Tag Archives: New Year's Eve

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Jeremy Renner thanks his fans for their sympathies in his first social media post after snow plowing accident

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CNN
 — 

Actor Jeremy Renner thanked fans from his hospital bed Tuesday as he continued to recover from two surgeries following being injured by a snowplow machine in what officials described as “a tragic accident.”

“Thank you all for your kind words. Im too messed up now to type. But I send love to you all,” Renner wrote in a caption under a selfie photo showing him apparently in a hospital bed.

The “Hawkeye” actor was injured on New Year’s Day near his Nevada home while he was clearing snow from a private driveway to help family members leave his house after gathering for the holidays, according to his publicist, Samantha Mast.

“Jeremy is making positive progress and is awake, talking and in good spirits,” Mast said a statement released Tuesday evening. “He remains in ICU in critical but stable condition. He is overwhelmed by the showing of love and support. The family asks for your continued thoughts while he heals with his close loved ones.”

Renner, 51, was run over by his snowcat, an engine-powered machine used to clear snow, Washoe County Sheriff Darin Balaam said on Tuesday during a news conference.

At some point, the machine started to roll away while Renner was not in the driver’s seat, Balaam said. He was injured as he tried to get back into the machine, Balaam explained. Renner’s family members were with him when he was injured.

A Renner spokesperson previously told CNN that he sustained “blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries.” So far, the actor has undergone two surgeries related to the injuries, a source close to the actor told CNN.

Minutes before 9 a.m. on Sunday, authorities received word of the accident through a 911 call reporting a crash involving a snowcat and a pedestrian on Mount Rose Highway, Balaam said Tuesday.

Even though it was not snowing at that time, that highway was closed and at least a dozen cars were stranded due to the severe winter weather that was hitting the area, Balaam said.

Due to these conditions, a helicopter landed in the vicinity of the highway at 9:37 a.m., and Renner was taken to a Reno-area hospital at 9:56 a.m., Balaam said.

At the time of the injury, parts of western Nevada were blanketed with snow. The Reno area received between 6 and 12 inches of snow at elevations below 5,000 feet between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and up to 18 inches at higher elevations, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

“He was being a great neighbor and he was plowing those roads for his neighbor,” Balaam said of Renner.

Authorities do not believe Renner was intoxicated during the incident, with Balaam calling it “a tragic accident.”

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office has Renner’s taken the snowcat to analyze it to “rule out any potential mechanical failure,” which is a normal part of the investigation with this severity of injuries, Balaam said.

During an appearance on “CNN This Morning” Wednesday, Balaam said the actor is very active in the Reno community.

“He’s one of our honorary deputies here at the Sheriff’s Office,” Balaam said. “That’s one of the nonprofits [for] members in our community. And they help us do ‘Shop For The Sheriff,’ where they spend $50,000 and donate it and he’s one of those members. He does a lot for our community.”

“When I took office in 2019 he showed up for ‘Shop For The Sheriff’ and you should see the kids and the parents,” Balaam added. “He took the time out of his busy days to give autographs and shop with kids. He does a lot in the community and what I truly enjoy about Mr. Renner is a lot of times he does it and no one knows. He does it out of the kindness of his heart.”

A day after the accident, Renner’s family released a statement thanking hospital staff and first responders while the actor remained hospitalized.

“Jeremy’s family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff, Reno City Mayor Hillary Schieve and the Carano and Murdock families,” a statement from his spokesperson read. “They are also tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans.”



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Jeremy Renner is in ICU recovering from 2 surgeries after being injured in snow plowing incident

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CNN
 — 

“Hawkeye” actor Jeremy Renner is recovering from surgery after suffering “blunt chest trauma and orthopedic injuries” in a New Year’s Day snow plowing accident in Nevada, a spokesperson for the actor said.

As of Monday evening, Renner was in the intensive care unit in “critical but stable condition,” the spokesperson said.

The 51-year-old actor has so far undergone two surgeries to address injuries he sustained in the accident, a source close to the actor previously told CNN.

