It’s “out with the old and in with the new” for TV great Carson Daly. The popular host who was once a fixture on MTV is returning to the airwaves to headline his eighth NBC's New Year's Eve with Carson Daly. The two-hour on-air party special will air live on Saturday, December 31st, beginning at 10:00 (ET).
DivineCaroline: Do you have any grand plans for New Year’s Eve?
Carson Daly: I don’t know. I might just order in, chill out in a hotel and watch Moneyball. (laughs). Oh wait, I gotta work.
DivineCaroline: Are you getting excited for December 31st?
CD: It’s going to be warm this year, so that’s good. It will just be me and a million people outside in Times Square watching the crystal ball drop.
DivineCaroline: How do you prepare to host such a massive show?
CD: You know the last few years felt like a big undertaking. But I love live. I come from radio plus my time at Total Request at MTV was all live. I do more stuff live as opposed to taped. Although Late Night with Carson Daly isn’t live, The Voice, which is a singing competition series I do for NBC is mostly live. Because I have done so much live broadcasting, I am used to it. I love wearing the IFB piece, being connected to the producers and just living in the moment. Live is where I thrive.
DivineCaroline: Do you ever get nervous before you see that red light go on?
CD: I think we all get nervous, similar to when we have to step on an airplane. If you don’t get nervous there is something wrong with you. Having said that, I feel confident in what I do and feel lucky I am able to do it.
DivineCaroline: Tell me about the special guests who will be performing.
CD: Tony Bennett is a great example of one of our special guests because not only has Mr. Bennett’s music spanned seven decades but he got his first #1 album in 2011. Having his presence is a win. For the kids we have Grammy Award-nominee Drake, British superstar Jessie J, Blake Shelton, Cee Lo Green, Brian Williams is doing an year-end music review, and Jimmy Fallon will do comedy.
DivineCaroline: What does New Year’s Eve mean to you?
CD: It is a baptism for me. It is a time to reflect back on the year. There has been a lot of highs and a lot of lows. I always try and reflect on how lucky I have been in both my professional and personal life. When the ball drops and it ushers in this new chapter, I look for the optimism in that. It is a new fresh start so let’s put our best foot forward.
DivineCaroline: Are you in the habit of making New Year’s resolutions and if so, what might they be?
CD: Not really. I don’t smoke but I do have a family, which is new for me. My son is almost three now. I guess finding the balance between family and work is my big goal.
DivineCaroline: Speaking of little Jackson, where will he be ringing in 2012?
CD: He will be high above Times Square in a hotel room devouring pizza, playing with his Transformers and watching his daddy on TV. When he sees me he will point to the set and go, “There’s Dada.”
DivineCaroline: I guess he’ll get an extra nap so he can stay up late for the big event?
CD: It is a big night and last year I brought him down to Times Square. Look, if he makes it he makes it and of not, he doesn’t.
DivineCaroline: How do you handle the competition for viewers knowing you are up against Dick Clark’s special on ABC, a program many people grew up watching?
