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2 D ecember 28, 2014 - January 3, 2015 Br ainerd Dispatch By Cassie Dresch TV Media W ith Christmas in the rearview mirror and a new year on the horizon, there's one last stop to make before ringing in 2015. New Year's Eve is one of the biggest parties in the world, with people from New York to Sydney to Lon- don to Moscow gathering with friends, family and sometimes even complete strangers to usher in another 365 days full of exciting new possibilities. The TV networks also do their part in hyping up the calendar re- set, and there's always a bevy of New Year's Eve specials to choose from. ABC, NBC and Fox all fea- ture some of the biggest names in movies, music and television — and that's just who's hosting! So, pop the cork on a bottle of bubbly and pour yourself a glass as the party heats up Wednesday, Dec. 31, to ring in the new year. Leading the charge is ABC's pe- rennial powerhouse "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest." Named after legend- ary host Dick Clark and his suc- cessor, this New Year's Eve spe- cial annually tops its competi- tors as the most-watched, high- est-rated broadcast on U.S. net- works. The 2013-14 broadcast raked in 22.8 million total view- ers from 11:30 p.m. to 12:37 a.m. — its largest audience in 13 years. In comparison, only 13.9 million viewers combined tuned in to NBC's and Fox's broadcasts. Seacrest ("American Idol," "E! News") took over full hosting duties in 2006 after the late Clark suffered a stroke in 2004, and he's never looked back. Again this year, Jenny McCarthy ("The View") and Fergie ("Marmaduke," 2010) will partake in the festivities as co- hosts, with McCarthy reporting live from Times Square and Black Eyed Peas performer Fergie host- ing the Billboard Hollywood Party. One of the main components of "New Year's Rockin' Eve" is the live performances from the year's hottest artists, and this year's event is no difference. "Blank Space" and "Shake It Off" singer Taylor Swift headlines the East Coast party, performing live in Times Square, while British boy band One Di- rection will perform at the Billboard Hollywood Party. Other artists, such as Charli XCX, Meghan Trainor, English music icon Elton John and Gavin DeGraw, will also be lending their singing talents. "Each year 'New Year's Rockin' Eve' contin- ues its iconic legacy by de- livering incredible perfor- mances from the year's hottest artists, and this year is no exception," Seacrest said in a news release. "We already have secured an un- precedented number of music acts, culminating with a Times Square performance by Taylor [Swift], the biggest superstar in music today." While it may seem like "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" is at a disadvantage going up against "New Year's Rockin' Eve," the peacock network's New Year's Eve late-night offering still pulls in respectable numbers on one of the biggest party nights of the year. The 2013-14 broadcast was a record-setting success for the net- work, matching its highest adult 18-to-49 rating ever and notching 9.5 million viewers (200,000 more viewers than the previous record). Host Carson Daly ("The Voice") is no stranger to the big ball drop in Times Square, having hosted each broadcast of the New Year's Eve spe- cial since its inception in 2003. He's also no slouch when it comes to host- ing such a big event, with a stacked resumé and even an Emmy to his name. The TV and radio personality got his start on MTV with the music video series "Total Request Live," be- fore joining NBC to host "Last Call with Carson Daly." His experience there landed him other roles with NBC, such as hosting special events and joining "Today" as a social me- dia correspondent. Fox, which usually pulls up the rear when it comes to New Year's Eve pro- gramming, is attempting to tap into a younger demographic and boost its popularity with "Pitbull's New Year's Eve Revolution." No, there will not be a dog hosting a TV special. Pitbull is actually the stage name for Armando Christian Pérez, an international rap superstar who has had such global hits as "Timber" and "Give Me Every- thing." In an effort to switch the sta- tus quo up a bit, Fox and Pitbull are taking the New Year's Eve party way south and setting up shop in the rap- per's hometown of Miami, Fla., for what the network is calling "Ameri- ca's Hottest New Year's Eve Spectac- ular" (literally and figuratively). The special will feature musical perfor- mances from artists such as Fall Out Boy, Enrique Iglesias and The Band Perry, and to say the eccentric and outgoing Pitbull is excited would be an understatement. "The world needs to get ready to un-mute New Year's Eve, because we are taking the party from the Big Ap- ple to the Pineapple," he said in a news release. "New Year's Eve is offi- cially in Miami and hosted by yours truly, Mr. Worldwide. P.S. Whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but whatever happens in Miami never happened, Daleee!" It's a lot to chew on if you're look- ing for a New Year's Eve special to settle into when we change over the calendars. Rest assured, though, there's a little bit of something for ev- eryone. Whether it's a classic like "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve," a growing success like "NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly" or a fresh, hip take like "Pitbull's New Year's Eve Revolution," it's time to pop some bubbly when the New Year's Eve parties heat up Wednes- day, Dec. 31, on ABC, NBC and Fox. New Year cheer ABC, NBC and Fox ring in the new year with super-charged celebrations Cover Story this week Carson Daly hosts "NBC's New Year's Eve With Carson "Your One-Stop, Locally-Owned Medical Supply Company." 206 W. 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