WilliamShatner.com :: SEASONS GREETINGS FROM HOLLYWOOD

SEASONS GREETINGS FROM HOLLYWOOD
Posted by: Jane.Singer on Tuesday, December 17, 2002 - 10:44 AM

	Bill and Elizabeth rode atop the Wells Fargo stagecoach in this year's Christmas parade along the streets of Hollywood. Join us for a peek at this longtime holiday tradition.
<p align="right"><font size="2" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> December 17, 2002</font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">In Hollywood, it's not the chill in the air, but the traditional Christmas parade that rings in the holiday season. And this year, Bill and his lovely wife, Elizabeth joined the festitivies as they traveled the two mile parade route atop the Wells Fargo coach pulled by four draft horses. </font> <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF"></font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">The Hollywood Christmas Parade has a long history. The first one was organized by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce in 1928. There was only one actress in the parade...and Santa Claus. The parade has grown steadily over the years. This year, it was renamed the Blockbuster Hollywood Spectacular and was a star-studded extravaganza with appearances by countless celebrities, classic cars, equestrian units, marching bands and floats. The event took place Sunday evening, December 1st and was broadcast on NBC the following week. It will be rebroadcast on UPN on Christmas day. </font> <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF"> </font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">This year, the parade route started at the corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Drive, just one block west of the world-famous Mann's Chinese Theatre and ran along Hollywood Boulevard to Vine Street, from Vine to Sunset Boulevard, and back along Sunset to Orange Drive.</font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF"></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">The parade began a little after 7:00pm and within a half hour, the air was electric with the sounds of music, marching bands and screaming fans as the Wells Fargo coach traversed the route. Bill and Elizabeth clearly looked as though they enjoyed the experience. They smiled and waved, left...right...left...right with rarely a chance to rest as the parade kept to a swift pace. Everywhere they went, fans called Bill's name. It was a privilege to follow along on the sidelines and catch bits and pieces of the conversations that sprung up along the route as they passed. Overwhelmingly, love and admiration came through in the voices, excited shrieks of "William Shatner" and well wishes mixed in with thanks for Bill's many years of entertainment. </font> <p align="center"> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">This wasn't the first time that Bill participated in the Hollywood Christmas Parade. He and Leonard Nimoy rode in the parade during the 1960's when Star Trek was on the air. And in 1985, Bill was the Grand Marshall of the parade...on horseback. This year, his association with Wells Fargo's entry is especially meaningful because of their support of the Hollywood Charity Horse Show. While Wells Fargo has been a sponsor of the show for the past several years, 2003 will mark their first year as title sponsor. </font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">In an interview prior to the start of the parade, Bill praised Wells Fargo for their caring and commitment, calling them "a very enlightened company." He told Zarina Ramzan of Tinseltown.tv that Wells Fargo has a sense of community. "They give back a great deal."</font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">The interview gave Bill the opportunity to talk about the charities which have benefited from the Hollywood Charity Horse Show since its inception in 1990. For the past several years, the primary beneficiaries have been Ahead with Horses which works with severely handicapped children and an acclaimed after-school enrichment program called LA's BEST. Bill also talked about Friendly House and the important work that is being done there to help addicted women. The interview is quite good and we've included a link to it. </font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF"> If you're in Southern California next year during Thanksgiving weekend, make it a point to come to the parade. It's an experience unlike any other, something you soon won't forget. </font> Our best wishes <font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">for a safe and happy h</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">oliday season!</font> <p align="left">  <p align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">Contributed by Jane Singer and Sandy Moruzzi</font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">Stay tuned for our next column which will appear on December 31st. Meanwhile, if you missed one of our past web columns, you can view them in the SFI Archive. </font> <hr /> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="" size="2"><font color="#FFFFFF">Shatner & Friends International is William Shatner's official fan club. We are a community of friends drawn together by an appreciation of William Shatner, the actor and the man. </font></font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">O</font><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">ur first newsletter, The Best of Times, is posted online. Each issue features the latest news about Bill and his activities, exclusive interviews, articles, lots of candid photos, charity updates and much more. The next one will be published in early 2003.</font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> We will post time sensitive information concerning Bill's appearance schedule within Bill's online calendar. It's updated regularly, so keep checking back. </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font size="-1">If you're interested in joining the Club, annual membership includes a beautiful autographed 8x10 photograph of William Shatner as Captain Kirk, a copy of Bill's credits, a short biography, a subscription to The Best of Times and the opportunity to participate in our annual Shatner Weekend. Membership also grants access to the Captain's Club, an exclusive members-only part of WilliamShatner.com which includes a bulletin board and Club merchandise. Click here to join.</font></font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">We are excited to be part of WilliamShatner.com and we will be making regular updates to the website. </font>