934 – Thanksgiving Day Parade Recap 2020

Episode 934 – Thanksgiving Day Parade Recap 2020

 

[START OF RECORDING]

 

SCOOTER:    Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, and friends beyond the binary, and my patron peeps, what’s up, patron peeps?  I’m here to put you to sleep.  Goodnight.

 

INTRO:    [INTRO MUSIC] Hey, are you up all night tossing, turning, mind racing?  Trouble getting to sleep?  Trouble staying asleep?  Well, welcome.  This is Sleep With Me, the podcast that puts you to sleep.  We do it with a bedtime story.  Alls you need to do is get in bed, turn out the lights, and press play.  I’m gonna do the rest.  What I’m going to attempt to do is create a safe place where you could set aside whatever’s keeping you awake.  If it’s thoughts, things on your mind, physical sensations, so thoughts…oh, thoughts from the past, present, or future, physical sensations, anything in your body, or feelings.  I got those…I put those out of order, but just any feelings coming up for you.  It could be changes in your schedule or your routine.  It could be just the…I don’t know.

 

Yes, last night I said, what’s up with that, when I woke up, and then this morning when I woke up…extra, I said what’s…what in the hey, hey, hey?  So, whatever’s keeping you awake or whatever has you in need to get back to sleep, I’m gonna try to help with that.  What I’m going to do is…I got a safe place here laid out, spaced out.  It’s a spacey safe place, man, someone has not said yet, but I would like to bring someone into our safe place and have them say that and then say what are you…do you do a Cheech and Chong retrospective podcast?  I say yeah, man.  This is a spacey space safe place.  I say okay, well, that’s…okay.  Come on in.  But could you leave that…though, this is a safe place for everybody, so you could have a private safe place if you’re gonna partake, you know?

 

We have safe places set aside for that.  Oh, okay.  No, I was just gonna enjoy this…okay, cool.  Yeah, I don’t want to do…I don’t want to over-trope it, so…so, whatever is keeping you awake, what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna send my voice across the deep, dark night.  I’m gonna use lulling, soothing, creaky, dulcet tones, pointless meanders, superfluous tangents, gonna go off-topic and get mixed up, all to take your mind off of stuff while you fall asleep.  That’s a couple things you need to know right away.  Not right away; no rush.  Try to keep…no rush on a sleep podcast, Scoots.  But what I would like to let you know about as soon as possible is a couple of things if you’re new.  One, this podcast really doesn’t put you to sleep.  It’s here to keep you company while you drift off.

 

That’s why the episodes are about an hour, is to just give you time to take your mind off of stuff so you could fall asleep at your leisure or you just fall asleep; you’re just listening to me and you drift off.  Now if you can’t sleep, that’s the other side of this podcast.  I’m here for you.  I’m here to keep you company whether you’re awake or asleep and I’ll be here to the very end.  Once again, I almost said berry end.  So, that’s one thing.  The other thing to know is you don’t really listen to me, or you don’t really pay attention to me.  You could listen, but almost like…is there something called gentle listening?  I mean, it sounds like something that they…maybe I’ll write a book about that.

 

You know, I see all these books about…well, I guess it wouldn’t be good because I say well, Gentle Listening: Ways to Rekindle the…Gentle Listening: Rekindling the Fire Through Gentle Listening, a book that was never written ‘cause Scoots didn’t know what he was talking about, but he came up with Gentle Listening.  But in some sense, that is what I’m talking about.  Now, gentle listening in a interpersonal relationship would be different than with a sleep podcast, so let me also delineate that.  Gentle listening might be…I would imagine since this is an imaginary term already, if it was in a interpersonal relationship — whether romantic or just a friendship or some sort of family relationship — you would put aside…it would be a…kinda mindful listening where you’re trying to be gentle with whatever comes up inside you to interrupt your listening which is everything for me.

 

Just like sleep; it says, what are you gonna do?  What are we gonna say next?  I say okay, let’s just gentle listen, here.  It’s a safe place.  I’m gonna listen to…you have…but I’m in the moment.  I’m listening to this person and I’m there for them.  That would be gentle listening in a interpersonal relationship but in a sleep podcast, it’s like you don’t have to…you’re just in the moment, but you’re not really paying attention to me, either.  You’re like well, that’s not bad, that…those creaky, dulcet tones are creaky and dulcet and I don’t know what he’s talking about.  He uses a lot of filler words and misspeaks words like, every fifth or six word.  I don’t know what else he’s gonna talk about but I don’t really need to pay much attention, either.  That would be, I guess, gentle listening.

 

Gentle not…gentle…well, you’re listening and I appreciate that but really, just barely pay me any attention.  It takes some getting used to so if you’re new, that’s the other thing regular listeners want you to know.  You could just see it on our reviews and stuff is that it takes a couple times to get used to this podcast, so give it a few tries and see how it goes, and just see if it helps.  Now, this podcast does not work for everybody but for most people it worked for, they gave it two or three tries.  Now if you’re on your second or third try and you find out it doesn’t work…the day I was recording this, I was just on two…well, I was on one panel with the hosts of Sleep Cove, Nothing Much Happens, and Get Sleepy.  Those are three podcasts, and then I also helped answer some questions for my buddy Harris from Sleep Whispers.

 

Those are all sleep podcasts you could check out as well, like if Sleep With Me doesn’t work for you.  But I would say just see how it goes at first.  Okay, so don’t listen to me, I’m not here to put you to sleep, I’m here to keep you company.  Oh, the other things for new listeners that throw people off is the structure of the show.  The structure really hasn’t changed in a while.  I mean, I’ll talk about the small changes we’ve made, but it definitely throws…even regular listeners, they say well, I’m not sure about the structure anymore.  It does serve a few purposes and so, I’ll explain it, but it’s definitely different and you could have strong feelings about it.  That makes sense.  When something’s different than you’re expecting, of course you’re gonna have strong feelings.

 

So, the show starts off with a greeting so that you know you’re welcome here; friends beyond the binary, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, parade floats everywhere so you’re welcome.  Then there’s some supporter stuff and advertise…sponsorship ads, and then more Supporter Zone.  That’s one; so the podcast can be there free and benefit the most amount of people, and that’s just a reality of the podcast being there, and then also to support you and support the members of our community.  So, that’s that.  Then there’s the intro.  But that kinda…some people, it melds into the intro and what I mean by that is, so that’s six or eight minutes or something, then the intro is around fifteen to twenty-two minutes.

