Hollywood, Los Angeles
Hollywood is, in fact, not more than a district in the city of Los Angeles, in the state of California, in the United States of America. But this small district has come nowadays to stand for the entire entertainment industry of the USA, if not the world, because of its brilliant history and its celebrity status. Many of the greatest stars of the modern era have been awarded the honor of a star with their name on the Hollywood walk of fame, and many of the people who can make or break you in the tough entertainment industry have their businesses in Hollywood. Put it this way: if you’ve made it big in Hollywood, you’ve truly made it big.
History
The founding father of Hollywood and the man who gave the district its name is said to be H. J. Whitley, the first person to open a section of the now famous Hollywood Hotel in 1902. In 1910, it was voted by the townsmen that Hollywood should become a part of the city of Los Angeles, amongst other reasons because the water supply of the area would greatly benefit from this. The first film ever shot in Hollywood was In Old California, and by 1915, the majority of American films was being made in the Los Angeles area. In the 1950s, music recording studios and offices started relocating towards Hollywood. Over time, Hollywood became a place whose population stood out not only by its talent but also by its diversity. The Hollywood Walk of Fame was created 1958 and the first star was set 1960. Hollywood faced a lot of vandalism and its appearance was deteriorating for a while, but it is currently undergoing restoration with the aim of improving its landscape and making it seem more urban.
Significance
Hollywood is the place that stands for an entertainment industry that originated in the USA and has now spread across the entire planet. People who have managed to make it big in Hollywood quickly become household names for people everywhere around the world. Buildings and landmarks as significant to entertainment as Paramount Studios, the Kodak Theatre, or Universal Studios stand in Hollywood. Huge events such as the Academy Awards or the annual Hollywood Christmas Parade are held in the famous district of Los Angeles. The fashionable bars and clubs in the area are also what helped Hollywood become the heart of Los Angeles’ nightlife nowadays. The area is home to numerous celebrities renowned world-wide who work and live in the district.
Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign could possibly be called the most famous landmark of all in Hollywood. Spelling out the name of the district in 15 m high white letters, the sign was actually created in 1923 as an advertisement for new housing development and originally said “Hollywoodland”. It wasn’t even supposed to be left there, but when Hollywood started becoming internationally famous for its cinema production, the sign was left there. After serious deterioration, it was restored in 1978 partly thanks to shock rocker Alice Cooper who donated the missing O. Other celebrities, such as Hugh Hefner, also donated money to help restore the sign. The original sign was auctioned on Ebay in 2005. Today, it is a symbol of Hollywood, subject of many photographs and a lot of parodies, as well. The sign is now protected by high security and motion detection. Movement any closer than 50 yards to the sign activates the alarm and the police are warned. Many cities now have deliberately put up a sign in the same optic as the one of the Hollywood Sign.
If you are lucky enough to live in California, or even Los Angeles, Hollywood is a place you cannot miss, and even if you don’t live in California, it is a place one must have seen at least once in one’s life. Hollywood and the industry that was born and has since thrived so well there are a crucial part in Western society nowadays, and denying the significance of all that which started off in Hollywood has long since become unthinkable. So take a day off and visit the place where stars are made, lives are crushed and the daily portion of entertainment is created for mere mortals.