Author: Brian Porreca

ABC/Bob D’Amico

Jenny McCarthy and Ryan Seacrest

Get ready for the ball to drop on Dec. 31. From Ryan Seacrest to Pitbull, Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin, the hosts of New Year’s Eve night bring the party to your living room. With performances by chart toppers Taylor Swift, One Direction, Iggy Azalea, Bastille and Elton John, here’s the full list list of stars to watch on the year’s biggest night.

The Hollywood Reporter compiles a complete guide to New Year’s Eve specials and programs.

Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2015 (8 p.m., ABC)

Hosts: Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy from Times Square; Fergie from the West Coast hosts the Billboard Hollywood Party

Performers:Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line, MAGIC!, Idina Menzel (Times Square); Elton John (Brooklyn); Gavin DeGraw, Lady Antebellum (Nashville); Iggy Azalea, Bastille, Charli XCX, Jason Derulo, One Direction, Pentatonix, Rixton, Brantley Gilbert, Ella Henderson, Nick Jonas and Meghan Trainor (West Coast). The special breaks at 11 p.m. for local news, then returns at 11:30 to continue the countdown.

Read More Best of 2014: 10 Top Music Collaborations

New Year’s Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin (9 p.m., CNN)

Hosts: Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin

The dynamic duo will bring all their hilarity from Times Square. CNN correspondents will also report from around the country and world. Brooke Baldwin and Don Lemon will report live from New Orleans, Pamela Brown will report from Memphis, Gary Tuchman will cover the Crab Drop in Easton, MD, and Richard Quest will be reporting from a cruise ship in the Bahamas. Leading up to the telecast will be an Anderson Cooper 360 special titled “All the Best, All the Worst 2014” at 8 p.m. with highlights of  the highs and lows of the past year in pop culture, politics, economy and entertainment, hosted by Tom Foreman.

Read More Hollywood’s Top 10 Legal Disputes of 2014

New Year’s Eve With Carson Daly (10 p.m., NBC)

Hosts: Carson Daly, Terry Crews, Ken Marino and Chrissy Teigen

Performers: Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett will perform together from their album “Cheek to Cheek” and Seth MacFarlane, Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani and Pharrell Williams will also take the stage. Today‘s Kathie Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb will lead into Daly’s countdown with a two-hour NBC News-produced special at 8 p.m., A Toast to 2014! The broadcast will flash back through the year’s biggest stories and controversial headlines. The star-studded special features Chris Pratt, Debra Messing, Maria Menounos, Russell Brand, Fleetwood Mac, Kris Jenner and Miss Piggy.

Pitbull’s New Year’s Revolution (8 p.m., Fox)

Host: Pitbull
 

Performers: the Band Perry, Enrique Iglesias, Fifth Harmony, Fall Out Boy and Becky G

Pitbull rings in the New Year from Miami from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. with a break for local news. “Mr. Worldwide” will return for the final countdown and party at 11 p.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Jennifer Lopez: Dance Again (9 p.m., HBO)

Before you watch the ball drop, watch JLo’s booty pop. The HBO documentary about the pop diva and American Idol judge’s world tour premieres on 2014’s final night.

Read More 2014’s Top ‘American Idol’ Stories

MTV’s New Year’s Eve 2015 (11 p.m., MTV)

Hosts: Victoria Justice and Charlamagne

The hour-long special will feature comedians from both Girl Code and Guy Code dishing on the most memorable moments of 2014. Viewers will also catch a glimpse of MTV’s new series Broke A$$ Game Show. 

Sirius XM

Sirius XM will broadcast an extensive line-up of live concerts, DJ sets and special performances throughout the night. Listeners will hear a wide range of talents from Willie Nelson at ACL Live, Coldplay, Diplo and more. 

New Year’s Eve Dance Party (8 p.m. Fuse) 

All American New Year (9 p.m., Fox News Channel)

Hosts: Bob Beckel, Jesse Watters, Anna Kooiman, Lisa “Kennedy” Montgomery and Kimberly Guilfoyle. The news center’s correspondents’ Bernard McGuirk and Joanne Nosuchinsky will talk to pedestrians crowded throughout Times Square.

Read more Best of 2014: Hollywood’s A-List Reveal Their Favorites

TeenNick Top 10 New Year’s Eve 2014 (12 a.m., Nickelodeon)

Host: Nick Cannon

Performers: Shawn Mendes, Jake Miller, Kalin and Miles and 4Count.