 

The intro is where I introduce the podcast but it’s also a part of most people’s wide-down routine.  I know there are people that fall asleep during the intro and I kinda…or that…the whole idea of the intro is to give you some distance between the day and the night because for most people, sleep does…just doesn’t happen instantly and for the majority of listeners, it just gives you a nice place to get ready for bed, to start your wind-down, to get comfortable, maybe to do some other activity that you enjoy that’s kind of mellow or passive.  That’s what the intro…but it can confuse new people or even regular listeners.  They say isn’t that just like an infomercial or something?  I say, no.  It’s something that never gets started and never goes anywhere, but it gives you a chance to get ready for bed or to brush your teeth or to pet your cat or brush your hair.

 

Or maybe people have those Zen gardens where you kind of put the rocks or move the sand or something.  Maybe do some doodling.  I don’t know.  That’s what the…purpose the intro serves, is to introduce new listeners and to help you wind down.  Then there’s business between the intro and the episode.  That’s just where the majority of pod…that’s just where the podcast…that’s just how podcast advertising works.  It’s like, I gotta be around that time in the episode.  I guess if you wanted to skip it altogether, you could start the show at like twenty, twenty-two minutes, but that’s kinda what keeps the show free anyway.  So, there’s business and then there’s the story.  [00:10:00] Tonight, we’ll be covering the Macy’s parade.  Then there was thank-yous at the end.  That’s the structure of the show.

 

It’s a structure that benefits the most amount of people and that people can kind of adapt and use it in their own ways.  Like I said; about 2% of people skip the intro.  A lot of people listen to story-only episodes on Patreon.  But this way, I get to put the podcast out to the most amount of people and then people can adapt around it.  This podcast isn’t necessarily meant for listening all night.  Some people do, but that’s better served behind a pay wall so that we don’t have to worry about the bandwidth and stuff, so like, patrons and stuff.  But anyway, so that’s the structure of the show.  What else do you need to know?  Oh, why I make the show.  I make the show because I’ve been there; tossing, turning, mind racing, trouble getting to sleep, trouble staying asleep.

 

I’ve been there and then even lately…and I mean, in 2020, I’ve been waking up early and then trouble getting back to sleep.  I’ve been doing that #laying which doesn’t always work which is…just like all other sleep stuff.  It’s where I say well, I’m just gonna lay here calmly because it’s whatever time it is that my body woke up.  I’m just gonna try to lay here.  No, not worry about falling back asleep, but not worry about starting the day, either; just calmly lay there.  For a while, that was really working.  It had a over 50% chance of success.  Now we’re probably under 50%, but I still lay there and then I…hopefully, my calculator brain doesn’t turn on and say well, blah, blah, blah.  I say okay, let’s just lay here.  We’re #laying.  We’re feeling our comfy mattress or listening to the fan or trying to think about something nice.

 

In your case, you could put the podcast on which would be…that would be a good time to listen to it, when you’re #laying and listening and hopefully falling back asleep.  Sometimes I fall back asleep, but not always.  Then I have…all that stuff…the reason I make this show is ‘cause I know it feels; the frustration, the loneliness, all the other feelings.  If I can help with that, that would be great.  Then I also believe deep in my heart that you deserve a good night’s sleep, that our world will be a better place because your world will be a better place.  You deserve a place you can get some rest and if I can provide that for you, it’s like a dream come true for me because I know how it feels and I know you deserve it.  You deserve some place that makes your life more manageable, where you don’t wake up and say well, I’m…’cause I know how that feels.

 

That’s why I make the show.  I think that’s kinda it.  Tonight, we’ll be doing our yearly coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade which this year was a chance…I did not think we would do this episode, to be honest, so long-term listeners, what’s up?  Like, I had not…I had a opening in the schedule, even ‘cause I said well, they’re probably not gonna do it or they’ll just do it for an hour.  I ended up having to sign up for a streaming service that you could record stuff on because I don’t have cable, so I did that and that I could just…so I would have access to the parade in a flexible way.  But I said…then I didn’t watch it live and somebody said the parade was still three hours.  I said, what…really?  Holy mackerel.  Then I said, I’m really interested to see it.  In my opinion, they did a wonderful job.

 

I was really impressed that they did their best and yeah, it wasn’t the same as every…but, you know, it was something we could really enjoy and something I’m gonna really enjoy recap…I mean, I won’t recap it.  We’ll have guest hosts on like Ray and Bernie, but it’ll be something interesting to talk about that you can just barely pay attention to and that’ll be here to keep you company because you deserve a good night’s sleep.  So, that’s why I’m here.  I really appreciate all the support everyone gives me, all the support that people put behind the show so it can be here on a regular basis, and I’m glad you’re here.  I work really hard, I yearn and I strive.  I really want to help you fall asleep, and here’s a couple ways I’m able to do it for you twice a week.

 

Alright everybody, it’s Scooter here and we’re here for our seasonal coverage of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  This is number…the 94th annual Macy’s parade.  Now, if you haven’t listened to one of these before, it’ll be interesting because you’re in…this is probably towards the end of our holiday coverage.  It may not be for everybody but I’m gonna try to keep it slow.  There are a lot…I’m not actually the host.  All of the famous guests throughout the years of Sleep With Me will be here.  I guess I should explain that for peace of mind because that makes it easier to listen, huh, if you’re listening right now, or to not listen, really, or to barely listen.  So, the main host is Ray, my next door neighbor, the most well-adjusted and positive person I know, Ray Perkins.

 

Ray’s a host…the host, and then Ray usually throws the coverage to correspondents on the parade route or covering the different segments of the parade this year.  Two; one team that has been on for the last few years is…what’s his name?  The Gregor and…oh, my goodness.  Formerly Tommen.  I forgot…I really forgot what his real name was.  I mean, that’s his real name.  I forgot if he changed his name to Jimmy or something.  I really don’t know.  Luckily, this…I’m recording this and Ray is hosting it, so Ray can deal with it.  I don’t know what his name was.  He came to this world and changed his name from Ser Tommen to something.  Wasn’t Richie and I don’t think it was Jimmy, either.  Huh, that’s…oh, Mikey.  That’s what it was, ‘cause he loved Goonies so much.

 

I was hoping I would remember it just ‘cause otherwise that would be really embarrassing.  So, Mikey and the Gregor…so, Mikey and the Gregor, they both used to live together in a world called Westeros as fictional characters, believe it or not, and then I have…by the power of the transverse plane and the fanfiction fantasy machine, I was able to pluck them out of a fictional world and bring them to this world.  They’ve become best friends.  They’ve lived with Ray in our world now for quite some time.  The first year, Gregor got carried away and didn’t realize…’cause he was from a ancient fantasy world.  He didn’t realize the parade was…he didn’t…he had trouble…but he’s learned a lot in these years in what we could call, I don’t know, earth whatever…between the years of, whatever, 2020 and other years.