Renner was hospitalized on Sunday after a “weather related accident” while plowing snow, his representative Sam Mast confirmed to CNN earlier on Monday.

The Washoe County Sheriff’s Office said its deputies responded to a “traumatic injury” involving Renner in the area of Mount Rose Highway in Reno.

Deputies found Renner injured and coordinated his transport to an area hospital, the Sheriff’s Office said in a news release, adding that the actor was the only person involved in the accident.

The Sheriff’s Office did not provide details on how the snow plow accident happened but said its Major Accident Investigation Team is looking into the circumstances of the incident.

At the time of the accident, parts of western Nevada were covered with snow. The Reno area received around 6-12 inches of snow at elevations below 5,000 feet between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, and up to 18 inches at higher elevations, according to the National Weather Service in Reno.

Renner has shared multiple videos and photos on his verified social media accounts showing him in snowy conditions, including one Instagram video posted two weeks ago in which the actor appears to be driving a snowplow.

Renner’s family released a statement Monday evening thanking hospital staff and first responders as the actor remained hospitalized.

“Jeremy’s family would like to express their gratitude to the incredible doctors and nurses looking after him, Truckee Meadows Fire and Rescue, Washoe County Sheriff, Reno City Mayor Hillary Schieve and the Carano and Murdock families,” a statement from his spokesperson read. “They are also tremendously overwhelmed and appreciative of the outpouring of love and support from his fans.”

Renner stars in the Paramount+ series “Mayor of Kingstown” and is best known for his role as Hawkeye in several Marvel Cinematic Universe films.



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Times Square New Year’s Eve attack: Suspect arrested and faces attempted murder charges

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CNN
 — 

The 19-year-old suspect accused of attacking New York police officers with a machete near Times Square on New Year’s Eve has been arrested and faces charges of attempted murder of a police officer.

Police are recommending the suspect, Trevor Bickford, be charged with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer and two counts of attempted assault in the attack, the New York Police Department said.

The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has said that they do not yet have details of when Bickford will be arraigned. It’s unclear whether he has an attorney.

The formal arrest comes two days after Bickford allegedly attacked police officers at a security screening area outside Times Square, the center of the city’s famed New Year’s Eve celebrations.

A diary was found in the suspect’s backpack, which had been left on the street and placed in a pile with other backpacks that had been taken from people trying to enter security checkpoints around Times Square, multiple law enforcement sources with direct knowledge of the case said.

The diary ends with a last will and testament, according to the source. The final entry, dated December 31, begins with, “This will likely be my last entry,” and goes on to leave instructions on how to divide the author’s belongings among his family and instructions for his burial.

The diary expressed a desire to join the Taliban and it criticized his brother for joining the US military, the sources said.

“There was a time when we were close but that time has since passed,” writings in the diary say, according to the sources. “You have joined the ranks of my enemy.”

The suspect also worried his mother would not repent to Allah, according to another writing in the diary, the sources said.

“And therefore I hold hope in my heart that a piece of you believes so that you may be taken out of the hellfire,” he wrote, according to the sources.

Just after 10 p.m. he went to the Times Square checkpoint at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue where officers check bags for weapons or suspicious items, NYPD Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell and police said.

At the security area, Bickford allegedly pulled out a machete, struck one officer with the blade and another officer in the head with the handle, and then swung the blade at a third officer, who shot Bickford in the shoulder, according to the sources and the NYPD. The officers have been treated and released.

For the past two days, Bickford had been in custody and under police guard at Bellevue Hospital, where he was being treated for the gunshot wound, sources said.

Even before the attack, Bickford was on the FBI’s radar.

Bickford was interviewed by FBI agents in Maine in mid-December after he said he wanted to travel overseas to help fellow Muslims and was willing to die for his religion, according to multiple law enforcement sources.

Bickford’s mother and grandmother became increasingly concerned about his desire to travel to Afghanistan to join the Taliban and reported this to the Wells, Maine, police department out of concern for him on December 10, the sources said.

