Your New Year's Eve TV options: Staying in for 2011
By Jordan Bartel
Dec 30, 2010 | 3:30 AM
Prefer to take in New Year's Eve revelry from the comfort of your couch? We won't judge. In fact, we'll help you out with a few TV options on Friday to help you ring in a brand spanking new year. JORDAN BARTEL, B
"Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2011" 10 p.m., WMAR/ABC (left)
If you have enough energy after reading that title, this is your old-school stop for New Year's watching, airing live from Times Square. This year, Jenny McCarthy joins Seacrest, and Ke$ha and Taio Cruz perform. "Screaming, rowdy fans are my natural habitat," Ke$ha told zap2it.com. Good to know. A Los Angeles segment is hosted by Fergie and features Jennifer Hudson, Drake, Natasha Bedingfield, Train, Willow Smith, La Roux and Far East Movement. A warning: Avril Lavigne will launch a new single, "What the Hell."
"New Year's Eve With Carson Daly" 10 p.m., WBAL/NBC
Carson's got a good musical lineup this year: Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj and My Chemical Romance. Also, Bono and The Edge talk about writing the score and lyrics for Broadway's troubled musical "Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark." We'll take more Lil Wayne instead, please.
"New Year's Eve Live" 11 p.m., WBFF/Fox
Nancy O'Dell rings in 2011 in Las Vegas, with performances from Travie McCoy and David Archuleta (aka: people who couldn't get booked on Dick Clark's show). "I've been practicing counting backward with my baby girl," O'Dell told zap2it.com. Nice work, Nancy!
"Watch What Happens: Live" 10:30 p.m., Bravo
Oh, Andy Cohen. We're guessing your "Bravo Clubhouse" will be rocking since you promise "celebrities and fab cocktails aplenty." Really, they promoted this by using the word "aplenty."
"New Year's Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin" 11 p.m., CNN
Coop is back with Kathy Griffin in Times Square. But there'll be reports from across the country as well, including Key West, Fla. (the weather will make us sad) and Nashville, Tenn. (for you country lovers).
"New Year's Eve Bash 2011" 10:30 p.m., MTV
We're assuming that using the word "bash," is supposed to make this special cooler than the others. Not cool: "Jersey Shore's" Snooki is supposedly going to climb into a different ball that'll drop. We feel sorry for the ball.
ALTERNATIVE: Random marathons
"Ghost Adventures"
9 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday, Travel
2010 was apparently very ghostly.
"Smoking Gun Presents: World's Dumbest Criminals
9 p.m. Friday-4 a.m. Saturday
Here's to a dumber 2011!
"1000 Ways to Die"
10:11 a.m. Friday-12:30 a.m. Saturday, Spike
Our secret dream is to join the writing staff on this show. So many bad puns for weird death situations.
"House Hunters International"/ "House Hunters"
6:30 a.m. Friday-4 a.m. Saturday
Other people can afford better property than you.
EXTREME ALTERNATIVE TO BOWL GAMES AND NEW YEAR'S EVE PARTIES
"Bette Midler: The Showgirl Must Go On"
9 p.m. Friday, HBO
The premiere of Midler's music/comedy concert from Las Vegas, includes "the dancing Caesar Salad Girls" and songs such as "The Rose" and "From a Distance." It's a tough choice between this and the Chick-Fil-A Bowl between Florida State and South Carolina.
Photo credits: ABC (Seacrest and Clark); AP (Snooki)
Chick-fil-A Bowl