 

We’re doing this all remotely, but those three live together.  Then the other set of correspondents…usually it’s just one correspondent; Bernie the butterfly who’s a butterfly that lives with me sometimes, lives with Ray sometimes, a butterfly with a bit of an attitude.  That’s Bernie the butterfly.  Bernie has a surprise guest that I think a lot of people are gonna be excited to hear from so that Bernie kinda has…you know, they have that play-by-play thing.  I guess without further ado, I’ll turn things over to Ray Perkins for the 94th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

 

Hello, hello, hello, everybody.  This is your friend Ray.  It has been so long since I’ve been in your ears.  I just want to say I’m really surprised that we were all able to really enjoy this parade.  You wonder…it’s gonna be different.  I don’t know how that’s gonna be…Ray’s gonna have some strong feelings.  We’re all gonna have strong feelings.  What will it be like?  But we were able to…oh, this is breaking the wall because yeah, we’ve watched the parade a few times to prepare for all of you.  I did want to say…and Scooter did…I don’t think Scooter did apologize.

 

He corrected someone on the beginning of the parade about…that there was a stunt performer, so I think he still owes someone in our lives an apology, not to make it about Scooter’s…every…we’re all imperfect and I hope this year that you’ve found a place of good self-care and compassion and love for yourself and then that that’s blossomed to the rest of the community, you know, and realizing that as much as this podcast is here for you, it means you’re important and that means the members of the community are important, just like Scooter says on the show.  We’re all here.  We’re trying to be a part of positive change.  That means being here for you on a regular basis.  But Ray wants to say that black lives matter, black mental health matters, so please, like Scooter says, use the resources.

 

Or if you’re having strong feelings when you hear…well, why is this on my sleep podcast, you know?  I don’t…just take a second and pause and maybe read that book, Mindful of Race by Ruth King.  Start some rain practice in your life, some meditative practice.  Start to listen to those and explore those strong feelings because your life could be fuller supporting the members of your community [00:20:00] and being there for them.  That’s all Ray wants to say, is just take a pause.  Okay, so what was I saying?  Sorry.  Ray got a bit on…I didn’t…I’m not on a soap box ‘cause those are just facts.  Just like Scooter says, if I’m…Ray’s gonna be here.  I’m gonna be here for you and for your neighbor as well.  But so, I hope you’re all well.

 

We’re all very thankful to be able to work on this podcast here and be here for you.  Ray…haven’t appeared on the podcast.  I recorded some stuff in early 2020 but Scooter and I have really talked this out a lot.  You say well, why hasn’t Ray been on the show?  Maybe one of my shows will come out, but we just said we’re trying to be sensitive, you know?  We know there’s a balance between being distracting and the podcast not existing in a vacuum.  Then there’s this thing that people call FOMO, and this is not…this is a tough time for those feelings, and so that’s why we haven’t put out in the episodes, because they said well, we don’t want to push FOMO into encouraging behavior.  We don’t want to pull…we want to…we’re here for people.

 

We don’t want to pull the heartstrings a little bit too much with the Disney parks.  As much as your friend Ray has wished he could go to a theme park, it’s just a fact that that’s not an option.  At least for Ray it’s not an option or a choice I’m comfortable making.  But so, hopefully in 2021, Ray…I don’t know.  At some point I’ll be visiting the parks there and maybe we’ll have a episode or two out from my previous trips once we’re comfortable with it.  Because we know…I appreciate that you miss me and miss me being in your ears.  I do, I do.  Without further ado though, what in the name of Jimmy Fallon?  I’d like to kiss that cook because it opens…the parade does open with a pre-produced spot of Jimmy cooking his Thanksgiving Day…now, he has a beautiful…I would call it a Cabernet suit on.

 

He does a great joke about Siri in there, there’s the NBC 7.  NBC and then it shows the turkey, then Jimmy, parade’s canceled, can’t do that to NBC and New York City, America, the world.  They go, Roots assemble.  Cabernet soup, I put, not suit.  Turkey joke, make cards…oh, the metro cards.  They’re in front of the metro machine.  It’s raining.  Jimmy’s dancing and singing, dancing in the streets with The Roots.  Questlove also has a book out; we were just talking about it before we went on the air, about creativity.  Hoda…what a package of joy that Hoda is.  She’s dancing in the background off-camera with a umbrella and just having fun, and with a red raincoat.  Keeping it fun.  Distance dancing…soap Diane distance dancing.  Not sure what that means, Scooter.  Questlove gets in there, cozy layers.

 

Holy cow, are those some cozy layers on Questlove.  Questlove can layer his clothes in a way that looks good and I would presume probably feels pretty good.  Let’s see, Jimmy’s white shoes…we could not identify if they were Stan Smiths or not.  We’ll see one more…I don’t think we’re gonna do it on an iPad, here.  Then Scooter noted that it was a stunt performer which kinda gave pause in the moment.  I said, come on, Scooter.  Come on, we were watching on Zoom.  I don’t know if they are Stan Smiths.  I can’t quite see.  They’re white shoes, though; brand…look like they’re brand-new.  They might not be, though.  Maybe Jimmy washes his shoes and does a good job.  We get the brass going from The Roots, something…Hoda’s Emmy, pink on squanch, Jimmy’s energy.

 

But what happens is they bring everybody out.  We have Hoda and Samantha…pink on squanch?  Oh, pink on Savannah.  Scooter, what are you…okay.  So, Savannah has on a pink raincoat that matches Hoda’s, and I do remember that pink is a good color on Samantha…Savannah.  I’m sorry.  These notes…but from last year, I think it was a hat and gloves.  Jimmy’s got high energy, but I don’t think he had any lines.  But no one could match Hoda’s energy.  She’s got great rain boots on.  She’s still dancing.  She’s just having fun.  That’s the most important thing, is she’s just having fun.  Hoda could do this…like, my version of the podcast just fine.  I don’t know if it would be sleepy, but instead of the Today Show, she could do Good Morning from the Theme Parks with Hoda.

 

Okay, so, energy…give Jimmy more lines ‘cause he was kind of like caught in between some of the host lines, there.  I don’t know if they said you just improv but they have set lines, which I don’t know.  But he still does a good job.  Now, got clowns, get it, giving.  Then we have Al and the…what’s his name?  We’ll figure out his name, the head of the Macy’s corporation.  Amy, we’re thinking of you out here, okay?  We send our love.  We love you, Amy.  That’s Amy Cool…to your family, oh, all our love here from Sleep With Me.  You know, I would like a shirt that says Where’s…but not Where’s Amy, obviously; I know.  I forget this person’s name; Jeff Gillette?  Yeah, Jeff Gennette.

