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CNN Live Event/Special

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; T.I. Gives Back in Atlanta. Aired 8:30-9a ET

Aired November 28, 2024 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[08:32:49]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are enjoying the holiday. And if you're one of the millions of people across the country unable to celebrate with your family, I hope you have some good friends and neighbors or some coworkers you're close to, to spend some time with. The people who love you and support you and pour into you, and you do the same for them.

I'm grateful for community this Thanksgiving. They're just like your chosen family. And it can be just as good. Enjoy your Thanksgiving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: Ah, that's so great from our good friend Victor Blackwell. Also just a beautiful setting there. The fire. The green.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, he was like exuding warmth there.

HILL: Yes. Well, that's what he does.

BERMAN: That's Victor.

HILL: So there's that.

I don't know if you could just hear a little cheer behind us. It is just about time to get things started. Here we see getting going. The streets of New York are about to see some balloons up overhead.

Brynn Gingras is there at the start of the iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, just up the street from us.

Brynn, it's all happening.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you guys, you can hear the cheers, I'm sure.

Let me whip around here because this is always the first sign that this parade is about to begin. That's the NYPD right there on their motorcycles. They shoot by us, and then we will soon see Tom the Turkey making his way down Central Park West, which we are on right now.

So, this parade is going to start about ten blocks from where we are, shoot down Central Park West, go all the way down to 59th Street, Columbus Circle, and then across and then down Sixth Avenue to the 34th Street and Macy's area.

So, guys, this is going to be so exciting. We are thrilled for this parade even though it's raining. It hasn't stopped a lot of these parade growers from getting here super early. I love the excitement.

Tell me where you're from and what's your name.

XANTHA, VISITING PARADE FROM SAINT LOUIS, MISSOURI: My name is Xantha (ph) and we're from Saint Louis, Missouri.

GINGRAS: Oh my gosh, welcome to New York City.

XANTHA: Thank you.

GINGRAS: Is this your first time in New York City?

XANTHA: No.

GINGRAS: OK.

XANTHA: First time at the parade.

GINGRAS: This is a bucket list item?

XANTHA: Yes, absolutely.

GINGRAS: Oh, my gosh. It looks like you have your whole family here.

XANTHA: Our family and our friends from Tampa.

GINGRAS: (INAUDIBLE) from Tampa. So exciting. And I love it. You guys all had a little countdown going.

[08:35:00]

You are so ready.

XANTHA: Yes. We've been planning for a long time.

GINGRAS: Why was it so important to get you, your family, friends here today, even though it's raining you're here?

XANTHA: It's a bucket list. I mean they'll never forget this. Will you, guys?

KIDS: No. No.

XANTHA: No.

GINGRAS: And, you know what, just the rain's going to add to the experience. I know we always say that and we're like -

XANTHA: Right.

GINGRAS: You know, but it'll be true.

XANTHA: It really will. Yes.

GINGRAS: You're going to be like, I sat in the rain for several hours and watched the parade go right past me.

XANTHA: Absolutely. Yes. Thank you.

GINGRAS: Well, Happy Thanksgiving, guys. I want to get out of your way.

And like I said, this is the first - the first sign that this parade is ready to go. And it's actually so exciting when those guys go by because turkey - Tom the Turkey is on his way, guys. You are in for a treat in all of this.

Crowds who've been here for hours in the rain are in for a treat as well.

Guys.

BERMAN: That's so cool, Brynn, to watch the police roll by there, to see Tom the Turkey.

And what you're looking at right now is Minnie Mouse just up the street from the start of the parade. As we said, this is the first appearance in the parade for Minnie Mouse. So, we can see some of the - some of the clowns and people getting ready to walk down and get things started.

Brynn, if you're still there, are you seeing things move by you yet?

All right, Brynn is engulfed in the revelry of the parade. But that's understandable because it's all getting started right now. People so excited.