When the FBI opened its wider investigation they also placed him on a terrorist watch list, according to sources. Because the Taliban is not designated a foreign terrorist entity, planning to travel to Afghanistan to join the group does not constitute the federal crime of “attempted material support of a terrorist group.”

Multiple law enforcement sources told CNN that Bickford traveled to New York via Amtrak, so those travels would not have tripped any watch list databases.

His original destination was Miami, the sources said, but he stopped in New York and checked in at the Grand Hotel near the Bowery in Manhattan on December 29. He checked out on New Year’s Eve with all his luggage before allegedly conducting the Times Square machete attack, the sources said.

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1 killed, at least 9 others injured in New Year’s Eve shooting in Alabama

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CNN
 — 

One person was killed and nine others were injured in a shooting in Mobile, Alabama, Saturday night, just blocks from where people had gathered for the city’s New Year’s Eve celebration, according to CNN affiliate WPMI.

Police got a call about shots fired at 11:15 p.m. in the 200 block of Dauphin Street, Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine told WPMI.

Officers arrived to find one person dead and several others injured, Prine told the station.

The chief said the surviving victims were all transported to local hospitals, but no information was available on the extent of their injuries.

No arrests have been made and it’s unclear what motivated the shooting, which happened as crowds were in the downtown area for the MoonPie Over Mobile event.

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Times Square Attack on New Year’s Eve Injures 2 NYPD Officers – NBC New York

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Police working New Year’s Eve detail in Times Square were wounded by a machete-wielding man who struck multiple officers in the head in what law enforcement are investigating as a possible targeted attack.

Federal and local authorities are digging into the background of 19-year-old Trevor Bickford, who allegedly attacked a group of NYPD officers outside a security screening zone in Times Square just after 10 p.m. Saturday, multiple law enforcement sources said.

Bickford, of Wells, Maine, allegedly approached the officers on Manhattan’s 8th Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets armed with a large knife he used to swing at three different officers, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said at an overnight press conference.

Sewell said the man dealt two of the officers blows to the head, giving an 8-year veteran a head laceration and a recent police academy graduate a skull fracture. All three NYPD members were taken to Bellevue Hospital and were expected to survive.

News 4

Police provide photo of machete allegedly belonging to 19-year-old suspect.

At least one officer fired upon the suspect, striking him in the shoulder. Police sources said the alleged attacker’s injuries are also non-life-threatening. A preliminary review shows the man has no previous arrests but he was known to federal and local law enforcement because of previous online postings, the sources added.

Law enforcement officials said they are looking into whether the man who allegedly attacked the officers had previously posted what they called jihadist writings online and traveled to New York City to target police.

“We believe this was a sole individual at this time, there’s nothing to suggest otherwise,” said Mike Driscoll, assistant director in charge of the New York FBI Field Office. The FBI’s Joint Terrorism task Force is also investigating.

The knife attack and gunfire startled a long line of crowds waiting to join the NYE celebrations. A local pizza shop employee said panicked revelers fled amid the chaos.

Police have closed down the immediate area for their investigation. The nearby New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square was not impacted.

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New Year’s Eve revelers ring in 2023 at Times Square

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The gloomy and misty weather didn’t deter thousands from flooding Times Square to watch the ball drop for the first unrestricted New Year’s Eve party since 2020.

The massive annual extravaganza was the first in two years to have zero COVID-19-related restrictions – no masks, no vaccines and no social distancing.

The lift on limited capacity rules meant the popular tourist destination was packed again with revelers eager to get back to normal.

Most had packed into the midtown square early Saturday morning to claim their prime spots.

Michelle Strunk, 48, of Shickshinny, PA, told The Post she had come prepared for the hours-long wait — after watching the ball drop for the first time when she was 19 years old.

She, her husband and her two sons packed their pockets with granola bars and water, but the boys declined to follow her lead and wear a diaper.

“I guarantee 75 percent of people have one on,” she speculated. “Listen I’ve cranked out two kids … It’s only for emergency purposes. I don’t plan on using it but it’s only there for emergency purposes.”

