Writer and filmmaker John Waters is on the auction block again.
Outfest of Los Angeles is auctioning off a chance for the winning bidder to join Waters at the Sept. 18 ceremony where he’ll receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“Be John Waters’ Special Guest at his Hollywood Walk of Fame Ceremony,” says the website of the auctioneer, CharityBuzz.com. The online auction went live on February 14 and ends Feb. 27. The starting bid was $1,250.
This is the second time in a month that Waters has gone up for auction to raise funds for a cause he supports. Earlier this month, 10 bidders won a chance to have dinner in Provincetown with the filmmaker in an auction that raised $11,000 for the Provincetown Film Society. The dinner will be held in July at Provincetown’s water treatment plant and was dubbed, “Soiree at the Sewer.”
Besides attending the Walk of Fame ceremony as Waters’ guest, the top bidder of the CharityBuzz auction will receive two posters signed by the filmmaker and one “OUTPASS” to the Outfest Los Angeles Film and Entertainment Festival July 13 to 23. The auction listing states that Waters will also sign one additional item that the winner brings to the ceremony.
Started in 1960 and administered by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, the Walk of Fame now stretches for 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three along Vine Street . Featuring about 2,750 stars and drawing upwards of 10 million visitors a year, it has been called “the world’s most famous walkway.”
Waters, 76, has written and directed 16 movies, including “Pink Flamingos” and “Hairspray,” both in the prestigious National Film Registry maintained by the U. S. Library of Congress. He is one of 24 individuals or groups announced last June as part of the Hollywood Walk of Fame’s “Class of 2023” honorees.
Outfest is the organization that sponsored Waters for the tribute. Founded in 1982, the firm and media non-profit produces two film festivals, operates a movie-streaming platform, and provides educational services for filmmakers. It was the first time Outfest nominated a candidate for a star on the Walk of Fame.
According to the chamber’s rules, anyone can nominate a celebrity to receive a star on the Walk of Fame; but the nominated person or group has to accept the nomination and a third party — in this case, Outfest — has to pay a fee to cover fabrication, installation and maintenance. The cost for each brass and terrazzo star is about $55,000.
Tiffany Naiman, a senior programmer for Outfest, has known Waters since the 1990s and was instrumental in his nomination. She declined to say exactly how much Outfest has raised for the star so far but indicated the organization has been successful in its efforts.
“We are in a good position with the Star as everyone loves John!” she said in an email message.
Naiman explained that proceeds from the CharityBuzz auction won’t be used to help pay for the star, but they will be used to benefit the Outfest organization and its year-round programming.
“It is an incredible opportunity for someone to have a chance to join John and us at the Star ceremony,” she said.
