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COUNCIL FILE NO. /{) -1) 3tJCJ COUNCIL DISTRICT NO. 13

APPROVAL FOR ACCELERATED PROCESSING DIRECT TO CITY COUNCIL

The attached Council File may be processed directly to Council pursuant to the procedure approved June 26, 1990, (CF 83-1 075-S1) without being referred to the Public Works Committee because the action on the file checked below is deemed to be routine and/or administrative in nature:

_} A. Future Street Acceptance. _ } B. Quitclaim of Easement(s). _ } C. Dedication of Easement(s). _} D. Release of Restriction(s). _x} E. Request for Star in . _} F. Brass Plaque(s) in San Pedro Sport Walk. _ } G. Resolution to Vacate or Ordinance submitted in response to Council action. _ } H. Approval of plans/specifications submitted by Los Angeles County Flood Control District.

APPROVAL/DISAPPROVAL FOR ACCELERATED PROCESSING:

APPROVED DISAPPROVED* Council Office of the District

Public Works Committee Chairperson

*DISAPPROVED FILES WILL BE REFERRED TO THE PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE.

Please return to Council Index Section, Room 615 City Hall

City Clerk Processing:

Date ____ notice and report copy mailed to interested parties advising of Council date for this item.

Date ____ scheduled in Council.

AFTER COUNCIL ACTION:

Send copy of adopted report to the Real Estate Section, Development Services Division, Bureau of Engineering (Mail Stop No. 515) for further processing.

____J Other:

PLEASE DO NOT DETACH THIS APPROVAL SHEETFROM THE COUNCIL FILE ACCELERATED REVIEW PROCESS- E

Office of the City Engineer

Los Angeles California

To the Honorable Council

Of the City of Los Angeles fEB 1:8 2010

Honorable Members: C. D. No. 13

SUBJECT:

Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street- Walk of Fame Additional Name in Terrazzo Sidewalk­

RECOMMENDATIONS:

A. That the City Council designate the unnumbered location situated one sidewalk square southerly of and between numbered locations 9L and 91 as shown on Sheet 20 of Plan D-13788 for the Hollywood Walk ofFame for the installation ofthe name of Andrea Bocelli at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.

B. Inform the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce of the Council's action on this matter.

C. That this report be adopted prior to the date ofthe ceremony on March 2, 2010.

FISCAL IMPACT STATEMENT:

No General Fund Impact. All cost paid by permittee.

TRANSMITTALS:

1. Unnumbered communication dated January 11, 2010, from the Hollywood Historic Trust ofthe Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, biographical information and excerpts from the minutes of the Chamber's meeting with recommendations. City Council - 2- C. D. No. 13

DISCUSSION:

The Walk ofFame Committee of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has submitted a request for insertion into the Hollywood Walk of Fame the name of Andrea Bocelli. The ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, 2010 at 11:30 a.m.

The communicant's request is in accordance with City Council action of October 18, 1978, under Council File No. 78-3949. Following the Council's action of approval, and upon proper application and payment of the required fee, an installation permit can be secured at 201 N. Figueroa Street, 3rd Floor, Counter 23".

Respectfully submitted, \)J~ tmz,. Lemuel M. Paco, P.E. Central District Engineer Bureau of Engineering

sm: Bocelli.02 (213) 482-7055 cc: Construction Services Center, Counter 23" Bureau of Street Services Administration "' * ... ,.: * '** * ~OllVWOOD WALK OF FAM[;

January 11. 2010

Mr. Gary L. Moore Public Works Engineering Att: Lemuel Paco 201 N. Figueroa St. 3'd Floor, M.S. 503 Los Angeles, CA 90012

Dear Mr. Moore:

The Walk ofFame Committee ofthe Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has approved the below listed name for insertion into the Hollywood Walk of Fame:

ANDREA BOCELLI (Category -LIVE PERFORMANCE) Requested star location to be 7000 Hollywood Blvd., south side of the street in front of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. The star for ANDREA BOCELLI will be placed in the second row next to the usual row closest to the building next to two blanks squares closest to GLENN CLOSE to the east and ANGELA BASSETT to the west in the second row. The star will also be located next to a star located in the original row and previously dedicated to WALTER LANTZ which is numbered (91) to the east and ERROL FLYNN which is numbered (9L) and faces the west. According to sheet #20 plan 13788, ANDREA BOCELLI'S star has no designated number. The dedication ceremony is scheduled for Tuesday, March 2, at 11:30 a.m. Thank you for your cooperation in this request. I look forward to a response from your office soon.

