1st of all, I'd like to be yet another person to bid you people a Merry & peaceful Christmas 2014, since it's now shortly after midnight everywhere, & I hope you people have many more of these such holiday celebrations, wherever you end up, whenever, & however your future turns out!
I'll have similar greetings for New Year's Eve/Day, but until then, I'd like to look past that, 1st, at something FOX is planning on doing to kick off the 6th & final season of its "song-&-dance" show, Glee, with a nod to a certain Disney tune, according to Yahoo!:
Getting out of politics & back into "showbiz" for just a moment:
That, as you can tell, will be back on ABC this New Year, with the usual (since 2006, at least) performances live in the middle of Times Square, which has greeted recent live performers with above average temperatures, and less precipitation than in previous years, & pre-recorded performances out in Hollywood, &, in a 1st this year, from downtown Nashville, Tennessee, featuring the following acts:
in Times Square, according to Billboard:
"The Times Square celebration in New York will include Taylor Swift and Florida Georgia Line among previously announced acts. It will be Seacrest's 10th year hosting the annual countdown that was originated by Dick Clark."
...that, I must say, makes sense... from Nashville, again, in a 1st for the annual show, also according to Billboard:
"Down in Nashville, Lady Antebellum and Gavin DeGraw will perform live from Music City’s New Year’s Eve Bash on Broadway in downtown Nashville."
...finally, from Hollywood, according to Entertainment Weekly, with another hint about the Times Square performances:
"Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest is set to end the year with a message: “Let It Go.”
"It's the beginning of the end.
After five years of musical ups and downs, the sixth and final season of Glee is just around the (holiday) corner, and we're currently counting down the minutes until we're reunited with our favorite McKinley High alumni.
To help pass the time before the Frozen-filled premiere, ET has your exclusive look behind-the-scenes with stars Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison and Darren Criss. Plus, we're bringing you on-set scoop and a musical sneak peek at the very first song of season six!
"At the beginning of season six, we find out what happened with Rachel in Los Angeles and with the TV show and that gets really messed up," Michele spills in our first look video above. "She finds herself back in Ohio but for good reason because these kids need her and she's back to sort of re-boot the glee club."
But Rachel's not the only one who finds herself back in Lima after losing out on her dreams. Due to his slipping grades, Blaine is dropped from NYADA and, like Rachel, is forced move back in with his parents and get a new job.
"I'm the new coach of the Warblers," Blaine announces to Rachel over some java in their old high school hangout The Lima Bean.
So in an effort to "turn these lemons into lemonade" Blaine and Rachel team up to sing their way out of their sorrows with the first song of the season. "When the whole TV series is crashing down, I come back to Ohio and Blaine cheers me up," Michele explains, "We sing "Suddenly Seymore" together which is super sweet."
Watch our full video above for your sneak peek at Michele's snow-filled rendition of "Let It Go," and get the scoop from Morrison on the upcoming "bad blood" between our characters now that Will is the coach of Vocal Adrenaline.
Glee's sixth season premieres with a special two-hour episode Friday, Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. on Fox."
See that 2nd-to-last paragraph there? Yes, there's a 1st immediately in the final season of Glee - mainly, a young Jersey born-&-raised actress/singer performing arguably the hit of this time last year, with the impact of Disney's Frozen being felt to the tune of over $1.29 billion, &, apparently, there's a connection between the movie & show that I certainly forgot about 'til just now, this time from Entertainment Tonight's website:
"(P.S. How fantastic is it that Michele is covering Frozen's "Let It Go"? Not only does the song sound flawless, but the smash single was originally sung by the lovely Idina Menzel — aka Shelby Corcoran, Rachel's on-screen momma! Fingers crossed we'll get some more Menzel and Michele duets in this final season!)"
Now, that is something I totally forgot about myself, despite having caught another Broadway show, Wicked, fittingly enough, right before Halloween, 1 year, & having everybody in this after-school program being big-time fans of Glee, to the point where an entire box set showed up in the program's "room" 1 day, & everybody there went through the entire 1st few episodes up 'til that point in time in just a few short days... I haven't watched the show much at all myself since then, however, considering it was their influence that even got me through those earlier episodes of the show, so I'll reserve judgment on all the changes that have occurred since then to catch the cover (I feel that's an important point in those articles) of last holiday season's/this year's smash hit song!
Not reserving any judgment, however, was the performer behind the original tune, according to a tweet posted on celeb website justjared.com:
If you're looking to hear the 2 versions side-by-side (not at the same time, however!):
Did I mention the Garden State connection(s) here?