Michael Feinstein’s New Year’s Eve at the Rainbow Room (10 p.m., PBS)

The five time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein rings in the New Year with special guests Darren Criss, Leslie Odom, Kelli O’Hara and more. The program is written and directed by Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry. 

Read More 14 Moments That Mattered in 2014

All Hail King Julien (Netflix)

Netflix announced Monday that DreamWorks Animation’s All Hail King Julien will be available to aid parents in their journey to get their kids to bed before midnight, while still being able to enjoy the New Year’s Eve festivities. “Is it almost midnight yet? Who cares, it’s midnight somewhere!” the royal party animal, voiced by Danny Jacobs, says right before the new year.

Michael Becker / FOX

I might not fit into what is now the stereotypical American Idol fangirl demographic, but growing up on the show that changed the face of television keeps me tuning in. So on Wednesday, for the first time, I got to experience the singing competition live.

I was 10 years old when Kelly Clarkson belted her coronation song, “A Moment Like This,” and from that night on, my family and I would crowd around the television to watch. I’d turn up the volume when my two older sisters would bicker, and wouldn’t you know, the show got them to shut up. They would soon enough grab a seat on the couch with the rest of us. It’s how we all found ourselves glued to the TV for 13 seasons straight.

Who could forget hilarious auditions like William Hung‘s “She Bangs?” And, I’ll admit it, I shed a few tears last season when Kree Harrison sang “Here Comes Goodbye.” It’s an emotional show, and for that reason, it’s the prototype for the rest of TV’s talent competitions — the ones you’ll find if you flip down a channel.

PHOTOS: ‘American Idol’: Randy Jackson Through the Years

Idol is the first. It’s the original. I would call it the American Bandstand of my generation. Although Dick Clark can’t be replaced, Ryan Seacrest is slowly, but surely, following his mentor’s iconic footsteps. Watching him in the flesh, he doesn’t stick to the script. He forgets about the teleprompter and jokes around with those around him. That’s an element to the show viewers at home don’t get to glimpse.

I also got to see the Idol stage, whose size took me by surprise. When watching at home, the stage seems massive, but in person, it’s much smaller. Still, hearing the band close-up and live feels larger than life. That brings me to the sound quality, which, for the most par, doesn’t differ all that much from watching at home — except when it comes to hearing Jena Irene hit her high note from 15 feet away; and feeling it, too. Even the roars of audience applause was amplified, which made the live show seem that much more epic.

Caleb Johnson dropped his microphone during his performance of “Sting Me” and I’m not sure what you saw at home, but he handled it like a pro. Jennifer Lopez was thrilled by his slide to save the mic. The show must go on, the saying goes, but I got to witness Jennifer’s genuine care for all the contestants. Her authenticity and love for the show makes the crowd even more enthralled. Case in point: one sparkly sign that read, “I Luh Ya JLo.”

STORY: ‘American Idol’ Announces 2014 Tour Dates 

Of course, there is on-camera banter between the judges and the host, but during commercial breaks, the fun never stops when, Ryan Seacrest, Harry Connick Jr., Jennifer Lopez, and Keith Urban poke fun at each other, crack jokes and enjoy the ride like the rest of us. It’s not all for show, as you may think from watching from home. It’s real. Other gawk-worthy moments came from watching them interact with audience members huddling around the stage and yelling, “Let me take a selfie!” And there was Harry’s constant reminder to everyone in the studio that he was, “live Tweeting!”.

It’s a strange twist watching Randy Jackson sit over with the contestants and not at the Coke–cup-adorned judges table, but it works. He, out of everyone, would chat with the contestants after each performance, and although CJ Harris didn’t get rave reviews from the judges last night, off camera, Jackson was there with a handshake and some words of wisdom.

Idol is slipping in ratings, but it, for sure, is not slipping in talent and value. It’s still, in my eyes, the ideal family show to watch. I even was fortunate to sit next to a mother and daughter from Detroit who flew out to see the show, which made my first live experience feel, well, like being at home.

FX

“Fargo”

[Warning: This story contains spoilers from Fargo’s “The Rooster Prince” episode.]

