Pictures on the wall of Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano

One of my favorite restaurants at Disney's Hollywood Studios is Mama Melrose Ristorante Italiano.  I'm a sucker for a good chicken parmesan and I often find myself making reservations here.

As you enter the restaurant and wait to be seated, you'll notice the walls of the lobby area are literally covered with photos of Hollywood celebrities (Okay, the word "celebrity" may be a stretch for some of these people).  So why are all these photos here?

The photos on the wall of Mama Melrose's are holdovers from a defunt program at the Disney-MGM Studios called "Star of the Day".  To help bring guests to the new park, the Star of the Day was advertised as a feature at the park where one celebrity would be on hand to meet guests on any given day.  So in addition to experiencing the attractions the park has to offer, you can also meet a real celebrity like you were in the real Hollywood.

The Star of the Day program lasted barely into the second year of operation at the Studios before being discontinued due to budgetary and scheduling issues.  The photos that we see on the wall at Mama Melrose are the photos guests could receive to get autographed.  Disney's Imagineers decided to use the remaining photos and adorn the wall of the restaurant, since it was supposed to be a restaurant on the West Coast.

In addition to the photos in the lobby, you will find photos from the Star of the Day program inside the restaurant and see instances of celebs riding down Hollywood Boulevard or posing with Mickey Mouse.