Actress Patricia Clarkson has arrived in New Orleans for Thursday night's Krewe of Muses parade — the first in a string of celebrity-studded parades leading up to Mardi Gras on Tuesday.
The pop-rock band Maroon 5 rides in Endymion on Saturday night, Will Ferrell rides as king of Bacchus on Sunday night, and rocker Bret Michaels will join Grammy-winning singer Cyndi Lauper in Orpheus on Monday.
Clarkson will be riding in Muses aboard a red fiber-optic-lit float shaped like a high-heeled shoe. Like other Muses riders, she will be handing out high-heeled shoes decorated with glitter, beads and feathers.
Singer and violinist Theresa Andersson will also be in Muses performing songs from her upcoming album, "Street Parade," accompanied by a 50-piece marching band.