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    What to Watch on New Year's Eve: Movies, TV Shows, Live Events

    In case the Omicron spike has scrapped your plans, these binge watches, live broadcasts and double features will bring the party to you.With the annual New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square scaled back due to the spread of Omicron, and other big party plans in doubt, an at-home celebration with friends and a remote might be a more popular way to ring in 2022 than we had all imagined.Live television will be flush with celebrity-driven countdowns. The biggie is “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest 2022” broadcast from Times Square on ABC, the special’s 50th anniversary. Performers include Journey in Times Square, Billy Porter in New Orleans and Big Boi in Los Angeles, among others. New this year is the first Spanish-language countdown with Daddy Yankee, which will take place in Puerto Rico.Other live specials include “Miley’s New Year’s Eve Party Hosted by Miley Cyrus and Pete Davidson,” broadcast from Miami starting at 10:30 p.m. on NBC, with performances by Brandi Carlile and Billie Joe Armstrong; and the return of Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen as the hosts of “CNN’s New Year’s Eve Live,” starting at 8 p.m.If you want to make a day of it, here are some streaming options on the fun, uplifting side — no matter how you define that — to stay entertained until it’s time to say goodbye to 2021.A Good-Time BingeChristina Applegate, left, and Linda Cardellini, in “Dead to Me” on Netflix.Saeed Adyani/Netflix, via Associated PressDon’t be fooled by the downer-sounding name: “Dead to Me,” an Emmy-nominated Netflix comedy, now in its second season, will make you laugh even as tears streak your face.It helps if your tastes run toward the darker side of funny, since the show is about Jen (Christina Applegate), a hotheaded mom, and Judy (Linda Cardellini), a free-spirited artist, who meet at a grief support group and strike up an oddball but deep friendship that’s threatened by a devastating secret Judy harbors. Applegate is especially good as she navigates pitch-black humor and heartbreaking sorrow.You won’t get through all 20 half-hour episodes in a day, but chances are good you’ll be hooked to keep watching in 2022, when a third season is expected.Be a DragIf “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is getting tired to you, two other drag queen competition shows will quench your thirst for elegance, sass and wigs to here.Lip-syncing, the dollar-generating go-to of drag queens everywhere, is off the menu on the Paramount+ show “Queen of the Universe.” Here, queens from around the world battle by actually singing for the judges, who include Vanessa Williams and the “Drag Race” winner Trixie Mattel.For a more wicked competition, Shudder offers “The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula,” a horror-themed drag competition. The looks are as glamorous as they are macabre, and with names like “Exorsisters” and “Nosferatu Beach Party,” the competitions are fiendishly camp.Count DownFor the past few years, my partner and I have enjoyed a New Year’s Eve tradition that makes us feel like dinosaurs: We compile a YouTube playlist of music videos for the year’s Top 20 songs, according to Billboard’s Hot 100 list, and watch with cocktails in hand. Every year I’ve maybe heard of one or two songs; my personal soundtrack hasn’t left ’80s New Wave.This year, I’ve seen Lil Nas X’s video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” — it’s hard to miss — but I’m looking forward to watching Dua Lipa’s “Levitating,” the top song.Double FeaturesJean-Michel Basquiat in “Downtown 81,” streaming on Criterion Collection.Zeitgeist FilmsFour highlights from the Criterion Channel’s “New York Stories,” a collection of 40 films set in the five boroughs, would make for a terrific night of thematic watching.Start with a pair of films about roaming New York. “Little Fugitive” (1953) is a scrappy fable about a boy who leaves home to spend the day exploring Coney Island. “Downtown 81,” shot in the early ’80s but released in 2000, stars Jean-Michel Basquiat as an artist wandering the streets of Lower Manhattan, where he meets some legends of early ’80s New York. Yes, that’s Debbie Harry as a fairy princess.Or try two films that ponder what it means to be young and in search of yourself. In “Brother to Brother” (2004), Anthony Mackie’s character develops a friendship with a fellow Black gay artist whose life was shaped by the Harlem Renaissance. In Noah Baumbach’s dry comedy “Frances Ha” (2013), Greta Gerwig plays a young dancer struggling with ambition, friendship and elusive happiness, Manhattan-style.A Family Watch“Lego Masters” is a family-friendly reality TV competition, streaming on Hulu, in which teams of two are asked to create artistically fantastic and architecturally demanding Lego structures.Kids will get a kick out of how Lego are transformed into wearable hats, cuddly animals and smash-em-up vehicles. Adults, especially those who grew up as Lego builders, will appreciate the engineering skill required for structures to withstand heavy winds and even tremors. Expect heart-pounding, creative fun no matter the episode, especially with the charming goofball Will Arnett as host.Be NostalgicHead to IMDb TV to watch “All in the Family,” the CBS sitcom that ran from 1971 to ’79. When Archie, Edith and their Queens neighbors argue over race, feminism and politics, the rancor sounds ripped from today’s headlines. Season 2 has several very funny episodes, including “Sammy’s Visit,” in which Sammy Davis Jr. memorably gives Archie a smooch.For a darker day of retro television, tune into Decades for a three-day “Twilight Zone” marathon starting on New Year’s Eve. Friday’s schedule features two of the series’s best episodes: “The After Hours,” about a woman wandering through an eerie department store, and “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” about a neighborhood that turns paranoid amid a possible alien invasion.Laugh and ScreamAlan Tudyk, left, and Tyler Labine in “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.”Magnet ReleasingAs a horror movie fan, I spent a lot of time during the pandemic catching up on scary comedies, a genre that’s hard to get right. When a movie strikes the right balance of funny and frightful, it’s worth a watch — especially for the horror-averse.Several great horror comedies are available for free on Tubi. Two of my favorites are “Saturday the 14th” (1981), a cheese-ball spoof of old-school monster movies that’s good for older kids (rated PG) and the easily-distracted (a speedy 76 minutes); and “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil” (2011), a slapstick splatter comedy about two yokels, a group of meddlesome college kids and a very bloody-funny misunderstanding. More

