2009 New Year ball drop live online/2009 New Year ball drop video

The annual New Year ball drop in Times Square, can anything be more exciting? Now on its 101st year, the dropping of the giant crystal ball atop Times Square will again attract hundreds of thousands of revelers, eager to participate in this American tradition of welcoming the New Year. People have come from all over the United States. and all over the world, for this experience. And this year it promises to be more exciting with the New Year crystal ball bigger and brighter than ever before. According to news reports and various online sources, for 2009, the Times Square New Years Eve crystal ball has doubled in size and is twenty percent more energy efficient than the previous one. The new ball incorporates 3500 lighting cues, weighs
11,875 pounds and is now a whopping 12 feet across. The flag pole that will hold it atop the One Times Square building has also been rebuilt and reinforced to accommodate the ball. When fully raised it will now be 475 feet above Times Square. And for the first time in its 101 year history, it will remain up all year round.

For those of you planning to join the hundreds of thousands who will welcome 2009 in Times Square, better be prepared for some chilly weather snow showers is forecast on Wednesday night. Moreover, it is advisable to go there early to get a good vantage point. Revelers from all over New York usually come early to reserve the choice spots along Broadway, from 43rd Street to 50th Street, and along Seventh Avenue, up to 59th Street. Also, try to get there before 6 PM to see the Times Square New Year's Eve Ball raised to the top of the 77-foot flagpole at One Times Square and lit. At exactly 11:59 p.m. EST, the Ball will make its 60-second descent down the flagpole to signal the start of the New Year.

For those of us who don't have a chance to go to New York to watch this tradition LIVE, there are several choices. One is to tune in to any of the major television networks. They will all cover this event as there is no exclusive carrier of the Times Square New Year ball drop. The most famous of these coverages is, of course, the other American New Year's Eve tradition, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve on ABC. The show center around the New Year countdown and the dropping of the ball, after which musical number from the biggest names in the industry will be showcased. This year, Kelly Pickler is Dick Clarl's Times Square correspondent so it promises to be a night of un and surprises (remember her 'Are You Samerther Than a 5th Grader?' appearance two weeks ago?).

Another option is to watch the 2009 Times Square ball drop online. There are several websites that will feature live video streaming of the event. One such site is livevideo.com. They carried the event LIVE last year so I'm expecting them to do the same this year. Still, if you miss the changing of the year altogether, videos of the 2009 New Year ball drop can be found on YouTube a few hours after the live celebrations. I'm sure YouTube posters will try to beat one another in being the first to post the video so check out the site regularly. You may also check this page for such videos as I will post a copy at the earliest possible time.

For now, as we wait for New Year and the 2009 Times Square live ball drop, here is a video of last year's celebrations including the countdown and the dropping of the giant crystal ball.

Video: 2008 New Year Ball Drop Ceremony / Times Square Ball డ్రాప్

BTW, former US President Bill Clinton and his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, have been given the honor of pushing the button to drop the crystal ball at Times Square this year. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced Tuesday that he had selected the famous former first couple to push the ceremonial button at 11:59 p.m. Wednesday night, allowing the huge crystal ball to descend a pole to close 2008 and open 2009.