The following materials are enclosed: ANDREA BOCELLI'S bio and the Board of Director's Minutes.

Sincere...... t ..• ·~""'

...... •" Martinez Vice President, Media Relations, producer Walk of Fame cc: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Insp. Eugene Andrews Tom Brown Sally Castro Top End Con. Leron Gubler Sgt. Lamont Jerrett Council President Eric Garcetti Carmine Goglia Hollywood Chamber of Commerce BOARD OF DIRECTORS MEETING

VVednesday, June 17, 2009

Board Members Attending: Bill Farrar; Chair; Abou-Daoud; Ainsworth ; Baumberger; Baumgart; Chong; Cochran; Cohen; Druyen; Falzone; Gajda; Gorelick; Kalantari; Larson; Massie; Moe; Panatier; Rheinstein; Schultz; Shelton; S. Smith; T. Smith; Suh; Taylor; Tronson;

Board Members Absent: Anthony; Barton; Cooper; Costa; Goldman; Hart; Lestz; O'Rourke; Simitian; T. Smith; Stephen; Sundher; Trynin ·

Staff Present: Gubler, Shahenian, Kiecker, French, Martinez-Holler

Guests Present: Jim O'Callaghan, L.A. Inc.

Chairman Bill Far\ar ~;ailed the meeting to order at 4:08p.m...

Walk of Fame Recommendations Ana Martinez-Holler, chamber VP of Media Relations, presented 28 names selected by the Walk of Fame Selection Committee to be recipients of Walk of Fame stars in 2010. ~ (See Attached List). Sam Smith, Taylor (MSP) to approve the nominations. Andrea Bocelli Written by: Giorgio De Martino (2008) Translation by: Consuela Hackney

At last, a legend.

At last, a legend for the new millennium. A legend in the Homeric sense of a myth, the "word that speaks" which has flowered here through song: like Caruso, Gigli, Del Monaco, Corelli ... A legend (of Andrea Bocelli 's stature) is not created by design: the most astute marketing would never be able to produce such a result. It is simply that people "recognized" him and voted for him. And so it happened, in an apparently equal context (a singing competition, the Sanremo festival in 2004) and yet a most perfect one, because the infancy of a legend follows a course which breaks traditions. From then on the tone of his voice has brought tenderness to the world and his fame has increased exponentially. Because "if God would have a singing voice, He would sound a lot like Andrea Bocelli": even Celine Dian's famous comment is a clear, unadorned testament to the artist's mythical status as well as the perception of a gift ... That voice, that · simultaneously melancholic and radiant colour, unrivalled in the expression of the song of a lover or a father, a matchless expression of earthly desire or heavenly love, with 65 million record sales to testify to it.

The responsibility oftalent

"I don't think one decides to become a , It is decided for you by the reactions ofthe people around you. " Andrea Bocelli had to reckon with a double gift, both elements of which are completely absorbing. The first aspect is a timbre which is as recognisable as a signature, full and powerful, with a versatility ranging from the belcanto to the furore ofverismo, from the sacred repertoire to the popular ballads. The second gift is a more delicate one: life's journey led Andrea Bocelli in adolescence to a different ability which deprived him of sight. This was truly a privation which increased the flow of an extraordinary and unique sensibility which transforms and transcends boundaries, causing him to excel in his interpretation of the lyrics, in his perception of . the subtleties ofmusical expression.

The empowerment of an unusual journey

Bocelli, the superb voice that the opera had been awaiting for years, "exploded" onto the world stage performing one song. An anomalous route offering extraordinary possibilities: a real breath of fresh air in a world- that of the opera- which risked forgetting its own popular origins. It rang out all overthe world in "Time to say goodbye", while on stage it resonated in the operatic masterpieces: a voice which combines the power of the heroic tone with a youthful 's grace strengthened by an unusually polished timbre.