HILL: It is. And it was pretty cool, as we just saw, the NYPD roll past us. John Berman and I had huge grins on our faces.

BERMAN: It's very cool.

HILL: It's great to see on TV. It's pretty cool to be here on the street as well.

Oh, there's Tom.

BERMAN: That's a live picture of Tom the Turkey, the official start of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It will all get going in seconds right by us. And then it won't stop for hours and hours.

HILL: My friends on "Sesame Street," here they are. We're going to see them in just a minute, too. BERMAN: You're looking at live pictures right now.

When you say your friends on "Sesame Street," Erica, you actually have been working with them for years in different ways now.

HILL: It's true.

BERMAN: And the way they do things, just amazing.

HILL: Ah, Oscar.

BERMAN: Even he's smiling.

HILL: I mean, you know it's a good day when you can get Oscar the Grouch to smile just a little bit. It was a wave. I think that counts.

Oh, we see a minion.

BERMAN: That's fantastic. Minion. The minion there, one of the floats, obviously. And Tom the Turkey - actually, I'm sorry -

HILL: One of the balloons.

BERMAN: We have to issue a CNN correction. The minion - the minion is a balloon.

Tom the Turkey, though, very much a float.

HILL: He is very much a float. A self-propelled float. His wings move, as you see there. And he is how we know that things are really getting started. Kicks off this parade and reminds us why we're all here. Not to eat him, to give thanks.

BERMAN: To give thanks to him, at least for the duration of the parade. I can't speak to what happens after the parade. The giant floats, they may need (ph) a giant turkey. That's all I can say.

HILL: It could happen. Could happen.

This is - Berman, have you ever been to the parade before?

BERMAN: I - you know, I have to be completely honest, we've come - when my boys were really young, we tried to see different parts of it. And when we first moved to the city, we tried to take our family to parts. But I never have been this close to the action.

HILL: Nor have I. So, my family went a couple of times, but I was always working. We would take our boys to see the balloons being inflated the night before. They would do that around the Natural History Museum just up the street from us. It's a really magical way to spend the night before Thanksgiving. Then we'd have pizza, not turkey. But I've never been this close. It's great.

BERMAN: It really is magical. You can feel the energy here.

And one thing I will point out, we have maybe mentioned a few times, it's raining. And you can tell by the ridiculous hat I'm wearing to try to keep the rain off my face that it's raining.

But the good news is, it's not that windy. And that, of course, is a big deal because it means that the balloons can fly. The wind isn't so strong that will affect anything. People are just going to be a little damp as they watch the balloons and the floats and all the good cheer.

HILL: And I think that's all manageable. It's also, for so many people, as we just saw Brynn was speaking with a woman from Saint Louis, she was saying, this was a bucket list item. For so many people that's what it is. Rain is not going to dampen their holiday.

This is a, for many people, once in a lifetime opportunity to see this parade up close, to see a minion, Ronald McDonald, go by. And it's getting a little loud behind us. I see - I see Tom.

BERMAN: You know, and Thanksgiving is all about coming together. And if a minion and Ronald McDonald can operate that close to each other, you know we can all come together.

Right where we're standing, we see one of the first marching bands go by. And we see Tom The Turkey himself is actually - I can reach out and touch Tom the Turkey almost.

HILL: Look at that. There he is. Hi, Tom.

BERMAN: Tom is waving his wing at us.

HILL: He is. I - I - he just looked at you, Berman. I saw him wink.

BERMAN: I'm waving back to Tom right there. Oh, that was cool. That was very cool.

HILL: Good stuff.

BERMAN: All right.

HILL: We're only just getting started.

BERMAN: We did that.

HILL: Just ahead here, an act of gratitude for those who have paved the way. We're going to take you to see how rapper T.I. is giving back to senior citizens on this Thanksgiving.

Also, Erin French of Lost Kitchen joining us live to whip up a little crispy onion potato pie.

[08:40:02]

I am getting really hungry.

BERMAN: That sounds so good.

