Guilty Pleasures
By Associated Press
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: Big balloons, wet weather and 21 protesters arrested
NEW YORK | The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marched, soared and roared into its second century on Thursday despite a drenching rain and a brief disruption from pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
New York City police said they arrested 21 people after protesters jumped barricades and sat down on the parade route with Palestinian flags and a “Don’t Celebrate Genocide” banner. They chanted “Free, free Palestine!” as a giant Ronald McDonald balloon bore down on them on Manhattan’s Sixth Avenue.
People protesting Israel’s war in Gaza also interrupted last year’s parade.
Thanks to the wet weather, ponchos and umbrellas were part of the festivities, along with the usual giant balloons, floats and star-studded performances.
The latest edition of the annual holiday tradition featured new Spider-Man and Minnie Mouse balloons, zoo and pasta-themed floats, an ode to Big Apple coffee and bagels, performances from Jennifer Hudson, Idina Menzel and Kylie Minogue, and more.
The lineup was a far cry from the parade’s initial incarnation 100 years ago, which featured floats showing scenes from Mother Goose, Red Riding Hood and the Wolf, Miss Muffet and the Spider, and other fairy tales.
Some things remained the same, though. As in 1924, there were plenty of marching bands and lots of clowns, followed by the grand finale of Santa Claus ushering in the holiday season.
This year’s parade featured 17 giant, helium-filled character balloons, 22 floats, 15 novelty and heritage inflatables, 11 marching bands from as far away as Texas and South Dakota, 700 clowns, 10 performance groups, award-winning singers and actors, and the WNBA champion New York Liberty.
Other highlights included reality TV star Ariana Madix, hip-hop’s T-Pain, country duo Dan + Shay, The War and Treaty, The Temptations, Jimmy Fallon & The Roots, Broadway veteran Lea Salonga, and “Glow” actor and Macy’s spokesperson Alison Brie.
One new float spotlighted the Rao’s food brand, featuring a knight and a dragon in battle made with actual pasta elements. Another celebrated the Bronx Zoo’s 125th anniversary with representations of a tiger, a giraffe, a zebra and a gorilla.
“The work that we do, the opportunity to impact millions of people and bring a bit of joy for a couple of hours on Thanksgiving morning, is what motivates us every day,” said Will Coss, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade executive producer.
The parade route stretched 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) from Manhattan’s Upper West Side to Macy’s Herald Square flagship store on 34th Street, which served as a performance backdrop.
NBC’s Al Roker walked part of the route before joining co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb outside the store for the remainder of the live TV coverage. “Wicked” film star Cynthia Erivo presented the retiring Kotb with flowers to commemorate what could be her last parade broadcast.
The rain didn’t stop anything — the parade has only been canceled three times, from 1942 to 1944 during World War II — but organizers monitored wind speeds to make sure the big balloons were safe to fly.
Temperatures hovered near 50 degrees F (10 degrees C), with rain throughout the morning and winds around 10 mph (16 kph), well within the acceptable range for letting Snoopy, Bluey and their friends soar. City law prohibits Macy’s from flying full-size balloons if sustained winds exceed 23 mph (37 kph) or wind gusts are over 35 mph (56 kph).
Cryptocurrency entrepreneur who bought banana art
for $6.2 million eats the fruit in Hong Kong
HONG KONG | A cryptocurrency entrepreneur who bought a piece of conceptual art consisting of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, for $6.2 million last week ate the fruit in Hong Kong on Friday.
Chinese-born Justin Sun peeled off the duct tape and enjoyed the banana in a press conference held in The Peninsula Hong Kong, one of the city’s priciest hotels, in the popular shopping district of Tsim Sha Tsui.
“It tastes much better than other bananas. Indeed, quite good,” he said.
“Comedian,” by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was a phenomenon when it debuted in 2019 at Art Basel Miami Beach, as festivalgoers tried to make out whether the single yellow piece of fruit affixed to a white wall with silver duct tape was a joke or a cheeky commentary on questionable standards among art collectors. At one point, another artist took the banana off the wall and ate it.
The piece attracted so much attention that it had to be withdrawn from view. But three editions sold for between $120,000 and $150,000, according to the gallery handling sales at the time.
Last week, Sun, founder of cryptocurrency platform TRON, made the winning bid at the Sotheby’s auction in New York. Or, more accurately, Sun purchased a certificate of authenticity that gives him the authority to duct-tape a banana to a wall and call it “Comedian.”
At the time, Sun said in a statement that the piece “represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community.”
