There will be stars in the sky, stars on the Macy’s Great Tree and an all-star lineup this Thanksgiving at the Lighting of Macy’s Great Tree presented by Lenox Square Thanksgiving Night, Thursday November 27, 2008. Star-gazers will see and hear Singer-songwriter Jewel, Broadway musical star Heather Headley plus the event’s guest co-host Entertainment Tonight’s Jann Carl.

These stars will shine on the main center stage and the Macy’ star stage! The re-vamped staging was expanded and brought out into the parking lot allowing everyone better views of the action. The four jumbo-tron screens on each side of the stage and on the building will give even those in the back rows a front-row view.

There’s something for everyone this year, this year’s talent line up includes:

Jewel — Singer-songwriter Jewel’s debut album, “Pieces of You,” hit the airwaves in February, 1995, and became one of the best-selling debut albums of all time, going platinum 12 times. Over the course of her career she’s received 3 Grammy nominations and has sold 27 million albums worldwide. Her most recent album, “Perfectly Clear,” released earlier this year, debuted at #1 on The U.S. Billboard Top Country chart producing two charted country singles, “Stronger Woman” and “I Do.”

Heather Headley — Broadway and recording star Heather Headley returns to Atlanta for this year’s tree lighting. Alliance Theatre goers will remember her from their production of Aida, the same role that landed her a Tony in 2000 for her Broadway performance. She also starred as Nala in Broadway production of Lion King. After her success on Broadway, RCA signed her and released This is Who I Am in 2002, achieving gold status, and earning Heather two Soul Train Awards, for Best R&B Soul Album of The Year and Best Solo R&B/Soul New Artist Award. She also received dual nods from the BET Awards and NAACP Awards, as well as earning two Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocalist.

Michael Warren — By blending R&B, rock, pop and funk, Michael Warren has created his own distinct sound that continues to win new fans. Originally from Hoover, Alabama, he has opened for Robert Cray, B.B. King, Live, Gladys Knight, Will Hoge, Marc Broussard, Foghat, Howie Day, Master P., Ryan Caberra, Taylor Hicks, Diamond Rio, Dave Barnes and Michael Tolcher.

The Regulars Band — The Regulars Band is made of up of four ordinary people with extraordinary talent. This quartet includes brother and sister Lindsey and Lee along with friends Robbie and Matt. The band connects so well because they have known each other their whole lives. Growing up in Stockbridge, Georgia, The Regulars got their start in their church band and chorus.

A Special Performance from Cirque Du Soleil — Cirque’s appearance at this year’s tree lighting is a piece from their newest touring show, “Kooza.”

Harmony Chorus — Atlanta’s International Youth Chorus is comprised of 125 children ranging in age from 6 to 18, from diverse racial, cultural, religious and socio-economic backgrounds. Believing that music is a barrier-breaker and a powerful medium of self-expression, Harmony sings messages of peace, justice, hope, reconciliation and unity in 35 languages.

Macy’s All-Star Holiday Choir — For many choir members the Lighting of Macy’s Great Tree has become part of their family’s Thanksgiving Day rituals. This event brings together siblings, couples and multi-generations of families singing and sharing their favorite holiday songs.

Entertainment Tonight’s Jann Carl — During her 13-year career with “Entertainment Tonight,” Jann Carl has reported from the red carpets of countless movie premieres and awards shows and has interviewed hundreds of celebrities. This is Jann’s second time co-hosting the Lighting of the Macy’s Great Tree.

Star Light, Star Bright, Macy’s Lights up Atlanta’s Sky Every Night!

But the biggest star of the night is the Great Tree itself! According to tradition, the best great trees are solitary white pines - an independent white pine grows straighter and fuller than ones surrounded by other vegetation. This year’s towering beauty has a décor package consisting of 125 Red Macy's Stars and 125 Snowflakes complemented with the traditional metallic balls and illuminated spheres.

This towering pine comes from Ranger, Georgia and was planted by the Putnam family in 1970 - the tree is dedicated to the memory of Rachel Putnam.

Depending on the weather, it takes a crew of 8 people working for 2-3 weeks to decorate the Great Tree. Decorations include: 1,200 multi-color metallic basket-ball sized ornaments, 50 flashing strobe lights, 400 internally lit ornaments, 4000 11-watt bulbs all topped off with a spectacular internally lit LED color changing Macy's star. At the centerpiece of this stellar topper – is a star with a ring of 50 crystal faceted star strobes encircling the star.

The Lighting of the Great Tree, an Atlanta tradition since 1948, began as a holiday gift from Rich's to the people of Atlanta. Since that time, this event continues to be a Thanksgiving Day tradition for thousands of Georgia's families. Over the years this holiday event has captured the cover of Time magazine, has been included in national television specials like HGTV’s Christmas Across America, and has received international exposure on CNN. Millions of viewers across the United States have enjoyed this Atlanta holiday tradition as a result of its national syndication.

Before, After and During

We’re kicking things off with the pre-show from 6:15 to 7:00 p.m. Don’t miss behind the scenes interviews and performances by the evening’s entertainers. The festivities will be capped off with a spectacular Fireworks Finale, a dazzling display set to holiday music. But the evening's excitement isn't just limited to the stage and sky, some of the event's attractions include:Plush, quacking versions of the special, limited-edition holiday Aflac duck are a perennial star at the Lighting of Macy’s Great Tree. The ducks will be for sale during the festivities, with proceeds benefiting the Aflac Cancer Center and Blood Disorders Service at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Holiday beverage sampling from Starbucks.

Visit the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau’s booth to get information on two ground-breaking exhibits — The Terra Cotta Warriors at the High Museum and King Tut at the Civic Center.

More than 100,000 people are expected to attend this year’s Lighting of the Great Tree at Macy’s, and more than 500,000 will watch the live broadcast on WSB-TV, which will be hosted by news anchor Monica Pearson. Parking will be limited so using MARTA is encouraged.

This Thanksgiving, experience the Magic of Macy’s as Macy’s officially rings in the holiday season at the Lighting of the Macy’s Great Tree presented by Lenox Square.

For more information about the Macy’s Lighting of the Great Tree, call the Macy’s Special Events Hotline: 770-913-5639.

www.macys.com

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Media Contacts

Ellen Fruchtman, 770-913-4439 & Marla Shavin 770-913-5258