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(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) KRISTIN CAVALLARI, TV PERSONALITY AND ENTREPRENEUR: Hi, CNN, it's Kristin Cavallari here. And Happy Thanksgiving to everybody. I hope everyone is surrounded by their loved ones today and just enjoying the day, relaxing, having great food.

[08:45:02]

I love hosting Thanksgiving so much. I love having everyone at my house. All of my family. I've had friendsgiving before too, as well. Basically anyone who's in town, I'm like, come on over, bring a dish and we just have a good time.

For me it's all about the sides. I will always, forever just be a mashed potato and stuffing girl. I'm a carb girl at heart. I also love pumpkin pie. I also love a fried turkey. That, for me, once I first had fried turkey, that was a game changer.

Another tradition that we have is that I always have our pumpkin latte candles from Uncommon James going. I'm all about ambiance, and I want people, when they first walk in my house, to just have those incredible smells. Between the food happening in the kitchen and the candles going, and I have the candles in every room in my house, including the bathroom, I just - I love setting that mood, and those candles are crucial for that.

This year I'm just extra thankful for health, for my children's health. I have three kids, so I know how lucky we are that everyone is very healthy, myself included.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: (INAUDIBLE) very important. We smell great right here at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

HILL: We do. Yes.

BERMAN: You're looking live at Philadelphia now.

HILL: Tweety.

BERMAN: That is Tweety Bird in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade. Philadelphia is the oldest continuous Thanksgiving parade in America. Tweety, of course, from Sylvester and Tweety, part of the Warner Family. Let's keep it in the family.

HILL: Yes, I love keeping it - so, Tweety's basically our cousin.

We see Ronald McDonald back here in New York City making his way down to us here, coming down Central Park West, right along the park. It is so fun as each float, as each balloon gets a little bit closer, when we start to hear the crowd really get excited and start to cheer.

BERMAN: Ronald first made his appearance in this parade in 1987. So, he's been at it a while. But I would say he aged well.

HILL: Very well. BERMAN: I mean there's no gray in that red hair.

HILL: No, and I don't think he colors it either. I'm pretty sure it's natural.

BERMAN: All right, now you're on camera. Just so you know, people can see your hat.

HILL: Also natural. I don't - I don't color this at all. My wings sort of flap a little bit. But, yes, there you go.

BERMAN: Just so people know, we are wearing this festive hat where, Erica, of course, wearing a Thanksgiving hat, where this comes from CNN's Thanksgiving - I mean, sorry, 4th of July in America special.

HILL: Yes.

BERMAN: That's when I first wore it. But I figured, you know, Thanksgiving's in America also. So, why not support the red, white and blue.

HILL: Why not? If you want to borrow the turkey for July 4th this year, you let me know.

BERMAN: We can trade. We can trade.

HILL: OK. Great.

BERMAN: There's more hats to come the longer you stay with us.

HILL: OH, we've got props.

BERMAN: In Detroit, the Thanksgiving Parade just kicked off. One hundred years now since the tradition began there.

Let's get right out to Nick Valencia in Detroit. Give us a sense of how it's going, Nick.

NICK VALENCIA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey, good morning, John and Erica. Happy Thanksgiving.

It is so fun out here. What an electric atmosphere. This is the Turkey Trot that you're seeing behind me. These runners were crazy enough to get up before the sun got up this morning to run for fun, you know.

When you think Thanksgiving, you think Detroit. There's such an intersection here with the city and this special holiday. Earlier this week, though, I was in Atlanta to interview actor, activist and rapper T.I. for his 19th annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway. He was joined by the mayor of Atlanta, Andre Dickens, as well as his friend and artist Uoung Dro, where they handed out more than a thousand meals for those in need.

Check it out.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) T.I., MUSICIAN AND FOUNDER, HARRIS COMMUNITY WORKS: I just try to treat people the way I want to be treated, you know?

VALENCIA: Yes.