After introducing the central characters and setting up the foundation for the anthology series, FX’s Fargo expanded the world during Tuesday’s second outing with the introduction of several colorful characters.

Coincidence is not in Molly’s (Allison Tolman) vocabulary when she sets out on a mission to connect the dots from the town’s slayings, leading her to a suspicious Lester (Martin Freeman). While she has her eyes set on Lester, the lonely Gus Grimly (Colin Hanks) has his eyes set on his neighbor.

Here are The Hollywood Reporter‘s top moments from episode two.

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1. There’s no library in this town.

“There’s no library in this town, why is there no library in this town?” Meet Mr. Numbers (Adam Goldberg) and Mr. Wrench (Russell Harvard),the Fargo “fixers” who are brought in to investigatewhether or not Sam Hess’ (Kevin O’Grady) death was connected to what they call “the business.” Just what that means, however, is unclear though their concern about the town’s missing library helps explain why some of Fargo’s characters seem so out-of-touch.  

2. Billy Bob Thornton is … a priest? 

During Tuesday’s hour, that’s how his jack-of-all-trades character Lorne Malvo is portrayed — at least for a moment. When Malvo waltzes into the post office to pick up his fake ID he takes one look at his typically awful photo and says, “I’m a minister apparently.” Maybe there is a spot in heaven for this cynical serial killer. Maybe.

3. The Supermarket King.

Meet Stavros Milos (The Big C‘s Oliver Platt), who hires Malvo to uncover his blackmailer. During an indulgent introduction, he tells Malvo, “I got mangos in January,” before sending Lorne off to find out who sent him the scrappy blackmail note. Milos takes peculiar pride in his supermarket chain glory. He’s another arrogant character like Hess, and things didn’t turn out so well for the latter.

STORY: ‘Fargo’ Premiere Recap: The Same — Only Different

4. Caught bronze handed.  

In a strange twist, the self-tanning bronzer is a clue. Lorne goes to meet the alleged blackmailer, Stavros’ wife Helena Milos (Allegra Fulton). After this visit and a handshake with Helena’s flamboyant trainer Don Chumph (Glenn Howerton),Malvo finds anodd discovery where the same bronzer wiped off in a handshake is soiled on the blackmail note.

5. Gus is on dog duty.

Gus Grimly may be the male counterpart to Molly’s curiosity. He has a keen eye to solve a mystery, but even though he has suspicions about Malvo, Gus keeps his mouth shut and ends up on animal control.

6. The naked neighbor. 

The single dad surprises his teenage daughter Greta (Joey King) with dinner and gets a tease of his own courtesy of his seductive neighbor and potential love interest Rachel Ziskind (Leah Cairns). Although she’s married, she flashes her lingerie and ogles the officer through the window. Let’s hope the conversation goes a little further than a tin can telephone. 

7. Lorne Malvo doesn’t give a [fill in the blank]. 

Stavros’ henchman, Wally (Barry Flatman),is suspicious of Lorne and tries to strong-arm him. But Malvo shows no fear. While Wally tries to intimidate Lorne, all the bad-ass Malvo does is tune him out, take a trip to the bathroom and basically just not give a crap.

STORY: ‘Fargo’ Boss on the Appeals of Anthology Series

8. Pearl’s stuffed animals.

If Lester’s whining wife Pearl (Kelly Holden Bashar) lived to see episode two she may have been featured on TLC’s My Strange Addiction after Molly finds her collection of stuffed animals in her car. It’s a heartbreaking discovery that may also explain why Pearl treated her husband like a child. 

9. Ice Fishing. 

Fargo natives Numbers and Wrench take advantage of the cold and bury the only episode’s victim Lenny (Paul Braunstein) six feet under. Although they know Lenny didn’t kill Hess, that doesn’t stop them from offing him in cold blood. Will the ice-covered pond become the show’s designated graveyard? 

10. Molly is 10 steps ahead of … everyone. 

“A learned detective might consider that a clue,” Molly’s father Lou (Keith Carradine) tells her as she begins to put the murder-mystery’s puzzle pieces together. Meanwhile, new chief of police Bill (Bob Odenkirk) blames the series of slayings on coincidence. For her part, Molly is trying to find justice for the victims, while Bill is just a victim of the town missing a library. 

Do you think Molly is the one to watch in Fargo? Hit the comments with your thoughts. Fargo airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on FX.