Imposters

Millions of people trekking from the near and far ends of the world to Los Angeles every year head straight to the heart of Hollywood, with vain hopes for a close encounter of the celebrity kind. And despite the mid-90s' billion-dollar facelift of the "Entertainment District," many are still shocked by Tinseltown's lackluster facade, finding the Walk of Fame's slabs of cement displaying imprints of Groucho Marx's cigar. Betty Grable's legs, John Wayne's fist and R2D2's feet a little disappointing. But have no fear: entrepreneurial souls live here, so visitors can still go home with one-of-a-kind portraits of themselves with their favorite superhero or movie character. Never mind that some consider these street performers to be panhandlers, or that local businesses have described them as a nuisance. Everyone who comes to Hollywood feels like they really could be somebody. In the meantime, it might just pay better to be somebody else.Knoblauch, James is the author of 'Imposters', published 2008 under ISBN 9780979048685 and ISBN 0979048680.