THIS MORNING WE’RE SHOWING IT TO YOU UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL.
TAKE A LOOK.
YOU CAN’T BEAT NEW YORK DURING
THE HOLIDAYS, THE BIG APPLE IS
HOME TO THE ROCKEFELLER CENTER
CHRISTMAS TREE, THE RADIO CITY
ROCKETTES, THE FAMOUS WINDOWS ON
5th AVENUE AND AN ICON SO
TREASURED THAT COME DECEMBER
31st, MORE THAN A MILLION PEOPLE
RUSH TO SEE IT, THE NEW YEAR’S
EVE BALL.
EVE BALL. >> READY?
>> READY? SAY CHEESE.
SAY CHEESE. >> AND IN ANTICIPATION OF THE
BIG NIGHT, TIMES SQUARE IS
ALREADY BUZZING WITH EXCITEMENT.
>> HAPPY NEW YEAR.
>> PHOTO BOMB.
>> HAPPY NEW YEAR.
>> THE GLITTERY NUMBERS THAT
WILL RING US INTO 2020 AND SOON
SIT ATOP NEW YORK’S FAMOUS
SKYLINE HAVE ALREADY ARRIVED.
>> I PUT IT ON MY SCHOOL
CALENDAR.
CALENDAR. I ROLLED OUT OF BED, AND JUST
LIKE RAN OVER HERE.
>> DID YOU PUSH YOUR WISH DOWN
YET?
YET? >> WE DID.
WE’RE WAITING FOR THE CONFETTI
TO FALL.
TO FALL. >> ALL THE CON FETECONFETTI ARE
WISHES.
WISHES. >> HERE WE GO, THE "3RD HOUR OF
TODAY" WISHES YOU A HAPPY NEW
YEAR.
YEAR. THE REAL STAR IS ALREADY PERCHED
HIGH ABOVE TIMES SQUARE.
>> THIS IS WHERE THE REAL
JOURNEY BEGINS.
JOURNEY BEGINS. FOUR FLIGHTS UP TO THE BALL.
BALL OR BUST.
I MADE IT.
WEIGHING CLOSE TO 12,000 POUNDS,
ILLUMINATED BY OVER 30,000 LEDs
AND COVERED IN NEARLY 3,000
WATERFORD CRYSTALS.
WATERFORD CRYSTALS. OH, MY GOSH, AND THANKS TO COUNT
DOWN ENTERTAINMENT PRESIDENT
JEFFREY STRAUS WHO OVERSEES THE
BIGGEST NIGHT OF THE YEAR, I GOT
A SNEAK PEEK.
>> HOW DID THE TRADITION OF
DROPPING A BALL AT MIDNIGHT GET
STARTED?
STARTED? >> IT’S AMAZING, IT’S A MARITIME
TRADITION THAT STARTED BACK IN
THE 1800s, WHEN PORTS AROUND THE
WORLD WOULD DROP A BALL AT NOON
DOWN A FLAG POLE SO THE
NAVIGATORS OUT AT SEA COULD
ADJUST THEIR TIME PIECE TO THE
LOCAL TIME.
LOCAL TIME. HERE IN TIMES SQUARE, WE TOOK
THIS TRADITION TO MARK THE
BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR.
>> THAT WAS BACK IN 1907.
IN A NEWLY ESTABLISHED TIMES
SQUARE.
SQUARE. >> THE FIRST ONE WAS 125 WATT
LIGHTBULB.
LIGHTBULB. THE BALL CHANGES AND THE
TECHNOLOGY BUT WHAT’S GREAT IS
THE TRADITION REMAINS THE SAME.
WHEN YOU AND I WERE KIDS
WATCHING AT OUR FAMILY, COUSINS,
GRANDPARENTS HOUSE, IT’S THE
SAME TRADITION WE’RE CELEBRATING
TODAY.
TODAY. >> A TRADITION THAT BOILS DOWN
TO THE FINAL SECONDS.
>> UP HERE IT’S QUIET, THE
ACTION IS DOWN THERE, 400 FEET
BELOW US.
BELOW US. UP THERE, THEY’RE WATCHING THE
CLOCK, GETTING READY TO GO.
>> WOULD YOU LET ME LIVE OUT A
DREAM OF MINE AND PRESS THE
BUTTON LATER.
BUTTON LATER. >> IT’S A BUTTON THAT’S ENGRAVED
BY MANY OF THE GREATS, ALI,
GAGA, AND NOW ME?
>> HAPPY NEW YEAR.
>> HAPPY NEW YEAR.
>> SO THIS IS IT.
>> OH, MY GOSH.
>> STAGE MANAGERS GOING TO TELL
US HANDS ON THE BALL.
HE’LL COUNT US DOWN, 5, 4, 3, 2,
1 HAPPY NEW YEAR.
>> I LOVE IT.
>> YOU MET A FRIEND.
>> I DID.
>> I DID. AND I WANT TO SAY A BIG THANK
YOU TO PLANET FITNESS, TIMES
SQUARE ALLIANCE AND COUNT DOWN
ENTERTAINMENT FOR GIVING ME THE
EXCLUSIVE OF A LIFETIME.
AND GET THIS, JEFF GAVE ME ONE
OF THE CRYSTALS THAT WAS
ACTUALLY ON THE BALL.
>> I MEAN, THIS IS HEAVY.
LIKE ONE OF MY GRANDMOTHER’S
CRYSTAL BOWLS T.IT’S REAL.
IT’S LEGIT.
IT’S LEGIT. ALICIA IN OUR PRODUCER WANTED TO
WRITE IN THE TAG THAT I WAS
GOING TO GIVE IT TO YOU AS A
GIFT, AND I THOUGHT NO, NO, THIS
IS COMING HOME WITH ME.
ALSO GET THIS, IN YOUR PLANS
DON’T INCLUDE BEING IN NEW YORK
CITY FOR NEW YEAR’S, SEND A WISH
FOR THE CONFETTI BY DECEMBER
21st, AND HEAD TO