Santa Parade Attendance Falls Short
As predicted here on the Sister City by Joseph Mailander the parade attracted nowhere near the quarter of a million spectators the city said it would. Attendance was tripled over last year for the rebranded Hollywood Santa Parade (formerly known as the Hollywood Christmas Parade), now a city funded project.The parade, formerly sponsored by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, had once seen crowds of 500,000. The Chamber dropped the parade when attendance dwindled down to 15,000 and it became a money loser.
Production of the parade was continued by the same firm - Pageantry Productions - some Chamber insiders said was part of the cause for the fiscal woes of the parade. The firm is owned by Bill Lomas, reportedly a close associate of Parade booster Councilman Tom LaBonge.
Now don't get me wrong, the old, dead Republican Mayor loves parades and wish there were more of them. But its not the function of the City to organize or pay for them.
Some of the boosters of the parade think this parade could be on the same level as the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York or the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. It actually once was many years ago, but LA has changed since.
But its just not going to happen. LA is not New York. We have no central gathering places like Broadway and 34th Street. The New York parade has the support of a major corporation. The Rose Parade is produced by the amazing Tournament of Roses organization that has decades of experience - and its tied into one of the most significiant television sporting events - the Rose Bowl football game.
Both parades take place in towns that have strong civic pride. LA does not. Also both parades occur on a holiday when people are home and watching TV. The LA parade takes place on a Sunday when people are wrapping up a long holiday weekend and getting ready for work the next day.
The ideal thing for the parade would be for the Hollywood studios to take over as promoters (similar to Macy's) and host it on another date.
In the meantime how about if LaBonge focuses on more important things in his district like traffic, crime, etc.
Labels: hollywood santa parade, los angeles politics, parades, tom labonge, tournament of roses
Posted by Mayor Sam @ 11/26/2007 12:43:00 AM
26 Comments:
Instead of scaring people away by telling them how bad parking would be and that cars would be aggressively towed as well as ticketed, city should have focused more on telling them HOW to get to parade, printing maps of the Metro stops in papers -- so people could park a stop or two away and then take the Highland metro there. It could have been a good way to showcase the metro, too. (Wonder if earlier poster is right, that many going would be Hispanics who are big on Christmas and don't mind the crowds and hassles as a cheap day out?)
Did the city make money? With talk of fee waivers, that's a big issue. (But this is much MORE a worthwhile city event than El Grito in Boyle Heights, on top of Cinco de Mayo, Dia de las Muertos -- let them pick one fee waived event there, max.)
Picking Bob Barker again, who promised to throw in plugs about spaying and neutering pets, probably helped neuter the attendance. They need someone new and hot to join him, as an odd couple, if they want a younger crowd. Or go way young towards kids, too, cartoon characters. One more try, La Bonge...
Well - Bob Barker did get more of an audience than when Mayor V was the Grand Marshall or George Lopez.
Ideally what would be good would to be develop a membership based organization similar to the Tournament of Roses Association. It would be made up of volunteers who live and work in Hollywood. That gives them ownership and would make it more successful than paid city hacks.
Then they just bring in the studios and other businesses in Hollywood as sponsors. Eventually it would get the TV revenue it once did and be a first class production.
The people who are producing the parade now do things like pickle festivals and community parades in places like Redondo Beach, etc. I think you need a more Hollywood like operation for Hollywood.
Speaking of former sponsor, the Chamber of Commerce: since the dogg has now revealed himself an expert at all things commercial and financial, with his new forecast site and all, maybe he can take the parade over as its executive, very important chief financial officer, mascot and singer and entertainer? (If he doesn't have to sing one song longer than 8 seconds, that is, when his voice gives out.)
DN raves, calls parade "priceless." Doesn't give attendance numbers though.
Among the big stars on hand
Fred Willard, Dick Van Patten
Yeah, LaBonge ought to focus on more important things in his district like fixing the horrible potholes on Beverly Blvd. west of Western.
I saw a few dogs that needed to be spade and neuterd. (thanks Bob Barker)
There was a two legged Mutt which was in serious need of neutring. I saw Bob Barker abopt this Mutt and have it neutered.
The bloggimg Burros were very upset about this situation. Savvy???
OK, insecure loser crybaby, I told you not to delete posts, and you don't listen, so here you go.
Zuma, you little pussy. I'll post under whatever name I chose.
You are Dave Elliott and chose to use the stupid name of Zuma Dogg. I choose to use the name Zuma Dork's Daddy, because I am your Daddy.
You will ultimately bend to my will, so stop trying to act like a man and go back to being the pussy that you are. Only pussies delete things that are upsetting to them; real men deal with it straight on.
But you kept it up, so now I am posting it all over the Internet, anywhere and everywhere.
Grow up Dave and quit this insecure chickenshit attitude you have adopted of deleting posts that criticize you. What happened to your balls? Did Matt take them?
Remember, Dave, the sting is worse than the delete.
The biggest crybaby loser of them all, ZD, censoring. What irony!!!!
He whines like a two year old every time a Council Chair shuts him down for being out of line or off topic.
Yes, ZD, you whiny, insecure bitch, every person in the blogsphere now knows you are an insecure crybaby loser. Stop the deleting or pay the price.
Face the truth; the truth will make you free.
