If it’s live TV, expect “American Idol’s” Ryan Seacrest and “The Voice’s” Carson Daly to be there.
That’s certainly true on NewYear’s Eve, when Seacrest has taken over where Dick Clark, who passed away in 2012 at the age of 82, left off. Daly, who’s been hosting NewYear’s Eve celebrations from Times Square for more than a decade, has become NBC’s official emcee, making New Year’s Eve an obligatory gig for him.
ABC, whose “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” is by far the biggest of TV’s celebrations — peaking at 22.4 million viewers last year—has six hours of live programming planned for Tuesday, Dec. 31. The epic live show will be hosted by the network’s now standard New Year’s Eve team of Seacrest, “The View’”s Jenny McCarthy and Fergie, and produced by Dick Clark Productions.
“We’ve become the fabric of New Year’s Eve in America,” says Larry Klein, producer with Dick Clark Productions, who has worked for the company for the last 40-plus years and also produces the “American Music Awards.”
“Our show celebrates the year in music with the top songs and the top acts. People tune us in whether they are at a party, a restaurant or a bar. We’ve become the country’s habit on New Year’s Eve.”
While ABC hands the whole night over to DCP, “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin Eve” peaks in the show’s fourth hour, starting at 11:30 pm ET and including the countdown to New Year’s.
This year, Miley Cyrus will close out 2013 with a live performance from Times Square. After the countdown, the show will open 2014 with a live remote with Billy Joel at the Barclay’s Center in Brooklyn.
From 8 to 10 p.m. ET, Seacrest, Fergie and McCarthy will walk audiences through “The 30 Greatest Women in Music,” a two-hour countdown that includes clips and interviews with great female performers from the past 50 years. Neither DCP or ABC was ready to say what performers would be featured because both companies were still in the process of clearing clips at press time.
“As I started to get heavily into the AMAs this year, we all started to realize hat 2013 was the year of the female,” says Klein.
“Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” kicks off at 10 p.m. ET. Fergie will host the show from Los Angeles, while McCarthy is live from Times Square, where, as ever, this year’s multi-colored ball will start its downward drop at one minute before midnight.
After a break for local news, Seacrest and gang return at 11:30 p.m. ET, where they count down the New Year, and then celebrate with some of 2013’s biggest acts, including Icona Pop, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Robin Thicke, Jennifer Hudson, Enrique Iglesias, Blondie, Daughtry, Jason Derulo, Fall Out Boy, Florida George Line, Ariana Grande and The Fray.
Just because the ball has dropped, doesn’t mean the party is over, with ABC keeping things going until 2:12 a.m. ET.
Those who want to join the festivities on social media can go to NewYearsRockinEve on Facebook, follow @officialNYRE on Twitter or tweet using the hashtag #RockinEve.
ABC hosts by far the biggest party but that doesn’t mean other networks aren’t giving it a go.
“Glee”’s Jane Lynch will join Carson Daly over on NBC, which airs two hours of live programming from 10 to 11 p.m. ET and 11:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET. Mariah Carey, Blake Shelton and various “Voice” winners are expected to perform. Daly’s been on hand at Times Square for more than a decade, starting with his days at MTV.
The increasingly ubiquitous Mario Lopez, host of “Extra” and Fox’s “X Factor,” will host Fox’s celebration from 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. ET live from Las Vegas. J. Cole, Krewella, NewPolitics and Panic! At The Disco all will perform live from Light Nightclub at Vegas’ Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino.
It’s the seventh year in a row that Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin, who’s more famous for being a constant presence on Bravo, will ring in the New Year together on CNN. Over the years, Griffin has entertained/horrified the audience by swearing on camera and getting way too close to Cooper’s crotch, but CNN seems to enjoy the pairing.
“I’m so thrilled Anderson Cooper has agreed to be my assistant once again as I single-handedly host New Year’s Eve on CNN for my global adoring audience,” Griffin said in a statement.
“Wait…what? CNN hired her again? For real?” said Cooper in his own statement.
Meanwhile, CNN’s seasoned team of correspondents will report from across the country starting at 9 p.m ET. Isha Sesay will join Cooper and Griffin in Times Square, while Brooke Baldwin will be live from New Orleans, Susan Hendricks will report from Nashville, Tenn., and Gary Tuchman will chime in from the hot spot of the Watermelon Drop in Vincennes, Ind.
Fox will offer “New Year’s Eve Live” from 11 pm ET to 12:30 am ET. Those who want to buck the norm and watch something else altogether can get some insight into why girls act the way they do via MTV’s “Girl Code” special at 10 p.m. ET, watch even more “Dr. Who” on BBC America, or spend the whole day on the couch taking in SyFy’s all day “Twilight Zone” marathon.
Fox News Channel’s Bill Hemmer and Elisabeth Hasselbeck will ring in the new year live from Times Square with the network’s All-American New Year (9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.) They’ll be joined by country music singer Rodney Atkins, rockers Blues Traveler and the one-and-only Susan Boyle. “Duck Dynasty” cast members Willie and Korie Robertson will also join the show live from Colorado to reflect on 2013. FNC’s Griff Jenkins will provide viewers with an inside look at the celebrations taking place in the Big Apple.