Perhaps I should restate my answer as being something to the effect of "both of them were mostly raised on or near Broadway", but you know me by now - 99.99% of the time, I go for the Jersey connections, not the "out of state" connections! Speaking of other locations, I present to you once again my grades from what is now officially last semester in college:
international business:
(the overall "weights" are still being changed for that class, but I did a little bit of checking myself the other day, & all of that added up to 87% overall!)
philosophy:
(same thing!)
business law:
(& to think, I thought I had 81% in there... nope!)
elements of business:
...those grades should very well get me either back here (Japan):
or here (South Korea):
I'd like to return "closer to home" before I get into those specifics, however, since 2015 is officially near, &, with that, the 2016 presidential election primary campaigns will be sure to kick themselves off in earnest very soon:
That being said, I'd like to re-post my thoughts on each of the candidates looking to jump into that race, as I originally laid out here last May:
"the Republican candidates, in order:
There was a time when I thought Scott Brown was just another radical conservative, but now that he's moved into New Hampshire, I think he's moderated his views just enough to avoid carrying that "stigma" across state lines with him!
Do we srsly need another Bush in Washington?
The antithesis of Obamacare seems to be what Dr. Ben Carson has portrayed himself as, but just like Barbara Buono here in N.J. last November, he's too unknown aside from health care policy for me to cast him in any way, shape, or form...
For all the crap that Governor Christie has taken, I'm sure voters of all affiliations will appreciate his ability to embrace bipartisanship when necessary, such as after destructive natural disasters like Sandy, when conservative media was deliberately trying to sabotage the relief efforts to keep the "sheeple" pleased!
On the other hand, the master of singlehanded idiocy, Ted Cruz, is next... If it wasn't for his antics during the government shutdown last year, then I wouldn't find him so reckless, but, well...
Huckabee... failed FoxNews Propaganda host, failed radio host... Why this guy couldn't take advantage of either of those talk show monopolies is beyond me!
Huntsman provides another example of conservative over influence, in my opinion... If he hadn't been pushed out in both '08 & '12, I'm sure he could've "pandered" just enough to the right wingers without compromising his relative moderation!
Jindal has also been known to bash extremism within his own party, so, just for that, I'd be willing to support that, even if all of his policies would make him seem like "1 of them"!
In a state known to elect Republican mayors & governors as recently as the beginning of the millennium (more on that later), King has seemed more conservative than I believe he is, but that might just be because of the Democratic-leaning composition of the N.Y. state government right now!
**** Nugent...
Randy! Srsly, tho... I appreciate his statements in recent days about pushing back against extremist elements & falsehoods (most recently, about voter I.D. laws), but that doesn't make him moderate enough for me just yet!
Just like his predecessor, Daniels has mostly kept his successes "under the radar", while making sure to not make any inflammatory statements made by any Indiana politicians public...
Since Texas is so heavily conservative (more on that later...), you'd think I'd be inclined to bash Rick Perry, but just as long as he doesn't take his "take no prisoners" attitude with him from Austin to D.C., then I'd gladly support him if it meant expanding his state's prosperity nationwide, à la Bill Clinton taking his "New Democrat" approach from Little Rock to D.C. back in the early 90s!
I've always thought foreign policy has been both under appreciated & underutilized by many previous administrations, so if you prefer true "peace through strength" politicians, then Mike Rogers is for you!
Unfortunately, I won't support any candidates on the losing end of previous electoral results... That & extremist budget plans that keep getting shot down are reasons enough for me not to support Ryan!
Same thing with extreme religious fundamentalism... You can't push that on people at every turn, as Santorum did, & expect to win over everybody else!
Just like Huckabee, Scarborough has been a failed talk show host, except Scarborough is (1) somehow still going, & (2) planted in some weekday morning slot where no ratings happen!
Trump, Trump, Trump... If it wasn't for his near-sabotage of Atlantic City, then I would support him, but that & his continued promotion of crackpot conspiracy theories are enough to keep me far away from him!
Among the "others", I would most likely support: Daniels, Kasich, Martinez, Portman, Rubio, & Sandoval... All of the other people among the "others" are either busy pushing extremism on us right now (especially "Colonel" West), or are part of previous administrations (Rice) or losing electoral campaigns (Cain, Palin)!"
There was a time when I thought Scott Brown was just another radical conservative, but now that he's moved into New Hampshire, I think he's moderated his views just enough to avoid carrying that "stigma" across state lines with him!