 

Now, he has a tough job, so I’m not trying to criticize him, but he does this thing with his hands that I’m sure the internet was talking about.  Now, what I thought of was that I saw on one of the socials somebody was showing me…this was a couple weeks ago.  I don’t know if it was in..which one it was, but with the short videos.  There was one of Leonardo DiCaprio filming the Wolf of Wall Street before a take and he was kind of in the zone where he was just focusing.  What was interesting is what is he focusing on?  He’s getting ready for the take and just getting himself in some sort of zone.  It was very popular just because it was mesmerizing.  Then he went…as soon as they said, whatever, action, he went into the character and it was mind-blowing.  Shows the skill of this young man.

 

I want to say that this CEO was doing the same thing, ‘cause he had his hands like he was getting focused.  I’m sure he was very nervous.  They said, don’t…and it must have been cold.  I’m sure they told him; Jeff, don’t mess up your mask.  Don’t have your mask come down below your nose on air, which he managed to mostly do.  He’s the Chief Executive Officer, Jeff Gennette.  He’s a very nice…he’s a handsome man.  I will say that.  He did a good job.  He has a nice scarf on and he was with Al.  He does a nice introduction for the parade and dedicates it to the first responders and the heroes, then he cuts the ribbon, one cut with the gold scissors.  The parade…okay, so, let’s see; so, that was good.  Then there’s some shots of the city, then there’s the announcer.

 

Unfortunately, Scooter did not look up who announces the parade, but it was…it added a layer of familiarity.  They still had the same normal — for the most part — structure of the parade which I think was a plus.  It felt familiar.  They did a little preview of Patti LaBelle, Goo Goo Dolls, Hamilton, Santa Claus, Matthew Morrison, Karol, so they had little teasers, shots of the city, shots of the parade.  That part was nice.  Then, let’s see, we go…that first ad break is there.  They come back from the ad break.  We saw Ben Feldman, one of the people who we’ve seen in the parade before.  Who else?  Chrissy Metz, Sterling, Kate Brown, then we get the two pros, Hoda and Samantha.  Savannah, Scooter, Savannah.  Hoda and Savannah, the two pros.  Scooter wrote Savannah.

 

I was just giving him a hard time.  Hoda loves the sirens when they start for the parade and they say, here we come.  That’s the annual arrival of the parade on the metal steeds.  Then we see the Macy’s turkey looks a little bronze…big bobbing bird gobbling confetti.  That’s dedicated to the front line workers again, like they said at the start of the parade.  Then we had the West Point Band.  The flowers on the NBC set looked really, really good.  Then I want to throw it over to the Gregor and Mikey for a segment.

 

Thank you, Ray.  It’s me, I’m the Gregor.  I’m here with Mikey.  Next up was Hamilton: the Musical.  It was, as usual, mesmerizing.  One question we had was did…[00:30:00] was it recorded over two segments?  This was pre-produced, it was good.  We thought the mix was good but other people had…and then Mikey, what did you want to say?  I think Scooter…Peggy and Scooter…and Peggy reminds me of Scooter for some reason.  That’s why it makes me laugh.  Every time…I think, yes, you say well, yes; so, I don’t know.  That’s what I…every time I see Peggy, I think of Scooter.  Okay, thanks, Mikey.  Schuyler Sisters…the mix is good.  Holy biceps, I put.  Greatest city in the world.  No doubt about that, and a great way to start the parade.  Mikey, what do you say next?  Oh, thank you.  Then we had Al en route.

 

He’s with the shoe cars and he gives a great explainer about all the…his glasses look good, too.  Oh my goodness, Al looks good in glasses.  But he talked about the taping precautions, the weather.  He said something about seltzer in your pants.  I didn’t…do you understand that?  I think he was…he was just improving, I think.  Okay, and then they did archive shots from 1924.  Now, would you believe this, Gregor?  Maybe we could have an adventure.  Maybe Scooter…Ray is already shaking his head.  Scooter does not take podcast submissions, especially from me.  You know, I said why don’t you make a podcast about me, Scooter?  He said, there’s a fine line between distracting and boring.  I said okay, you could call it A Letter to My Grace ‘cause he refuses to call me Your Grace.

 

But they would let these balloons go and then you would get a prize for bringing them back.  Wasn’t that interesting, Gregor?  Yes, it was.  Next up is a balloon called the Red Titan from a YouTube channel with a kid I don’t know.  Balloon is Galvin, then they do a Verizon spot, there was a fake balloon.  What do you mean?  I think I should figure out what the…I think it was about a kid who has a YouTube channel.  I don’t know if it’s a kid that opens up presents or not, because I don’t watch…I mean, I don’t watch a lot of YouTube, so I’m…that’s not to say anything about him.  It’s just my knowledge.  Mikey?  I think it was Ryan ‘cause there’s a R on him.  Red Titan though is the first…Sunlight Entertainment and Pocket.watch presents the alter-ego of Ryan from Ryan’s World.

 

I think it could be Mikey’s…I would like to have something of me, but with me on a throne floating through…fifteen gallons of red paint on his thing.  I said, is that all?  I’ve spilled fifteen gallons of paint in the last few months by accident.  But next up is…was Bebe Rexha on a gold turkey.  It was with a peeping hat from Jennie-O.  The turkey had green eye makeup.  I said, that’s a little bit too close to the other turkey.  You should have…no offense, but space it out, you know?  Because I just feel like that…the other turkey was just a few floats ago.  But this Bebe Rexha…there was feather dancers.  She’s saying baby, I’m jealous.  We were all jealous, all of us.  It’s two turtle doves, I think, under the hat of the gold turkey.

 

I don’t know…if you’re going to sell turkey to people, why would you make it…then it makes me wonder…I mean, no offense, but I say well, I don’t know if I should buy that turkey ‘cause it might have ground gold in it.  It’s confusing.  I’m no brand expert, but Bebe Rexha was absolutely mesmerizing.  Walt Disney corporation put an offer in for something…or James Bond or something because it was amazing; amazing hair, amazing outfit, so many layers flowing…whatever that is, velour or velvet, and mesmerizing.  We were all like…really.  Then from New York City, so that was nice.  But we all said Bebe, we’re jealous of that hair color because it just looks so cool.  How could you…I liked my hair color to match my outfit sometime, if I looked like that.

 

I don’t think I would like that outfit because it just looks like it would be…you’d have to be in very good shape to wear it, ‘cause it was very heavy.  Like I said, that…is it a cloak?  But I mean, if you wanted to be Queen of the North, that would be something you would wear in the north.  I said well, maybe it’s possible.  Anyway, Gregor?  Okay, there was one other note, here; oh, great reveal.  Great giant something.  I don’t know.  I’m waiting to see it but ‘cause of Scooter’s notes, I can’t read it.  I mean, the dancing’s good.  I’m watching here; there’s…they have hats on and somewhat tuxedos.  Maybe it says great mix because it did sound good.

