Country singer Alan Jackson is set to get his Hollywood star next year. If you are not a country music fan, you probably couldn’t care less. For those who are into country music, however, this should prove to be interesting.

There are over 2,000 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame already. They first started putting stars in their in 1958 and each year, worthy celebrities are awarded their own stars. Year in and year out, people from all over the world come in droves to visit Hollywood, and guess what is one of the most visited places in Tinsel Town? You got it – the Walk of Fame.

Alan Jackson is not the only person to be receiving his star in 2010. There are many other categories for the stars and the Times Herald lists down more of them:

Jackson is nominated in the recording category — along with Bryan Adams, The Funk Brothers, Chaka Khan, Van Morrison, Marco Antonio Solis, Ringo Starr, ZZ Top and — posthumously — Roy Orbison.

In addition to Thompson, motion picture nominees were James Cameron, Russell Crowe, John Cusack, Colin Firth, Gale Ann Hurd, Alan Menken, Randy Neuman, Adam Sandler and Mark Wahlberg. Nominated in the television category were Graves, Chris Berman, Jon Cryer, Jimmy Kimmel, Julia Louis-Dreyfuss, Bill Maher and Sam Waterston.

The year is not really half way done but I am sure that the awardees are already beside themselves with excitement. As for us mere mortals, we can hope to be there during the formal ceremony.

The Hollywood Walk of Fame recently got an addition to its already numerous stars. This time, it is a member of the British group, The Beatles. George Harrison was awarded the accolade on the 14th of this month.

Beatles fans would know that George Harrison died in 2001, at the age of 58. Cancer was the cause of his death. And while he might not have been the most popular member of the band, it cannot be denied that he contributed a lot to the band’s success. He was a school friend of Paul McCartney, and was actually a founder of The Quarrymen, the band which later on evolved into The Beatles.

George is actually the man behind many of the band’s most popular songs, including Here Comes The Sun, Something, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps. And when The Beatles disbanded, George Harrison’s career did not really take that much of a beating. In the 70s, he launched a solo career and managed to come up with a hit song, My Sweet Lord. Not unlike the songs he created and performed with the rest of the band, this solo song became a hit all over the world.

Now that he has passed away, George’s legacy remains alive in his work. As a matter of fact, award winning Martin Scorsese is working on a documentary about George’s life. In addition to that, Capitol/EMI are also pondering on releasing a new Harrison record. This is something to look forward to.

Who is it? No, it is not Donald Trump. Never mind that this mogul who does not seem to mind wearing an ill-fitting wig can easily strike fear or inspiration in the hearts of people. And no, it is not Chuck Norris either. (Oh, heck, I think I see a round house kick coming just for writing that line!) So who is Hollywood’s most powerful man?

Come to think of it, I never really paid much attention to this in the past. I guess I have been to busy thinking about other things but this weekend, with everything and everyone in Hollywood buzzing about one single topic, it is hard to miss. Remember that little golden man?

Yup, I am talking about Mr. Oscar. It actually took an article from The Star Central to make me realize that indeed, this 13 ½ inch guy might very well be the most powerful man in Tinsel Town. Tonight, the whole world will see why.

Have you ever wondered why he was named Oscar? The truth is, his name was not always so. In fact, he didn’t even have a name to begin with. As the story goes, Margaret Herrick, once the Academy librarian remarked that the statue bore a resemblance to her Uncle Oscar and perhaps, Sidney Skolsky’s (a journalist) usage of the name to refer to Katharine Hepburn’s win in 1934 helped it stick. It was not until 1939 that Oscar became the official name, however.

Today, this name is known all over the world to represent the best movies that have graced the silver screen. And tonight, the whole world will be watching – yet again.

CSI fans rejoice! There is no doubt that Gil Grissom is one of the most popular and most loved characters in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Known as William Petersen in real life, he has finally gotten a much coveted star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Press Association published a report earlier this week:

William Petersen said he was “overwhelmed” as he became the latest star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation was joined by cast and crew members from the TV show when he was honoured with the 2,379th star on the famous Los Angeles boulevard.

