Spectators who claimed their spots for the Rose Parade hours before it began were rewarded on Thursday with spangled dancers paying tribute to Broadway, a lush garden wedding flanked by sari-clad models representing India's Bollywood film industry, a giant robot with a surprise under his hat and flying kisses from the Rose Queen, Chinese-American Courtney Chou Lee.

Lee was selected the 91st Rose Queen at the end of a month-long process that began with more than 1,100 Pasadena-area young women who participated in the Tournament of Roses Royal Court tryouts.

Queen Courtney and the six Rose Princesses were selected based upon a combination of qualities, including public speaking ability, poise, academic achievement and community involvement.

At the parade, a 15-meter-tall mechanical man named Asimo tipped his top hat on a float sponsored by Honda Motor Co. The crowd was wowed when fireworks and streamers shot out of his headgear - a nod to this year's theme, 'Hats Off to Entertainment'.