 

Now, I think this was something Ray’s gonna talk about, but usually the pop and…pop singers are probably the ones that had the hardest time without an audience; not their performances, but that contextually didn’t make as much sense, having to have them.  Some people did better because they’re better at lip syncing or the mixes were better which happens every year, but because of the audience, I don’t know.  It added a level of difficulty.  Bebe’s still singing.  Oh, there was some green confetti shot out of the…maybe that was it; green confetti.  Great reveal is what it looks like it says, but I don’t know.  A piece of confetti just hit the camera.  Next up, I’m getting there because we have commercials, but is the Zeta Phi Beta dancers and they were amazing.

 

These vests they had on, they could use those in the north.  The Centennial Steppers from Zeta Phi Beta, and that’s 100 years, is a centennial.  Mikey?  Oh yes, I liked the dancing.  There was people…what do you call that?  Tumbling, and I would like…it’s like stepping seems like a combination of different kinds of dancing and it has such a joy to it, too.  You could still see people smiling in their eyes which is another thing that people talk about this stuff, but I say well, I could see them smiling in their eyes, so I liked that.  But it also felt like it got…some of the things felt like they got cut short and I feel like theirs was cut short.  I said, was that cut short?  Then Al goes…he’s talking about the live audio descriptions the first time, then he goes and does a…goes…151-and-a-half-size bowling shoes, a 12-foot ball, but the ball doesn’t roll.

 

It’s rolling on wheels.  Then Al bumps into a pin.  That was good.  He’s good, that Al.  The pin is inflatable, so at least Al was able to do that without a problem.  67 million bowlers, pin guides…oh, there was…so, this was another thing I liked, is that each pin had its own pin guide.  That’s a lot of guides for…and they have to walk backwards.  Thank goodness there wasn’t a parade this year.  I mean, come on, you can’t have these people walking backwards the whole parade, guiding pins.  I don’t…so, I don’t know.  I just had strong…I thought that was a interesting role.  Also said, what’s your budget?  They said no, those are Macy’s volunteers that have to do that.  That’s why.  I say okay, well, that’s interesting.  Okay, so, all pin crash…oh, Al pin crash…pin guides right up your alley…strike while the iron is hot, Al said.

 

Then there was a performance of Jagged Little Pill.  That was, again…now, the Broadway performances, I think they were a little bit different this year because they were pre-recorded on different days.  I think some of them excelled…this one was a little bit intimate.  I guess for me, it did…it was very [00:40:00] intimate in a way that…I don’t know.  It just threw me off, I guess.  I’ll be honest, Gregor.  Okay, yes, it was…but it’s…oh, my favorite part of this performance was at the end.  I mean, not because it was ending, but because the way they took the deep breaths and kinda soaked in what they had sung about and kind of talked about the emotional complexity of the subject at hand and the play.  I think the dancing is really good.  I’m watching it here now.

 

Yes, I mean, maybe it wasn’t easy and maybe…yes, it was a intimate moment, as Gregor says, but you know, that’s…doesn’t mean it’s…it’s a popular show.  Also, every shirt…the shirt on one person said We’re All Human, Gregor.  It said, We’re All Human, Gregor?  No, I was saying it to myself as a reminder.  It was where they breathe a deep breath between the two lead characters and that Broadway look up into the balcony, whatever.  I don’t know where they’re supposed…how they tell them to look, but…okay, so that was that.  Now we’re gonna turn things over…is that it?  Is that the end of our segment?  It is.  Green clowns, turkeys, and cheer leaders.  Ray, back to you.  Oh, my friends, thank you so much.  That was a wonderful job by the two of you.

 

I know it’s not easy reading Scooter’s handwriting, so…yeah, that’s fine.  We have…there was also little segments where people sang, like Ben Feldman, who we love, because he was…and other people, but…of people’s favorite parade memories that do shows.  Next up was A Wimpy Kid, Greg.  That’s…a fifteenth book is out; 250 million copies sold.  He’s got his earmuffs on and his diary, and he’s flying.  Looks like he’s stumbling.  That’s the Wimpy Kid.  Then we had Blue’s Clues.  Blue is waving and on it is Ally, Ally Brooke with Blue’s blue…and handy dandy notebook, friend Magenta, new surprises, too.  They actually use AS, American Sign Language in the episode, every episode of Blue’s Clues, so that’s great.  From Fifth Harmony is where Ally Brooke is from, and now she’s on a solo career.

 

Now, she had on glimmering silver and white with bright blue earmuffs which were nice.  She also had some sort of hair sparkle that I said, that’s…is that a hair sparkle?  It’s very sparkly.  She was really dancing.  It looks like…right now I’m watching it on mute and she…it looks like she’s nailing the lip syncing, but it’s hard to tell.  But great job.  But again, I guess it’s kinda hard…let’s see, I’m trying to think if the float is moving or not.  But I think it’s just a little bit…what they could have used is a little bit more kinetic motion because I think that it’s just something jarring about the fact that the float has stopped moving, even though some of them had dancers.  I don’t know, it’s not a good or bad thing.  It was just something we noticed.  You say okay, you’re…yeah.  So, let’s see.

 

Next up was the salt and pepper giraffe, a rocking horse, a flamingo, and they all had a chuckle ‘cause they said well, these are all Macy’s volunteers.  There was someone riding a…I thought it was a crab but they said no, that’s a lobster, a rocking horse lobster.  Talk about rock lobster, Fred Schneider.  Maybe it’s not Fred from…is that who…?  Is that…Fred Schneider’s the actor or the singer?  No, that’s…Rob Schneider is the singer.  Okay, Ray.  Ray’s talking to himself just like Scooter.  Smile, Parker Hanes, fish hats.  Smile, Parker Hanes, fish hats.  Scooter, I wonder what that means.  I got no idea what that means.  Oh, they had fish hats.  Okay, I see that there.  Oh, and a smile mask.  Okay, that’s nice.  Okay, I see what you’re saying, Scooter.

 

Then we had the NYT…NYPD Gotham Band and they did a good job, but they were also cut short.  The New York Police Department Marching Band and the…they were…they’re doing local favorites, and they also do this parade segment which we thought was very nice.  Next up after that, we had Paw Patrol and Chase, 43 feet tall.  They have a movie coming out next summer, so be on the lookout for that; Paw Patrol movie.  Then we have Al and the big…I thought it was Big Baby, but it’s Boss Baby.  It’s a big baby that’s a boss, though, is the reality.  They kinda talk about Verizon, 61-degrees, don’t wake the baby.  Mario Lopez was hosting on Verizon.  Scooter wrote down the number 56.  I don’t know what that’s for.  Also, I said, is Al limping a little bit?  I don’t know.  I thought Al was limping.

