In the year 2025, reviewing New Year’s Eve programming is still alive.
Last night, hunkered down after an incredible dinner and with bubbily at hand, we flipped around like Canadian World Junior Men’s hockey fans jumping off the Team Canada bandwagon.
First up was 22 Minutes: New Year’s Eve PreGame Special on CBC. The highlight was Mark Critch’s incredible sit down with Justin Trudeau, taped Dec. 9 in Montreal — in advance of the prime minister’s faint election chances being totally extinguished by the sudden resignation of his finance minister. Critch and Trudeau have enjoyed a good relationship in the past with Trudeau, a former snowboarding instructor, once giving Critch lessons on that sport.
I cannot imagine, however, any American comedian taking the micky out of a US president in a similar way without getting liquidated by secret service agents. Critch just brazenly went for it, and while not every viewer might admire the PM for bravely taking part and goofing back, I did.
The capper was when Critch gifted Justin with what looked like one of those ubiquitous F-Trudeau flags flown on the back of pickups — and it turned out to say, “Good LUCK Trudeau.” Given that there was no end-of-year message or network sitdowns from Trudeau this year, this was a big get for 22 Minutes.
Earlier in the show, Critch again took the lead where he judo boxed with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. Again, if a comedy correspondent from The Late Show or Saturday Night Live engaged in this kind of physical roughhousing, however staged, with an American political leader, they would be deported (probably to Canada).
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Later that night, the CBC’s sea-to-sea broadcast of all things New Year’s tried to soldier on around midnight despite a group of protesters in the background stealing the show behind Toronto hosts Adrienne Arseneault and Jann Arden. While other channels showed partiers in Time Square, fireworks and confetti, The CBC party was hijacked at the midnight hour.
However worthy this cause, the optics seemed inappropriate at best. The old saying, “There’s a time and a place” comes to mind. Yes, we all should be paying attention and the world is awash in the horrors of war and injustice. I’m not sure viewers were swayed, however, to be more sympathetic to any cause by this New Year’s Eve party crashing strategy. Even John and Yoko knew enough to pay for their “WAR IS OVER” billboards, a message which still reasonates over 50 years later.
Those seeking lighter moments could flip over to NBC, where some of Seth Myers “Day Drinking” antics were in full rotation. Him doing shots with Rhianna was fun and flirty. Julia Louis Dreyfus correctly labeled the whole procedure “stupid.” Not sure alchohol poisoning needed this much promotion but damn these bartending bits were laugh-out-loud at times.
More traditional ball-dropping and concert showcases were happening on ABC’s traditional Dick Clark’s Rockin’ New Year’s Eve with Ryan Seacrest. The host did his best to sell Mazdas and other sponsored fare between tunes from The Jonas Brothers and others. Producers took a more festive, on-the-ground, commentator-free coverage approach to the moments after the ball drop, showing those among the million estimated to be crammed into Times Square in their Auld Lang Sine glory.
Over on CNN, is it me or has this whole Anderson Cooper-Andy Cohen act worn thin? The reason to still watch, I guess, is to catch the dirty laundry sometimes dropped about the all-news network. Roy Wood Jr, when offered a shot a tequila, told the pair, “the last black man to drink on this network got fired. I’m going to keep it with water right now.”
That was a reference to Don Lemon, who got memorably smashed a few years back on CNN’s NYE broadcast. Wood, Jr., is currently one of the comedian panelists of CNN’s Have I Got News For You.
Also last night on CNN, DIPLO seemed to reveal that he was tripping on LSD live on the air. Aren’t there broadcast rules and regulations any more?
We finally gave up and watched the end of Billy Wilder’s “The Apartment” on TCM. The classic movie network brings the five hosts together on their Atlanta set to each introduce their favourite film over the years with a NYE connection. After “The Apartment,” it was host Dave Karger’s turn to intro his choice: the 1956 musical “Bundle of Joy.” The film, which stars Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher — married in real-life at the time — was evidently not a favourite of Ben Mankiewicz. He came right out and said that he did not like the film nor the songs. Ben seemed to be into the same truth beverages as those served over on CNN and NBC.
For the record, Mank is right. We tried to watch some of “Bundle of Joy.” Pass the tequilla!