“I’m overwhelmed by this, needless to say. I never expected it, I never thought of this…” he said. “You know I feel privileged and honoured and incredibly humbled. The men and women of the film and television industry are the soul of Los Angeles. I have been so fortunate to work with so many of the artists who have devoted their lives to the entertainment business and I feel truly blessed to be counted among them, to be in their company.”

Grissom’s fans are not the only one who are rejoicing with him, though. As you can see up there, his co-stars were there to provide their support and encouragement. And they were quite vocal about this as well:

His CSI co-star Marg Helgenberger paid an emotional tribute to William at the ceremony. II can’t think of anyone more deserving of this honour, Billy,” she said. “Millions of fans love him for his many memorable roles, yet the sum of all the parts he’s played don’t come close to the complexity, the kindness, the mystery, the loyalty and the generosity that is Billy himself.”

Now I can’t help but wonder who will be the next star to get his star?

If I asked you right now who the most powerful women in Hollywood are, what would your answer be? When faced with this question earlier (my friend and I were talking about the very same topic), I named Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. According to The Hollywood Reporter – which is definitely a more reliable source than I am – I got one correctly.

They recently honored the most influential women in Hollywood and Oprah was right there at the top. AP has a write up on the recent event:

The chairwoman of Harpo Inc. tops the trade paper’s 17th annual Power 100 list “based on her dizzying array of Oprah-branded media and her immense cultural influence,” Guider said.

Honorees are chosen by a panel of reporters and editors who consider each woman’s corporate position, control of purse strings and power to greenlight content.

During the same Q-&-A session, Disney’s co-chairwoman, Anne Sweeney, who was second on the list, said she uses chocolate as a salve, while No. 3, Sony Chairwoman Amy Pascal, opts to hide under the covers when failure strikes. The list was published Friday.

Who else made the list? I only really recognized Oprah in the top 10. Angelina Jolie made it to number 24, Tyra Banks is at 36, Tina Fey at 56, Rachael Ray at 65, and Miley Cyrus at 100. I don’t know about you but I was a bit surprised at number 100. Then again, the Hannah Montana phenomenon is indeed quite remarkable. For the complete list, visit The Hollywood Reporter.

Everyone needs a hero and our world today, more than ever, needs its own heroes to look up to. In a world were violence and all sorts of negative things are common, it can be hard to retain a positive outlook. Yet when we hear of and witness simple acts that become great in their simplicity, we can’t help but be inspired and once again believe in the goodness of mankind. This is how I felt when I read and viewed the tribute to CNN Heroes of 2008.

Appropriately held on the night of Thanksgiving, CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute was sort of a get together for some of the biggest personalities in Hollywood. CNN has this report:

Singer Christina Aguilera joined fellow Grammy Award winners Alicia Keys and John Legend for “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute,” which honored the top 10 CNN Heroes of 2008.

The show, taped before an audience of more than 2,500 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, premiered on the global networks of CNN on Thanksgiving night.

Liz McCartney, dedicated to helping survivors of Hurricane Katrina rebuild their homes, was named 2008 CNN Hero of the Year.

McCartney, who will receive $100,000 to continue her work just outside New Orleans, was selected from among the top 10 CNN Heroes after six weeks of online voting at CNN.com. More than 1 million votes were cast.

Here is the video of Christina Aguilera singing, courtesy of YouTube.

I regret that I was not able to take part in the voting for the heroes of this year. Maybe next time.

We should have seen this coming. For each movie released, each show produced, and basically anything that happens in Hollywood, critics are all up and about and ready to share a piece of their mind with the general public. So why should the recent Emmy Awards be any different? Interested in what the critics have to say? Here are some of the more interesting bits.

As Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times said, “If we come away with nothing else from this year’s Emmys, let us all agree that having a host with some experience actually entertaining people is not a luxury, it’s a necessity. The show never quite recovered from its unforgivably bad opener or its less-than-useless hosts.

I would agree if I were a winner and I was not allowed to speak more than 2 seconds – which happened quite a lot this time around.

