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CNN Live Event/Special

Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day Parade; Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade; Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade; Erin French is Interviewed about Thanksgiving Food. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired November 28, 2024 - 09:00   ET

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

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[09:00:56]

ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: All right, and we are back. Good morning. Welcome to our first ever "Thanksgiving in America" special right here on CNN. I'm Erica Hill, alongside John Berman, coming to you live from New York City alongside the parade route here.

We are seeing it all go by. It's all happening, including the raindrops. But those raindrops, they are not putting a damper on anyone's day or their parade. There is a whole lot of excitement here. So much fun as the balloons are making their way down the street. We've seen some bands go by. They looked very wet and cold and they were smiling the whole time.

BERMAN: This is Bluey Chasing Red Balloon. As you can see, it's 52 feet tall. And on the ground, I don't know if we have a shot of it, there was also a balloonicle (ph), which is -

HILL: It's a balloon and a vehicle. So, it's a balloon on top of a vehicle that propels the balloon down the street, as opposed to, as you see here, the helium inflated balloons. So, there are all those balloon handlers who walk the balloons the length of the parade route.

BERMAN: So, just be warned, if you ever see a balloon driving down the street, it is a balloonicle.

HILL: IT's a balloonicle.

BERMAN: All right.

HILL: Which sounds like popsicle, but its balloonicle.

BERMAN: We are live here in New York City. We can see the parade firsthand here. We've got a great seat for it. You can see it right over our shoulders right now. That is Bluey.

You know, there were people from Australia last night. He's like - it's like the - you know, they travel with Bluey and they - wherever he goes, they go. So, there were people with Gary Tuchman watching Bluey being blown up from Australia. So, excited to see him.

So, we're here watching the parade live and we're going to go to Houston, which begins its parade later this hour.

HILL: We do want to start this hours coverage, though, we're going to head to the city of brotherly love. Philadelphia's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Thats where we find our Polo Sandoval. This is the 105th annual parade. Phillys is the oldest Thanksgiving Day Parade in the country, Polo.

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Erica, this is a parade that started it all 105 years ago. And a little bit of rain is not going to change all that.

Like the rain, this parade does come in waves. Just a couple of minutes of silence before yet another band comes around the bend here.

Joining us live right on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway you see a drill team that is now taking aim straight down this iconic parkway where you're seeing, again, despite that rain, these folks turning out. A lot of these folks I've had an opportunity to speak to. A lot of parents, a lot of grandparents hoping to catch a glimpse of their children.

Let's check out some of the crowds here with me.

You have some new friends from south - south New Jersey there. And plenty of folks that are lining this parade route, 1.4 miles of color on this gloomy day. And this is something that, again, has continued already for - for decades. So, this little bit of rain is not going to change things.

When you hear from some of the folks in the crowd, spoke to some people from Indiana, they're here to see their son Jack marching in this parade.

So, this really just speaks to the excitement. A lot of people have reason to be thankful, even for the rain, amid a pretty nasty drought. So, there is a little bit of thanks there.

But in terms of what we're seeing, again, a lot of smiles as I stand out here, Erica, John, soaked to the turkey bone. It is not raining on anybody's parade.

All of this ending straight down the parkway on the iconic Rocky steps. That's where some of the folks are going to be seeing performances the rest of the day, as we send things from the city of brotherly love back to the big apple.

HILL: All right, Polo, appreciate it. Thank you.

And it is -

BERMAN: Yes, at the end of the Philadelphia parade, they run up the steps and they all shout "Adrian" at once. It's how that parade ends. Just saying.

All right, we just saw Bluey go by here in New York. Let's get out to Chicago for the 90th annual Chicago Thanksgiving Day Parade. It just began. And Whitney Wild is right in the middle of it.

I understand that Teddy the Turkey balloon leads the charge there. What else are you watching for?

WHITNEY WILD, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT CORRESPONDENT: Oh, we have dozens of performances this morning, guys. And what makes this parade so special is that there are so many cultural performances. Chicago is such a multicultural city.

[09:05:01]

And so what this parade aims to do is really give you an idea of the flavor of Chicago, the very different flavors. As you said, this is the 90th anniversary. This is a very big day here for the Chicago Thanksgiving Parade.