T.I.: I just try to do for others the way I want someone to do for me if roles were reversed.

VALENCIA: I mean, people see you as this mega superstar, this hip hop icon. But also they see you giving back. You know, you've got bags in your hands that you're literally putting in trunks of cars.

T.I.: We are a constant in this community. We have - we have businesses here. We have family here. We have -

VALENCIA: You're investing all the time.

T.I.: Yes, you know, time, sweat equity, efforts, insight, whatever we can, because this - this community invested in us.

Better too much than not enough.

Happy holidays!

VALENCIA: One of the pioneers of hip hop in the south. How important is he to Atlanta?

MAYOR ANDRE DICKENS, ATLANTA: Well, look, man, native. Born and raised in Atlanta, and always keeps his heart and feet planted right here in the city doing good work like this. He's giving away food today. This is the king of the south, man. A very generous brother, one that's very good at what he does in business and music and in supporting communities.

VALENCIA: Tell us about the example that he sets for the city. What an example.

[08:50:01]

DICKENS: Yes, he sets a great example. Think about it, he and I are from this neighborhood. And so the young people that want to be him, they also know that that means that comes with generosity.

VALENCIA: Yes.

DICKENS: That comes with business acumen.

VALENCIA: Gratitude.

DICKENS: That comes with family. That comes with gratitude. They see, I want to be T.I. and also have influence and to be able to be a good contributor to the community.

T.I.: What you can do is get something in your hand, and help pass out something. Come on now, get to work. Get to work.

"TOP BACK", GRAND HUSTLE/ATLANTIC RECORDS: I got you.

VALENCIA: Young Dro, you're signed to Grand Hustle Records. What are some of the things that you've learned from T.I. over the years and your business partnership with him? Other than giving back, of course.

YOUNG DRO, MUSICIAN: Well, to be - to show gratitude, you know what I mean, especially for people that's helping you, you know what I mean? Make sure you pour back into people what they pour into you.

VALENCIA: You know the struggle of what these families are going through.

YOUNG DRO: I do. I do.

VALENCIA: What's your message for those struggling out there? Because there's a lot of America that seems to be struggling economically.

YOUNG DRO: I mean make sure that you're connected to community, make sure you're connected to your local church because there are resources, man. There are people that have a heart and there are people that is donating. There are - there are ways to get food. There's ways to get clothing, you know what I mean? So, make sure you're connected to the community, you know what I mean?

VALENCIA: Well, what are you grateful for this year?

: Well, I mean, I'm grateful for my - my family, my friends, my health and strength, life and just the opportunity to be present for others to make their days brighter and help their holidays be more memorable.

T.I.: Come on two of them. Yes, give her two there. Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We all good.

T.I.: We serve a God of abundance.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

VALENCIA: All right, in the spirit of talking about music and the culture, my homies from Detroit, they tell me you're not really from here unless you get a pair of these right here. Some people call them white sticks, some people call them yays (ph), some people popularly call them bops (ph). So, I'm going to see if I can pull them off. They go for about $3,500. They're cartier (ph) glasses.

BERMAN: Oh, yes.

HILL: Wow.

VALENCIA: I didn't want to get $3,500 glasses for just one live shot, so I got them from the gas station around the corner. These are knockoffs. They're $10. But I think the spirit - what (INAUDIBLE), are these good buffs (ph)? Yes, they're busy running.

HILL: Yes. VALENCIA: I think the sentiment here stands true.

We've got a lot of fun to show you here throughout the day. And there's the largest paper mache big heads - the largest collection in the world. You're going to see that in the parade. You're going to see dozens of clowns that got up early this morning. They paid $1,000 - this isn't just a fundraiser - or a parade, it's also a fundraiser. So much happening here. We can't wait to bring it to you.

Keep watching the CNN special here. John and Erica, we'll throw it back to you.

HILL: We're looking forward to it.

BERMAN: You had me - yes, you had me at the largest collection of paper mache heads anywhere in the world.

