Sara Haines has a familiar ‘View’ again
Q: It’s nice to see Sara Haines back on “The View.” Does that mean “Strahan, Sara and Keke” is over? – Donna Bowen, via e-mail A: That would be a “yes,” which really was confirmed by Haines’ full-time return last month to her previous ABC weekday post (she had done some fill-in work there after leaving), though Keke Palmer had referred to the show being canceled in an earlier interview. Basically, it became a victim of sorts of the coronavirus pandemic. The program that replaced it, “What You Need to Know,” originally was meant to be only temporary ... but it fared so well, ABC decided to keep it going. There had been early mention of trying to factor Haines, Palmer and Michael Strahan into that show somehow, but the difference in tones and styles might have made that a complicated match. In any event, Haines seems happy to be back where she is now, and many devotees of “The View” have been expressing how glad they are to have her there again. Q: Will there be a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year? – Tara Miles, Reading, Pa. A: There will be ... though, as with just about every traditional event that’s still being staged this year, it will be done in a different form due to the coronavirus pandemic that mitigates against tightly packed crowds. The parade will be “virtual,” staged for television only, with NBC proceeding with its annual telecast on Thanksgiving morning (likely involving “Today” personalities as hosts, as usual).
Rather than being a procession throughout Manhattan that spectators line the streets for, the festivities will be focused at and around Macy’s flagship store in New York’s Herald Square, with character balloons serviced by vehicles they’re tethered to (instead of the many handlers it usually takes to get and keep them airborne). The high school and college bands chosen for this year’s parade will be “deferred” to next year’s instead.