Do we srsly need another Bush in Washington?
The antithesis of Obamacare seems to be what Dr. Ben Carson has portrayed himself as, but just like Barbara Buono here in N.J. last November, he's too unknown aside from health care policy for me to cast him in any way, shape, or form...
For all the crap that Governor Christie has taken, I'm sure voters of all affiliations will appreciate his ability to embrace bipartisanship when necessary, such as after destructive natural disasters like Sandy, when conservative media was deliberately trying to sabotage the relief efforts to keep the "sheeple" pleased!
On the other hand, the master of singlehanded idiocy, Ted Cruz, is next... If it wasn't for his antics during the government shutdown last year, then I wouldn't find him so reckless, but, well...
Huckabee... failed Fox
Huntsman provides another example of conservative over influence, in my opinion... If he hadn't been pushed out in both '08 & '12, I'm sure he could've "pandered" just enough to the right wingers without compromising his relative moderation!
Jindal has also been known to bash extremism within his own party, so, just for that, I'd be willing to support that, even if all of his policies would make him seem like "1 of them"!
In a state known to elect Republican mayors & governors as recently as the beginning of the millennium (more on that later), King has seemed more conservative than I believe he is, but that might just be because of the Democratic-leaning composition of the N.Y. state government right now!
**** Nugent...
Randy! Srsly, tho... I appreciate his statements in recent days about pushing back against extremist elements & falsehoods (most recently, about voter I.D. laws), but that doesn't make him moderate enough for me just yet!
Just like his predecessor, Daniels has mostly kept his successes "under the radar", while making sure to not make any inflammatory statements made by any Indiana politicians public...
Since Texas is so heavily conservative (more on that later...), you'd think I'd be inclined to bash Rick Perry, but just as long as he doesn't take his "take no prisoners" attitude with him from Austin to D.C., then I'd gladly support him if it meant expanding his state's prosperity nationwide, à la Bill Clinton taking his "New Democrat" approach from Little Rock to D.C. back in the early 90s!
I've always thought foreign policy has been both under appreciated & underutilized by many previous administrations, so if you prefer true "peace through strength" politicians, then Mike Rogers is for you!
Unfortunately, I won't support any candidates on the losing end of previous electoral results... That & extremist budget plans that keep getting shot down are reasons enough for me not to support Ryan!
Same thing with extreme religious fundamentalism... You can't push that on people at every turn, as Santorum did, & expect to win over everybody else!
Just like Huckabee, Scarborough has been a failed talk show host, except Scarborough is (1) somehow still going, & (2) planted in some weekday morning slot where no ratings happen!
Trump, Trump, Trump... If it wasn't for his near-sabotage of Atlantic City, then I would support him, but that & his continued promotion of crackpot conspiracy theories are enough to keep me far away from him!
Among the "others", I would most likely support: Daniels, Kasich, Martinez, Portman, Rubio, & Sandoval... All of the other people among the "others" are either busy pushing extremism on us right now (especially "Colonel" West), or are part of previous administrations (Rice) or losing electoral campaigns (Cain, Palin)!"
"the Democratic candidates, in order:
Biden & Clinton are both (1) part of the current administration, (2) old as dirt, & (3) prone to verbal gaffes exposing their liberal beliefs for what they are: dangerously uncompromising, yet still vulnerable to being labeled "soft"!
Dean was unsuccessful in '04, but that doesn't preclude the turnaround that Vermont experienced under his leadership throughout the 90s!
O' Malley has been too far-left for me... I'm no fan of far-right politics, either, but when these people push harmful policy after harmful policy on an entire state without so much as consulting any constituents, then I just can't support them!
Sanders actually calls himself "big-S-Socialist"... 'nuff said!
Balancing out all the uncompromising liberalism, however, is former Montana governor Schweitzer... If you didn't catch that recent interview with some news outlet in which he openly promised to run as the "anti-Hillary" Democrat, then that to me is more than enough evidence of moderation!
Among the "others": Bullock, Hassan, Kucinich, Locke, Nixon (despite the negative connotations associated with that last name, I've found Jay to be incredibly different from Richard!), & Warner... Just as with the conservatives, I think the rest of these "others" are just too liberal for my liking!"
