WASHINGTON, January 1, 2012–Not to worry, sports fans. Yes, we know–you and millions of other red-blooded Americans woke up late this morning, groggy from last night's festivities but still pumped up and eager to watch the famous Tournament of Roses Parade and ensuing college gridiron classic.Where did they go? Did some network idiot sleep in and forget to put them on today's TV schedule?
Never fear. Due to the way the holidays fell this year, the "official" New Year holiday is tomorrow, January 2 since today, January 1, falls on a Sunday. Everything you were looking for happens tomorrow, not today, bucky, because tomorrow is most folks' official day off.**
Right, you may have missed yesterday's exciting Chick-fil-A Bowl game, because you were too busy partying. But you won't miss the Tournament of Roses Parade and game if you and your buds gather in front of that brand new 360-inch flat screen TV. Tomorrow. (Details below.)
Meanwhile, now that we have some time to relax, how about a little Rose Bowl history?
The first Tournament of Roses Parade was held on January 1, 1890. One hundred and twenty two years later, it will happen again tomorrow, January 2, 2012, just like we promised. The theme (and there is always one) of this year's parade will be "Just Imagine." (As in, "just imagine" how many people are torqued off that those much-anticipated Tournament of Roses events aren't on TV today.)
In the winter of 1890, members of Pasadena, California’s Valley Hunt Club were searching for a way to promote tourism to the West Coast. At one club meeting, Hunt Club member Professor Charles F. Holder announced, "In New York, people are buried in snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise.
The Tournament of Roses Parade committee has authorized the protest which will occur after the floats have passed and local police sweep the route, but before the crowd is released from the bleacher seating. “The city and the Rose Parade organizers have been fully supportive,” said Daniel Niswander, who led an educational “summit” for the community on New Year’s Day at the progressive All Saints Church, another OTRP-sponsored event.
This doesn’t mean that anyone outside the people physically at the parade will see the march. Typically post-parade marchers never hit the airwaves, as the broadcasts cut off their productions once the floats pass. The fact that the giant Constitution, which activists are calling “the 44th float” (there are 43 Rose Parade floats this year) will be the first part of the OTRP event, this has led some organizers to hope they will break through. “If Middle America gets to see that, they will have a different image of the Occupy movement,” Niswander said. “But we’ll see – traditionally they cut it off.”
Others predicted that the sound and fury will signify little. Bonnie, a member of the local Occupy Pasadena chapter (which has not given their endorsement of the OTRP event), said that “the city is well-prepared” for such after-the-parade disruptions, typically made up of religious apocalyptic types or other protesters, and they know how to control them. By giving the Occupiers a fig leaf of access, organizers can have a successful parade without disruptions, and not alienate their corporate sponsors.
But the activists have been media savvy enough to garner a good deal of attention for the action, including notice from the Associated Press and the Los Angeles Times. They also have a contingent of relatively well-known activists appearing, including antiwar Gold Star Mother Cindy Sheehan (appearing as the not-Grand Marshal), public banking advocate Ellen Brown, musician Michelle Shocked and three-time Congressional advocate Marcy Winograd. “The Occupy movement has done something the Democratic Party hasn’t been able to do, to shift the focus of the dialogue from deficits and taxes to wealth and inequality,” said Winograd, who now believes she can do more from the outside and through work on the local economy than through working from within the Democratic Party infrastructure.
Tournament of Roses Parade, better known as the Rose Parade, is "America's New Year Celebration" held in Pasadena, California, a festival of flower-covered floats, marching bands, equestrians and a college football game on New Year's Day (but moved to Monday if New Year's Day falls on a Sunday), produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association.
Originally started on January 1, 1890, the Rose Parade is watched in person by hundreds of thousands of spectators on the parade route, and is broadcast on multiple television networks in the United States (ABC holds the official contract, but because it is a public parade, other networks are allowed to produce their own coverage). It is seen by millions more on television worldwide in more than 200 international territories and countries. The Rose Bowl college football game was added in 1902 to help fund the cost of staging the parade. Playing in the 2012 Rose Bowl Game are the Oregon Ducks and the Wisconsin Badgers.
Beginning with the 2011 parade, Honda has been the sponsor of the "Rose Parade presented by Honda".[3] Accordingly, Honda will have the parade's first float, entitled "Sweet Dreams" following the theme float in the 2012 parade.
