Grauman's Chinese Theatre has hosted 11 handprint ceremonies this year, the most of any year since they started the tradition (in 1927, when Norma Talmadge accidentally stepped in wet concrete)--honorees have included the Twilight kids, Kobe Bryant, and the Smurfs. The LA Times reports that "with limited space available in the forecourt, some say the theater owners should be pickier about who they allow into the landmark," but don't worry film buffs, because new owner Donald Kushner, who bought the theater with entrepreneur Elie Samaha in May, calls them "kids' stuff" and says "They're not going in the forecourt. They weren't real ceremonies — they were mock ceremonies" (they'll probably end up in the Chinese 6 in Hollywood & Highland).
But meanwhile, some of the older blocks are deteriorating and will have to be taken out for preservation--Kushner says that "Some of them, like Groucho Marx, have almost disappeared." And there are several other changes coming to the Chinese's forecourt. Besides inviting sports and pop stars to contribute prints (talks are in the works with Muhammad Ali and Michael Jackson), the new owners plan to relight the area and "restore old theater signs to resemble their 1930s appearance." The theater itself is also getting a little work done.
· Grauman's Chinese: Movie star prints' futures not set in cement [LAT]
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