LOS ANGELES - John Singleton (news) has turned Hollywood Boulevard into his 'hood.

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The "Boyz N the Hood" director accepted a star Tuesday on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to celebrate the 12th anniversary of the acclaimed gangland drama about three friends growing up in South Central Los Angeles.

Among the celebrities attending the ceremony outside the historic Chinese Theatre were Laurence Fishburne (news), who played the tough father in "Boyz N the Hood," and actor-model Tyrese, who starred in Singleton's 2001 drama "Baby Boy."

"Everything John said he would do he has done," Fishburne said. "He has a never-say-die attitude."

The 35-year-old director wrote the script for "Boyz N the Hood" as part of his work as a film student at the University of Southern California.

The film helped launch the acting careers of its young stars, Cuba Gooding (news) Jr., Ice Cube and Morris Chestnut (news), and earned Singleton Academy Award nominations in 1992 for best director and best screenplay.

"I am tripping out," Singleton said Tuesday. "In 1977, when I was 9 years old, I had a date with my dad to go the Chinese Theatre to see 'Star Wars.' This is where I learned to appreciate cinema. I want to thank my dad for that."

Singleton's other credits include "Poetic Justice," "Shaft," "Higher Learning" and "2 Fast 2 Furious." An anniversary edition of "Boyz N the Hood" debuts on DVD Tuesday.

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