Hollywood Walk of Fame recipients unveiled

Oprah Winfrey takes the stage to introduce the hosts of the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in this September 21, 2008.(Xinhua/Reuters File Photo)America's top talk show host Oprah Winfrey, one of Spain's foremost leading ladies of the 1990s Penelope Cruz, Grammy and Oscar Award-winning singer Melissa Etheridge are among the 30 recipients who will be honored with stars on the landmark Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced on Thursday.

"It was not an easy job to winnow down the extra large number of nominations this year to reach these 30 names," said John Pavlik, chair of the Hollywood Walk of Fame Committee. "... the placement of stars for these famous celebrities will give fans and tourists some fun and exciting close encounters next year."

These latest group of nominees were chosen at a June 14 meeting by the Walk of Fame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, and were approved by the Chamber's Board of Directors.

The recipients, who were chosen from among hundreds of movie and television stars, singers as well as live performers, have five years to schedule star-unveiling ceremonies, according to the regulations.

More than 2,400 celebrities and fictional characters were honored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce for their contributions to the entertainment industry. Each year the famous stretch of sidewalks attracts about 10 million visitors and helps making tourism the largest industry in Los Angeles County.

The Walk of Fame recipients for the year 2011 are as follows:

MOTION PICTURES: Penelope Cruz, Bruce Dern, Laura Dern, Diane Ladd, Ed Harris, The Muppets, Kenny Ortega, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ridley Scott, Sissy Spacek, Donald Sutherland and Reese Witherspoon.

TELEVISION: Danny DeVito, Tina Fey, Simon Fuller, Neil Patrick Harris, John Langley, Ed O'Neill, John Wells, and Oprah Winfrey.

RECORDING: Melissa Etheridge, Los Tigres Del Norte, Rascal Flatts, Go-Go's, Slash, Will i. Am, and Bebe &Cece Winans.

Posthumous: Buddy Holly and Louis Prima.

LIVE PERFORMANCE/THEATER: Joe Mantegna.
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