After the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce dropped the money-hemorrhaging Hollywood Christmas Parade, the City of Los Angeles took it over and renamed it; it had its first go as the Hollywood Santa Parade this Sunday. The rechristened parade featured the cast of High School Musical and Bob Barker as the grand marshal. In the event's glory years, big-time stars such as Bob Hope and Jimmy Stewart were on board.
"Paparazzi at the red carpet before the parade could be overheard moaning about the dim star wattage," read a Los Angeles Times report, which also quotes a paradegoer as saying, "It's really C-list. Yeah, they got Bob Barker, but he's been around forever."
While The Times estimates that 125,000 to 150,000 spectators came out to witness the spectacle, the parade's executive producer, Bill Lomas, puts the number closer to 750,000, a figure he derives from police estimates, up from last year's 500,000-to-600,000 estimate. (Perhaps discrediting its attendance estimate, The Times report featured at least one error, citing the parade as 79 years old; it was actually the 76th year the parade has marched under various names.) Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was among the crowd.—
"Paparazzi at the red carpet before the parade could be overheard moaning about the dim star wattage," read a Los Angeles Times report, which also quotes a paradegoer as saying, "It's really C-list. Yeah, they got Bob Barker, but he's been around forever."
While The Times estimates that 125,000 to 150,000 spectators came out to witness the spectacle, the parade's executive producer, Bill Lomas, puts the number closer to 750,000, a figure he derives from police estimates, up from last year's 500,000-to-600,000 estimate. (Perhaps discrediting its attendance estimate, The Times report featured at least one error, citing the parade as 79 years old; it was actually the 76th year the parade has marched under various names.) Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa was among the crowd.—