HILL: There was that and also the $3,500 glasses. And I was thinking for a minute, good luck with that expense report, Nick Valencia.

BERMAN: Exactly.

HILL: But $10, you might be able to slide it through.

VALENCIA: Yes. I bought these on my own. I don't want to expense them, you know?

BERMAN: Nick Valencia, you always look great.

VALENCIA: Thanks.

BERMAN: You'll have them forever.

Nick, thank you very much. You are winning Thanksgiving.

OK, here now some Thanksgiving trivia, OK?

HILL: Oh. All right.

BERMAN: So, do male or female turkeys gobble?

HILL: Male turkeys.

BERMAN: I think that's right. Females can gobble, but I'm told it's very, very rare.

HILL: Maybe we just don't feel like it.

BERMAN: Yes, exactly. No one should tell you ever to gobble when you don't want to.

HILL: That's right.

BERMAN: The stars of CNN's comedy show "Have I Got News For You" put their own spin on holiday trivia. Let's see how Roy, Amber and Ian did it. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROY WOOD JR, "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU": Here's the game we play on "Have I Got News For You," It's called "Missing Words." Here's how it works.

I'm going to give Michael and Amber some Thanksgiving related headlines with key words cut out, and they'll have to fill in the blank to give me the full story. It's time for "Missing Words: Thanksgiving Edition."

Amber, Michael, are you ready?

MICHAEL IAN BLACK, "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU": Yes.

AMBER RUFFIN, "HAVE I GOT NEWS FOR YOU": Yes.

WOOD: Here's your headline. Can I bring blank on a plane? TSA offers thanksgiving travel tips. What do you think that blank is?

BLACK: I'm going to say a live turkey. Like you put a little pet carrier under the seat. I think that would be adorable.

WOOD: Have you seen a turkey? A turkey is not going to fit under a seat.

RUFFIN: Nor is a turkey adorable. They're gross. That's why we eat them.

WOOD: They're delicious. They're delicious. In case there's big turkeys watching.

Can I bring a turkey on a plane?

In anticipation of the busiest travel time of the year, the TSA has served up some tips for traveling with your favorite Thanksgiving dishes. You know, you bake all this stuff and then you want to bring it on the plane and they tell you, you can't bring it. There's rules around cranberry sauce, gravy, wine. These are all considered liquids. So, you should check them.

But stuffing, turkey and mac and cheese are OK to bring on board.

RUFFIN: I don't want to eat the food that you brought from Wisconsin all the way to New York.

WOOD: Here's your next headline. Campbell's selling blank scented candles.

[08:55:02]

RUFFIN: Chicken noodle soup. They -

BLACK: Yes, what else could it be? Chicken noodle soup.

RUFFIN: Definitely. WOOD: Campbell's selling Thanksgiving scented candles. Campbell's has introduced a line of Thanksgiving side dish scented candles. You light this candle and you can have your home smell like apples or fennel and herb stuffing, everything bagel seasoned, mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, and, of course, everybody's favorite, green bean casserole. Just -

RUFFIN: That's a mistake.

BLACK: Yes, I agree with Amber.

WOOD: All right. OK. So then, before we go, let's go around and just say what we're thankful for.

Amber, what are you thankful for?

RUFFIN: I'm thankful for Roy Wood Jr., Michael Ian Black and all my friends at CNN.

WOOD: Michael, what are you thankful for?

BLACK: I'm grateful that "Have I Got News For You" coming back for a second season.

WOOD: Yes.

BLACK: It's the best job I've ever had. I love this job.

WOOD: Right. See you all in 2025.

That's Thanksgiving "Missing Words," and we will see you next year.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: And we are all grateful for that. You can watch "Have I Got News For You" Saturdays at 9:00 p.m. right here on CNN and streaming the next day on Max.

We are full in to the Thanksgiving Day Parade. This is CNN's "Thanksgiving in America."

We'll be right back.

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