It takes more than a thousand volunteers to put this parade on. And it takes at least a year and a half to plan. So, they're on 18 month cycles to get this parade off. Today they're expecting 475,000 spectators. You're seeing quite a few of them right over my shoulder here, filling in, because this parade is set to really begin in earnest in just a couple minutes.

We spoke with the parade's managing director. He's been working parades for decades. Here's what he had to say about why this parade is so special.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PHIL PUREVICH, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, CHICAGO THANKSGIVING PARADE: And our parade looks and feels like the city of Chicago and, in my opinion, represents what the nation looks and feels like as well. It's cultural groups sharing their traditions with us in celebration of Thanksgiving.

WILD: This is the 90th anniversary of the parade. What is this moment like for you today?

PUREVICH: You know, I'm actually honored to be part of this event for so long. I feel like it's a stewardship that I have an obligation and responsibility to make sure that this is a great event for the people of the city of Chicago and the people watching at home, across the nation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WILD: You guys, there's another parade - or another performance happening right now, right this minute. We are going to introduce you to some of these performers later today. So we'll check back in with you in a few, guys. Back to you.

HILL: All right, looking forward to it.

BERMAN: That is so cool.

One of the things that's so nice about today is everyone's smiling, right? Everyone in the crowd smiling. All of our friends from CNN smiling. It's nice to get to do something like this every once in a while.

HILL: We have - Berman and I have very much been looking forward to this Thanksgiving for that - for that exact reason. This is fun. And it's bringing everybody together. It's a great day.

BERMAN: Yes, I don't think the heavy rain is going to come down for a while either. I think it's going to be fine.

Let's get right out to Brynn Gingras, who's not too far from us watching some of these bands go by.

Brynn.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, that's right.

You know what, John, I am so happy you mentioned that because I want to give, like, a little shout out to all these people that are walking in the parade. The balloon handlers. The bands. The clowns. The people that are walking all these streets in stilts. I mean, like you said, they are all smiling. And I absolutely love the fact that this rain is not dampening their spirits, as we have been saying. So, a little shout out to those guys. But also a shout out to all these people in the crowd who are braving the weather.

Tell me where you're from. What's your name? Happy Thanksgiving.

SAWYER (ph), VISITING PARADE FROM CALIFORNIA: My name is Sawyer. My fiance's name is Kimberly (ph).

KIMBERLY, VISITING PARADE FROM CALIFORNIA: I'm Kimberly.

SAWYER: We're from Orange County, California. We've been here since probably 4:00 a.m., 4:15.

GINGRAS: And that's why you have a front row seat to the best parade ever.

SAWYER: Oh, yes.

KIMBERLY: Yes.

SAWYER: Yes, yes, yes, yes.

GINGRAS: Tell me, what are you excited? So far we've seen a lot of good things go by. What are you most excited about? How are you enjoying it?

SAWYER: So, I'm excited personally for Spider-man, since I've been watching that as a kid. Or Stewie. If Stewie comes though, with "Family Guy," my family will know I'm obsessed with "Family Guy."

GINGRAS: I love it. You've like done your research on this parade. You have your eye out. You know, we're going to get you a good picture with Spider-man. I am going to promise you that. KIMBERLY: That is SpongeBob that is coming up.

GINGRAS: SpongeBob is coming down. That's right.

All right, well, enjoy the rest of the parade, guys.

It's also - it's so exciting. Like they just said, SpongeBob is making its way down. And then after that I can see down this avenue and its Dora the Explorer. And then I think it might be Smokey the Bear. So, we got some good floats coming our way, guys.

HILL: We sure do. SpongeBob there where I believe Gary is on his back.

BERMAN: You know, a fun fact, SpongeBob, the first ever square balloon in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

HILL: I love a fun fact.

BERMAN: Yes. Been studying for weeks to bone up on that kind of information.

All right, let's get out to Harry Enten, who is on the parade route.

Hello, Harry.

HARRY ENTEN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER: Oh, shalom, my dear friend, Mr. Berman.

Look, we got a marching band. We've got a marching band coming down the street. And we've got crowds lined up and down here on Central Park South. If you aren't into parades, well, get in the mood because I'm into parades and you should be too.