Just to update those listings slightly, I'd like to add Virginia senator Jim Webb's name to the "D" list:
Jim Webb (D-VA): graduated from Annapolis (the U.S. Naval Academy); served in the failed war that was Vietnam, winning the Silver Star, 2 Bronze Stars, & 2 Purple Hearts there; taught there (the Academy) for a few years; was the top-ranking Democrat in the otherwise-far-right Reagan administration; was still just enough of a Democrat the whole time to endorse fellow Democrats & run against not just Republican, but conservative, candidates for political office in Virginia...
his Naval citation(s):
"WEBB, JAMES H., JR.First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps
Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.) FMF
Date of Action: July 10, 1969
Citation:
The Navy Cross is presented to James H. Webb, Jr., First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 10 July 1969, while participating in a company-sized search and destroy operation deep in hostile territory, First Lieutenant Webb's platoon discovered a well-camouflaged bunker complex which appeared to be unoccupied. Deploying his men into defensive positions, First Lieutenant Webb was advancing to the first bunker when three enemy soldiers armed with hand grenades jumped out. Reacting instantly, he grabbed the closest man and, brandishing his .45 caliber pistol at the others, apprehended all three of the soldiers. Accompanied by one of his men, he then approached the second bunker and called for the enemy to surrender. When the hostile soldiers failed to answer him and threw a grenade which detonated dangerously close to him, First Lieutenant Webb detonated a claymore mine in the bunker aperture, accounting for two enemy casualties and disclosing the entrance to a tunnel. Despite the smoke and debris from the explosion and the possibility of enemy soldiers hiding in the tunnel, he then conducted a thorough search which yielded several items of equipment and numerous documents containing valuable intelligence data. Continuing the assault, he approached a third bunker and was preparing to fire into it when the enemy threw another grenade. Observing the grenade land dangerously close to his companion, First Lieutenant Webb simultaneously fired his weapon at the enemy, pushed the Marine away from the grenade, and shielded him from the explosion with his own body. Although sustaining painful fragmentation wounds from the explosion, he managed to throw a grenade into the aperture and completely destroy the remaining bunker. By his courage, aggressive leadership, and selfless devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Webb upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service."
Company D, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein.) FMF
Date of Action: July 10, 1969
Citation:
The Navy Cross is presented to James H. Webb, Jr., First Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, for extraordinary heroism while serving as a Platoon Commander with Company D, First Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), Fleet Marine Force, in connection with combat operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 10 July 1969, while participating in a company-sized search and destroy operation deep in hostile territory, First Lieutenant Webb's platoon discovered a well-camouflaged bunker complex which appeared to be unoccupied. Deploying his men into defensive positions, First Lieutenant Webb was advancing to the first bunker when three enemy soldiers armed with hand grenades jumped out. Reacting instantly, he grabbed the closest man and, brandishing his .45 caliber pistol at the others, apprehended all three of the soldiers. Accompanied by one of his men, he then approached the second bunker and called for the enemy to surrender. When the hostile soldiers failed to answer him and threw a grenade which detonated dangerously close to him, First Lieutenant Webb detonated a claymore mine in the bunker aperture, accounting for two enemy casualties and disclosing the entrance to a tunnel. Despite the smoke and debris from the explosion and the possibility of enemy soldiers hiding in the tunnel, he then conducted a thorough search which yielded several items of equipment and numerous documents containing valuable intelligence data. Continuing the assault, he approached a third bunker and was preparing to fire into it when the enemy threw another grenade. Observing the grenade land dangerously close to his companion, First Lieutenant Webb simultaneously fired his weapon at the enemy, pushed the Marine away from the grenade, and shielded him from the explosion with his own body. Although sustaining painful fragmentation wounds from the explosion, he managed to throw a grenade into the aperture and completely destroy the remaining bunker. By his courage, aggressive leadership, and selfless devotion to duty, First Lieutenant Webb upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service."
I'm not the only person who seems to think the Virginia Senator might be the most serious challenge to V.P. Biden, former 1st Lady/N.Y. Senator/Secretary of State Clinton, former MD Governor Martin O' Malley, & other 2016 Democratic candidates, & conservatives won't even be able to start criticizing his treatment of the military at any point during his campaign, considering his decorated service; Russell Berman of The Atlantic wrote this article last month (November):
"The two-year race to replace President Obama in the White House has its first semi-official contender: Jim Webb.
On Wednesday night, the former one-term Virginia senator and Navy secretary in the Reagan administration announced the launch of a presidential exploratory committee for 2016. While not a formal campaign committee, the move allows Webb, a Democrat, to raise money as decides whether to run. He is the first known candidate of either party to take that step.
