Seacrest Becoming the Face of New Year’s Eve
Dick Clark is still Mr. New Year’s Eve — but he’ll be sharing the title with Ryan Seacrest.
Starting this December, Clark’s longtime end-of-year special will be called “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest,” ABC and dick clark productions said Friday.
It was also announced that Seacrest will serve as co-host with Clark and as an executive producer on the broadcast for another three years, through the 2010 show ringing in 2011.
The show’s name change reflects Seacrest’s success in co-hosting “one of America’s most time-honored traditions,” Orly Adelson, executive producer and president of dick clark productions, said in a statement.
“New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” will mark its 37th year on Dec. 31 and include the customary countdown to midnight from New York City’s Times Square.
Seacrest, host of “American Idol,” joined the program in December 2005, signing a deal that would eventually make him the program’s host. Clark had a stroke earlier that month but appeared on the ’05 show and in following years, his speech affected but enthusiasm intact.
Advanced Elmo Predicted Hot Toy for Christmas
He talks, has some serious moves and most likely will be near impossible to find come the holidays.
The 2008 version of the talking Elmo doll, which is scheduled for release Oct. 14, is listed as one of Wal-Mart’s top 12 toys for the 2008 holiday season. Fisher-Price, in an attempt to make Elmo Live available all during the holiday season, is working with retailers to take pre-orders. Retailers include Wal-Mart, Target, Toys R Us, K-Mart, Amazon.com and eToys.com. Select retailers began accepting online pre-orders earlier this week.
What’s so special about this Elmo?
“There’s nothing like it. It’s an entirely new breed,” said Jim Silver, editor-in-chief of Toys and Family Entertainment magazine.
The Muppets of Sesame Street have giggled and danced their way to becoming American icons among the younger set with the crimson-colored, shaggy Elmo being a breakaway hit, beginning with the 1996 release of the original Tickle Me Elmo. Since then, there have been Rock ‘n’ Roll Elmo (1999), Chicken Dance Elmo (2002), Hokey Pokey Elmo (2003) and the 10th anniversary Elmo T.M.X. (2006).
Elmo Live launched at the 2008 American Toy Fair in New York earlier this year, and its video on YouTube has had more than 225,000 hits. The animatronic plush toy features synchronized motions, such as its mouth opening and closing when he speaks, waving his arms, sitting and standing, as well as crossing his legs while telling stories. Elmo even blows kisses.
Although the toy’s realistic movement is impressive, it earns high marks for content, too, drawing children into play with questions and comments.
“It’s unbelievable how strongly he is able to engage you in play,” Silver said.
Another amazing aspect of Elmo Live is the suggested retail price of $59.99.
“A few years ago, a product of this caliber would have at least had a 1 [as in hundred] in front of it,” Silver said.
Will it be a dark Christmas?
There are more ominous signs for a dreary holiday season in 2008. Sources within the Christmas light industry say that shipments of new-technology Christmas LED lights are down in the months of June and July, bucking the trend of a surging upswing over the past 18 months in the category.
Some speculate that previous hot demand is the reason for the sudden decline. Because so many ordered so heavily in 2007 they ordered early for 2008, causing summer shipments to be lighter as a result.
But others are saying it is a sign of the economic times: retailers are pulling back because they anticipate not as many end-user consumers will be buying or lighting up their properties for Christmas 2008 due to rising energy costs and overall inflation.
