Guilty Pleasures
By Associated Press
Jennifer Hudson, Kylie Minogue and Billy Porter to perform at Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade
NEW YORK | The giant balloons may be flying at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, but the stars will be on street. Organizers revealed Thursday that actor-singer Jennifer Hudson, dance music icon Kylie Minogue and Broadway and “Pose” star Billy Porter will all perform, an upping of the star wattage over previous years.
The trio will be in front of Macy’s iconic Herald Square flagship store, while also added to the parade are “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo and Cole Escola, the star and writer of “Oh, Mary!,” the unconventional smash that’s become the toast of Broadway.
They will join a massive group of already-announced parade stars — including reality TV’s Ariana Madix, Broadway belter Idina Menzel, hip-hop’s T-Pain, members of the WNBA champions New York Liberty and country duo Dan + Shay.
Music performers scheduled to perform include The War and Treaty, Lea Salonga, Kylie Cantrall, The Temptations, Chlöe, Charli D’Amelio, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Coco Jones, Walker Hayes, Rachel Platten, Bishop Briggs, Joey McIntyre, Natti Natasha and ballet dancers Tiler Peck and Roman Mejia.
The holiday tradition will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 28 in all time zones and will be kicked off by actor Alison Brie, the “Glow” star currently starring in Peacock’s “Apples Never Fall.”
This year’s parade will feature 17 giant character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands, 700 clowns and 10 performance groups.
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.
Broadway also will be represented by performances from “Death Becomes Her,” “Hell’s Kitchen” and “The Outsiders,” as well as the iconic Radio City Rockettes and “Riverdance” dancers.
The Macy’s parade has been a traditional holiday season kickoff and spectators line-up a half-dozen deep along the route to cheer the floats, entertainers and marching bands. Last year, Cher was the headliner.
Veteran NBC host Craig Melvin tapped to replace Hoda Kotb for the first hours of ‘Today’ show
NEW YORK | Veteran NBC host and news anchor Craig Melvin has been tapped to replace Hoda Kotb as co-host of the 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. hours of “Today.”
Melvin is a familiar face to “Today” show viewers. He currently hosts the show’s third hour and is the news anchor during the first two hours. He will continue hosting the third hour with Al Roker, Dylan Dreyer and Sheinelle Jones.
“He’s been an integral and beloved part of our family,” Libby Leist, senior vice president of “Today,” said in a statement. “From breaking news coverage in the field, to presidential interviews, to multiple Olympics and Super Bowls, Craig’s shown he has the talent and the range to cover all that we do here at ‘Today.’ And he does it without ever losing that Southern charm.”
Kotb’s last official day at the show will be Jan. 10. She announced in September that she was leaving “Today,” which generally runs third in the morning ratings to ABC’s “Good Morning America.” NBC News hasn’t revealed the pick for Kotb’s other role, co-anchoring the 10 a.m. hour, which she does with Jenna Bush Hager.
“I’ve enjoyed just a lifetime of blessings and this is the latest,” Melvin said Thursday on air. Of Kotb and Guthrie, he said: “You guys are the sisters I never thought I needed.” And he said of Kotb — “you saved the show,” which, while hyperbolic, was a reference to her taking over hurriedly after the Matt Lauer scandal.
Melvin’s wife, sportscaster Lindsay Czarniak, who was host of NBC’s coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on the USA Network, posted her congratulations on Instagram.
“The opportunity to watch the person you love see their dream come true is such a gift. I will never forget this day and the crowds’ excitement to share your good news,” she wrote.
Burt Bacharach, composer of classic songs, will have papers donated to Library of Congress
WASHINGTON | Burt Bacharach, one of the most celebrated and popular composers and songwriters of the 20th century, will have his papers donated to the Library of Congress.
Bacharach’s widow Jane Bacharach, who made the donation, and the Library of Congress, announced the acquisition in a statement Thursday.
The collection includes thousands of music scores and parts, including his arrangement of “The Look of Love,” and musical sketches for songs including “Alfie” and “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head.”
Bacharach delighted millions in the 1960s and ‘70s with those and other quirky and unforgettable melodies including “Walk on By,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Close to You” and dozens of other hits.
The Grammy, Oscar and Tony winner died last year at age 94.
Jane Bacharach said in a statement that she chose the institution because Burt Bacharach and songwriting partner Hal David received the Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song in 2012, and Bacharach valued it above all his other awards. It’s the first time the library has acquired a collection from one of its Gershwin recipients.
“Burt poured his heart and soul into his music, and we are so proud that the Library will give others the opportunity to visit and enjoy his legacy,” her statement said.
The collection will become available for researchers in the summer of 2025.
“The Library is proud to be entrusted with ensuring Bacharach’s music and legacy will remain accessible for future generations, in hopes of inspiring them with his creativity and distinctly American musical genius,” Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in statement.
Bacharach’s papers will join the collected manuscripts and papers of Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, Billy Strayhorn, Leonard Bernstein and Henry Mancini at the library.
Nevada trial set for ‘Dances with Wolves’ actor in newly-revived sex abuse case
LAS VEGAS | Former “Dances with Wolves” actor Nathan Chasing Horse is set to stand trial early next year in Las Vegas on charges that he sexually abused Indigenous women and girls, a significant development in the sweeping criminal case after more than a year of stalled court proceedings while he challenged it.
His trial in Clark County District Court is currently scheduled to begin on Jan. 13, court records show. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday to 21 felonies, including sexual assault, kidnapping and producing and possessing videos of child sexual abuse, KLAS-TV in Las Vegas reported.
Prosecutors are now able to move forward with their case because Chasing Horse was again indicted last month following a Nevada Supreme Court decision that his original indictment be dismissed. The high court’s order left open the possibility for the charges to be refiled, and prosecutors quickly took their case before another grand jury.
The high court said in its September order that prosecutors had abused the grand jury process when they provided a definition of grooming as evidence of Chasing Horse’s alleged crimes without any expert testimony. But the justices also made clear in their ruling that their decision was not weighing in on Chasing Horse’s guilt or innocence, saying the allegations against him are serious.
Best known for portraying the character Smiles A Lot in the 1990 movie “Dances with Wolves,” Chasing Horse was born on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota, which is home to the Sicangu Sioux, one of the seven tribes of the Lakota nation.
After starring in the Oscar-winning film, according to prosecutors, Chasing Horse began promoting himself as a self-proclaimed Lakota medicine man while traveling around North America to perform healing ceremonies.
Prosecutors said he used his authority to gain access to vulnerable women and girls for decades until his arrest in January near Las Vegas. He has been jailed ever since.
Chasing Horse’s arrest reverberated around Indian Country as law enforcement in the U.S. and Canada quickly followed up with more criminal charges. In Montana, authorities there said his arrest helped corroborate long-standing allegations against him on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. Tribal leaders banished Chasing Horse from the reservation in 2015 amid allegations of human trafficking.
His latest indictment in Las Vegas includes new allegations that Chasing Horse filmed himself having sex with one of his accusers when she was younger than 14. Prosecutors have said the footage, taken in 2010 or 2011, was found on cellphones in a locked safe inside the North Las Vegas home that Chasing Horse is said to have shared with five wives, including the girl in the videos.
—From AP reports
