Naturi Naughton from Motion Picture “Fame” to perform
at the 60th Annual H-E-B Holiday Parade on Thanksgiving Day
HOUSTON — Naturi Naughton, along with other musical artists and a host of entertainers, will kick off the holiday season in Houston at the 60th annual H-E-B Holiday Parade on Thanksgiving Day. The 2009 parade marks the 60th anniversary of the holiday celebration in Downtown Houston. The 2009 H-E-B Holiday Parade, themed “Sixty Years of Dreams Come True, is set for 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 26 in Downtown Houston.
Naturi Naughton, recently starred in the lead role of “Denise” in the re-make of hit dance film “Fame,” an updated version of the 1980 musical. In addition, Naughton was featured in the supporting role of “Chara” for the independent feature Highland Park. Currently, Naturi is in production on the independent feature The Lottery Ticket for Alcon Entertainment and will star opposite Ice Cube and Bow Wow. Naturi burst onto the motion picture scene in the strong supporting role of iconic female rapper “Lil’ Kim” in the motion picture by Fox Searchlight, Notorious.
Born and raised in East Orange, New Jersey, Naturi started singing in the choir at New Hope Baptist Church, when she was just 5 years old. At 14, Naughton became a professional recording artist as a member of the girl band 3LW. Within 6 months, the group scored a record deal with Sony/Epic Records. Naughton achieved a platinum selling album (1.3 million sold) with her former group 3LW. She toured nationwide with Destiny’s Child, N’SYNC and had the opportunity to work with notable producers such as P. Diddy and Full Force.
She attended Seton Hall University where she continued her honor studies in Political Science. Just before her junior year, she landed the role of “Little Inez” for the National Touring Company of “Hairspray” which led to her Broadway debut in “Hairspray” in the same role in 2006. Naughton resides in Los Angeles and New York.
Early bird pricing for Grandstand Seats in the TV Zone is $18 through Nov. 15. After this date, grandstand seats will be $22. Reserved Turkey Seats are $11 through the Nov.15 and then $14 after Nov. 15. ClicknPrint tickets are available at www.hebparade.com. For more information about the parade, including the route, grandstand seating, featured entertainment or volunteer opportunities, please visit www.hebparade.com or call (713) 654-8808.
Sponsors for the 60th Annual H-E-B Holiday Parade include: H-E-B Grocery Company, The Arrow Classic Rock, 93.7 FM, Atrich Financial Services, Borden Milk Products, Budweiser/Silver Eagle Distributors, Dancestaff.com, Dancing Queen, Hilton Americas Houston Hotel, Houston Astros, Houston Chronicle, Keystone Concrete Placement, KHOU-TV, Channel 11, KMJQ 102.1 FM, KTRH 740 AM, McDonald's, Miri Piri Gatka Dall, Moody Gardens “The Gift of Christmas,” Praise 92.1 FM, Radio Disney 1590 AM, Rockefeller Hall, Salvation Army, Sunny 99.1 FM, Taco Cabana Catering, Theatre Under the Stars “The Sound of Music,” and Wells Fargo.
About the Parade (Editor’s Note)
Houston’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1949, when Santa arrived at Union Station and rode his sleigh to the downtown Foley's. That led to a 44-year tradition – the Foley's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In later years, Bank United and Washington Mutual each claimed the title sponsorship. In 2006, H-E-B was named the new title sponsor of the parade. The Parade also received a new look and logo, and is now referred to as the H-E-B Holiday Parade.
The H-E-B Holiday Parade is produced by the Houston Festival Foundation, Inc., a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Proceeds from reserved seating ticket sales benefit the Festival education programs reaching more than 1,471 public schools each year and the Houston Chronicle Readers are Leaders literacy program.