I like of a NOLA Walk of Fame.
Taking a page from the internationally famous , it could make it a must-see tourist stop in just a few years — with the right foundation.
Miller, has a dream, but who wants to pay for it?
The first permanent Hollywood star went to director-producer  in 1960. Just a few days ago , the 2,808th star was laid in honor of actress .Ìý
The NOLA Walk has a who have been nominated. Some are obvious, slam-dunk picks. Some, er, not so much.
Actor-director-producer Clint Eastwood has rejected a Hollywood star, as have others.Ìý was told he had been selected for the NOLA Walk. No thank you, he said. Connick suggested piano and music legends James Booker, Professor Longhair, Ellis Marsalis, Branford Marsalis.
None are on the list.
There are sooo many New Orleans arts, civic, community, food, music and other achievers who deserve a specially-designed fleur-de-lis before Bryant Gumbel, a New Orleans native raised in Chicago; retired NBA star Clyde Drexler, a New Orleans native raised in Houston and DJ Khaled, a New Orleans native, was raised in Florida.
Each has had success. Each has achieved fame. None of them can answer the "Where did you go to high school?" question with a New Orleans answer.Ìý
I don't think Master P should be on his own list of first-time NOLA Walk of Fame honorees, but at least he can answer the high school question three times: St. Augustine High School, Ìý²¹²Ô»åÌý.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell can't answer the local New Orleans high school question. She went to high school in California, moved here to attend Xavier University and never left. Neither she nor Drew Brees are natives. Should they be on the walk?
Should a New Orleans high school be the minimum standard? Maybe not. But there's got to be criteria other than being born in the Crescent City and achieving fame elsewhere.
New Orleans isn't Hollywood. These decisions shouldn't be made based on star power, or money. The people with Hollywood stars pay a $250 application fee and, if selected, the cost of a star has . That covers the ceremony, installation and maintenance.
The NOLA Walk proposal would include a $250 application fee and a $35,000 payment. If those are central requirements, a lot of people would be left out from our NOLA Walk.
Consider Oretha Haley, Dave Dennis, Kermit Ruffins, Jerome "Big Duck" Smith. Maybe Nat LaCour, Rudy Lombard, Leontine Luke. Why not Lindy Boggs?
The big problem? There is no clarity about who will pay for this great idea. Cantrell wants to tap the Wisner Fund, controlled by the Council Oh no, said City Council; try the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund, controlled by the mayor.
Master P is a part of Operation Restoration's Operation Innovation program, which is serving as a fiscal agent for the developing NOLA Walk of Fame group, according to Syrita Steib, president and CEO of Operation Rescue. The Walk isn't a registered nonprofit, so her group is handling paperwork and pursuing grants and fundraising. She told me that she, Master P and NOLA Walk representatives talked with the mayor's office and each City Council member about five months ago. The service is free, but there is a service fee of about 10% tied to grant and fundraising success.
There are different views about moving forward, even among those who have been selected for a NOLA Walk of Fame fleur-de-lis.
Former Mayor Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, sees the project worthy of city support. "It's a public infrastructure project," he said. "Public money is justifiable. It will be a tourist attraction."
New Orleans native and actor Wendell Pierce likes a different approach. "If the Hollywood Walk is the model, let the funding model guide the way."
Former White House adviser Cedric Richmond told me the Walk is a good idea plagued by miscommunication, but it can be fixed.
The NOLA Walk of Fame has the possibility of becoming bigger than the Hollywood Walk of Fame with the right New Orleans focus and twists. We could see more than 2,808 honorees.
 If we don't fix this, it could become a partial attraction, leaving locals and visitors asking, "Where's the rest of it?"
That would be a NOLA Walk of Shame.
Master P could walk away from the $6.5 million project. Steib said her cousin is "disillusioned." Stakeholders need to breathe and make this work.