Onlookers cheered as confetti filled the air to mark the beginning of the new year.
AFP via Getty Images
The extravaganza was the first in two years to have zero COVID-19-related restrictions.
AFP via Getty Images


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Thousands flooded Times Square to watch the ball drop.
AFP via Getty Images
A couple kissed to celebrate the new year in Times Square.
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Jurate Samiene, 59, and husband Rimas Samis, 62, of Branford, Connecticut planted their feet at 7 a.m. and abstained from eating or drinking all day to celebrate their third time at the event.

“We decided to put our minds to come here and come to Times Square. Rain or not, it doesn’t matter. We decided rain is better than cold,” Samiene told The Post.

But for others, the wait wasn’t so easy.

Pearl Vaval, a 63-year-old Bronx resident and MTA bus operator, claimed her spot at 7 a.m. to watch the ball drop for the first time since moving to the city 39 years ago.

“It’s on my wish list and never again,” Vaval told The Post. “I’m too old. I can’t stand here for too long.”

Vaval said she “sacrificed” drinking water all day to cross the feat off her bucket list, but is looking forward to starting the new year off by making new friends.

Ryan Seacrest wants to host the next “Rockin’ Eve” with Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Christopher Sadowski
Ryan Seacrest hosted Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve 2023 in Times Square.
Christopher Sadowski


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“I’m just enjoying life right now at my age … Every day is like a gift,” she told The Post.

Samiene said her resolutions for the new year were to “do better in everything… and of course, peace in the world.”

The New Year’s Eve revelers were treated to a number of live performances throughout the night, featuring a lineup of Chelsea Cutler, JVKE, Ava Max, Osmani Garcia, New Edition, Chesca and Duran Duran.

Just before the strike of midnight, Cutler performed a rendition of John Lennon’s “Imagine” that had thousands singing along as they welcomed 2023.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams was given the honor of pushing the button starting the 60-second descent of the Waterford Crystal New Year’s ball, complete with neon lights and fireworks as the crowd roared the final countdown.

A few notes of the New Year’s classic ballad “Auld Land Syne” played on the loudspeakers as partiers shared smooches before blasting Frank Sinatra’s “New York, New York” as confetti rained down.

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Man stabbed in neck with scissors near NYC Times Square

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A man was stabbed in the neck with scissors near Times Square Saturday as revelers packed the streets watch the ball drop and ring in the new year, cops and witnesses said.

The slashing occurred around 8:45 p.m. New Year’s Eve when a fight broke out between two men on West 42nd Street and 6th Avenue, police said.

A tourist visiting from San Diego to watch the New Year’s Eve festivities for the first time told The Post the victim grabbed a pair of scissors from his backpack when the attacker landed a punch, knocking him out.

The knifeman then knocked the weapon from the other man’s hands and stabbed him.

“A guy with a book bag got knocked out. He was digging through his book bag. The guy with the bag was holding scissors. He pulled 2-inch scissors out of his bag. The guy who hit him knocked the scissors out of his hand and jabbed him in the neck three times,” the man, who only wanted to be identified by his first name, Brandon, said. 

“He was bleeding pretty bad in his neck. He did damage when he stabbed him with the scissors … When I saw him digging through the bag, we moved away.”

Cops reportedly arrested the attacker and transported the victim to the hospital.

Brandon’s girlfriend Bailey said the brawling duo both looked drunk. The attacker had been sitting with a girl and a case of beer, she said.

The attacker had been sitting with his girlfriend and a case of beer, a witness said.
Robert Mecea

Another witness, Gabriel, 22, said there was a lot of blood.

“I was staring at the ball and I saw a big commotion and I saw someone do this like three times to someone’s neck,” Gabriel said, making a stabbing gesture.

“I saw a bunch of blood so I’m assuming he got stabbed. Everybody was yelling ‘yo it’s not worth it!”

Brandon and Bailey said the bloody New Year’s Eve attack would stop them from visiting the Big Apple again for the celebration.

The stabbing was the second in the square on Saturday.
Robert Mecea

“When people ask me how the ball dropped, I’ll tell them that story … I will say I saw some guy get stabbed in the neck in New York City. Very typical New York City,” Bailey told The Post.