Frazier Moore of the AP recalled, “There have been boring, listless and otherwise ham-handed Emmy broadcasts among the past 59. Sunday’s Emmycast was all of those things. But ‘The 60th Primetime Emmys’ also seemed an inadvertent homage to the 100 days of the Hollywood writers strike last season, when the shows that were able to continue demonstrated what TV without writers is like.

Still doubt the important role that writers play in Hollywood? Watch the Emmys and doubt no more.

David Zurawik of the Baltimore Sun said, “While it was exciting to see history being made, as entertainment, the telecast emceed by five reality hosts was without a doubt one of the worst in history. It was tedious from the moment Tom Bergeron (‘Dancing with the Stars’), Howie Mandel (‘Deal or No Deal’), Jeff Probst (‘Survivor’), Heidi Klum ( ‘Project Runway’) and Ryan Seacrest (‘American Idol’) hit the stage and did 12 minutes of chatter about not having an opening monologue or remarks. The segment ended with two of the reality guys ripping off Klum’s tuxedo to reveal a skimpy showgirl outfit. Yawn. The boredom was momentarily relieved only a couple of times.”

So what do you think? Are the critics right on the spot?

Hollywood is definitely one for setting trends, which is why it’s a great thing for our environment that West Hollywood is setting an example by going green. The City of West Hollywood has in fact won the “Innovation in Green Building Award” for its environtmental-friendlt new program called the “WeHo Green Building Program.”

The Green Building Program is actually not an idea that grew overnight. It started out with a public vision exercise five years ago that showed the interest of those in West Hollywood (not just their planners!) to help the environment by making green building a priority. To show the city government’s dedication to the “green vision” they required all public buildings to adhere to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System and as proof get LEED certifications. It is also developing a new system for urban infill developments to be more environmental friendly.

Anyone who claims to know anything about Hollywood should be able to tell you that one of the most important person in Hollywood city is not an actor but it’s honorary mayor – Johnny Grant.

Johnny Grant’s work in Tinseltown has earned him the honorary status having enthusiastically contributed to the Hollywood community and industry for over half a century. He is not important just because he’s Hollywood’s most recognized spokesmans but also because he’s served in various committees such as the Walk of Fame Selection Committee and the Hollywood Historic Trust. he’s penchant for turning the ordinary and the waning into something new and dynamic has also helped form and revitalize important Hollywood events such as the “Welcome Home Desert Storm” parade, where he is the creator and producer, the Hollywood Christmas Parade, formerly known as the dying Santa CLaus Lane Parade, and of course the Hollywood Centennial Celebration.

Prior to being the organizing legend and big wig that he has become he was a game show host, commentator, daytime host, news correspondent, and producer. He also has a very long list of honors and awards bestowed upon him including the following:

• Special Walk of Fame star complete with the Hollywood seal – 2000. This was placed at the entrance to the Kodak Theatre
• A hand-and-footprint ceremony in the forecourt of Mann’s Chinese Theatre – 1997
  Hollywood Walk of Fame star – 1980
• Los Angeles Area Governor’s Award – Academy of Television Arts & Sciences 1988
• The Order of California – State of California 1982
• Legion of Merit – 2000
• Legends of News Award – Los Angeles Press Club 1987
• Wrangler Award – Cowboy Hall of Fame 1982
• Bob Hope Combat Entertainer Award – International Korean War Veterans Association
• Combat Entertainer’s Badge (CEB) – 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam

Oscar winner Holly Hunter is now a star not just in name but also on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The multi-awarded actress who is best known for her work in the 1993 film “The Piano” was awarded the 2,363rd star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Holly Hunter shared the special moment with important people like Steven Spielberg, Ed Harris, Kate Capshaw, Billie Jean King and the two most important little people in her life – her cute twin sons.

Holly Hunter is definitely worthy of a star having won awards from everything from the New York Film Critics Circle to Berlin International Film Festival, and of course, the Academy Awards. Most of the awards she won is for two of the best films she’s done – Broadcast News (1987) and The Piano (1993).

Holly Hunter was definitely thrilled by the award calling saying that it is “an unbelievable honor.”