Car plows into crowd on Times Square

Injured people are seen on the sidewalk of Times Square after a speeding vehicle struck pedestrians in New York City, U.S. on Thursday. One person was confirmed dead and at least 20 were injured.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

After New Year's Eve debacle, Mariah Carey wishes for 'more headlines'

(Note: Strong language in second paragraph.)

Grammy Award-winning singer Mariah Carey shrugged off a botched New Year's Eve show in New York's Times Square, telling fans and critics on Sunday that life does not always go as planned.

"Shit happens," Carey, the world's million-selling female singer, wrote on Twitter. "Have a happy and healthy new year everybody! Here's to making more headlines in 2017."

Carey, named the Grammy's Best New Artist in 1991, was the final musical act on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest," taking the stage just before midnight.

In addition to the television audience, the program was watched in person by the hundreds of thousands of people who gathered in what is called the "Crossroads of the World" to mark the beginning of 2017.

Carey's opening song, a rendition of Robert Burns' "Auld Lang Syne," seemed to go as planned. But then the singer, surrounded by dancers and a sea of humanity, appeared flustered and complained of technical difficulties.

"We can't hear," she said, as the music from her 1991 hit song "Emotions" began to play. "It is what it is," she said. "Let the audience sing, OK?"

But the awkwardness persisted, prompting Carey to say: "I want a holiday, too. Can I not have one? I'm trying to be a good sport here."

The next song, "We Belong Together," Carey's 2005 hit, went awry as well. Carey dropped her hand-held microphone to her side and the song went on playing, revealing that she may have been only syncing her lips to the words.

"It just don't get any better," a frustrated Carey said after the song.

After the debacle, some fans came to Carey's defense on Twitter, while others were less than kind. Several tweets compared her to the disgraced pop duo Milli Vanilli, who lost their Grammy for Best New Artist in 1990 when it emerged they had never sung on their records.

A spokeswoman for Carey said later on Sunday that there was no lip-syncing. "It is not uncommon for artists to sing to track during certain live performances," spokeswoman Nicole Perna said in a statement.

Carey's ear piece was not working before or during the performance and technicians could not fix it, but she took the stage anyway "essentially flying blind" so she could honor a commitment, Perna said.

A spokesman for ABC declined to comment.

(Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by Alan Crosby and Sandra Maler)

source: news.abs-cbn.com

New York reassures tourists after terror threat

NEW YORK, United States - New York is reassuring tourists that America's biggest city is safe as it prepares to welcome more than five million visitors for the busy holiday season after the Paris attacks.

The winter tourism season officially kicked off with Thursday's Thanksgiving Parade, where hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets to watch the three-hour event amid tight security.

After the Paris attacks on November 13, an Islamic State group propaganda video broadcast images of New York from Times Square. US authorities hit back that there was no credible threat against the city or anywhere else in the United States.

"We had some hotel cancellations from small groups," said Chris Heywood, senior vice president of global communications at NYC and Company -- the city's official marketing and tourism organization.

Despite what he calls a "sprinkling of a few cancellations," he is still encouraging people to visit the metropolis for the "magical holiday season" that lasts through December until New Year.

"The city is open," he told AFP. "It is business as usual."

Eighty-nine people were killed at the Bataclan concert hall in the Paris attacks, but the Broadway League says there has been no drop in attendance since the carnage in France.

The US State Department has issued a worldwide travel alert, warning Americans of a heightened terrorist threat in "multiple regions," which has added to the worry among tourist industry professionals.

"We have seen a fall in reservations," said the CEO of Air France, Alexandre de Juniac, during a visit last week to New York, the prime target in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.

A US airline also said reservations from Europe were down, without wanting to give figures.

"I was in a plane 90 percent empty," Christine Priotto, mayor of Dieulefit, a town in southern France, told AFP after arriving this week in New York on a private visit.

"It was a little strange."

- 'People don't want to come' -

In Times Square, where police armed with heavy guns can be seen patrolling, bus ticket tout Farid Et Takaouy said he had never seen so little trade for the end of November.

"It's really dropped over the last two weeks," he said. "People take photos of the police and send them to their friends everywhere and so people don't want to come any more," he told AFP.

He says people who dress up as Mickey Mouse, Buzz Lightyear and as Statues of Liberty to pose with tourists in exchange for a few dollars have also seen their business fall.

Tourism is a hugely important industry in New York City: an influx of 5.3 million people was expected for the holiday season, which authorities say brings $3.7 billion to the local economy.

On Tuesday, the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree will be lit. The open-air skating rinks are open, the famous department stores have already got their Christmas windows decorated.

But some tourists are still thinking twice, particularly those from France.

Alexandra, a French woman from Aix-en-Provence, planned a trip to New York with her husband and their two teenagers long ago. But the Paris attacks and the IS group's propaganda video dampened their enthusiasm.