5:36am emotional weakling,
are you talking about the posts about gay sex with links to nude men?
yeah, I admit...I deleted those.
follow my stock picks and relax. you really are in trouble emotionally, dude. you have to be pretty degenerate and repressed to post that stuff. that's how you express yourself? that's how you channel your hostility? YIKES! Hope you don't work for the post office, weakling.
The city is in a state of emergency and crisis yet the lazy LA reporters don't say just how much this parade cost the city. You have major street closures, cops, fire dept, dept. of transportation, street services, etc. This parade was held so moron council members could ride down the street pretending they were somebody. How pathetic LA Slimes states Mayor was cheered yet people who went said he was booed.
No way Villaraigosa will ever be governor. National media will call him out on his baggage unlike local media that won't report.
....Villaraigosa's viability has been a topic of conversation for months among Democratic insiders and political scientists.
..California Majority Report dropped Villaraigosa in its rankings from first place to fourth behind Brown, Newsom and Garamendi..."His political capital is a lot like the California housing market. It has taken a hit lately," said Jack Pitney, a professor of government
So which is the burros' worst nightmare: that the mayor runs for governor and loses or reads the same tea leaves they are and decides to just focus on being mayor for two full terms?
Would it be more fun to get rid of him or be stuck with him?
If you want 250,000 people to attend you parade, I have the answer.
Have Mayor Sam leading the parade while riding bare-back on a large Burro. The crowd will cheer and scream with joy, Mayor Sam will save all of the Los Angeles area from the midget mexican mayor.
Oh yes, I didn't forget, the rest of the Blogging Burros could ride behind the Head Burro, basking in the glory of Mayor Sam riding in to save the day.
And of course we would have the midget mexican mayor picking up any Burro poo-poo with a pooper-scooper.
Removes Sombrero and tips Sombrero...
A certain Burro clowncil member could be the mayor's helper. Savvy???
Mayor Sam, actually having the studios pony up to help sponsor the parade is an excellent idea. They have the funding, the creative talent (?) to organize and design such a thing, and then maybe we could get a better "Hollywood" turn-out of participants that would in turn attract a bigger crowd. Back in the day, we used to trek from the Valley, pick up my grandparents in Echo Park, and then head over to our favorite spot on Selma/Gower to view the parade. Haven't done that in over 15 years. Because now it's been reduced to the biggest televised yawn-fest ever.
Bah humbug.
xoxo
I agree with 11:44 that the city should have focused more on the best ways to make the parade.
It should have been promoted much more than it was.
With several live shows in Hollywood or coming (i.e. Wicked, Cirque du Soleil, etc.) those should be featured in the parade the way the Macys parade features broadway. And studios should have floats for all the blockbuster Hollywood movies. (Imagine having a Shrek 4 float with Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz, etc. onboard for example) If you did stuff like that, you'd easily get a million spectators.
Doing it with yesterday's stars like Bob Barker and other TVLand refugees won't draw the crowds.
Probably should also draw in some of the hit Latin TV shows to put in floats too.
I had not attended the Hollywood Parade for several years until last year. What a waste of time and hassle. Not worth it at all. I remember years before you would see the movie stars or TV stars and singers. That’s what one expects to see in Hollywood. Not Mexican soap opera stars, what’s that, who knows them, not me.
I am glad they boo the Mayor, he deserves it. He is such a liar and a coward.
Holy shit 5:56 AM:
I am hoping that you need some sleep and didn't wake up that way.
Zuma Dogg hasn't been around long enough for anyone to have that much repressed anger toward him.
You are more bizarre than ZD could ever dream of being.
Keep it up Zuma. There are those of us who love you.
I meant 5:36, the jealous ass wipe who calls himself Zuma's Daddy.
The Gang banging cholo Mayor has ruined the parade with his TJ friends and having Mexican soap stars and newscasters who speak Spanish. He's ruined this city. Gavin will get tons of votes for gov cause once the National media report all Antonio's baggage the local media kiss asses didn't it will be all over. let's see which reporter has the balls to get the papers Antonio has to file and say how much money he makes and property he has. Hope Corina has a great lawyer
3:40: You're not helping your Antonio any. You sound panicked and unhinged. What's your point?
that stupid parade. isn't that the one that has a penguin mascot that comes from the north pole?
5th graders know that penguins only live on the south pole.
thats why they don't go. its a dumb parade.
^^^^
3:55 What is you point !!!!
I agree with 11:44 me makes a good point.
11:47 is Blogging Burro.
11:50 is the same Blogging Burro.
12:07 That's a funny commnet about the Mutt.
12:34 You make good point, those "movie stars" are washed up nobodies.
3:24 That is another funny commnet about the Mutt.
5:56 Another Bloggong Burro.
10:48 That was a funny comment about the Blogging Burros and the parade.
2:11 The Blogging Burro is boring us again.
What do you mean the city shouldn't have any involvement in this parade? It is a national embarassment that a city of our caliber, known worldwide as the entertainment capitol of the world, cannot pull off a fantastic production. Pathetic, really. And Pasadena does it every year!
Zuma, you insecure little pussy. Don't fuck with my posts or I will seriously fuck with yours.
You are an insecure, paranoid little pussy who has no balls.
Go look for them while adults talk to each other.
No wonder you are such a loser in life.
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