Locals could hardly believe the word a couple of years back that the venerable Hollywood Christmas Parade was ending for various reasons, including budget issues. But in 2008 in marched Hollywood's Santa Parade, sponsored by the City of LA, which didn't feel all that different from its predecessor (and that's a comforting thing).
Now the parade returns for more razzmatazzing the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and it is now going by Hollywood Christmas Parade once more.
Whatever you call it, call it festive and call it a Tinseltown tradition (tradition=eight decades or so-ish). Will there still various, stocking-hatted, be-mittened celebrities from television, movies and the recording arts, waving cheerily from convertibles and floats and talking about holiday magic and what Christmas means to them? Yes.
On the 2009 floats: Ms. Susan Lucci, the parade's grand marshal. A bevy of councilpeople from around the great city of Los Angeles. And Genie Francis, Kim Wayans, Antonio Sabato, Jr., and Lorenzo Lamas are just a few of the celebrities expected to be crowd-waving.
One thing's for sure, though -- with its huge U-shape route through Hollywood, down the boulevard and back via Sunset, attendees will want to arrive early (going Metro, which the parade backers are backing, is a wise idea). And if you aren't attending the parade, but need to drive into or through Hollywood on Sunday, November 29th, check out the map first to see if you'll need to rethink your plans. Busy busy.
