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The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade returns to normal – somewhat
BY JAY BOBBIN
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For this year’s Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the bands are back together. Last time, the event altered some traditions to meet coronavirus-pandemic protocols, one being the postponement of appearances by marching bands from schools across the country. Since the parade won’t be for television only for 2021, spectators will be back as will the bands as NBC broadcasts the 95th annual edition of the New York holiday procession Thursday, Nov. 25. “Today’s” Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will have their usual roles as the three-hour special’s hosts.
“We were so happy to get to do a parade, in whatever form it came,” Guthrie recalls of last year’s procession ... with Kotb adding. “Every time the Macy’s Parade comes around, it reminds you that life is getting a little bit back to normal. The fact that we’re going to have some of the crowd back just gives me that feeling of, ‘We’re on a roll. Let’s keep it going.’ And I think this is emblematic of the route on which we’re hopefully heading.”
The number of people permitted to line the parade route will be reduced from the norm by 10 to 20 percent. New character balloons include Grogu (or “Baby Yoda”) from “The Mandalorian” and the title figure from “Ada Twist, Scientist.”
Among the scheduled performers are Carrie Underwood, Kristin Chenoweth (whose former show “WICKED” will be among Broadway hits represented by musical numbers), Darren Criss, Kelly Rowland, Jimmie Allen, the Muppets and the Rockettes. For typical parade-route-walker Roker, doing the 2020 version was memorable for a number of reasons, including the fact that he’d had prostatecancer surgery just a couple of weeks earlier.
“Once you’re in the teeth of (the parade), you’re not really thinking about anything else,” the genial meteorologist maintains. “In planning my surgery, my goal was to have recuperated to be ready for the parade. It’s a touchstone for me, so it provided a certain sense of normalcy, even though it wasn’t a normal parade. It was one I really needed, and I think a lot of people needed it.”
The ongoing existence of the Macy’s Parade comforts Guthrie, who says it would be that way whether she was a part of it or not: “To have that continuity is really important and really meaningful. It’ll mean a lot for people to be back out there participating.”
View from the Couch BY JAY BOBBIN
AS Adult situations P Profanity
Nat Geo Wild gives thanks for veterinarians with ‘Vetsgiving’
BY JAY BOBBIN
At a time when the pandemic has hampered our ability to work, travel and even relate to one another, the importance of the human-animal connection to our overall wellbeing has never been more apparent. And in the week of Thanksgiving, Nat Geo Wild lauds the professionals who keep our furry friends healthy with its annual “Vetsgiving” celebration.
Airing Monday through Sunday, Nov. 22-28, each night of the event offers up a four-hour block of the veterinarian series “Heartland Docs, DVM,” “Critter Fixers: Country Vets,” “Hatcher Family Dairy,” “The Incredible Dr. Pol,” “Dr. Oakley, Yukon Vet” and “Vets on the Beach,” as well as a sneak peek at the new series “Pop Goes the Vet With Dr. Joya.”
That series, which airs Thursday, Nov. 25, in advance of its official 2022 premiere, follows Kentucky based veterinary dermatologist Dr. Joya Griffin as she and her protege Dr. Jeff treat everything from hair loss and earwax to lumps and oozing cysts. It’s a little-known specialty that Griffin herself wasn’t aware of until she had a dog with a persistent skin problem.
“One thing I hear over and over again,” Griffin explains, “is that my clients come to me, my pet moms and dads, and they say, ‘I didn’t even know a dermatologist existed.’ And so part of me was wanting to tell that story, that we are out there and that 50 percent of the cases that a general practitioner will see have to do with the ears and the skin. And when they get a little complicated, I’m here to help and solve those major skin and ear issues. And so we’re sometimes not known about, and I’m happy to tell our story.”
According to Janet Van Vissering, senior vice president of development and production for National Geographic Channels, an obscure discipline such as Griffin’s is exactly the type of content the broadcaster is looking to spotlight.
“Every pet owner at some point will have some kind of dermatological issue with their pet if you have them for a while,” she says. “And I know that similar to when a human has a lump or a bump, you just go to the worstcase scenario. And I thought, there’s got to be a doctor who does this. And we did a search and, lo and behold, Dr. Joya just fell into our lap.”
Family Viewing Ratings
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In the history of American media, the name William Randolph Hearst stands tall. With an information empire built on newspapers but eventually encompassing magazines, radio stations and movie production as well, Hearst accrued power and influence – extending to his entry into politics – that, to his dismay, inspired Orson Welles to initiate what would become one of the most classic of all films, “Citizen Kane.” The Hearst Corporation continues to remain prominent in the business world, and its founder’s history is recalled in this PBS profile that was televised over two nights recently. The program also delves into the married Hearst’s long affair with actress Marion Davies and the establishment of his lavish California estate San Simeon. The David Nasaw biography “The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst” was the principal source here. ››› (Not rated: AS, P)
An even bigger hit than the original movie when it first was released, the first of the sequels gets a Steelbook edition of its 4K Ultra HD version. With James Cameron returning as director, the 1991 blockbuster brings back Arnold Schwarzenegger as the killing machine from the future, but he’s more of a protector this time ... trying to ensure the safety of Sarah Connor’s (Linda Hamilton) young son (Edward Furlong), who will grow up to be the leader of a revolt against human-oppressing machines. The major peril is posed by an even more lethal Terminator (Robert Patrick) that can shiftshape at will to resemble anyone or anything. Included among the special features is a new, almost hour-long documentary about the making of the film, featuring comments by Schwarzenegger and Cameron.››› (R: AS, P, V)
The quest to find a stolen artifact thrusts the seeking troubleshooter – played by Tom Burke (“Mank”) – into supernatural danger in this melodrama based on a story by graphic-novel writer Alan Moore. Vampires and voodoo are elements of the British town he’s steered into, and he discovers that what he thinks might be figments of his imagination are parts of the alltoo-real world he has ventured into. Scriptwriter Moore is part of a supporting cast that also includes Siobhan Hewlett (“Sherlock”), Ellie Bamber and Babou Ceesay (“Into the Badlands”). ››› (Not rated: AS, P, V) (Also on Digital and On Demand) Director Philip Kaufman’s (“The Right Stuff”) glossy, entertaining 1978 remake of the 1956 sci-fi classic gets new 4K Ultra HD treatment. Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams play San Francisco health inspectors who start noticing odd, subservient behavior by many of those around them, leading to the eventual hunch that those individuals actually are alien duplicates of the people they’re supposed to be. One extremely nice touch is an appearance by Kevin McCarthy, who starred in the original screen version (directed by Don Siegel, who also has a cameo here as a cab driver). Leonard Nimoy plays a psychiatrist consulted about the alleged takeover, with Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Carthwright also in the cast. ››› (PG: AS, N, P, V)
“CHRISTMAS WITH A PRINCE: THE ROYAL BABY”
Alexander (Nick Hounslow), pediatric doctor Tasha (Kaitlyn Leeb, “Heartland”) wants to go along with him on a royal tour, though she’s well along in her first pregnancy. She ends up accompanying him, but when a complication confines Tasha to bed, the couple has to determine how to maintain the tradition that the child must be born on the prince’s home turf. Charles Shaughnessy reprises his role as King Edward, and Josh Dean – who co-wrote the script – also co-stars. ››› (Not rated: AS)