Look, it's been raining all morning. That's no big surprise. But I want to just point out, historically, we've had much worse weather on Thanksgiving, right? It's not freezing cold. I brought my anemometer with me, my homemade anemometer, because I, of course, went to weather camp back in the day. And I can tell you right now, it's 46.7 degrees on the street. It didn't even reach the 30s back in 2018. We don't have snow like we had back in 1989, when four inches of snow fell. We don't have gusty winds. I'm looking at the anemometer right now. It's zero miles per hour. So it's not like the early 70s when we had a day when the winds were gusting upwards of 63 miles per hour.

[09:10:00]

So, the bottom line is this, if you are not into parades, this is the type of thing that should get you in a parade, because it's just so fantastic. We've had all those great balloons, those giant balloons. Many came by, which was great. We have the marching band that's just leaving us now.

And I think in the distance I see my dear favorite Ronald McDonald coming down the street. I love Ronald. I love the Ronald McDonald playhouse. I just love it all, guys. The bottom line is this, I have never been to a parade before this day. But on this particular day, I am part of the Thanksgiving Day Parade here in New York City. I am just ecstatic to be here. And right now the wind is now blowing at four miles per hour, but it ain't blowing me away. That's all I can say.

Back to you two lovely people.

HILL: Good to know. Learned - learned some fun facts about Harry. This is his first ever parade. I find that surprising. And weather camp.

BERMAN: And homemade anemometer.

HILL: Yes.

BERMAN: I think the only thing nerdier he could have said is if he had a, you know, crafted his own lightsaber at home or something.

HILL: I think he's saving that for the next hour.

BERMAN: Yes.

There, Dora the Explorer right there.

HILL: I love Dora. Dora, Dora, Dora - no?

BERMAN: No, please, keep going.

HILL: Yes. My older son loved Dora back in the day.

An all new, though, Dora for 2024. Her sidekick Boots also back. Back after 15 years. There was a little break.

BERMAN: And she doesn't go anywhere without her map or her backpack. You can see it right there. There's the backpack.

HILL: Love it.

BERMAN: All right, chef and author Erin French found a passion for cooking early in life. And today she is the proud owner of the acclaimed Lost Kitchen restaurant in Freedom, Maine. She also has a hit TV show also named "The Lost Kitchen," streaming on Max.

Watch this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ERIN FRENCH, OWNER, THE LOST KITCHEN: I love the way your brain works though.

First avocado I've ever picked.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is about to get crazy up here.

FRENCH: New Orleans, never been there before. I can't wait.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Welcome to Houston.

FRENCH: We're going to Idaho.

Holy moly.

You have to hit California, Arizona, Kentucky.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Welcome to Oregon.

FRENCH: We did it!

This is incredible.

My intention here is just to soak in as much as I can in this off season and go home and feel ready to roll.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HILL: And it is great to have Erin French with us now, here to help us make a special treat for the Thanksgiving table.

Erin, welcome. Happy Thanksgiving. It's so great to have you with us.

ERIN FRENCH, CHEF: Hi. Good morning. Happy Thanksgiving.

BERMAN: What are you making?

FRENCH: All right, so, we are making a crispy potato and shallot pie. So, if you haven't started your Thanksgiving prep, it's not too late. You can still make this pie. And we're starting with mashed potatoes.

And if you haven't made your potatoes yet, we've got a couple of tricks to tell you how to make great mashed potatoes.

First thing is, use a food mill because you're using potatoes right now that were grown in the summer, in the fall. They're going to be a little starchier. And this is going to keep them from getting really kind of, you know, gluey, which is not what you want on Thanksgiving Day.

The second trick is going to be steeping cream. You can get so much flavor in this. And I just brought the cream to a slight boil and then put in some thyme and some bay leaf. And then we're going to put in so much butter that it's obscene, but you can get away with it this time of year, right, or any time of year. I'm not sure. But we're going to get away with it today for sure. So, lots of butter. Lots of the steeped cream for so, so much flavor.

And then we have these gorgeous potatoes. So, the first thing I'm going to do is I'm going to put the potatoes down in a layer here, in a pie dish, and this is going to be our baked pie. And we're going to work on the center, which is kind of the fun part of this pie.