"In all the emotion, we questioned whether we should travel and at the moment our son doesn't want to go," she told AFP, not wanting to give her second name.

The family are thinking about it. Reassured by the stepped-up security, Alexandra thinks in the end they will still visit New York.

"We are more aware," said the mayor Priotto. But she says she has been more touched by the welcome from New Yorkers than the police patrols.

"When I went to the Statue of Liberty, one man, a ticket seller, took me into his arms," she said, still surprised. "And another said, 'Vive La France.'"

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Psy turns 35, celebrates 'Gangnam Style'

MANILA, Philippines – Korean singing sensation Psy will celebrate his birthday in a style true to his hit song in Times Square, New York on New Year’s Eve.

Born on December 31, 1977, Psy will join a host of US music stars set to perform in the traditional New Year’s Eve ball drop over the famous landmark.

“Leaving Vegas, Heading to NYC to spend my b-day in Time Square tomorrow!!!#GangnamFinale lol,” Psy (@psy_oppa) tweeted at 5:43 a.m. Philippine time.

He had performed at the Pure Nightclub inside Caesars' Palace in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Review-Journal said.


The photo the singer posted on Twitter showed a cake he was gifted with in celebration of his 35th birthday and in commemoration of the 1 billion views of his “Gangnam Style” music video on YouTube.

Aside from his numerous fans, Psy was wished a happy birthday by supermodel Heidi Klum, who he thanked in a subsequent post on Twitter.

“Thx Heidi,see u in LA next year. Lol,” he said.

source: abs-cbnnews.com

Times Square revelers welcome the new year

NEW YORK— Revelers erupted in cheers amid a confetti-filled celebration in New York's Times Square to welcome in the new year, part of star-studded celebrations and glittering fireworks displays around the world to usher in 2012.

From New Zealand to New York, the world eagerly welcomed a new year Sunday and hoped for a better future, saying goodbye to a year of hurricanes, tsunamis and economic turmoil that many would rather forget.

In New York, hundreds of thousands gathered at the crossroads of the world to witness a crystal ball with more than 30,000 lights that descended at midnight. Lady Gaga and Mayor Michael Bloomberg led the crowd in the final-minute countdown of the famed crystal-paneled ball drop.

Matheus Campos, a law student from Brazil, threw both arms in the air as the new year began in Times Square.

"It's awesome," he said.

Revelers in Australia, Asia, Europe and the South Pacific island nation of Samoa, which jumped across the international dateline to be first to celebrate, welcomed 2012 with booming pyrotechnic displays. Fireworks soared and sparked over Moscow's Red Square, crowds on Paris' Champs-Elysées boulevard popped Champagne corks at midnight.

But many approached the new year with more relief than joy, as people battered by weather disasters, joblessness and economic uncertainty hoped the stroke of midnight would change their fortunes.

"It was a pretty tough year, but God was looking after us and I know 2012 has got to be better," said Kyralee Scott, 16, of Jackson, N.J., whose father spent most of the year out of work.

Some New York revelers, wearing party hats and "2012" glasses, began camping out Saturday morning, even as workers readied bags stuffed with hundreds of balloons and technicians put colored filters on klieg lights. The crowds cheered as workers lit the crystal-paneled ball that drops at midnight Saturday and put it through a test run, 400 feet above the street. The sphere, now decorated with 3,000 Waterford crystal triangles, has been dropping to mark the new year since 1907, long before television made it a U.S. tradition.

In Times Square, hundreds of thousands people crammed into spectator pens ringed by barricades, enjoying surprisingly warm weather for the Northeast. The National Weather Service said it was about 49 degrees in nearby Central Park -- about 10 degrees warmer than the normal high temperature.

As the country prepared for the celebration, glum wasn't on the agenda for many, even those who had a sour year.

"We're hoping the next year will be better," said Becky Martin, a former elementary school teacher who drove from Rockford, Ill., to Times Square after spending a fruitless year trying to find a job. "We're starting off optimistic and hoping it lasts."

Many expressed cautious hope that better times were ahead after a year in which Japan was ravaged by an earthquake and tsunami, hurricanes wreaked havoc across the country and a debt crisis devastated Europe's economy.

"Everybody's suffering. That's why it's so beautiful to be here celebrating something with everybody," said Lisa Nicol, 47, of Melbourne, Australia.

For all of the holiday's bittersweet potential, New York City always treats it like a big party -- albeit one that now takes place under the watchful eye of a massive security force, including more than 1,500 police officers.

Dick Clark, who suffered a stroke in 2004, put in a few brief appearances mentioning that he has hosted his namesake New Year's Eve celebration for years, but said "tonight, it's better than ever." Clark, looking cheerful but struggling with his speech, introduced a performance by Lady Gaga and also assisted in the countdown. The show, hosted by Ryan Seacrest also featured a performance by Justin Bieber.

source: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-naw-new-york-2012-20120101,0,4832226.story