I'm glad that James Hong has been getting more and more recognition over the last few years. Since I was a little kid and saw Big Trouble in Little China, I've always been excited whenever I see...
I'm glad that James Hong has been getting more and more recognition over the last few years. Since I was a little kid and saw Big Trouble in Little China, I've always been excited whenever I see him onscreen. He's mostly known for his smaller roles, but he's a genuinely good actor. It takes a lot of skill to be able to sell both comedy and sincere drama.
But even beyond that, he's done a lot of work behind the scenes to help raise the visibility of Asian Americans in pop culture.
On a different note, I've always thought the Walk of Fame was a bit of a joke. Did you know that you have to pay $55,000 to get a star?
The first time I remember encountering him was watching Big Trouble in Little China too, but afterwards I started to notice him seemingly everywhere in film and tv. The man was insanely prolific!...
The first time I remember encountering him was watching Big Trouble in Little China too, but afterwards I started to notice him seemingly everywhere in film and tv. The man was insanely prolific!
As for the Walk of Fame, TBH I actually get kind of annoyed when people mention the cost aspect. Yes, someone has to pay the $55k, but the actors themselves rarely do that, and not just anyone can get one. You still need to fit the criteria to be nominated, and get nominated, which only about 200 people every year are. And of those nominations only 20-24 people are selected by the Walk of Fame committee to be awarded a star every year. So when people mention the cost, I feel like they're often implying (intentionally or inadvertently) that's all it takes to get one, which is untrue, and unfairly undermines the achievement.
It's definitely a political process (the Wikipedia article specifically mentions Charlie Chaplin not getting one for almost 20 years because of his political views). That kind of thing just...
It's definitely a political process (the Wikipedia article specifically mentions Charlie Chaplin not getting one for almost 20 years because of his political views).
The Starz cable network, for example, paid for Dennis Hopper's star as part of the promotion for its series Crash.
That kind of thing just reinforces my feeling that it's not so much about honoring people, but more about publicity.
I guess I just feel that if it's truly about honoring someone, they shouldn't have to pay. The one time I went there on a trip to L.A., the whole street was packed. I'm pretty sure the revenue they get from tourist taxes alone more than covers the upkeep and costs.
Every Hall of Fame (and industry award ceremony) is as much about publicity as honoring people, and their decisions all involve politics. E.g. Despite their impressive career achievements, Pete...
Every Hall of Fame (and industry award ceremony) is as much about publicity as honoring people, and their decisions all involve politics. E.g. Despite their impressive career achievements, Pete Rose and many others have been deemed permanently ineligible for entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame due to their actions outside the sport. So I don't really see your point there.
As for the fee, the Walk of Fame is outdoors so, unlike the other comparable Hall of Fame institutions, the organization behind it can't charge a user admission fee... so I can see why they instead charge the stars (or most commonly their sponsors) instead. And it's honestly such a trivial amount of money, all things considered, that I genuinely don't understand why so many people get bent out of shape about it.
And as far as achievements go, it may not be on the same level as the Academy awards, but it's still a pretty impressive level of recognition, and permanently honors the person and their work, which I'm sure those people (even James Hong) still greatly appreciate. And so all that bringing up the $55k cost does is undermine that, while also contributing to the spread of misinformation through omission.
The 93-year-old vet has more than 450 credits under his belt—and, as of this week, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In anticipation of his Walk of Fame ceremony, Hong spoke with Vanity Fair about how an engineering major decided to pursue acting—and, in the process, built one of Hollywood’s most enduring and admired careers.
I'm glad that James Hong has been getting more and more recognition over the last few years. Since I was a little kid and saw Big Trouble in Little China, I've always been excited whenever I see him onscreen. He's mostly known for his smaller roles, but he's a genuinely good actor. It takes a lot of skill to be able to sell both comedy and sincere drama.
But even beyond that, he's done a lot of work behind the scenes to help raise the visibility of Asian Americans in pop culture.
On a different note, I've always thought the Walk of Fame was a bit of a joke. Did you know that you have to pay $55,000 to get a star?
The first time I remember encountering him was watching Big Trouble in Little China too, but afterwards I started to notice him seemingly everywhere in film and tv. The man was insanely prolific!
As for the Walk of Fame, TBH I actually get kind of annoyed when people mention the cost aspect. Yes, someone has to pay the $55k, but the actors themselves rarely do that, and not just anyone can get one. You still need to fit the criteria to be nominated, and get nominated, which only about 200 people every year are. And of those nominations only 20-24 people are selected by the Walk of Fame committee to be awarded a star every year. So when people mention the cost, I feel like they're often implying (intentionally or inadvertently) that's all it takes to get one, which is untrue, and unfairly undermines the achievement.
See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Walk_of_Fame#Nomination_process
It's definitely a political process (the Wikipedia article specifically mentions Charlie Chaplin not getting one for almost 20 years because of his political views).
That kind of thing just reinforces my feeling that it's not so much about honoring people, but more about publicity.
I guess I just feel that if it's truly about honoring someone, they shouldn't have to pay. The one time I went there on a trip to L.A., the whole street was packed. I'm pretty sure the revenue they get from tourist taxes alone more than covers the upkeep and costs.
Every Hall of Fame (and industry award ceremony) is as much about publicity as honoring people, and their decisions all involve politics. E.g. Despite their impressive career achievements, Pete Rose and many others have been deemed permanently ineligible for entry into the Baseball Hall of Fame due to their actions outside the sport. So I don't really see your point there.
As for the fee, the Walk of Fame is outdoors so, unlike the other comparable Hall of Fame institutions, the organization behind it can't charge a user admission fee... so I can see why they instead charge the stars (or most commonly their sponsors) instead. And it's honestly such a trivial amount of money, all things considered, that I genuinely don't understand why so many people get bent out of shape about it.
And as far as achievements go, it may not be on the same level as the Academy awards, but it's still a pretty impressive level of recognition, and permanently honors the person and their work, which I'm sure those people (even James Hong) still greatly appreciate. And so all that bringing up the $55k cost does is undermine that, while also contributing to the spread of misinformation through omission.
Related Vanity Fair interview:
James Hong Really Is Everything, Everywhere, All at Once