Hollywood sign saved!

LOS ANGELES – The Hollywood sign, a beacon to stars and star-struck alike, has been saved from urban sprawl under a land conservation pact announced Monday after a donation by Playboy founder Hugh Hefner capped a multimillion-dollar fundraising drive.

‘It’s a symbol of dreams and a symbol of opportunity and hope,’ actor-turned governor Arnold Schwarzenegger told a press conference below the towering letters. ‘The Hollywood sign will welcome dreamers, artists and Austrian bodybuilders for generations to come.’The huge sign overlooking the city was in danger of having its distinctive setting on the flanks of the Santa Monica Mountains crowded by construction of estate homes on nearby Cahuenga Peak. But a US$900 000 donation from Hefner, who helped save the sign itself 32 years ago, and a US$500 000 matching grant completed a US$12,5 million fundraising drive to protect 138 acres from development that would have altered the globally recognised symbol of the world’s film and television capital.’My childhood dreams and fantasies came from the movies, and the images created in Hollywood had a major influence on my life and Playboy,’ Hefner said.Schwarzenegger said private donations came from all 50 states, 10 foreign countries, The Tiffany & Co and a number of individuals.’Today, we have the Hollywood ending we hoped for,’ said William B Rogers, President of The Trust for Public Land. – Nampa-AP