The 85th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City featured some very special green celebrities — namely pop music singer Cee-Lo Green (who everyone has seen lately doing the 7-Up commercials) and the Muppets. The famous puppets have a new movie out that started this holiday weekend.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: that’s a phrase that Americans know officially launches the holiday shopping season. While celebrating mass over-consumption of consumer goods and 14 million butchered turkeys probably is not the grandest American tradition, star celebs participating in the local community fun of hosting a parade year after year is a good one.
This year, while NYC residents gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving in Manhattan, there was a festive mood in the air. The 2011 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade happened under a clear blue skies with smiles, sunshine, and laughter in the air.
Over 40 parade balloons rose tethered into the sky (technically 15 giant balloons and 44 smaller ones). Parade floats were plentiful again this year — with 27 floats featured (seeming to defy the Occupy Wall Street and crushing economic recession talk of the times. Street performers ranging from cheerleaders to circus clowns walked the Manhattan miles to the delight of the crowd. Even video game character Sonic the Hedgehog made it downtown.
Special celebrity guest appearances were more prevalent than the floats, though. People who stood street-side or watched on television were tickled pink seeing stars like Neil Diamond in person. Harry Potter movie star Daniel Radcliffe made a special guest appearance. Mickey Mouse was there. So were singers Avril Lavigne and Mary J. Blige.
Even American Idol winner Scotty McCreery made it from his Deep South home of North Carolina up to the Big Apple to the delight of the country music fans both there and watching on TV. The funniest part? He got caught lip synching, Milli-Vanilli and Ashlee Simpson style.
But the stars most of the younger generations of parade fans seemed excited to see were the Muppet Movie cast, the Sesame Street crew, and as always the traditional bright green Kermit balloon.
Macy’s department stores estimate 3.5 million people crowded the New York City streets to see the parade — while network broadcasters said another 50 million people were watching from the warm fall comforts of their couches and Lazy-Boy recliners at home.
With so many people watching the parade it was nice to see that fun and funky pop music celebrity Cee-Lo Green seemed to be recognized and well-liked by everybody. Folks unfamiliar with his foot-tapping songs might have recognized him from the cute new commercial for the light-colored cola in the green can — 7-Up.Cee-Lo Green, the former star of Gnarls Barkley, has used his star power wisely while advocating for a variety of humanitarian charities. Green has given his celebrity endorsement to the Nashville-based charity Soles4Souls. The non-profit organization strives to collect shoes (both new and gently used) and deliver them to those families and children in need. To date, they have sent shoes to 127 different countries.
To date, Soles4Souls has also been featured in health and fitness magazine Runner’s World, the Ladies’ Home Journal, National Geographic’s Green Guide, and even the famous newspaper The New York Times. Their group has been featured on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, BBC, CNN and local news stations across the country. That notoriety for doing good deeds has made them one of the best known “favorite charities” of Hollywood celebrities.
Because so many people came on foot to watch the parade and many of the performers walked the parade route, they really ought to be thinking about their feet right now in the hours and days after the event. Noting that without proper footwear, the long walk and hours standing barefoot or without shoes might have been terribly uncomfortable, it seems a good time for folks to consider looking up the charity and making a shoe donation. Let someone in need walk a mile in another person’s shoes — what a great idea for Thanksgiving.