An old fashioned training of a modern tenor

Tuscan, like Puccini and Mascagni, Andrea Bocelli was born on 22nd September 1958 and grew up at the family farm in , nestling between the vines of the Pisan countryside. His parents must receive the credit for having encouraged young Andrea's musical talent, allowing him to start studying the piano from the age of only six years old. Later his musical passion would extend to the flute and the saxophone but it was in his voice· that Andrea discovered the ideal instrument

1 and this was the beginning of the formative process which would produce Bocelli, the star, "a modern but old fashioned tenor" (as he likes to describe himself). In 1970 he enjoyed his first success in a singing competition: performing '0 sole 111io '.After studying singing with Maestro Luciano Bettarini), Bocelli approached Franco Carelli, an artist whom he had always worshipped. In order to pay for singing lessons, Andrea would play the piano in the local bars and in the meantime he continued to develop his interest in the humanities and graduated in Law at the University of Pi sa. Just in the same period that saw him take off in the world of pop, having been discovered by and signed to her "Sugar", Andrea had .an opportunity to make his debut on the operatic stage, in 1994 in Verdi's (in the role of Macduff) directed by Claudio Desderi. That Christmas he was invited to sing the Adeste Fideles in St Peters before the Pope. N"o more courtrooms or requests in piano bars: this was the start of a meteoric rise. Andrea Bocelli had found the stage. In fact the stage had found Andrea Bocelli and would never leave him.

Con te partiro ...

There is something miraculous about the parallel track along which the tenor Andrea Bocelli's career developed. In 1996 the melody of the song "Conte Partiro '"(and later its arrangement as a duet with with the title "Time to say Goodbye") was heard in every corner of the world. The Bocelli phenomenon was being talked about everywhere: an artist whose explosion onto the recording world - with an entitled -was breaking all records. In , for example, the duet became the best selling single of all time. At the same time Andrea embarked on his operatic adventure, with a careful management of his voice. In Torre del Lago, in the summer of 1997, Bocelli performed parts of Madame Butterfly and Tasca, and also the " dei 9 do'' from La fille du regiment which received a standing ovation. In 1998 came a new debut, this time playing Rodolfo- alongside Daniela Dessi ~in Puccini's La Boheme in . That same year he met M. Zubin Mehta and this led to the beginning of a successful collaboration between them. 1999 wa~ a very intense year. Andrea performed at the Arena in for the first time where he was applauded by an audience of eighteen thousand. In October, he made his debut in the in Massenet's . At the same time his album was released, which included Andrea's duet with of "The Prayer", which had already won the Golden Globe Award and was subsequently nominated for an Oscar. From this point on the Bocelli legend, supported by huge record sales, was unstoppable. His would find the most celebrated directors on the podium such as , Seiji Ozawa, Valeri Gergev, Zubin Mehta and Myun Whun Chung. 1 In January 2001, Andrea made his debut on stage in Verona in Mascagni'sAmico Fritz. On 28 h October, on the invitation of Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, he sang Schubert's at "Ground Zero" before the world as part of the memorial to the victims of9/11. In the summer of2002 he performed in the role of Pinkerton in Madame Butterfly at Torre del Lago. Following further successful pop recordings and international awards in 2004 Bocelli continued to develop his operatic stage career (playing Cavaradossi in Tasca and then the lead in Werther in ) as well as performing at many large venues

The essential (is invisibile to the eye)

"Y au can only see properly with your heart. The essential is invisible to the eye" so wrote Antoine de Saint~Exupery ... The essential thing, in the career of an opera singer, is to be found in his discography. In Bocelli's case it is by his recordings that his voice can be guaranteed to be kept

2 constantly up to the minute for generations to come. As Caruso did at the start of the last century, so Bocelli continues to do at the beginning of the millennium. His first "classical" recording dates back to 1997 and was entitled . It was a Caterina Caselli Sugar project undertaken with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra: spanning Puccini to Schubert, Verdi to Donizzetti. 1998 saw the release of Aria- The Opera Album, with the Orchestra ofthe Maggio Musicale Fiorentino directed by Gianandrea Noseda. The dawn of the new millennium, was marked by the release of a cd dedicated to Sacred with the Orchestra and of the National Academy of Saint Cecilia conducted by Myung-Whun Chung : an homage to Christianity which remains one of his most shining artistic productions becoming the best selling classical album ever released by a solo artist. Bocelli earned a place in the Guiness Book of World Records by occupying the first, second and third place in the American charts.

