By Mark Kennedy
Cher is obviously a superstar but even a superstar can be the opening act when it comes to Santa.
Organizers of this year's Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade have nabbed the Oscar-, Emmy- and Grammy Award-winner for their 97th annual event. Cher will make her appearance just before the parade's end, signaled by the arrival of Santa’s sleigh, parade organizers said.
This year’s parade will feature 16 giant character balloons, 26 floats, 32 novelty and heritage inflatables, 12 marching bands, 700 clowns and eight performance groups.
It's a busy time for Cher, who is preparing to release a 25th-anniversary edition of her Grammy-winning album “Believe” and just dropped her first new album in five years, “Christmas.”
For the first time in its long history, the holiday tradition will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET, half an hour earlier than previous years, kicked off by multi-instrumentalist and Grammy-winner Jon Batiste.
There will be appearances by Bell Biv DeVoe, Brandy, Chicago, En Vogue, ENHYPEN, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors, Jessie James Decker, Ashley Park with some Muppets from “Sesame Street,” Pentatonix, Paul Russell, Amanda Shaw and Alex Smith, and Manuel Turizo.
U.S. Olympic gymnastics silver medalist Jordan Chiles, U.S. track and field Paralympian Ezra Frech and U.S. Paralympic swimming gold medalist Jessica Long and Miss America 2023 Grace Stanke will also join the festivities.
Seven new balloon giants will join the lineup: “Beagle Scout Snoopy,” “Blue Cat & Chugs,” “Kung Fu Panda’s Po,” “Leo,” “Monkey D. Luffy,” “Pillsbury Doughboy” and “Uncle Dan.”
Broadway will be represented by performances from “& Juliet,” “Back to the Future: The Musical,” “How To Dance In Ohio,” “Shucked” and “Spamalot,” with an appearance by Josh Gad and Andrew Rannells of “Gutenberg! The Musical!"
Returning giant balloons include “Bluey,” “Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” “Paw Patrol,” “Ryan's World,” “Pikachu,” “Ronald McDonald,” "Stuart the Minion" and “SpongeBob SquarePants.”
The Macy’s parade has been a traditional holiday season kickoff and spectators often line up a half-dozen deep along the route to cheer the marchers, floats, entertainers and marching bands. The parade has lately asked icons to be the last guest before Santa, with last year Mariah Carey fitting the bill.
A marching band from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, the scene of one of the nation's worst school shootings, will represent Florida. Other marching bands this year will represent Alabama, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Washington, New York, Illinois, New Jersey and Texas.
Floats include ones from brands like Lego, “Peanuts,” “Baby Shark,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Sesame Street.”
The parade airs on NBC and streams on Peacock. Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker from “Today” will host and a Spanish language simulcast on Telemundo will be hosted by Carlos Adyan and Andrea Meza.
Professional dancer Sharna Burgess paired up with Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman for the new "Dancing With the Stars: Athletes." Having sports stars in the mix increases the competition level because they're "used to winning at what they do," says Burgess. The new season premieres Monday on ABC.
Samantha Barry, the magazine's new editor-in-chief, devotes her first issue at the helm to money matters and how women can bridge the pay gap.
Men not only buy essentials like shampoo or soap at the beauty retailer, but also makeup. "The reason is that men are understanding now that looking good extends beyond having great apparel and a nice watch," says Barry Beck, co-founder and COO of Bluemercury, which was bought by Macy's in 2015.
The crowdfunded stoner film released on 4/20 made around $18 million at the box office, proving that, 15 years after the original, perception of marijuana culture has changed drastically.
The movie, which brings various Marvel characters' plotlines to a conclusion, could break box office records, says Umberto Gonzalez, film reporter at The Wrap. "Two thousand theaters have already sold out," he tells Cheddar.
The company has shifted to a marketing strategy that is inclusive, socially conscious, and engaging with pizza lovers. "We want to have a conversation with consumers," says Zipporah Allen, Chief Marketing Officer at the chain.
The series not only stars Latino actors but also has Latino writers, producers, and department heads. This kind of crew makes filming a show "so authentic," says Melissa Barrera, one of the lead actresses in "Vida."
The actor and his best-selling author wife say "being able to laugh" is the secret to matrimonial success. They are the hosts of a new game show on Lifetime, "My Partner Knows Best," which pits couples against each other.
How well do you know your partner? Well enough to win a game show? "My Partner Knows Best," on Lifetime, pits couples against each other as they take on challenges based on real-life relationship obstacles. The show's co-hosts, Jason Biggs and Jenny Mollen, share what viewers can expect.
Gmail is getting a makeover. On Wednesday, Google introduced a redesign of its hugely popular email platform. The new features include confidentiality mode and smart reply. Google is rolling out the update starting today, but it won't be immediately available to all 1.4 billion users worldwide.
Twitter reported earnings before the bell Wednesday, beating expectations on earnings and revenue. This marks the second profitable quarter in a row for the social media company. Cheddar senior reporter Alex Heath joins Kristen Scholer and Tim Stenovec to discuss what's in store for the rest of the year.
And we talk to comedian Rob Schneider about his Netflix show, "Real Rob." The show is loosely based on Schneider's life. He says the dynamic between him and his wife on the show is similar to Lucy and Ricky from "I Love Lucy." He also tells us what stocks he's most excited about.