“I probably won’t see the ball drop again.”

The scissor stabbing was the second in Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

A man was stabbed “about eight times” at 11 a.m. near Seventh Avenue and West 40th Street

The night before, a man was knifed a few blocks away from Times Square at West 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue.

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Ryan Seacrest supports CNN limiting Andy Cohen’s NYE drinking

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Ryan Seacrest voice his support for CNN’s decision to limit Andy Cohen’s drinking on New Year’s Eve — one year after the Bravo star referred to Seacrest’s performers as “a group of losers.”

“I don’t advocate drinking when one is on the air,” the longtime host of ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” told Entertainment Weekly Monday.

“I don’t know how that started as a tradition, but it’s probably a good idea [to scale back], CNN.”

Each year, Cohen and his best friend Anderson Cooper team up and imbibe throughout the evening’s celebrations, which ultimately take a hilarious turn when Cohen gets drunk enough to insult high-ranking officials such as former Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Ryan Seacrest voiced his support for CNN’s limit of on-air drinking on New Year’s Eve.
ABC via Getty Images
CNN’s New Year’s co-host Andy Cohen issued an apology last year after he referred to Seacrest’s performers as a “group of losers.”
CNN
CNN’s New Year’s co-host Andy Cohen issued an apology last year after he referred to Seacrest’s performers as a “group of losers.”
CNN


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“There’s some pretty respectable people or at least one, right?” Seacrest, 48, joked about the hosts of CNN’s “New Year’s Eve Live.”

“I think there’s a serious journalist and then a friend of mine who has a lot of fun, but it’s probably a good idea.”

Seacrest is the longtime host of ABC’s “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”
Getty Images

Seacrest blamed Cohen’s insults last year, of which he was a victim, on the alcohol.

“[I don’t] think they would say what they said about our performers if they weren’t drinking,” he explained.

Cohen will return to CNN this year to co-host with Anderson Cooper.
Getty Images for SiriusXM

When Cohen, 54, emerged from what must have been a severe hangover at the top of 2022, he issued a mea culpa to Seacrest and the ABC staff.

“The only thing that I regret saying, the only thing is that I slammed the ABC broadcast, and I really like Ryan Seacrest, and he’s a great guy,” Cohen said of Seacrest’s production.

“And I really regret saying that, and I was just stupid and drunk and feeling it.”

He added, “I just kept talking, and I shouldn’t have, and I felt bad about that. So that is the only thing [I regret]. It’s the only thing.”

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Behind the scenes of Kanye West’s last-minute Miami trip

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Kanye West hit Miami for New Year’s Eve at the last minute — and there was even word that the rapper was planning a last-minute concert of his own.

The rapper now known as “Ye” posted an image on Friday announcing a “New Year’s Eve Black Party” in Miami, which included a pic of himself onstage with rapper Future — leading to reports he’d put on a live show at an undisclosed location.

But a source told us: “His team called everyone in Miami asking if they had a location to do a concert. At 6:15p.m. on NYE. People just went back to their glass of Champagne.”

Another source told us that wasn’t the only snag. “He wanted such a big group, like 50 or 60 people,” said the insider. “A lot of places just didn’t have the space.”

A source tells us West wound up hanging out — but not performing — at a new club called Game Changers along with Future, Quavo and French Montana.

A video clip showed a smiling West getting on the mic for a moment.

The “Gold Digger” rapper was also reportedly at P. Diddy’s Star Island manse at some point during the night.

Also in Miami the same night, Kim Kardashian’s new beau Pete Davidson was hosting a TV special with Miley Cyrus.

And as with all great starry nights in Miami — things ended with breakfast.

Yet another source told us that West stopped by retro diner Big Pink at 6a.m. — but it was already closed.

“There were still a few people working when Kanye and two or three bodyguards showed up,” said the source. “They were closed, but he was saying he was really hungry, and so a chef made him bacon, eggs, and waffles — and they brought it to his car to go.”

A day before he hit Miami, West was in Belize with music exec J Prince and rapper-turned-local politician Shyne Barrow.

