Meryl Streep, Debbie Harry from Blondie, Steven Van Zandt of the E Street Band and Buddy “Cake Boss” Valastro are among the inductees for the 2017 class of the New Jersey Hall of Fame. Gov. Phil Murphy announced the 21 inductees – seven women and 14 men – at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton on Tuesday. All inductees, living and dead, will be honored at a ceremony celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the hall of fame at the Paramount Theater in Asbury Park on May 6. “The hall exists to celebrate some of the most famous and most impactful,” Murphy said. “The New Jersey Hall of Fame is where their story is told and retold to inspire.” Along with Streep and Valastro, several of the inductees were not among the 51 nominees announced in November, and the hall said it could select additional inductees based on who is available for the induction ceremony. (Celebrity foodie Anthony Bourdain was originally nominated but said that he could not make the ceremony and was replaced by businessman Joe Buckelew.) The complete article can be read here. Many thanks to Frank for the heads-up.