 

I said Al, are you alright?  You need me to come help?  Al looks great with his suit, though.  He had layers on; he had a raincoat.  I wonder if they have clothes at work or something to be prepared for what the weather could be like.  Oh, then they do segments from all the parades, and then they all get to participate in the parade.  So, we had the Pride Parade first and they’re gonna be in the parade later, representatives of them, then the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is next, so then they had that, and it’s the representatives from that parade.  Then we had the West Indian Day Carnival Parade which I think is Labor Day, then the Puerto Rican Day Parade.  A lot of these parades I’ve been to.  It’s some of my favorite parades.  Then the Mermaid Day Parade, or just the Mermaid Parade.

 

I don’t think it’s the Mermaid Day Parade; I think it’s just the Mermaid Parade from Coney Island.  I want to say there’s a version of…there’s the mime…there’s so many different versions of these more artsy, fun parades.  The Mermaid Parade is the next one up from Coney Island, and they get to march in the parade.  The splash of the annual Mermaid Parade, the nation’s largest art parade and led by its founder.  They also have a Rolling Chair with the key to Coney Island.  Ancient mythology and secret rituals of the seaside, and riding the 1920 Boardwalk Rolling Chair.  Pulitzer Prize playwright Lynn Nottage…’cause those were lobster that can’t see, according to Scooter.  They had moustache masks which…very cute.  They have another thing that looks like a part of a carousel, and then we go to commercial.

 

Then we have Sesame Street talking about…they do a Zoom which I thought was very good.  They do a Zoom.  It’s very cute.  Oh boy, is it cute.  Ever-durable Wompanoag.  Why does that say that there?  But they talk about believing, believing next year.  They all do a dance, very cute.  Then we go back to Hoda and Savannah saying Happy Thanksgiving everyone, how fun it was to hear from Sesame Street, and the ever-durable Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  Then they did…they had some indigenous ambassadors, tens…tribespeople to do a traditional Wompanoag song.  There’s a language that have been around for 12,000 years and finally is getting a renaissance after being silenced for more than 150 years.

 

Then they do a land acknowledgement because yeah, they say this is not…[00:50:00] to acknowledge who’s land this parade is really being performed on.  It’s a beautiful, beautiful blessing and presentation and really heartfelt.  This is something I said, did they do this last year?  They should do this at the beginning of the parade.  They acknowledge the land belongs to the creator but was given to the First People and that the First People are still here.  Let’s not forget that.  That’s an important thing to acknowledge as well.  That was a beautiful thing.  Then it’s followed up by…Escape to Kalahari which is the indoor theme park, family-owned, open for twenty…I said, that thing’s been open for twenty years?  I guess they just opened another one somewhere.

 

I’m sure it’s not a easy time for a business like that, so we…it’s family-run, and Scooter, when I went to the restroom there one time, we didn’t go on the rides.  We just used…we wanted to see what it looked like.  It has…oh, and something Texas opening one.  They have a confetti-blowing elephant, very great colors.  Then AJR performs Bang!  Alternative rock, I guess.  They do a pretty good job.  They’re into it.  They seem to be having fun.  I guess they’re brothers.  Then we get a performance by the A2 proud…the Temptations musical doing My Girl.  Beautiful, beautiful song…singing performance, but also the colors of the jackets with the little pin…not pinstripes, but the stripes on the lapels.  Actually, they do a little bit of a melody that…it’s a little bit more than just one Temptation song, which was nice.

 

Then we get…I guess I gotta turn it over, but next up is the performers from the West Indian American Day Carnival Association from the parade we had spoke about earlier, but now I want to turn it over to Bernie the butterfly.  Thanks.  Bernie the butterfly here.  There’s a beautiful butterfly…oh boy, is it a butterfly.  One of the biggest…it’s a costume, it’s a headdress, it’s a gown.  It is this multi-layered butterfly in a carnival style.  So many layers, so many colors.  It has its own…has to have its own wheels and everything.  I can’t believe this person is doing it and they’re still dancing.  Made me a little bit tired.  Also, all the other performing…very fun.  I think this was a pre-produced one.  Steel drums, everything.  Then we go to Al.

 

He’s on, doing a little more behind-the-scenes over there.  The butter comes up and messes with him, like last year.  I don’t know if that was a new thing last year that they said, we gotta get this butter guy back to harass Al, or if last year it was planned out.  But he said, get butter spread out.  Get outta here before I melt you.  Can’t shake ‘em.  He’s spreading his joy everywhere.  Get outta here.  Hit the road, butter.  He does a little bit of behind-the-scenes, can’t shake him.  Then we have Spongebob and Gary, sixteen years old.  They got a new movie, On the Run, and a new show, Kamp Koral, it’s called.  Like a young…prequel of Spongebob, the prequel.  Then I gotta turn it over to my partner, here.  Can you introduce yourself?  Oh, it’s so exciting.  It’s me, Stan.  Scooter, Scooter; it’s me, Stan.

 

I get to be here on the parade.  I’m a little…I’m a bit nervous, so I just might not…Scooter, Scooter, can you hear me?  Scooter can’t hear you because we’re recording this and we’re supposed to be talking about the parade.  Nice to meet you, Stan, by the way.  Oh, you’re…are you a butterfly?  I’ve never seen a butterfly in person.  Oh, this is so exciting.  Okay, I’ll just…why don’t you process how exciting it is to be with me over here.  Next up was the Entenmann’s Bake Shop from 1959.  They invented the see-through cake box and Sofia Carson’s up there performing Baby, Yes, I’m a Liar, or some…Baby, You’re a Liar.  The mix was a little bit off but it was still pretty good.  Good performance.  I don’t know if I could share the stage with the…so Stan, what did you think of your first parade?

 

Well, I loved it.  It was…I’ve never watched…you watch a screen with a parade on it.  Yeah, you do.  Oh, wow.  It’s quite…yes, for me, it was very nice.  Okay, Stan, why don’t you look at what’s next up?  Okay, so there was Olympians talking about holiday joy and how the limitations that they…that then they love…they…and then there was Tom and Jerry.  Scooter, Scooter, I wish you were here with me, but Tom and Jerry are a cat and dog.  No, it’s a cat and a mouse.  Oh.  Oh, that makes more sense.  It’s a cat and a mouse and they’re having adventures together but the…one of them is very accident-prone.  It reminded me of Scooter.  Well, that’s certainly right, there.  You got that right.  Yeah, they had a liquid something.  Jerry had a drone, some helium, and one of those rolling things.

