Rose Parade

[Ghoulish Delight]

Haven't seen anyone mention the Rose Parade.

Overall, meh. No more Stephanie Edwards, and I guess this may have been Bob Eubanks' last year as his contract is up. The addition of an "opening number" and song-filled parade stops are getting nauseating. And the float selection was by and large a big yawn (oh look more butterflies. Gee whiz, hummingbirds. Oh! That one has butterflies AND hummingbirds).

BUT

While on the whole it was unimpressive, there were a handful of standouts. The sea turtles were incredible, as was the reptile float. In a year whose theme led to even more animal-based designs than normal, those two really were the cream of the crop.

The Star Wars thing was...weird. Cool to see Endor, but 6 foot tall Ewoks didn't sit right. And the Naboo float seemed really dull and flat. Where were the vibrant colors? But squadrons of storm troopers marching (poorly) down Colorado Blvd. was pretty cool.

And, of course, the 2 biggies: Fire breathing dragons and jetpack.

The dragons was the best float in a LONG time. Goregous artwork, great animation, and freaking fire-breathing!

As for the jetpack, it was definitely one of the most exciting Rose Parade moments in memory...but I later caught a rebroadcast where I actually listened to the commentary and learned that the thing only holds enough fuel for a 30 second flight. Bleh, how disappointing.