Las Vegas Weekly

December 3, 2008 · 10:44 AM

It’s NYE Strip decision day for Britney Spears; other stars rumored for America’s Party telecast

By Robin Leach

Britney Spears performs on ABC's Good Morning America.

Photo: ABC TV

Today’s the deadline day for the Britney Spears’ decision to appear live on the Strip for the two-hour America’s Party New Year’s Eve special. The pop princess has one final meeting scheduled this morning in New York with network officials and host Randy Jackson. Then she’ll decide with her father Jamie and manager Larry Rudolph if she will or won’t perform two songs and sit for an interview with the American Idol judge and music personality.

I’m told the debate isn’t about money or contractual terms. It centers solely on safety concerns and crowd-control issues on the Strip. Producers have to be able to fly Britney safely in and out of Vegas and get a secured SUV close enough to the planned performance staging areas -- all within a narrow three-hour window!

However, the Big Apple seems to be safe for Britney. It was just announced in New York that Britney will attend tonight's NBC telecast of the lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, where she is expected to wish everybody holiday greetings.

Stay tuned for today’s developments right here. I’m hearing a list of other star appearances, possibly including Beyonce, Rihanna and Chris Brown. It’s also expected that next Monday’s press conference will confirm multiple Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps as a co-host.

Yesterday, the 23-year-old Michael became the first swimmer to be honored as Sports Illustrated’s Sportsman of the Year in the magazine’s 54-year history. (Back in 1972 when Mark Spitz won his record seven medals, the honor went to Billie Jean King and UCLA basketball coach John Wooden.)

Michael, who has been dating a Moon nightclub cocktail server here at the Palms, will be the highlight co-host of the special’s first-hour retrospective of the most important pop culture events of the past 12 months. The second hour is planned to feature musical performances at different locations at one specific Strip hotel property.

Adding to the extraordinary pressures is the fact that two other live events have already been set to telecast simultaneously on Dec. 31 when the Strip will be jam-packed with visitors and closed to vehicular traffic. At the Paris resort, ESPN will be broadcasting live the stunt motorcycle jump on and off the top of the Arc de Triomphe, and farther north at The Mirage, Fox will produce a one-hour special with Robbie Knievel jumping the new Mirage volcano eruptions.

The TV trucks and equipment congestion is so acute that Fergie has decided to pre-tape her Dick Clark New Year’s Eve TV special appearance from Los Angeles before flying to her Venetian concert and Lavo midnight countdown in the Palazzo. Apparently, the original plan was to shoot it live from the Strip before her high-roller show -- but since The Venetian is exactly opposite The Mirage where Robbie Knievel will jump the new exploding fireball volcano, that location was scrapped in favor of a safe L.A. stage. She will then board a private jet to whisk her here in time for The Venetian concert.

More details about all the incredible New Year’s Eve events in Las Vegas are to be found in another story on Vegas Deluxe today with the full rundown of Dec. 31 events.

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