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    The Weeknd’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Breaks With Tradition

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Coronavirus OutbreakliveLatest UpdatesMaps and CasesSee Your Local RiskVaccine InformationWuhan, One Year LaterAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyThe Weeknd’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Breaks With TraditionThis time, the field won’t be swarming with fans crowding the stage. In fact, the stage won’t be on the field at all, but in the stands.The Weeknd in concert. He will be headlining the Super Bowl halftime show in Tampa on Sunday.Credit…Hayoung Jeon/EPA, via ShutterstockJulia Jacobs and Feb. 4, 2021, 3:09 p.m. ETWhether it stars Al Hirt, Michael Jackson or Beyoncé, the Super Bowl halftime show has always taken center stage on the field.But for the first time in the 55-year history of the game, the Weeknd, who is headlining this Sunday in Tampa, Fla., will perform on a stage set up in the stands in keeping with strict coronavirus protocols intended to limit contact with the players and coaches; his act may, however, include a brief interlude on the field.In a typical year, a massive stage is rolled onto the field and hundreds of fans pour out to surround it; this year only about 1,050 people are expected to work to put on the show, compared with 2,000 to 3,000 most years. Performers and crew members will receive Covid-19 tests before rehearsals and before the performance.When he strode to the microphone Thursday at a news conference, the Weeknd took in the room and noted, “It’s kind of empty.” His words were perhaps a preview of how the stadium might look to people watching from home. (About 25,000 fans will be in the stadium — less than half its 65,000-person capacity — joined by thousands of two-dimensional cardboard cutouts of fans provided by the N.F.L.)The Weeknd (Abel Tesfaye), is a 30-year-old Canadian pop star known for hits including “Can’t Feel My Face” and “Starboy.” His concerts often have a brooding feel and a dark, avant-garde edge. (The music video for his latest hit, “Blinding Lights,” opens with the Weeknd laughing maniacally, his face covered in blood.) He said that his halftime show would incorporate some of his trademark artistic themes but that he plans to be “respectful to the viewers at home.”“The story will continue,” he said, “but definitely we’ll keep it PG for the families.”This will be the second Super Bowl halftime show produced in part by Jay-Z and his entertainment company, Roc Nation, who were recruited by the N.F.L. in 2019. At the time, performers were refusing to work with the league, in solidarity with Colin Kaepernick, the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback who began kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and racial injustice.The Coronavirus Outbreak More

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    2020 Popcast Listener Mailbag: Taylor, Dua, MGK and More

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best ComedyBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest MoviesBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storyPopcastSubscribe:Apple PodcastsGoogle Podcasts2020 Popcast Listener Mailbag: Taylor, Dua, MGK and MoreAnswering your questions about the year’s biggest stars, and also some of its curious flops.Hosted by Jon Caramanica. Produced by Pedro Rosado.More episodes ofPopcastDecember 23, 20202020 Popcast Listener Mailbag: Taylor, Dua, MGK and MoreDecember 15, 2020Taylor Swift’s ‘Evermore’: Let’s DiscussDecember 9, 2020The Best Albums of 2020? Let’s DiscussNovember 29, 2020Saweetie, City Girls and the Female Rapper RenaissanceNovember 18, 2020  •  More

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    Bad Bunny’s New Album Is Billboard’s First All-Spanish No. 1

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyThe ChartsBad Bunny’s New Album Is Billboard’s First All-Spanish No. 1The Puerto Rican pop star’s latest LP, “El Último Tour del Mundo,” debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. Miley Cyrus is No. 2.“El Último Tour del Mundo” is Bad Bunny’s first No. 1 album on the Billboard chart.Credit…Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for SpotifyBy More

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    Miley Cyrus Finally Embraces Her Rock ’n’ Roll Heart

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best TV ShowsBest DanceBest TheatreBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyAlbum ReviewMiley Cyrus Finally Embraces Her Rock ’n’ Roll HeartThe musical shape-shifter has made pop, country, hip-hop and psychedelic-flavored albums. On “Plastic Hearts,” she bends the glorious excess of ’80s rock to her whims.Miley Cyrus has a voice (and an appetite for over-the-top aesthetics) well suited for throwback rock.Credit…Vijat MohindraBy More