Webb made his announcement in a letter and a 14-minute video posted on his new website, voicing his frustration at the lack of "positive, visionary leadership" in the country. "We desperately need to fix our country, and to reinforce the values that have sustained us for more than two centuries, many of which have fallen by the wayside during the nasty debates of the last several years," he said. "I hope you will consider joining me in that effort."
In making an early move toward the race, Webb becomes the first Democrat to challenge the assumed candidacy of Hillary Clinton, who has dominated early polling and would be considered the heavy favorite for the nomination if she runs. Webb made no mention of either Clinton or Obama in his video, but he focused on the theme of income inequality that has become a top concern for progressives.
He acknowledged the long-shot nature of his potential bid while noting that he began in a similar, distant position when he launched his candidacy for the Senate in 2006. "We are starting with very little funding and hardly any staff, but I’ve been here before," Webb said. Dispensing with the frills of many modern campaigns, Webb's site is bare-boned, featuring only the four-page text of his message and the video itself.
A Marine who served in Vietnam, Webb rose through the ranks of the military to become Navy secretary in the 1980s. He also authored several novels in the late 1970s and 1980s, which included passages that became fodder for his campaign opponents because of their sexual nature. In 2006, he defeated incumbent GOP Senator George Allen in Virginia, but he retired after just a single term, evidently frustrated at the congressional gridlock and partisanship. While he would bring experience both in foreign and domestic policy to a presidential race, he is neither widely known nor a particularly dynamic speaker, and it's unclear whether he'll be able to amass the necessary funds to mount a serious bid.
While stressing his commitment to veterans and to criminal justice reform, he sought to reach out both to the urban and rural poor by placing the fight for economic fairness at the center of his message:
We haven’t been perfect and from time to time, as with today, we have drifted to the fringes of allowing the very inequalities that our Constitution was supposed to prevent. Walk into some of our inner cities if you dare, and see the stagnation, poverty, crime, and lack of opportunity that still affects so many African Americans. Or travel to the Appalachian Mountains, where my own ancestors settled and whose cultural values I still share, and view the poorest counties in America – who happen to be more than 90 percent White, and who live in the reality that “if you’re poor and White you’re out of sight.”
The Democratic Party used to be the place where people like these could come not for a handout but for an honest handshake, good full-time jobs, quality education, health care they can afford, and the vital, overriding belief that we’re all in this together and the system is not rigged.
Aside from Clinton, other potential challengers for the 2016 Democratic nomination include Governor Martin O'Malley of Maryland, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and, potentially, Vice President Joe Biden."
Jacob Heilbronn of the New York Times recently put out a very similar article:
"WASHINGTON — THE conventional wisdom is that Hillary Rodham Clinton will be almost impossible to dislodge from the Democratic presidential nomination and that even if she does encounter some hiccups, they will come from her left flank on economic policy. But if Mrs. Clinton runs, she may face a serious and very different threat: her own foreign policy record. While she can pretty much split the difference with any primary opponents on economic policy, the divisions over foreign affairs could be a lot harder to paper over for Mrs. Clinton, who has been tacking to the right on Iran, Syria and Russia in anticipation of Republican assaults during the general election.
This is why it isn’t really the Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren who should worry the Clinton camp. It’s the former Virginia senator Jim Webb, a Vietnam War hero, former secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration, novelist and opponent of endless wars in the Middle East. Late last month, Mr. Webb formed an exploratory committee. “He’s a very long shot,” Leslie H. Gelb, president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations, told me. “He has to become a serious candidate. At that point she would find him much more complex than dealing with liberals. He’s not a liberal, but a lot of what he says might appeal to liberals. He does not get carried away by humanitarian intervention.
Mr. Webb’s attacks on free trade and economic elites, coupled with a call for America to come home again, might well prove a potent combination in the early primaries, attracting antiwar progressives as well as conservative-minded Southern white men whom he believes the party can win back. His credo is as simple as it is persuasive: Rather than squander its power and resources abroad, America should rebuild.
Mr. Webb, whose national poll ratings are negligible, may look like an unlikely candidate, but that is also what most observers thought when he wore his son’s Iraq combat boots on the campaign trail and ousted George Allen from his Senate seat in 2006. Today he represents for the Democrats what the Republicans tried to stamp out in their ranks during the midterm elections: a Tea-Party-like insurgency against its establishment candidate.
