By Fred Topel | Image property of respective holders.
Carson Daly
Carson Daly has become NBC's go to guy in the New Year's Eve war against Dick Clark. Any network broadcasting that night automatically defers to the landmark ball dropping celebration. Even Daly gives props to his competitor.
Carson Daly Hosts New Year's Eve for NBC
"I've never made any bones about my admiration or respect for Mr. Clark," said Daly. "I always have. There's been a longstanding comparison between the profound affect the teen show Total Request Live had in its heyday with another show called American Bandstand. My old quote that the comparison has been great for me and it sucks for Dick Clark. Trying to take something from Dick Clark as a broadcaster, as a person, the achievements he's had in front of the camera, behind the camera, all of it, his natural ability on air, personality. If I could attain a morsel of that, I would consider myself successful."
Hosting the show for the fourth time, under his Last Call producer David Friedman, Daly flies solo for the New Year's Eve broadcast. "David's family is from New York and they don't even come, so I don't even bother asking mine. It's easier to not have your family or spouses there because it's so crazy."
Waking up on January 1 can be hell after all the festivities. "[Last year] I flew home I think at one o'clock in the afternoon. I literally dragged my bags. Thank God it had a roller on it, from the hotel right to the nearest Irish bar I could find for a bloody mary."
It's all worth it though. "The waking up the next day is like I don't know, feels like a quarterback who just won a game on Sunday and they wake up on Monday just sort of reliving all the highlights and being reminded how much they love their job and how much fun was that. We love doing the late night show. We do it all day every day. There's something really special about the New Year's Special."
Daly has worked New Year's Eve for nine of the last ten years, going back to his days at MTV. "I lived pretty much the whole time I was there right in midtown Manhattan. Between spending so much time, I feel like Times Square is my backyard. When I'm standing there, all I do is look into the windows at MTV. I hear the screams of girls and kids, the deafening sound that kind of haunts you. I feel very comfortable there. It's another reason I love the night because as a broadcaster and as a host, it's really all about relaying or communicating, kicking in that night and trying to paint a picture in words to the people at home to let them know and describe what exactly is happening there. That's essentially what I did for the five years I was at MTV. I think I've adjusted pretty well."
New Year's Eve with Carson Daly airs December 31 on NBC.
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