 

Stan, why don’t you try to compute what’s up next?  Oh, so next up was the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Scottish pipes.  It was the Emerald Society and they did America the Beautiful which is from the FDNY, the pipe and drums.  Scooter, did you know that that can be heard from ten miles away?  Again, Scooter’s not here, Stan.  But so, great, that’s great to know.  Did you see the trolls?  Stan, do you know how big their hairdos are?  They’re twelve feet.  Yeah, and they’re…what’s the name of the troll’s movie coming up?  TrolloTopia.  Okay, this is gonna work, I think.  Next up was a…what would you call the name of the next float, Stan?  Rexy’s Coach.  Okay, great.  Then, oh, to back up, what…if you were a troll, what would you take for public transportation?  A Caterbus.  Oh, this is…is this fun?

 

Are we having fun?  Yeah, we’re kinda having fun, I guess.  This is…now, if you were gonna put somebody on a coach float to perform a song called Dreamcatcher and it was someone who recently did the VMAs which I can’t even believe still exist, who would you hire, Stan?  Oh, could you…there was a golden T-Rex statue that moved its head with a pink hat.  Also, I would probably hire Keke Palmer to sing.  Oh, great job.  It’s a sparkling light show.  Keke Palmer got…was on a couple sitcoms and there’s great dancing there.  I really enjoyed Dreamcatcher.  I thought it was…would be a good…what would be the song in the parade that most likely fits with Sleep With Me, Stan?  Dreamcatcher.

 

Yeah, and this kinda float actually looks a bit like you would have one…it’s like, pink and purple, sparkly, a little bit surreal.  It has some reality but it’s pulled by…not a dinosaur but a toy T-Rex model, like one of those ones you would make out of…if you bought it, Stan, what would it be made out of?  Balsa wood.  Wow, we’ll make…Stan, I think we’re making good partners over heres.  Now Stan, what would you say next if you were up?  I’d say that the rain had stopped which was nice, and you’d say make sure to thank…if you were the hostess Savannah and Hoda, I think Hoda is very…I love Hoda.  Yeah, everybody loves Hoda.  I mean, I’m pretty sure.  I don’t know anybody that doesn’t like Hoda.  I mean, I’m sure there’s people out there, but they don’t…they probably don’t like the podcast, either.

 

But what else would you say if you were them?  Well, I’d thank New York and New York City for their [01:00:00] support at pulling off the parade, and then I don’t know what I would do.  Okay, well, next up, you’d go…holy mackerel, Scooter was spinning with joy because Grimace and Ronald were up next.  Scooter loves Grimace.  This Grimace looks like Grimace just got out of the wash in a good way.  Grimace looked very, very good.  I’m sure that on the parade route normally, Grimace picks up a lot of link and moisture, so just having…and Ronald looks pretty tight, too.  But it was good.  Stan, do you have any facts about the…anything?  Oh, I do.  Ronald’s shoe would…the car, the shoe car would be a 29 Triple-E or maybe that’s what’s Ronald the balloon would wear.

 

Ronald’s position is a Chief Happiness Officer.  This balloon has been around since 1987.  Oh no, this is the fourth design.  The first design was in 1987 but they’ve had a thirty-year partnership.  Ronald McDonald House does a lot of good.  Okay, thank you, over there.  Next up was Al and Miss America.  They did a good job communicating and using body language.  She had a great mask on.  But the only thing was, it was friggen wet towels behind her.  There’s somebody hung up.  I said, you know, there’s friggen wet towels behind Miss America over there.  Can you move the camera to…they tried, at first.  Then they just moved for a better look.  Maybe somebody was distracting them or maybe they were trying to get a better angle, but yeah, said there’s…I think the camera person knew it, but then they were overruled, so I don’t know.

 

Lots of body language, wet towels, 63-degrees.  The warmest day was 69-degrees.  Oh, sorry, Stan.  Stan, what facts can you tell me about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles over there?  Yeah, I could tell you they’ve been in the parade for thirty-six years and probably in many different formats because this…these are very modern turtles.  Mikey, Leo, and whoever the other one is, it was exciting to see.  Then they have CNCO.  Now, this was the most…don’t mind me going, Bernie; CNCO was ready for their…they were one of the most prepared because they had earpieces in and they had…they were able…they had kind of a pre-planned rehearsed performance.  I think with more people it’s easier too, ‘cause you can play off each other and take turns.  Again, there’s that kinetic motion.

 

They had steam, they had the dancers, they had wind.  But yeah, they didn’t all have to be focused at one time, so they took turns.  They did a great job.  Bernie, I know you like boy bands; what did you think of this?  I loved it.  I said CNCO, count me as a super-fan now.  I mean, you know, they’re not gonna be number one in my heart, but I was very impressed with the fact they gave it their all.  That’s the key for me, is that you can’t pretend like you’re too cool for school or something.  If you’re gonna show up at the friggen parade, show up at the friggen parade.  They were prepared and in sync.  Yeah, and those earpieces really worked.  Then we had the Pikachu and nine Pikachu dancers which was very cool.  The red cap snowman which had been in the parade for twenty years.

 

Then we have the joyful performance from the PR Day Parade, Scooter put, but the Puerto Rican Day Parade.  Then Bernie, we have to throw it back to Stan now that the boy band has been on.  Okay, thanks, everybody.  Thanks to CNCO.  Ray, take it away.  Alright everybody, this is Ray here.  I’m gonna really poetic it down for you, your friend Ray.  It’s good to be in your ears, here.  We had Olay, fearless female astronaut, stem and LED lights, 2030, Karol G with a band.  Her nails looked good against the white.  Then we had Snoopy, the high beagle, the longest-running space traveler stem education, musical, one-night only, Tina Fey Thursday, Mean Girls; this was definitely one of the highlights of the parade for me because I just love this musical.  I know all the songs.

 

It’s a very…this song in particular is like a James Bond song.  Felt like it was live.  I think it was live or else the mix was perfect.  Regina George…then we had a little shot of John Legend, Jane Lynch, Lester Holt, holy voices, Deidre Hall, Nick Jonas, then we had Al on the set, Boss Baby promotion, balloon moving…oh, boss…oh, we…are there cars moving the balloons?  540,000 crans in a case, New York life, toy horse, 175 Yours Key, Life Moments, love in action, Darlene Love blowing kisses, Marshmallow World which may have been the first…one of the first Christmas carols of the parade.  Then we had Green Giant and Little Green Sprout eating corn, Brett Young, there’s a windmill.  Brett Young had good hair.  Then we get a little balloon behind-the-scenes.  We see the balloon by Yayoi Kusama.