Mr. Webb, who prides himself on his Scotch-Irish ancestry, has long been something of a renegade, a persona that vividly manifested itself after Sept. 11, 2001, when he began denouncing what he saw as the transformation of the American presidency into a European-style monarchy that could capriciously pursue wars whenever and wherever it chose. Unlike Mrs. Clinton, who continues to struggle to explain her vote for the Iraq war, Mr. Webb publicly attacked the George W. Bush administration in 2002, presciently asking, “Do we really want to occupy Iraq for the next 30 years?” As a member of the Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees he also castigated the Obama administration for its intervention in Libya in 2011. He was right. It’s a move that has boomeranged, creating further instability and emboldening jihadists across the region.
During and after the Libya intervention, Mr. Webb made it clear that he believed American democracy was imperiled by the failure of Congress to question the judgment of military leaders and the president. He has put his finger on a problem that academics like Tufts University’s Michael J. Glennon, the author of “National Security and Double Government,” see as a product of an entrenched national security bureaucracy that essentially performs an end-run around Congress and even reform-minded presidents.
In contrast to Mrs. Clinton, who has gotten into hot water for trying to retroactively amend her views and record, Mr. Webb did not arrive at these beliefs casually or opportunistically. As his recent memoir, “I Heard My Country Calling,” makes clear, his opposition to ventures abroad is as much viscerally emotional as intellectual. Growing up as a self-described military brat, he spent his formative years in Britain, where he saw firsthand the effects of loss of empire and the devastation wrought by World War II. “Britain was bled out and spent out,” he writes. “They understood the great price of the recent wars in a much more sobering way than did most Americans.
After he returned from war-torn Beirut just before a truck suicide bomber destroyed the Marine Corps headquarters in October 1983, he felt a nagging irritation as he rode home in a taxi early in the morning along George Washington Memorial Parkway. Then he realized that the calm silence was bothering him; it was both the emblem of America and the “protective vacuum that surrounds our understanding when it comes to the viciousness that war brings to so many innocent noncombatants in other lands.” Mr. Webb’s exposure to foreign societies gave him the ability, much like President Obama, to view America as both an insider and an outsider.
Whether Mr. Webb will attempt to begin a successful maverick campaign is an open question. But he is an eloquent and forthright speaker whose foreign policy experience would make it difficult for Mrs. Clinton to paint him as an isolationist or a novice who will leave America open to attack, as she attempted to do to Mr. Obama during the 2008 primaries. On the contrary, it’s Mrs. Clinton whose interventionist foreign policy record leaves her politically vulnerable."
We've still gotta get to the very beginning of 2015 right now, not nearly long enough for the primaries to hit their peak point, with various votes in various states, which usually occurs about 1/2way between the beginning of the year preceding the November of the actual Presidential election, and the actual Presidential Election Day itself, but with guys like him being the 1st of everybody, on both sides (Democrats & Republicans) to jump into the primaries... You know what "they" say: "the person/people who enter(s) 1st..." Well, in these Democratic primaries, military vet/former Senator Webb is 1st, so I, for 1, think he'll have a rousing success early on in the primaries!
in Times Square, according to Billboard:
"The Times Square celebration in New York will include Taylor Swift and Florida Georgia Line among previously announced acts. It will be Seacrest's 10th year hosting the annual countdown that was originated by Dick Clark."
...that, I must say, makes sense... from Nashville, again, in a 1st for the annual show, also according to Billboard:
"Down in Nashville, Lady Antebellum and Gavin DeGraw will perform live from Music City’s New Year’s Eve Bash on Broadway in downtown Nashville."
...finally, from Hollywood, according to Entertainment Weekly, with another hint about the Times Square performances:
"Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest is set to end the year with a message: “Let It Go.”
Idina Menzel has just been added to the list of performers for this year’s show, breaking out what is likely the last live rendition of Frozen‘s hit track of the year. Also joining the roster are Florida Georgia Line, who will perform a medley that includes “Cruise,” “This Is How We Roll,” and “Sun Daze”; and Magic!, who will play their hits “Rude” and “Let Your Hair Down.”
All three acts will perform in addition to the already-announced headliner, Taylor Swift. Ryan Seacrest and Jenny McCarthy will host the east coast New Year’s celebration, before the show switches over to the west coast with host Fergie. There, she’ll be joined by Charli XCX, One Direction, and Meghan Trainor for the Billboard Hollywood Party in California."
So, there you have it... That is how 2014 will end, & 2015 will begin, here live on the East Coast, & pre-recorded for all you peeps out west... I, for 1, am, as always, looking forward to that show, & all of its performances, & I hope you people also enjoy your year-ending fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment