Yikes! Only $1000 so far? We got to get to $15000. All you peeps out there who have been meaning to donate, but haven't had time....now is the time :) If we want to submit his nomination by February 14th, we need to get with it!!

Harmalicious | February 04, 22:17 CET

Now that there's another topic up, I can happily and gleefully report that I won the beautiful color photograph of ASH in Raffle #1. I have him up on my one of my bookcases. That smile!

Tonya J | February 04, 23:44 CET

No prob - on my way out the door, but I swear by St. James the Greater, patron saint of llamas, that I will donate when I return... Thanks for the reminder...

QuoterGal | February 04, 23:50 CET

I've made a previous donation, but threw in another to do my part. I am hoping this will work. The man should get his due.

impalergeneral | February 05, 00:35 CET

Fundraising campaigns like these always boggle my mind a little bit. It seems to me Joss already has a pretty comfortable life compared to most people, that would only be marginally improved by this. Wouldn)t you rather donate to/raise money for a charity that can make a much bigger impact on someone's life (like poor people in a third world country or something) with the same amount of effort/money you're giving up?

Storyteller | February 05, 01:58 CET

Storyteller, I was thinking the same thing, but wasn't going to say it... but it's true. As much as I'd love Joss to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, it's very expensive, and I'd rather give my money to a good cause or to people who really need it.

fortunateizzi | February 05, 02:12 CET

My guess is that, knowing Joss, he will donate an amount of money AT LEAST equal to what is raised to procure his star to some worthwhile cause in honor of the occasion. I am all for donating to the less-fortunate (and even sometimes the more fortunate- LOL!), but I also think that it's nice to show support for someone we cherish with a rather public gesture such as this.

OzLady | February 05, 02:29 CET

I'm fairly consternated by the viewpoint that people should be donating their money to more "worthy" causes. Call me crazy, but I think donating via the raffles to support Joss and possibly win a nice gift is as worthy as when I buy a good book, support my local mom and pop espresso shops, rather than the corporate bully called Starbucks, by treating myself to a Mocha, or pay my monthly digital cable bill that allows me to patronize WHEDONesque dot com. Actually, supporting Joss is more worthy than those things because it's part of a process that we're helping make happen to give him his due.

Tonya J | February 05, 02:41 CET

I understand how you both feel, and I appreciate if you don't want to be involved in this and that is fine. Our reasoning is a tad bit selfish, we want to do something for Joss that is a marker that is here, now, and forever telling the world this man meant something to us. It's a 1 time cost and in the scheme of all other funds raised (currently well over $250,000) it is a small ammount to leave a tangible reminder of the man for future generations.

So I don't repeat myself, I'll just quote myself:
From the Site -
"It’s not all about Joss. I know it’s a shock especially since his name will be on it and all. Also not to mention needing him to show up to accept the honor. So maybe I need to rephrase a bit, how about, it is all about Joss but it is also so much more. It’s about History, Legacy, and Connection of a Community. It’s about family, not the one we are born into by blood but the one that Joss created out of his work. It’s about a bit of tangibility for the fans to connect to the 'verse family. It’s a unique thing to effect people on an emotional level with consistency. Because of that, we (the Collective) want to do something for Joss to show our appreciation in a tactile form to the world. The star is a symbol, one that reminds us of the power of family, that he has always endeavored to show us. Time fades many things and memories are the most vulnerable, unless we have reminders, they might be lost instead of past on to a new generation.

We cannot give him the prestigious awards; most of us are not on any academy boards, nor people that have a choice of nominations. No matter how much we think he deserves those things. Those things are mere moments in time and only last as long as they are news. The star is a place of honor to visit, after all others mementos of the verse are dusted in the name of progress. It is part of the Hollywood mystique, at least until California falls into the ocean. It would be a symbol of how the signal continues long after everything else is gone. Its place for fans of his work to look to or go and feel a part of the history of a family that came about by choice, not blood and that connection may bring a smile to someone’s lips. In the end isn’t that the greatest legacy to leave the world, the ability to feel connected to others over time and space, to be a part of a family. To know that even if you don’t have much else in common with most people in the world, you at least have a memory or two in common with a few."

From the first thread here:
"Fans, management, studios, and business organizations all nominate people for a star. Outside of fan nominations, most of the other nominations are done for business reasons, like publicity. Also I think you may have missed my point, getting Joss a star is not just about him or his management, it's about us as fans. Yes his management could nominate him and pay for the star, but what would that mean to us, we would have had no involvement in it. By doing this in his honor, we are showing not only him but Hollywood something more then an ad in a paper or a donation in his name to a charity, Both of those things tend to be prepetual events, the star is a one time, for all times deal. We have a tangible item to mark for all time that for a moment fandom and verse were represented in the same time and place. It maybe a bit selfish of some of us to want this but we want to feel that we made a tanigible impact. The star is the marker of that impact."

Or here:
"For those who don't think this is a worthwhile cause, that's fine, I do as well as some others, so we will keep pushing on. Some of you may wonder why now and I say why not now. 2007 marks the 10th anniversary of the Buffyverse and the 5th year of the Fireflyverse, with Goners on the horizon what better way to mark this time than with a star.

This is also 2 fold, when Hollywood orignally started the Walk of Fame, they slated it for 2500 stars. Up until this year there were 20 stars a year presented. In 2007 with a little more than 100 stars left and no current plans to extend the walk, they have cut the number of stars to present to 15, so we may not have a better time to get him a star than now.

Joss has done a lot for the Hollywood community from his shows (that were filmed in the area) to the support of his fans fundraising efforts (currently around $250,000 raised in the name of the verse in the past decade). This is good publicity for a man we respect and admire. So why wait to show him or Hollywood that his fans appreciate his work, so much we want to see his name in a star that will be a permanment marker for him, the legacy that got him here (his family) and the verse he continues to expand.

As much as I or anyone else wants to believe there is still some nobility left in Hollywood, the truth is it is more about notirity now a days, so we strike while the iron is hot and right now it is burning up.

Joss makes for a perfect canidate to nominate this year, he has a history to celebrate and future projects to look forward to.

Isn't it better to praise a man in his prime than postulate about his past."

At the end of the day we just want something more than a footnote on a charities financial page. If things don't work out and Joss does not get a star then the money will be going to 2 charities, Equality Now and Sam Loeb Scholarship fund. Not to mention in the process of rasing funds through raffles and give aways the donors have a shot at getting something for it. I have done a lot of charity work related to the verse over the past few years and if there is one thing I am well aware of is that those charities will still be there needing funds after we get this star, however, when we get the star it will get Joss some publicity but it may also get some of the charities that he supports some publicity as well. So win - win and a legacy honors for all time in Hollywood.

Well I guess that is my 2 cents.

ETA : BTW the money paid for the star goes to a charitable trust to help preserve Hollywood Historical sites. Isn't helping to preserve history a worthy cause.

[ edited by RavenU on 2007-02-05 01:06 ]

RavenU | February 05, 02:58 CET

As a Hollywood resident, I've got a take:

It's a mark of honor, in my opinion. When I walk down the Boulevard, I don't know who half the people are. But they're all beloved by someone, or they wouldn't be there. They left a mark on Hollywood, literally.

I want to take my visiting friends and family down the walk and point to that star and say "That's *my* writer's star, and *I* helped put it there."

For no other reason (and there are plenty), it's worth it just because it would warm-fuzzy me beyond belief.

BrightShiner | February 05, 13:00 CET

I have no problem with giving money to this project, any more than I do buying a DVD or CD or an artwork or a piece of jewelry rather than donating it to a more worthy cause.

My causes and charities are not suffering because I also do other things with my money. I spend my money on what I care about, and I care about this. (And as a West Hollywood resident, BrightShiner, I hear you. As I said on the site, I wanna walk over anytime I want and stand on Joss.)

I made up my mind a long time ago that I would make sure I supported the causes I care about, and I do - from HIV/AIDS research to reproductive rights to homeless programs to giving money to just about anyone that hits me up. 'Long as I'm doing well, and have enough for the necessities, I feel deeply obligated to share my abundance with folks and issues that need help.

But the funds I've allotted myself for entertainment and less dire projects - like this one - I can spend anyway I like, and Joss's star feels like one of those things. I'd like to help honor the man whose art has brought me so much enjoyment and enriched my life as very little other popular entertainment has. So I buy a few less DVDs or magazines or dinners out or something like that - that's the budget I take it from, it doesn't hurt me a bit, and no worthy cause is going to suffer a loss from it in any way.

(Y'all made good points, RavenU and others - just wanted to get my two cents in, as well.)

QuoterGal | February 05, 14:16 CET

I have donated (and I felt kinda guilty about getting the lovely tote bag, I wasn't needing a gift! LOL); at first I thought that it was the kind of thing you got for someone at the end of their career, but RavenU convinced me that all the spots could be gone. Besides that creepy Donald Trump got one.

embers | February 05, 18:34 CET

Hey, just wanted to let you know that we have put up a new page, with quotes about Joss from some of his former subjects, not much there yet we are hoping for more, but hey we got David Fury to start us off.

David Fury Quote

RavenU | February 06, 03:23 CET

I know I am probably in the minority here. However, am I the only one that thinks this is a tad premarture for Joss's career? I love JW to death and think the man is a genius. However, I don't think he should get a star as of yet. I have no doubt he is going to get one someday. I just don't think it's time yet. IMO.

DarenG | February 06, 08:31 CET

DarenG, that's fine that you think that, but the truth is that "someday" is probably now. This may be our only chance, since there's only a certain amount of stars alotted. Plus, if Donald Trump can get a star, Joss should get a star right now. It's amazing how many people who aren't even great performers or creators can get stars. I think Joss deserves one. And by the time others can agree with me, it might be too late.

electricspacegirl | February 06, 11:50 CET

Obviously, you are entitled to your opinion on that, but I think RavenU's arguments are persuasive on that one:



And finally:



With the amount of money needed for this having been put up to $25000, I'd urge anyone who actually would like to see this happen to make a contribution. Obviously, anyone who doesn't want to see it is perfectly entitled, but just for those who do, you might miss your chance otherwise.

[ edited by Kiddo on 2007-02-06 10:04 ]

Kiddo | February 06, 12:00 CET