 

Beautiful sun balloon that flies up to the sky, My Eternal Soul.  I guess they did a preview of that last year.  Maybe we saw it flying somewhere else, but it wasn’t in the parade yet.  She’s ninety years old, so that was a bravo.  Al has a little vocal stumble.  He recovers.  Then from the Pride Parade, we have the Lesbian & Gay Big Apple Corps.  They performed Dancing Queen.  That was having…we were having the time of our lives dancing to that one.  You really…if you…this is the kind of things you get to appreciate when the parade’s a little different.  You say wow, those drums and xylophones really make a big difference.  Then we have wall dancers, a tight-rope walker, a juggler from the Big Apple Circus.  Slowly something, Scooter wrote.  Smokey the Bear from fifty-four years ago and Mount Rushmore.

 

Al gives a shout-out to Twitter on there from South Dakota.  Then we had Lauren Alaina singing.  That was nice.  Baby dinos are shy.  Trio of Sinclair Oil.  Ten years to full size.  The most famous dino, Apatosaurus at the gas station, then holy moly, Patti LaBelle, the godmother of soul singing The Most Wonderful…so, we had back-to-back-to-back, I think, almost.  We get Darlene Love, Patti LaBelle.  This was…to me, this was Mount Rushmore, over here.  Darlene Love, Patti LaBelle, and then coming up…so, Patti LaBelle sang The Most Wonderful Time of Year, great stage, good dancers.  Then the Lego dragon, turkey brick changer, Lego art scene, twenty-one different skills.  Christmas All Over from the Goo Goo Dolls.  45-foot nutcracker for Universal, which we were there last year to see this in person or the balloon like it.

 

Then pink butterflies, ribbon dancers, Poppin’ Fresh Doughboy.  Happy start of the baking season.  Then we get a little parade studios behind-the-scenes; 50,000 hours to make this work.  360-degree view in mind.  The Cracker Barrel float, oil lamp…this is behind-the-scenes; fireplace…then we go to Nashville.  [01:10:00] Then we have a Holly Dolly Christmas, a heroine in our midst, the great Dolly Parton.  She was singing, she was talking, she said are you ready?  There’s a pause.  She dances, lights go out and she says, yeah.  Little float, quaint, snowball fight, seven days a week.  Oh, lifetime.  Dear Christmas from Tori Kelly.  Oh, that’s a special; Tori Kelly sang the 25th; that was a song.  There’s a person stuck in a mountain though, on that float.  It was funny looking.

 

There’s light and light bowls and a garland.  Nice float, though.  Very nice float skirt with icicles.  Then there’s an elf in the…oh, then this elf in the fetal position said too much watching this year.  Everybody’s home.  We said, the elves’ report will probably be like a sleep podcast.  Best-selling book, they said.  I said, the elf is always watching.  Is that the name of the friggen book?  Then we had the Dr. Seuss musical which I also saw in Universal last holiday season.  Who likes Christmas?  Then the only ad I caught was this John Goodman Fisher-Price ad, Let’s Be Kids.  It was great.  Then a commercial…oh no, not a commercial; a float from Central Park from Delta with a ballet, Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy.  Ashley Bouder was the dancer.  Beautiful, beautiful.  Oh, what a nice moment.

 

One of the…another one of the highlights.  I mean, not that there…does have to be the best spots, but you know, Darlene Love, Patti LaBelle, Dolly Parton, the ballet were all up there.  Then there’s some elven balloons indoor from the Christmas Chronicles which I still haven’t seen, so I gotta see that.  Your friend Ray has to see that movie.  Then Darlene Love and the Christmas Chronicles.  Then we have Pentonix.  Penatonix.  Ray, I get it mixed up…Pentatonix.  Pentatonix.  That means beautiful music in my ears.  But we shout-out to Scotty who’s always been nice to the podcast.  I don’t know if Scotty still listens, but much love to Scotty either way because this was a beautiful one.

 

Again, they have parade experience, but I don’t know if it was the camera or that there was five of them or that they had headsets in or that they’re just used to it, but like…much like a couple of the other bands, they were ready to go.  They just did a great job.  It almost felt like they were really singing, or maybe the mix was a little bit better.  I don’t know.  They were on a Hallmark float which was kinda like a stairs advent calendar.  I also think it is a matter of being closer to the camera, but they were really ready to go.  We love Scotty here.  We love all of them; a capella or not.  You don’t have to be a capella for us.  But they sang A Few of My Favorite Things, which they were my…one of my favorite things.  Now, there was one thing that did win the award, but they were close.

 

Then there’s something…clown to the camera.  I don’t know what Scooter’s saying there.  Then there’s a commercial and we come back.  Oh, there’s the animated Macy’s song, so I don’t know what…oh, close to the camera.  Scooter was trying to figure out why that was so good.  Then there’s a animated…the Macy’s singers singing about togetherness and hopefulness…we believe, with some great animation.  Not as good as seeing the Macy’s people in person, but I understand it.  Then this was the winner of…and again, I think it’s because the slower pace; we had a little bit more time.  It was the end of the parade.  The Rockettes, and normally, I don’t think the Rockettes have ever won from Ray.  Not that that’s right or wrong, but this performance was just…you should watch it.  Look it up.

 

Give yourself…set aside five minutes to sit down and relax and watch this precision dancing.  It was absolutely amazing.  It was the March of the Wooden Soldiers.  Is that what you officially call it?  I don’t know, but so well laid-out and planned.  I think it even had an axe structure.  Parade of the Wooden Soldiers.  They had amazing masks on, great turning.  Normally you’d watch it at the Radio City Music Hall but oh boy, was…it was so good.  Yeah, they win…they won Act of the Year.  I mean, that’s…and this is rare company, dancing pucks and I don’t know what else has even won.  Even had sound effects.  Best of the parade.  Wow.  They give pats on the back.  Then we had…now this year, the final float only featured Mrs. Claus, setting a great example.

 

I did not see Santa Claus on this float because I think maybe they’re making their way for Roberta Claus and people like Mrs. Claus who was wearing a mask and setting an amazing example there, and all of her friends and workers and reindeer…and she probably said Santa’s probably busy.  I’ll take the reins of this thing and wave at everybody.  We missed Santa in the parade and they did have a stand-in, but it was…and the elves waving and the outfits and there was candy canes and everybody was setting a great example.  They closed it out.  Mrs. Claus closed out the parade in such a good way.  I was so…in a candy cane with a candy cane mask.  I liked that.  There was one thing that I said, what is that?  Yeah, it was good to see Mrs. Claus saying to everybody hey, this is how we do it.

 

This is how Mrs. Claus does it.  A great end to the end of the year.  Thank you all for listening to me.  I missed you.  I missed being in your ears, here.  It’s your friend Ray just saying goodnight, happy holidays, and I’ll see all of you soon.  I’ll be dancing.  Where I am, you dance where you are, but our hearts will be dancing together.  Okay, goodnight.

 

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