On this final Tube Day Tuesday of the year, I was thinking about Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. It’s been on a really long time now. Of course, anniversaries like that can make a person feel old, when you realize a show that’s been airing for forty-one years hasn’t been on all of your life.
Still, in my youth, I really enjoyed watching New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, and though the music long-ago ceased to be my cup of tea, I like the idea that it’s still going on year after year. It’s not the same without Dick Clark, of course, but I suppose Ryan Seacrest does an okay job. I still tune in every year to watch the ball drop, even if I gave up on most of the show quite a few years ago.
On the other hand, television gave up on the show a little bit itself, since it’s no longer broadcast all evening long, the way that it was back in the day. Maybe I’m not the only one who doesn’t really care for a lot of that music.
But, whether you’re watching Seacrest carrying on the Clark tradition, or maybe pining for the olden days of Guy Lombardo, or out celebrating with the throngs of revelers, I wish you a joyous new year and a very healthy, happy, and prosperous 2014.