Members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club first staged the parade in 1890. Since then the parade has been held in Pasadena every New Year's Day, except when January 1 falls on a Sunday. In that case, it is held on the subsequent Monday, January 2. This exception was instituted in 1893. Local tradition has it that "the Tournament has a deal with God; we'll never hold the parade on a Sunday, and He'll never let it rain on the Rose Parade." However, according to the Tournament of Roses Association Web site, this "Never on Sunday" policy was instituted in order "to avoid frightening horses tethered outside local churches and thus interfering with worship services." Thus, the parade has never been held on a Sunday. Incidentally, the Rose Bowl Game is also not held on Sunday to avoid competing with the NFL. Other bowl games usually held on January 1 also follow this rule.
Many of the members of the Valley Hunt Club were former residents of the American East and Midwest. They wished to showcase their new California home's mild winter weather. At a club meeting, Professor Charles F. Holder announced, "In New York, people are buried in the snow. Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our paradise."
Tournament of Roses Parade has followed the same route mainly following Colorado Boulevard (Pasadena's main thoroughfare and a segment of the former US 66) for many decades. The day before the parade, the entire environs of the neighborhood streets south of the intersection of Orange Grove and Colorado Blvds. are sealed off and reserved for the marshaling of the dozens of floats, bands, equestrian units, and other elements. This staging area is referred to as the "Formation Area" and is managed by the Formation Area Committee.
On parade morning the various elements are merged and dispatched in front of Tournament House. It starts headed north on South Orange Grove Boulevard beginning at Ellis Street. At Colorado Boulevard it passes the main grandstands (and the main television and media stands) and proceeds east on Colorado Boulevard. The parade then turns north on Sierra Madre Boulevard. The floats then must travel under the Sierra Madre Boulevard/I-210 freeway overpass, requiring over-height floats to reduce their height. The parade ends at Paloma Street near Victory Park and Pasadena High School. Floats continue into the Post-Parade viewing area (which is open that afternoon and the following day). In total this route is 5½ miles (9 km) long; the assembled bands, horse units, and floats take approximately 2 hours to pass by.
The 2010 parade saluted the men and women serving America throughout the world with a flyover at the beginning of the parade by four F-18 jets (performed by pilots of the Fighting Redcocks of Strike Fighter Squadron 22 (VFA-22) from the Naval Air Station at Lemoore, California).
The 2012 Rose Parade will have 43 floats, 21 bands, and 18 equestrian units (with approximately 400 horses). The honor for being the last units in the parade went to All American Cowgirl Chicks (Equestrian), Needham Broughton High School (Band), and RFD-TV (Float).
Originally flower decorated horse carriages were entered in the parade. Floats, built by volunteers from sponsoring communities, supplanted most of the carriages over time. Currently most are built by professional float building companies and take nearly a year to construct. Some communities and organizational sponsors still rely on volunteers. The Valley Hunt Club still enters a flower decorated carriage. The Cal Poly Universities Rose Float still relies solely on students who volunteer.
Typically 48 to 72 hours prior to parade day one can view several of the floats being decorated with flowery mantles in the various 'float barns' that dot the Arroyo Seco / Rose Bowl area in West Pasadena, not far from the start of the parade. It is a rule of the parade that all surfaces of the float framework must be covered in natural materials (such as flowers, plants, seaweeds, seeds, bark, vegetables, or nuts, for example); furthermore, no artificial flowers or plant material are allowed, nor can the materials be artificially colored. Last-minute volunteer opportunities are usually available.
Top marching bands from all over the world are invited. Many of the nation's top high school marching bands, along with college and organizational marching bands participate.
The bands participating in the parade have also developed traditions. For example, Pasadena City College's Lancer Marching Band always marches in the Rose Parade, along with high school bands such as the esteemed Arcadia High School and color guard members from all over Southern California, who are selected by audition the previous autumn. The Tournament of Roses Honor Band is a coveted position, and those selected are among the best student musicians in California. Nine of the high school trumpet players, selected by performance on their auditions, and the best snare drummer, are selected as the Herald Trumpets, who march directly before the Rose Queen's float and play fanfares.
University Marching bands from the two schools participating in the Rose Bowl are invited to march in the parade. They typically accompany the float that represents the school and conference.
Bands that have a long standing arrangement to be in the parade include
The Official Tournament of Roses Honor Band hosted by Pasadena City College consisting of the college's band and talented high school musicians from throughout California.
The Los Angeles Unified School District All District High School Honor Band
The Salvation Army Tournament of Roses Marching Band consisting of local and visiting Salvation Army musicians (90th appearance in 2010)
The United States Marine Corps West Coast Composite Band
In 1998, the Washington Township High School Minutemen Marching Band from Sewell, New Jersey became the first band in the history of the Rose Parade to decorate its entire ranks with live flowers, in keeping with the practice of decorating the parade floats. Designed by Todd Marcocci, this unique concept and design approach received tremendous support from all major media around the world. Since then, several bands have followed suit.
Additional to the parade, the bands participate in a two day, three shows Bandfest at Pasadena City College's Robinson Stadium, usually take place on December 29 and 30 each year (December 30 and 31, 2011).
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- For all its faults, college football's Bowl Championship Series has delivered one doozy of a matchup this year. It's just not either of the bowls you'd expect -- the big daddy (the national championship) or the granddaddy (the Rose Bowl).
Instead, the must-see bowl game this holiday season is the appropriately named Fiesta Bowl, which matches Stanford and Oklahoma State on Monday in what shapes up as a high-scoring, three-hour thrill ride.
"If somebody was going to take a poll across the country, there's a lot of excitement about this game compared to any other bowl," Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy said.
How good is it?
The teams have a combined record of 22-2 and possess two of the country's most explosive offenses and two of the best quarterbacks.
Andrew Luck, Stanford's All-American quarterback, won't even be the most prolific passer on the field. That title belongs to Oklahoma State's Brandon Weeden, who has a higher completion percentage and 1,200 more passing yards than Luck.
Stanford's No. 4 ranking also is second-best; Oklahoma State is No. 3. The Cowboys have been installed as a 3-point favorite.
"This is the best team we've played this year, by far," said Stanford linebacker Chase Thomas, who has faced powerhouses USC and Oregon.
Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, who finished second to Baylor's Robert Griffin III for this year's Heisman, fears he might have finished 10th had he played Oklahoma State every week.
"They take a knock for giving up yards," Luck said. "But when they need to make a play, they make a play. Forty-two takeaways, that's a statistic quarterbacks pay attention to."
This should an interesting over and undertaking. Luck and Weeden are two of the nation's most prolific passers, playing their last collegiate games.
Luck caps a transcendent career before heading off to become the top pick in this year's NFL draft.
Weeden will also be off to the big leagues after turning a flamed-out baseball career into one of college football's great stories.
Weeden, now 28, toiled for years as a minor league pitcher before arm trouble chased him back to college.
The motion that pained him as hurler did not affect him as a passer.
"My arm has been great," he said. "I haven't had any injury, any soreness, anything with my shoulder. It is amazing. It is funny how two different motions are completely different."
Weeden has thrown 68 touchdown passes the last two seasons; Stanford's Luck has amassed 80 in three.
"I don't think there is any question that these two quarterbacks were certainly the most valuable players on their team," Oklahoma State Coach Mike Gundy said.
The question: Will Oklahoma State's defense be able to jar turnovers out of Stanford's ball-control offense?
The Cardinal has only 13 three-and-out drives all season.
Oklahoma State's defense has 23 interceptions, but how many can you reasonably expect to coax out of the future Peyton Manning?
"They are very patient," Young said of Stanford. "Three yards is plenty for them on one down, because they'll get 10 yards or five yards on the next."
Luck's numbers dropped off late in the season after injuries to wide receiver Chris Owusu and two of his three tight ends.
Owusu (concussion) won't be back for the Fiesta Bowl, but all three tight ends are at full strength.
Coby Fleener, Levine Toilolo and Ertz have combined for 79 catches for 1,281 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Fiesta Bowl, now sponsored by Frito-Lay and named with their Tostitos brand, is a United States college football bowl game played annually at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Between its origination in 1971 and 2006, the game was hosted in Tempe, Arizona at Sun Devil Stadium. Previous sponsors included Sunkist and IBM.
In 1998, the Fiesta Bowl became part of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), and before 2007 every four years (most recently in 2003) was the designee for the national championship game.
The Fiesta Bowl was born from the Western Athletic Conference's frustrated attempts to obtain bowl invitations for its champions. In 1968 and 1969 respectively, champions Wyoming and Arizona State failed to secure any bowl selection. The next year, undefeated Arizona State was bypassed by the major bowls and had to settle for an appearance in the less prestigious Peach Bowl. The Fiesta Bowl therefore initially provided an automatic bowl tie-in for the Western Athletic Conference champion.
The 1971 inaugural game featured another top-ten Arizona State squad against top-twenty opponent Florida State. By 1975, the game was able to attract Big Eight co-champion Nebraska to play undefeated Arizona State in a matchup of top-five teams. In 1977, the game was again able to attract a top-five opponent in Penn State, despite WAC champion #16 BYU refusing to play in the bowl due to it being held on Sunday.
In 1978, Arizona and Arizona State both joined the Pac-10 Conference and the Fiesta Bowl's tie-in with the Western Athletic Conference ended.
In 1996, a group of students from Brigham Young University, led by BYU professor Dennis Martin, burned bags of Tostitos tortilla chips in a bonfire and called for a boycott of all Tostitos products. This came after #5 ranked BYU was not invited to play in the 1996 Fiesta Bowl in favor of #7 ranked Penn State. This event is one of those referred to by proponents of college football implementing a playoff series rather than the controversial Bowl Alliance. Penn State went on to win the game over #20 Texas 38-15, while BYU defeated #14 Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl Classic 19-15.
Sports Illustrated alleged in November 2010 that Fiesta Bowl officials, including bowl CEO John Junker, spent $4 million since 2000 to curry favor from BCS bigwigs and elected officials, including a 2008 "Fiesta Frolic", a golf-centered gathering of athletic directors and head coaches. The journal also reported that Junker's annual salary was close to $600,000 and that the bowl, in 2007 turned an $11.6 million profit at the same time that 106 of 120 Division I-A athletic departments were running a deficit.
In 2009, prior to the 2010 Fiesta Bowl, past and present Fiesta Bowl employees alleged that they were encouraged to make directed campaign contributions which were subsequently reimbursed. If true, this would be a violation of both state and Federal campaign finance laws. Furthermore, as a non-profit organization, the Fiesta Bowl is prohibited from making political contributions, of any kind, and from hiring lobbyists. The Fiesta Bowl commissioned an "independent review" which found "no credible evidence that the bowl's management engaged in any type of illegal or unethical conduct. On March 29, 2011, the results of a "scathing internal report" commissioned by the Fiesta Bowl board of directors were released. The report, 276 pages and with more than 1500 footnotes, was posted on the Fiesta Bowl's website. The commission determined that $46,539 of illegal campaign contributions were made and the board immediately fired Fiesta Bowl CEO John Junker, who had already been suspended pending the results of this investigation. The scandal threatened the Fiesta Bowl's status as a BCS game, as the BCS said it might drop the bowl from its lineup if officials could not convince them it should remain.
The BCS ultimately chose not to expel the Fiesta Bowl, instead fining the organization $1 million. In June 2011 University of Arizona president Robert Shelton was hired to replace Junker.
As of the 2010-11 season, the game along with the rest of the BCS, exclusively airs on ESPN. From 2007 through 2010, Fox telecast the game along with the other BCS games - the Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and BCS National Championship Game from 2006 though 2009, while only the Rose Bowl and the 2010 BCS National Championship Game aired on ABC in that period. From 1999-2006, the game aired on ABC as part of the first BCS package, and from 1996-1998 the game aired on CBS as part of its bowl coverage. Prior to that, NBC aired the game for several years. This game, along with the Orange Bowl, is one of only two bowl games ever to air on all the "big 4" broadcast television networks in the United States.
Here are the first pictures of the Yankees captain and his Hollywood sweetheart looking very much back together as they were spotted this weekend in the most romantic city in the world.
Derek Jeter and Minka Kelly, who called it quits in August, were photographed hugging and flirting outside the Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Paris yesterday.
If these pictures are any indication, New York City’s most eligible bachelor is no longer a free agent.
Esquire magazine’s Sexiest Woman Alive then examines the pictures on her phone. In another shot, Kelly pokes Mr. November in the chest flirtatiously.
After years of rumored engagements, it seems that love can be just as sweet the second time around.
The two also did some shopping in the Montmartre area and were spotted admiring art at the Musee d’Orsay and brunching at a Parisian hotel Friday.
This is not the first reunion for the couple after they ended their three-year relationship.
Around the time that Kelly’s TV show, “Charlie’s Angels,” was canceled, Page Six reported that Jeter flew to Miami in October to visit her and “see what the future holds for them.”
It was rumored that Kelly’s “Angels” role, which had her spending a large amount of time in Miami, contributed to the split.
Over the holiday weekend, the Yankee slugger, 37, and Charlie's Angels actress, 31, who were staying with friends in a boutique hotel on the Left Bank, took in some of the city's hottest tourist attractions, including Musée D'Orsay on Thursday.
On Saturday, they visited the Montmartre district, where they checked out Paris' Sacré-Coeur church. And Kelly didn't let the rainy day dampen her spirits, taking pictures of Jeter on her cell phone while sightseeing.
"They looked much in love," an observer tells PEOPLE. "They were always very, very close and very playful as a couple with each other."
The notoriously private couple announced their split in August after dating for three years.
