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HOLLYWOOD,
Calif. -- Associated Television International today announced
that Stevie Wonder, the iconic and legendary Grammy Award, Academy
Award and Golden Globe Award winning American singer, songwriter,
musician, producer, philanthropist and human rights activist will
serve as the Grand Marshal of The 83rd Hollywood Annual Christmas
Parade.
The Hollywood
Christmas Parade, the largest Christmas celebration in America,
presented by The City of Los Angeles and Associated Television
International, will begin on the streets of Hollywood, CA Sunday,
November 30, 2014 beginning at 5:00 p.m. The spectacular live
event will begin with a superstar-studded concert prior to the
start of the parade proper at 6:00 p.m. The Parade will benefit
Marine Toys for Tots Foundation.
Stevie
Wonder said, “I am deeply honored to be serving as Grand
Marshal of the Hollywood Christmas Parade, as 2014 is a historic
one in the annuals of American history, and represents the 50th
Anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a landmark piece
of legislation in the United States guaranteeing all citizens
equal protection of the laws under the Fourteenth Amendment. It
is my privilege to give back and to be a part of an American tradition
like the Hollywood Christmas Parade.”
The parade
will be hosted by Laura McKenzie (“World’s Funniest
Moments,” “Laura McKenzie’s Traveler”);
Dean Cain (VH1’s “Hit The Floor,” “Masters
of Illusion,” “Lois & Clark: The New Adventures
of Superman”); Erik Estrada (“World’s Funniest
Moments,” “CHiPS”); and Montel Williams (“The
Montel Williams Show”).
“We
are tremendously honored to have Stevie Wonder, a true American
icon who is arguably the most influential singer/songwriter of
the last 50 years, to once again join us for The Hollywood Christmas
Parade this year as Grand Marshal. His musical brilliance has
become the soundtrack to our lives while his humanitarian achievements
have set the bar to a new height all others must now reach,”
said Jim Romanovich, President, Worldwide Entertainment, Associated
Television International.
Taped
for both national and local telecasts, each year the parade features
thousands of participants, including celebrities from film, television
and stage, award-winning bands from around the country, colorful
equestrians, ornate floats, spectacular live celebrity performers,
festive towering balloons, popular characters/novelties, the world’s
largest grandstand red carpet and, of course, Santa Claus.
About
Stevie Wonder:
American
singer, songwriter, musician, producer, pioneer, innovator, philanthropist
and human rights activist, Stevie Wonder, is one of the most celebrated
and prominent figures in popular music. At the age of 13, he was
the youngest recording artist to have achieved a #1 single with
“Fingertips, Part 2,” and subsequently the first to
simultaneously reach #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100, R&B
Singles and Album Charts.
To date
he has amassed 49 Top Forty singles, 32 #1 singles and worldwide
sales of over 100 million units. Stevie Wonder has won 25 Grammy
Awardsâ (the most ever won by a solo artist), the prestigious
Grammyâ Lifetime Achievement Award, a Golden Globe Awardâ
and an Academy Awardâ.
Stevie Wonder, a child prodigy, signed with the Motown’s
Tamla label at the age of 11 under the name Little Stevie Wonder.
His stage name, Stevie Wonder, evolved because many people were
astounded by his ability to sing and play numerous instruments
both at the same time, so people started calling Stevie “A
Little Wonder.” Stevie dropped the “Little”
from his name as his voice started to change.
While Stevie Wonder’s songs are unequivocally classic and
his influence timeless, equally laudable are his humanitarian
efforts, philanthropic leadership, and generosity of spirit. He
has received awards from the President’s Committee on Employment
of Handicapped People, Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Children’s
Diabetes Foundation and the American Association of People with
Disabilities.
In 1983,
Wonder spearheaded the realization of “Martin Luther King
Day” as a national holiday. His participation in the 1985
“We Are The World” fundraiser for hunger in Africa
was a music industry milestone while his involvement to put an
end to apartheid in South Africa is legendary. In 1986 he was
part of the AIDS-inspired charity single, “That’s
What Friends Are For.”
He is
the youngest recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, is a Commander
of France’s National Order of Arts and Letters and has been
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Songwriters
Hall of Fame and the Apollo Theatre Hall of Fame.
Stevie Wonder is a designated United Nations Messenger of Peace
with special focus on persons with disabilities. He continues
to be pivotal in U.S. and world events, demonstrating the activism
that has made him such a vital voice for social progress and world
harmony. To learn more about Stevie Wonder, please visit www.steviewonder.net.
For
the latest updates, please call the 24/7 Parade Hotline toll free
at 1-866-PARADE1 (866-727-2331) or visit the parade’s official
website at www.thehollywoodchristmasparade.org
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