A voice for the new millennium

The year 2000 marked a new milestone in Andrea Bocelli's recording career: Puccini's La Boheme, with Zubin Mehta conducting and Barbara Frittoli in the role of Mimi. Andrea had already played the role of Rodolfo in 1998 prompting praise from Corelli, who commented: "Andrea is an operatic tenor with a voice ofrare beauty. His sense ofromance and melody goes beyond the very essence ofRodolfo the bohemian". Still under the baton of M 0 Mehta, the start of the millennium also celebrated the release of the Verdi album which gave Andrea the opportunity to immerse himself in this national treasure's works. In 2001 it was the turn ofVerdi's , a recording with a formidable cast, starting from the conductor Valere Gergiev. In the autumn of2002 Andrea Bocelli combined his energies with those of Lorin Maazel, with whom he undertook a very special recording project: , a collection of romantic pieces by composers such as Tosti, Denza and Gastaldon, arranged for the orchestra by M0 Maazel, who also demonstrated his refined musical talents as a concert violinist, accompanying Bocelli's voice. The project was an enormous success earning Andrea a double nomination at the 2003 "Classical Brit Awards", where he won both "Album of the Year" and "Best Selling Classical Album ofthe Year". In May 2003 Andrea sang the role of Mario in his album of 's under the direction ofZubin Mehta. In spring 2004 Bocelli released II Trovatore which had been recorded at the "Bellini" opera house in in 200 1. Bocelli was accompanied by , Veronica Villarroel, Carlo Guelfi, .

On the Opera stage: the great love

Accustomed to leaping over apparently insurmountable obstacles, the Tuscan tenor extended his repertoire (not disdaining an occasional carefully measured venture into melodic cross-over territory). Bocelli sang Werther which was released onto the market in spring. The following year his repertoire of operatic recordings was enriched by two great landmarks of realism: Leoncavallo's and Marcagni's , both directed by Steven Mercurio. His more recent projects include the demanding role of Andrea Chenier by Giordano and finally the most audacious and bewitching love story of all time, Bizet's , directed by Myung Whun Chung. For his concerts Bocelli conquered the most lauded strongholds of the classical music world such as the Wiener Staatsoper. In 2008, while his new album was a sell-out success, Andrea performed in Carmen at the Opera, followed by Puccini's Messa di Gloria in Padova, and then La in the United States, directed by Placido Domingo. He appeared as Turiddu in the Cavalleria Rusticana on the prestigious stage of the Deutsche Opera in and then flew to South America where he performed to an audience of more than I 10,000 in San Paolo,

3 New Challenges

Having always been sensitive to the call for solidarity, Bocelli's name is frequently to be found heading the Jist of artists appearing at concerts to support causes such as aid for the earthquake victims of the Abruzzo, alongside stars such as Angela Gheorghiu and in evocative venues such as the Colosseum in Rome. And it is to promote the image of the Eternal City that , the director, asked him to play Mario Cavadarossi from Puccini's Tosca, protagonist of his film Promo di Roma with actress Monica Bellucci. In the meantime the annual appointment at the (Theatre of Silence) in his home village ofLajatico in Tuscany reached its fourth year. Bocelli himself is honorary president ofthe project and co-founder ofthe theatre. Among the guests who have appeared with him on the stage of that stunning open-air amphitheatre are Placido Domingo, , , , Sarah Brightman, , Noa, and . In September 2009 Bocelli made his triumphant debut at Carnegie Hall in New York in a triple concert where he performed sacred arias and lieder. In November he was awarded another prestigious token of recognition- the Vittorio de Sica Prize -conferred by the President of the Republic, . As many of the legendary voices of the past such as Caruso and Sinatra have done before him, Andrea Bocelli too celebrates the Christmas tradition. His new album shot to success in no time. Released on 3rd November 2009 in the USA, it went straight into the charts at number three and reached second place where it remained for six consecutive weeks. Achieving sales of more than 4 million, this makes it the 5th top selling album in the world in 2009. And these can be added to the 65 million records already sold to date. From March 2010 there will be another star shining on Hollywood's Walk of Fame dedicated to our Tuscan tenor, one of a very few to figure in this prestigious firmament. In the meantime the Andrea Bocelli website www .andreabocelli.com has achieved over a million hits in one year. "The more I immerse myself in singing the less I understand, I only know that God has given me a voice which allows me to express what I feel, and in this sense I believe I can describe it as a recognizable voice"... The true greatness of an artist is measured also by his humility, in spite of the world fame and awareness of the cultural and social function which his name represents. Finally we have a legend who is worthy of the cumbersome title. Finally we have a voice for the new millennium.

(AB short bio gdm - 02/2009)

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