“Welcome to BELIZE my brother,” Barrow posted on Dec. 30 along with a picture of West at the airport.

Barrow also posted an image of the duo in the water with the caption, “Kanye is the creative genius of geniuses and I’m beyond grateful that we were able to stand in the heavenly Belizean Ocean and talk about how he will use his genius to contribute to the development of Belize like never before.”

A source told us of West: “He has amazing news coming in 2022 on all fronts. It’s going to be a spectacular year for him, so he decided to come back to the US and celebrate.”

Before hanging with West in Miami, Future was spotted with a group of 30 friends at Mr. Hospitality’s Asian fusion restaurant Marion. “They were carrying parades of Dom Perignon back to a private dining room,” said an eagle-eyed diner at the Miami hotspot.

Reps did not comment.



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Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson Tell 2021 to ‘Go to Hell’ in Wacky New Year’s Eve Special

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Ever since Kathy Griffin was unceremoniously banished from CNN’s New Year’s Eve coverage after posing with a papier-mâché version of Trump’s bloody, decapitated head—remember when the Trump family claimed that Barron thought it was his dad’s real head?—there’s been a gaping void in the NYE TV arena. In Crip-walked Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson, co-hosting the first “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party” on NBC.

“Miley called me and asked, ‘What are you doing on New Year’s? I’m throwing a party, you want to help me host it?’” said Davidson to the crowd. “And I just looked across the table at my mom and was like, ‘Yeah, I’m in.’”

The star-studded staged event began with a bizarro rendition of Will Smith’s “Miami”—because the party took place in Miami, where all the stars (and AOC) seem to be this New Year’s Eve—that saw the SNL star and Artist Formerly Known as Hannah Montana attempt to rap, followed by a passable performance from Saweetie, and Brandi Carlile and Cyrus duetting for Carlile’s hit tune “The Story” and Cyrus’ “The Climb.” (According to Cyrus, everyone in attendance was tested and had to show proof of vaccination in order to gain entry to the outdoor event, plus most of the crowd were wearing masks.)

It’s here we should mention the elephant in the room: the optics of NBC airing all these A-list stars living it up in Miami while so many are cooped up inside, either due to COVID infection or an abundance of caution. While an argument can certainly be made that this all seems rather discordant given the state of things, those of us celebrating New Year’s Eve in our living rooms were in need of some entertainment. Plus, it took place outdoors and required a negative test as well as proof of vax, so the health and safety protocols seem sufficient.

Rapper Jack Harlow, who looks like a ’70s porn star and sounds like Post Malone’s drafts, performed (I hear the TikTok kids love him), then Cyrus and Davidson took part in a drawn-out sketch where they mock-confessed that they were actually “normies” who didn’t do drugs or party, preferring Oprah’s Book Club to The Club (they are both quite charming). Another Cyrus performance—a cover of Blondie’s “Heart of Glass,” with the singer donning a blood-red blazer and matching disco jumpsuit—came next, once again showcasing her exceptional range.

In addition to Miley and her little sis Noah singing “Jolene,” the evening’s unequivocal highlight came courtesy of the actor Steve Buscemi, who popped up during a Cyrus/Davidson musical sketch called “Unrealistic Resolutions” that had the two aboard a yacht breaking down all of Davidson’s resolutions that he’s doomed to fail in 2022 (e.g. reading at least three books). Suddenly, he gets a FaceTime call from Buscemi, who tells Davidson it’s “on sight” if he ever returns to New York City since he was never paid for his turn in The King of Staten Island.

One minute before the clock struck midnight, Davidson asked everyone to raise a glass and toast the loss of television icon Betty White, who passed away on New Year’s Even, mere weeks shy of her 10oth birthday. In lieu of a ball drop, the event had a giant light-up champagne bottle spray fireworks as Davidson exclaimed, “Happy New Year! Go to hell 2021!” Shortly thereafter, Cyrus suffered a slight wardrobe malfunction, causing her breast to be visible to those watching at home.

In some ways, a fitting end to a disaster of a year.

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