New Year's Eve. A time to celebrate, get poop-faced drunk, reflect on the last year and the new one to follow, and get even more drunk as you see the daunting task ahead. It is, or was, also a time for an annual tradition that, whether you were stone-cold sober or falling down drunk, was a regular part of your celebrating.
Until his stroke in 2004, Dick Clark counted down the remaining seconds of the current year with millions of others during his annual New Year's Rockin' Eve specials, first on NBC (1972 and 73), then on ABC. In the beginning, most of the show was live. But as the years moved on, only the Times Square performances would go out live while many other performances would be pre-taped (remember that episode of Friends?). In it's most recent incarnation, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest (God, what an awful title), there's a lot more performance and a lot less celebration.
It's 10:00 P.M. Do you know who your next president is? Here are some more notes about the election coverage over at ABC
8:52 Guess what's coming to ABC primetime in January? It's the beginning of the phrase 'and found'. So far, we've had two ads about the new season. Uh oh, 15 more states close polls at 9:00.
8:55 My 2-year-old just woke up. He must be worried about the fate of the U.S. just like the rest of us.
9:00 Whoops! They went to Charlie before he rattled off the latest results. We got to see the electoral count numbers before he was finished. Always keep on the graphics, kids.
9:10 Yes, we know that Grant Park is getting crowded.
Numbers don't lie -- although some people can manipulate them -- but in all the ways that matter for television, the second season debut for USA's Burn Notice was a 100% hit. The spy caper-drama did something that brings smiles to the lips of all cable execs, it beat first run episodes of ABC and CBS programs.
I'm generally not a numbers person. (I freely admit that I sucked at algebra.) However, the Burn Notice success in Nielsen ratings and key demographics -- 1.8 rating/6 share among adults 18-49 and approximately 5.4 million viewers overall -- is impressive. It built on last season's numbers considerably -- 35% in viewership.
(S01E11) Wow! What an episode. Well, not the whole episode; the last two minutes. For the first time on Eli Stone, we got a glimpse of where the visions may be taking Eli. Also, if the vision of the future he had is on target, then the thing in his head, the aneurysm, is either not fatal as we've been told, or -- perhaps -- Eli will have the surgery and live many more years. At least until 2018. That's if we're to believe that the vision he had is the real future...
But first let's talk about the "Patience," this week's episode. I'm not really loving that title, but I guess it makes sense when you think about the totality of the show. Eli has one of his sensory hallucinations and finds himself in Times Square, New York City, in the middle of a huge rally. People are chanting a theme, "Live Brave," and there are signs and banners promoting the Live Brave movement. The man at the microphone is named David Mosely and he's being cheered.
At 7, CBS repeats their 60 Minutes tribute to Ed Bradley.
At 7:30 (or after football), FOX has The O.T.
NBC has a new Football Night In America at 7, followed by the Packers vs. the Bears.
At 8, PBS has a new Live From Lincoln Center, featuring Audra McDonald, followed by a New Year's Eve concert by Garrison Keillor and his band on a new Great Performances.
HBO has The Producers at 8.
Also at 8: TLC has several new episodes of Resolutionaries, where people see if they can stick to their New Year's resolutions.
At 9, The CW has the magic special Keith Barry: Extraordinary, with guests Jessica Simpson and Matthew McConaughey.
Sci-Fi has a Twilight Zone marathon all day and night (and tomorrow too), while TBS has a Seinfeld marathon.
At 10, ABC has Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, then it's interrupted by local news at 11, then he and Ryan Seacrest countdown to midnight at 11:30.
At 11, FOX has their New Year's Eve countdown.
There's a new Lisa Williams on Lifetime at 11.
At 11:30, MSNBC and CNBC has New Year's Eve With Carson Daly, which I assume NBC stations will show too if the football game and local news doesn't interrupt it.
New Year's Eve. A time to celebrate, get poop-faced drunk, reflect on the last year and the new one to follow, and get even more drunk as you see the daunting task ahead. It is, or was, also a time for an annual tradition that, whether you were stone-cold sober or falling down drunk, was a regular part of your celebrating.
It's 10:00 P.M. Do you know who your next president is? Here are some more notes about the election coverage over at ABC
Numbers don't lie -- although some people can manipulate them -- but in all the ways that matter for television, the second season debut for USA's Burn Notice was a 100% hit. The spy caper-drama did something that brings smiles to the lips of all cable execs, 
(S01E11) Wow! What an episode. Well, not the whole episode; the last two minutes. For the first time on Eli Stone, we got a glimpse of where the visions may be taking Eli. Also, if the vision of the future he had is on target, then the thing in his head, the aneurysm, is either not fatal as we've been told, or -- perhaps -- Eli will have the surgery and live many more years. At least until 2018. That's if we're to believe that the vision he had is the real future...
At 7, CBS repeats their 60 Minutes tribute to Ed Bradley. 
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