Uparty 2009 Crew: Jill, Rich, Courtney, Ashley

I hope you had a fantastic New Year’s Eve!  The UParty 2009 crew braved icy New Year’s Eve weather (nearly zero degrees, with wind chill) to bring you all the excitement of Times Square!  People were screaming and celebrating so enthusiastically — and loudly — that I couldn’t hear the fireworks that went off at midnight!  What a party!

I loved talking to revelers from Brazil, Belgium, Bolivia and beyond.  And I had fun with celebrity interviews.  I talked with Idol season 4 alum — and Broadway-bound star of “Rock of Ages” — Constantine Maroulis in the heart of Times Square.  I also got to kick off our show by introducing country duo LoCash Cowboys, who brought the house down!

A huge thanks to the entire crew for pulling off a great show, including photographer Rich D’Elia and entertainment producer extraordinaire Ashley Dvorkin (pictured) and all the other behind-the-scenes staffers who made it possible for Megyn, Bill, Griff, Rick, Courtney and me to bring all the fun home to you!  Happy New Year!

The Neilsen Company has ranked the top music, movies and TV moments of 2008.  And I think I’ve blogged about every one of them right here!

“The Dark Knight” was the year’s biggest box-office earner, with more than $530 million in US ticket sales.  I talked to Batman himself, Christian Bale, at the premiere – and it was such a big event I wrote TWO blogs about it!  Blog 1 and Blog 2

Madonna’s friend Gwyneth Paltrow co-starred with Robert Downey, Jr, in the year’s top-selling DVD, “Iron Man.”  Our sit-down with Paltrow is here.

“Iron Man” was also the #2 earner at the box office to date.  “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” was #3 – and I gave FOX fans a tour of the set.

ON TV, Neilsen reports ‘American Idol’ was the top-rated series of 2008.  I interviewed winner David Cook at his record release party in Times Square, where fans lined up around the block!  I also talked to the Cook wannabes who auditioned for the upcoming Idol season 8. The full blog is here!

And concert tracker Pollstar says Madonna’s “Sticky and Sweet” concert was the biggest earning tour of the year.  I interviewed Madonna as she released her “Hard Candy” album earlier this year and geared up for the tour.  The full blog is here.

Looking back, it seems like a busy year, for Tinsletown and those of us on the Fox Entertainment Team who cover it!  Thanks for clicking on – and commenting on – our blogs all year!  We love sharing and discussing our scoop with you!

Resolution Time, people! With the New Year upon us, it’s time to kick that bad habit, trim those love handles, get into great shape or start saving some money for the economic storm clouds that continue to haunt us!

Let’s go to the numbers: Truth is that most of us DO make New Year Resolutions… only to ultimately break them! In fact, more than 30% of us break our personal improvement vows within SEVEN DAYS. More than 80% of us have fallen off the horse by Jan 31st. And by year’s end… well, only 3% of us kept their resolutions.

So that means that 97% us prefer:  a)  pizza, nachos and Twinkies over broccoli and rice cakes; b) sleeping late and playing video games over physical exertion and sweating; and c) nice clothes, cars and houses over a life at Walden Pond.

But that didn’t stop me from heading down to Times Square to ask folks what their resolutions are for 2009. It was so entertaining… we made a second clip for you too! Check ‘em out!

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Good Luck. Go Forth. And remember the wisdom of Rudyard Kipling (as not quoted by IL Gov Blagojevich) – “Today is the opening verse on the opening page of the chapter of endless possibilites!”

Happy New Year — and BE SURE TO TUNE INTO FOX NEWS CHANNEL’S UPARTY 2009. I’ll be there — with some NEVER BEFORE SEEN Hot Pants!

Also – text us YOUR New Year’s Message to scroll on the FNC Ticker to: “36288″ and type “Utext (space) Your Msg” in the message area!