After a year like this, expect a strange New Year's Eve
FILE - In this Jan. 1, 2020, file photo, confetti falls at midnight on the Times Square New Year's Eve celebration in New York. If ever a year's end seemed like cause for celebration, 2020 might be it. (Photo by Ben Hider/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – If ever a year's end seemed like cause for celebration, 2020 might be it. From New York's Times Square to Sydney Harbor, big public blowouts are being turned into TV-only shows and digital events. The occasion stirs mixed feelings for people like Cesar Soltero, who was taking photos, and taking stock, in Times Square this week.
Gloria Gaynor to perform at Times Square New Year's Eve
Gaynor will sing her anthem, "I Will Survive" during the New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square as a celebration of perseverance, honoring essential workers. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – The New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square will be a celebration of perseverance, honoring essential workers and featuring Gloria Gaynor singing her anthem, “I Will Survive," organizers said Tuesday. The broadcasts that usually set up shop in Times Square will be there, including “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2021,” which will have a performance from Jennifer Lopez. Organizers said they would be honoring essential workers as the “Heroes of 2020" and designate a group of them as Special Guests, an annual tradition since the 1990s. Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance, said in a statement, “This year, it feels most appropriate to shine a spotlight on the individuals who are tirelessly leading our nation through hard times with unshakable strength, determination and poise.”
Zach Williams, for King & Country, Kanye West get Dove nods
FILE - This Oct. 16, 2018 file photo shows Zach Williams performing during the Dove Awards in Nashville, Tenn. Christian artists Zach Williams and for King & Country are the leading artist nominees at the 2020 Dove Awards, while rapper Kanye West and singer Gloria Gaynor earned their first ever nominations. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)NASHVILLE, Tenn. Christian artists Zach Williams and for King & Country are the leading artist nominees at this years Dove Awards, while rapper Kanye West and singer Gloria Gaynor earned their first ever nominations. The Gospel Music Association announced on Thursday the nominations this years show, which will be aired on Trinity Broadcasting Network on Oct. 30. Williams earned five nominations including artist of the year and song of the year. For King & Country, a brother duo made up of Luke and Joel Smallbone, also earned five nods including artist of the year and contemporary Christian artist of the year.