<p>How can an entire time zone offer nothing better on television than the Times Square ball drop on tape delay? There ARE cities in the rest of the country, after all. Big ones. With millions of people, celebrating the changing of the year at the same time that I am. So why not put THEM on television? That way, even though I’m not right there dancing with them, at least I know that lots of people are having fun at that very moment. I have this feeling that Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest are already snoozing in bed by the time I see them.</p>
<p>I kept wondering about it last night - when we went ‘live’ to New York I asked my husband if they raise the ball and drop it again every hour for each time zone. He said they do but I suspect he was pulling my leg because surely people wouldn’t be hanging around in tome square for the repeats. (I’m from a country that just has one time zone).</p>
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<p>Yes, he was pulling your leg :)</p>
<p>Thought so :rolleyes: . Either that or he really thinks they do - you really never know with him :D</p>
<p>Watching Dick Clark was painful, and not just because of the 3 hour “live” tape delay.</p>
<p>My guys went to First Night in Boston, then came home to watch the Countdown in NYC on TV. They had a great time. I watched some of the First Night events on TV (not keen on traipsing around for 8-10 hours from event to event).</p>
<p>I’m from NY and always figured only east coasters watch Dick Clark’s in NYC - I didn’t know the whole country did! Why don’t you guys just have your own celebration and watch it on TV? it’s not like people in everywhere don’t celebrate the new year. So they just replay it again and again? Poor Hawaiians, we’re all munching on our cornflakes by the time they have their happy new year. </p>
<p>I’ve been to times sq a couple times to see the ball drop, it’s insane…no fun just watching it on TV though.</p>
<p>Couldn’t agree more, ThisCouldBeHeavn. Time for Dick to stop trying to pretend he’s the world’s oldest teenager.</p>
<p>How many years since his stroke? The first year back it was awful to watch him, but you had to admire his perseverance and thankful he was still alive, but even then it was obvious he should give it up. Now it is totally ridiculous. He sounds like… well, yes, he sounds like someone who had a stroke. Or if you didn’t know he had a stroke you would say he sounded like a ■■■■■■■■ person. The countdown made me cringe.</p>
<p>Count me among those who find it comforting that Dick Clark is still up there, year after year, through stroke and age and snow. I find it kind of comforting.</p>
<p>Well, in the middle of the country, we don’t even deserve a tape delay. Our only option was to watch the ball drop in NYC and celebrate New Years at 11 pm CT. Between 11 pm and midnight, there was really nothing on related to New Years except on a broadcast of a New Year’s eve program from Mexico City on our spanish language channel. We watched that and celebrated Feliz Ano Nuevo.</p>
<p>I live in the middle of the country. Where I am we did have some shows, though none from around here that I could find. I ended up watching a music show from Vegas which is behind us (by 2 hours I think) then they flashed over to the “live” time square ball drop and countdown at midnight my time - an hour after Time Square would have reached midnight, but before Vegas did. All a bit bizarre really.</p>
<p>Well, if it makes those of you in the middle of the country feel any better–I told DH that he needed to supervise DS (his friends call him Fire Ball) as he set off his celebration in the street and DH wanted to go to bed at 11. We rang in the new year at 11 EST.</p>
<p>Happy new year!</p>
<p>As a Californian, the whole “ball drop” was always an alien thing to me. When I was young, through most of my childhood and undergrad years, I spent New Year’s Eve with my parents at huge parties. We are from an Eastern European country that likes (and knows how) to party. Years later those days are gone and I’m married to an ex-east coaster who needs to see that effing ball drop. Luckily we have DirecTV (and east coast feed) so he gets to see it at 9.</p>
<p>As much as I have always found Dick Clark’s presence comforting, did anyone else find his face just plain creepy? His makeup was mortuistic (I make up words) and his eyes were all bug eyed and didn’t blink once! He reminded me of the pulled faces from the movie Brazil. Ewww, creepy!</p>
<p>I agree, seiclan.</p>
<p>I wonder if he himself doesn’t see what most of us are seeing.
He appears so unnatural and uncomfortable, but maybe that not what he’s experiencing.
I hope so for his sake.</p>
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<p>I do too. I am part of a group that gets together every NYE (and has done so for close to 20 years) and part of our “ritual” is watching Dick Clark, stroke and all.</p>
<p>Trivia: My father danced on American Bandstand – back in the day. We’re going hopping!</p>
<p>I loved American Bandstand as a kid/teenager.<br>
I didn’t even see Dick Clark last night. DH was asleep and I was reading when the phone ran at 11:45. With my heart pounding, I yanked it off the counter only to hear S1 yelling into the phone “Mom,Mom turn on CNN. I’m on TV.” So I’m fumbling with the remote while S is still yelling over the Times Square noise “Mom, I’m like 20 yards from Anderson Cooper. Look between him and that red head girl he’s talking to” who was Kathy Griffith of course. He and his friends had a blast at Times Square and just the whole atmosphere. Living in the south his whole life, going to NYC is like another planet!</p>
<p>Also …I asked how they got so close and he said his friend’s gf went up to the cops that were guarding the gate and told them the guys were active duty military on leave for the holiday and asked if there was anyway he could help them get up closer to the stages and the ball drop. Every cop at every gate ferried them through all the way to the front.
It was so nice of them and a once in a lifetime experience for S1. His leave is up. He left tonight to return to his base. I’m so glad he had a great New Year’s Eve.
Thank you New York cops.</p>
<p>PackMom, H and I saw your son because we watched CNN New Year’s Eve! :)</p>
<p>Dick looked like an animatronic figure from Disneyland, except with less realistic makeup. </p>
<p>I appreciate that he’s still around at 80, but he doesn’t need to be orange with a face smoother and tighter than a 5 year old.</p>