Happy New Year!
It’s time to party like it’s 1986!
That’s the year being rung in by the Peanuts gang in Happy New Year, Charlie Brown. The classic airs at 7 p.m.
Monday on ABC.
The initial showing took place Jan. 1, 1986, on CBS and was the 30th prime-time animated TV special based on the popular Charles M. Schulz comic strip.
In the special, Marcie and Peppermint Patty are throwing a big New Year’s Eve bash and Charlie Brown plans to attend even though he has to finish Tolstoy’s War and Peace and write a report over the holiday break.
(Wait. Isn’t War and Peace a bit advanced for third-graders?) Charlie Brown summons the courage to invite the Little Red-Haired Girl (her name is Heather). She doesn’t respond, so Charlie lugs the book to the party and ends up reading it outside on the porch. In a snowstorm.
Good grief! He falls asleep (yes, in the snowstorm) and misses the evening’s big surprise. I won’t spoil it for you on the rare chance you haven’t seen it before.
Find that baby! As is network tradition (since 2006), ABC will pair Charlie Brown with Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Rudolph’s Shiny New Year airs at 8 p.m. Monday and features some great Rankin/Bass stop-motion animation.
In the classic 1975 tale, Happy, the Baby New Year, is missing and it’s up to Rudolph to find him before midnight New Year’s Eve. Or else.
As Santa says, “Rudolph, once more the happiness of all the world’s children depends on you.” Yeah, no pressure. If he fails, the old year will go on and it’ll be Dec. 31 forever.
Baby boomer favorite Red Skelton narrates, sings and voices Father Time and Baby Bear.
Other talent includes the voices of Frank Gorshin and Morey Amsterdam.
New Year’s Eve. On Tuesday evening, ABC makes a valiant attempt to entertain revelers preferring to celebrate the new year from the comfort of their own couches.
It all falls under the aegis of New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.
First up is New Year’s Rockin’ Eve Presents the 30 Greatest Women in Music at 7 p.m.
Ryan Seacrest, Jenny McCarthy and Fergie host a two-hour countdown. The special features clips and interviews from the archives of Dick Clark Productions.
It’s unclear who picked the 30 greatest and why, but it’ll be fun debating the rankings assigned to, say, Madonna, Whitney, Aretha and Mariah. If Miley Cyrus shows up on the list, I’m turning the thing off.
The bicoastal Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2014 (a mouthful of a title) will air from 9 to 10 p.m.
The evening will feature special performances and reports on New Year’s celebrations from around the globe.
Seacrest spotlights some of the year’s hottest artists, groups and songs. Fergie hosts the Los Angeles party, and McCarthy is live with all the festivities in New York’s Times Square.
There’s a break for local news at 10 before the celebration gets serious.
At 10:30, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2014 (Part 1) kicks in.
Same title minus “Primetime.”
Seacrest will count down to midnight (East Coast time) and the ceremonial dropping of the big ball in Times Square. Part 1 lasts until 11:08 Central time. Part 2 then takes over and runs until 1:12 a.m.
Among the artists set to perform are Cyrus, Capital Cities, Daughtry, Ariana Grande and The Fray.
Also on board are Jason Derulo, Fall Out Boy, Florida Georgia Line, Jennifer Hudson, Enrique Iglesias and Robin Thicke.
Rose Parade. If you are still awake - or managed to get some sleep and are up relatively early on New Year’s morning - the 125th Tournament of Roses Parade will be broadcast live from Pasadena, Calif., on several networks but NBC is the place to be from 10:30 until noon with Al Roker and Hoda Kotb heading up the coverage.
It’s Roker’s 17th year at the helm and he’s the best at the job.
An estimated 700,000 spectators will line the 5.5-mile parade route down Colorado Boulevard,while tens of millions watch the coverage in more than 200 countries.
Legendary Dodgers broadcaster Vin Scully is the 2014 Rose Parade grand marshal. This year’s theme is “Dreams Come True.”
The parade will feature 44 floats, 16 equestrian teams and 21 marching bands from as far away as Japan and Panama.
If you prefer your parades commercial-free, HGTV’s Property Brothers stars, Drew and Jonathan Scott, will co-host starting at 10 a.m.
Finally, impress your friends by actually knowing who the Rose Queen is this year. She’s 17-year-old Ana Marie Acosta from Altadena, Calif.
The game. Oh, yeah. There also will be a football game Wednesday afternoon. No. 5 Stanford takes on No. 4 Michigan State at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN. Kickoff is set for 4:10.
It’s Michigan State’s first visit to the Rose Bowl since 1987, and Stanford’s second trip in as many years.
This will be the 100th edition of the granddaddy of all bowl games.
TV Week, Pages 79 on 12/29/2013