Shonda Rimes. Lin-Manuel Miranda (the man’s image is plastered all over the zeitgeist, so it certainly seems fitting at this juncture to plaster him on the ever-growing zeitgeist-memorial of the Walk of Fame), Zoe Saldana, Simon Cowell (really?), Lynda Carter, Jack Black, Mary J. Blige, Carrie Underwood, the late Bernie Mac, Kirsten Dunst, Minnie Mouse (deserving!), Mark Hamill, Nick Nolte, Jeff Goldblum, Gillian Anderson, Ryan Murphy, and more also made the list of people who met the requirements of at least five years of fame and “unchallengeable” expertise in an entertainment field.
There are upwards of 2,600 stars with stars currently on the Walk of Fame.