So, we have shallots that we're cooking nice and slow. And we want them to get nice and caramelized. Add a little butter. Let them do their thing. And in the meantime, I'm going to cook some grapes, because grapes are going to be like this really kind of fun filling in the center of it all. A little bit different than cranberries. And, why not?

So, grapes, just a saute. You don't want to totally cook them down. You want them to be just nice and tender and still hold their shape. A bit of fresh thyme. Lots of fresh garlic. And then really nice flavor of some fresh orange zest.

So, you want to get that all in the pan. Saute that up. And it's just like making the kitchen smell so delicious right now.

So, they really just need a couple of seconds in there just to kind of make them pop. And then we start making the full pie.

So, we've got those beautiful shallots that are nice and caramelized now. We're going to just top them on top of those mashed potatoes with all that flavor.

[09:15:06]

Then we're going to add on those beautiful grapes. And then we put the top layer on, which is the potato. And we're just going to finish that off. We're going to make this really, really pretty on top. And we're going to pop it in the oven. We're going to let it cook for about 25 minutes or so, just until the edges are nice and bubbly. And then about five minutes before this pie comes out of the oven, I'm going to top it with some of those crispy shallots that we all know and love. And that's going to make that kind of like crispy, delicious topping.

So, we've got all of this flavor. It will be nice and comforting. And then the crispy shallots on the top. We'll pop it in the oven. We'll get it ready. And then in 25 minutes we're going to have the perfect dish.

This is also really good the day after Thanksgiving if you want to put turkey in it and use your leftovers. And it's really also great to bring to a friend's house. Like, I'm going to friendsgiving. This is what I'm bringing, because I can just pop it in the oven there. It will be bubbly. It will be toasty and delicious.

HILL: Oh, I can't wait! Erin, we love that. We're going to check back in with you at the end of the show to see how it turns out. I think I'd like to go to that friendsgiving with you though.

BERMAN: Oh my God, that looks so good. And the dish of butter - she had me at the dish of butter. No amount is too much on Thanksgiving for that.

I think we have some live pictures to show you from Philadelphia right now.

HILL: I think we do.

BERMAN: We've been watching the parade down there. The longest - the oldest Thanksgiving Parade. And there is the Tazmanian Devil himself, herself, itself. HILL: Looking good on this Thanksgiving. The Tazmanian Devil about to make its way down the street there in Philly. Look at this. We had Tweety Bird earlier. Now we've got the Tazmanian Devil.

BERMAN: Our Warner colleagues out in force today all over the parades in America.

Next, we have a performance you really do not want to miss from Grammy awards singer, songwriter Andy Grammer.

Plus, Thanksgiving overseas. A check on how America's military men and women are enjoying this holiday while far away from home.

But first, our friend Jim Acosta on what he's thankful for in 2024.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM ACOSTA, CNN ANCHOR: Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

I'm thankful for my little rescue dog, Duke, who's right here, who's probably hoping for some turkey on Thanksgiving. Isn't that right, Duke? I bet you are. Yes, we'll see. You might get some.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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[09:22:13]

BERMAN: There you are looking at pictures from Detroit, Michigan. And there is Erica Hill's one-time partner and co-host Big Bird.

HILL: Yes. Yes. Big Bird and I did co-host a fair number of CNN "Sesame Street" specials together. You're right. I think he's on a unicycle.

BERMAN: Is there nothing that he can't do?

HILL: I don't know.

BERMAN: What was he like to work with?

HILL: You know, he was a gem. Not as demanding as you, John Berman. But, you know, love.

BERMAN: Live pictures now from Chicago, where we're seeing all kinds of really interesting performances.

Our Whitney Wild was there and she told us just the incredible diversity of all the live acts and performances and dances and concerts. Really spectacular to see.

HILL: And been going on a long time too, 90 years, I believe, for Chicago as well. So, we have a lot of - there's so much history in these parades that

we're bringing you from around the country, not just here in New York, a lot of people know that, of course, but Chicago, Philadelphia, as we just saw, Detroit, Houston. We've got a lot going on.

BERMAN: It really is Thanksgiving in America, all of America right here on CNN.

And we have something really special for you now. Andy Grammer may be best known for "Honey, I'm Good" from a few years back, but now he is back with a brand new song entitled "Magic." And he performed it for us.

Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANDY GRAMMER, MUSICIAN: Not saying I have clarity. But one thing is clear to me. That there is more than meets the eye. And it's what makes me come alive.

I got visions, I got dreams. Undiscovered energy. I walk the line of earthy things. I thank the heavens for what she brings.

I want more of it. I want more of it. Come and give me all of it. I'm sure of it.

I want chills, I want the static. Want the rush, yeah, I gotta have it. I want more. More than the average. Ooh, I want the magic.

Super soul, you know I'm an addict. Wanna feel the miracles happen. Made a life of abracadabbing. Ooh, I want the magic.

Hey, give me, give me give me more of the magic. Ooh, I want the magic. Yeah, give me, give me, give me more of the magic. Ooh, I want the magic.

Little signs are everywhere. Catch the whispers in the air. Thank them for the gifts they bring. (Amen) someone's listening.

[09:25:02]

Extra electricity is all up in my history. I used to question everything. But now I'm busy tapping in.

I want more of it. I want more of it. Come and give me all of it. I'm sure of it.

I want chills, I want the static. Want the rush, yeah, I gotta have it. I want more, more than the average. Ooh, I want the magic.

Super soul, you know I'm an addict. Wanna feel the miracles happen. Made a life of abracadabbing. Ooh, I want the magic.

Hey, give me, give me, give me more of the magic. Ooh, I want the magic. Yeah, give me, give me, give me more of the magic. Ooh, I want the magic. Ooh, I want the magic. Ooh, I want the magic. I know it's here. I'm gonna grab it.

I want chills, I want the static. Want the rush, yeah, I gotta have it. I want more, more than the average. Oh, I want the magic.

Super soul, you know I'm an addict. Wanna feel the miracles happen. Made a life of abracadabbing. Ooh, I want the magic.

Hey, give me, give me, give me more of the magic. Ooh, I want the magic. Yeah, give me, give me, give me more of the magic. Ooh, I want the magic.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BERMAN: That really was magic. Andy Grammer singing "Magic" from his new album "Monster."

And that - who are we hearing gnow?

HILL: More magic from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Minutemen going by right now.

BERMAN: The Minutemen Marching Band. I got a text from the chancellor of UMass, a couple hours ago, Marty Meehan, who I worked for 35 years ago, telling me that the band would be coming by. And sure enough, right by us right now, the UMass Minutemen. Go Massachusetts to all the Massholes out there. Hope you're enjoying Thanksgiving.

HILL: Love it. I do love a Massholes. Some of my favorite people on the planet, John Berman.

BERMAN: And we saw Marshall from "Paw Patrol" also. Shout out to the Stelter family, who said they saw Marshall along the route. We're excited to see more of him. This is the first ever. First ever parade for Marshall from "Paw Patrol."

HILL: For Marshall. Chase has been here before. Chase, who you may know from "Paw Patrol," his good friend, the cop dog.

BERMAN: It's always good to have a friend when you're in a parade.

HILL: Indeed it is. Indeed it is. Happy to be here with you, my friend, John Berman.

Just ahead here, we have more balloons, more bands, more fans. We pretty much have everything you could want. It's even getting a little bit brighter in the sky.

BERMAN: If you say.

HILL: I think. Berman's not convinced, but I think it's brighter.

BERMAN: All right, a little later, celebrity chef Erin French reveals her no doubt delicious Thanksgiving Day surprise for all of us. We watched it go in the oven. It looks so good. First, though, our colleague Jake Tapper shares his personal story

about why he is thankful.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JAKE TAPPER, CNN ANCHOR: So, I am grateful on this Thanksgiving for my health and my family's health. And I'm not just saying that as a cliche. It was Thanksgiving 2021 when my daughter Alice got really sick with a perforated appendix that was misdiagnosed and she went into sepsis and we almost lost her. And we did not have Thanksgiving in 2021. In fact, we called it (EXPLETIVE DELETED) giving, our family, because it was such a horrible time. But she's fully recovered. She's an athlete. She's amazing. The family's great. My son is great. My wife is great. We are very, very grateful. Very grateful for our health. And whether or not you're thinking about being grateful for your health, you should be grateful for your health if you have it too.

Happy Thanksgiving.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

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