“I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture,” he said.
The South China Morning Post reported the banana he ate on Friday was bought in Hong Kong.
Sun on Tuesday announced on X he had invested $30 million in World Liberty Financial, which was launched by U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in September as his family’s cryptocurrency venture.
Sun said in the post that his platform, TRON, is “committed to making America great again and leading innovation.” Following his investment in Trump’s venture, he became an advisor of World Liberty Financial.
Last year, Sun was charged by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission with fraud and other securities law violations. In response, he said on X the complaint “lacks merit.”
Silvia Pinal, an actress in Mexico’s Golden Age of cinema, has died at 93
MEXICO CITY | Silvia Pinal, an actress from Mexico’s Golden Age of cinema in the 1940s and 50s, has died. She was 93.
Over her 60-year career, Pinal appeared in movies with Mexican comics like Cantinflas and Tin Tan, heartthrobs like Pedro Infante, and starred in Luis Buñuel’s 1961 film “Viridiana.” Pinal went on to appear in two other Buñuel films, “The Exterminating Angel” in 1962, and “Simon of the Desert” in 1965.
She was one of the few Golden Age actresses who also adapted to a subsequent career in television, after the quality of Mexican film began tapering off in the 1960s. She also worked as a producer, and served in Congress.
Earlier this month, her family said she had been hospitalized for a urinary tract infection. Her death was confirmed by Mexico’s Culture Secretary, Claudia Curiel de Icaza.
“Her legacy as an artist and her contributions to our culture are unforgettable. Rest in peace,” Curiel de Icaza wrote in her social media accounts.
She is survived by her ex-husband, Enrique Guzmán, and her daughters, actress Sylvia Pasquel and rock singer Alejandra Guzmán.
Funeral plans were not immediately announced.
Female racing pioneer ‘Motorcycle Mary’ McGee dies a day before documentary on her is released
GARDNERVILLE, Nev. | Mary McGee, a female racing pioneer and subject profiled in an Oscar-contending documentary “Motorcycle Mary,” has died, her family said. She was 87.
“McGee’s unparalleled achievements in off-road racing and motorcycle racing have inspired generations of athletes that followed in her footsteps,” her family said in a statement.
The family said McGee died of complications from a stroke at her home in Gardnerville, Nevada, on Wednesday, the day before the release of the short documentary “Motorcycle Mary” on ESPN’s YouTube channel. Seven-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton was an executive producer on the film, which became available globally on Thursday. Its premiere was at the Tribeca Festival in June.
“Mary embodied resilience, grace, and optimism,” McGee’s family wrote on social media. “She was a historic athlete and a motorsports pioneer who embraced life’s challenges, cared deeply for others, and made time to brighten the lives of those around her. While we are deeply saddened by this loss, we are comforted knowing that her light will continue to shine in everyone she touched.”
McGee had an accomplished racing resume, first in auto racing and later in motorcycle racing. She became the first person — man or woman — to complete the grueling Baja 500 off-road race in Mexico solo, which she did in 1975.
The film about her was directed by Haley Watson. Two-time Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot also was an executive producer.
“I’m deeply saddened by this news, but I am comforted to know that Mary was surrounded by friends and family at the time of her passing,” Watson said. “In early 2022, I was researching stories when I came across Mary’s. That discovery marked the tipping point into uncovering a much larger and truly incredible career in motorsports and life journey.”
Shortly after her family announced her death, Hamilton paid tribute on his Instagram account: “I’m deeply saddened to hear that Mary McGee, the first woman to road race motorcycles in the U.S and the first person to solo the Baja 500 has passed on,” Hamilton wrote. “My condolences to her family and everyone who she’s inspired. Her legacy will live on as a trailblazer in the world of motorsports and beyond.”
Born in Juneau, Alaska, during World War II, McGee and her older brother were sent to Iowa to live with their grandparents. Her brother became a race car driver and encouraged his sister to take up the sport, even though it was almost unprecedented for women at that time.
Racing team owner Vasek Polak persuaded McGee to drive a Porsche Spyder, and she won races. Polak later persuaded her to try motorcycle racing and she also excelled.
Steve McQueen, the late actor and racing enthusiast, was the one who persuaded McGee to take part in the Baja 500.
McGee was the first woman to race motocross in the United States, the first to compete in an international motocross competition and the first to receive sponsorships from major brands.
She was one of the most influential women in the history of motorsports and known for her mentorship of other women in racing.
McGee was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2018.
—From AP reports
