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 Selena Gomez, Mac Miller Ring In The New Year On MTV

There's nothing like celebrating the new year with some friendly faces, and that's exactly what MTV did Saturday night with "NYE in NYC 2012," hosted by "Teen Wolf" star Tyler Posey and Demi Lovato.

The event lit up the Times Square studio and found Lovato herself, Selena Gomez, Mac Miller, J. Cole and Jason Derülo performing their way into 2012 in front of a sea of energetic fans.

Lovato played double duty as the clock counted down to midnight when she kicked off the star-studded performance event with her new single, "Give Your Heart a Break." Dressed in a black corset and skirt, the former Disney starlet belted out the tune, offering fans big notes and vocal runs.

"America's Best Dance Crew" winners I.aM.mE turned the stage into a dance extravaganza when they moved to the groove of LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem." Much like their choreography on the MTV dance competition, the six-member group showed off some slick moves that utilized body parts as objects. They continued to perform throughout the event to the music of Pitbull and Rihanna.

Jason Derülo turned up the dance even more when he took the stage for "It Girl" and "Don't Wanna Go Home." Surrounded by fans, the R&B star made proper use of his sideline female dancer for the first number and an entire crew of backup dancers for the following tune.

Viewers also caught a glimpse of the reboot of MTV's beloved "Punk'd."Teaser footage included pranks played on Posey and Khloé Kardashian with the help of Miley Cyrus, Kelly Osbourne and Bam Margera.

Mac Miller topped off his successful 2011 with a comedic performance of his hit single "Party on Fifth Ave," in which he recreated the tune's retro clip. Miller arrived on set with high energy and encouraged the audience to jump to their feet.

Soon after, J. Cole continued to rep for rap with "Work Out." Walking back and forth in a path made by fans, the MC spit the feel-good song as the audience simultaneously waved their hands in the air.

After some dance jams courtesy of DJ Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano, "Switched at Birth" starlets Vanessa Marano and Katie Leclerc appeared in studio and took photos with fans.

Wrapping up the show was Selena Gomez, who screamed the countdown to 2012 and kicked off her first performance of the new year with a medley of "Love You Like a Love Song" and "Hit the Lights." As the audience cheered and confetti filled the air, the pop star was all smiles in her sparkly dress.

MTV News caught up with Posey backstage, where he spoke about the high-profile gig, saying, "I personally don't feel like I am at this level yet to be doing this. I feel honored, grateful and thankful."

Source:www.mtv.com

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Wackiest New Year’s Eve Ball Drops

New Year’s Eve is ultimately about the countdown, and it’s made official when something drops at midnight. Across America, cities have gotten creative. Some wacky drops pay tribute to local products or tastes, while others go all-out outrageous. Whether you’re braving the crowds or in a hotel room, cheering a drop is part of the year-end spectacle—before the hangover and resolutionskick in.

The largest New Year’s party in the Southeast, for instance, culminates with the release of an 800-pound fiberglass-and-foam peach in Atlanta. Known for its multimillion-dollar melon industry,Vincennes, IN, raises an 18-foot watermelon, which opens to drop 12 real Knox County watermelons.

Read on for more wacky New Year’s drops, worth celebrating no matter where you bring in 2012.

Eastport, ME

Eastport, ME (Leslie Bowman)

A big red plywood maple leaf honoring nearby Canada is released at 11 p.m. and an eight-foot sardine (paying homage to the local industry) at midnight. Tides Institute & Museum of Art; (207) 853-4047; tidesinstitute.org.



Bethlehem, PA

Bethlehem, PA (Courtesy of ArtsQuest)

Home to the headquarters of the ubiquitous bird-shaped Easter marshmallow candy, Bethlehem ceremoniously lowers a yellow, lighted, 85-pound fiberglass resin Peep at 5:15 p.m. and midnight. SteelStacks; (610) 332-3378;artsquest.org.



Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, NC (Jeffrey L. Cohen)

A 1,250-pound steel-and-copper acorn is dropped at 7 p.m. (for the kids) and midnight. City Plaza; (919) 832-8699;firstnightraleigh.com.






Atlanta

Atlanta (St. John Photographics)

The largest New Year’s party in the Southeast features the fall of an 800-pound fiberglass-and-foam peach.Underground Atlanta; (404) 523-2311; peachdrop.com.





Vincennes, IN

Vincennes, IN (Juli Vieke-Peach)

Known for its multimillion-dollar melon industry, Indianaraises an 18-foot, 500-pound watermelon into the sky, which then opens to release 12 real Knox County watermelons (don’t worry, there’s a splash zone below). Riverfront Pavilion; (800) 886-6443; vincennescvb.org.


Flagstaff, AZ

Flagstaff, AZ (Leslie Connell)

At 10 p.m. and midnight, the city lowers a six-foot pinecone. Why? Flagstaff lies on the edge of the world’s largest contiguous ponderosa forest. Hotel Weatherford; (928) 779-1919; weatherfordhotel.com.

Plymouth, WI

This town drops an 80-pound wedge of BellaVitano Gold cheese; alas, it’s made of Styrofoam. Plymouth Arts Center; (920) 892-8409; plymoutharts.org.

Elizabethtown, PA

Elizabethtown, PA (Jamie Schoenberger; Epic Photography)

Elizabethtown lowers a giant M&M at the rather unexpected time of 7 p.m.—so that it can correspond with its Irish sister city, Letterkenny. (717) 361-7188;elizabethtowncoc.com.





Niagara Falls, NY

Niagara Falls, NY (www.FallsStreet.com)

An illuminated 10-foot Gibson guitar is dropped every year at the Hard Rock Café, drawing crowds averaging 15,000–20,000 annually. Hard Rock Café Niagara Falls, 333 Prospect St.; (716) 282-0007.



Key West, FL

Key West, FL (Andy Newman, Florida Keys News Bureau)

The New Year kicks off here as flamboyantly as you’d expect. Key West’s now-famous festivities include dropping a drag queen named Sushi in a giant ruby red slipper. Bourbon Street Pub/New Orleans House complex, 724 Duval St.; (305) 293-9800.

See more of the Wackiest New Year's Eve Ball Drops.

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Harry Potter Comes To Bitter Sweet End In 2011

For millions of people all over the world, the approach of midnight on July 15 brought with it a gut-wrenching mix of excitement and heartache. "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2" was set to open all over the world, and as fans lined up outside movie theaters — some in costume as their favorite character — we realized that this was it. The joy of seeing the final installment of the most successful film franchise in history was tempered with the sadness that we'd never get to do this again. This truly great thing that had been, from first book to final film, a part of our lives for well over a decade had reached its end. For an entire generation, the film's release was like turning the final page on our childhoods.

"Deathly Hallows, Part 2" wasn't just a movie; it was the event of the summer. And the bittersweet moment is also MTV News' #8 Top Newsmaker of 2011, because it made headlines and marked the end of an era.

The stars of the film definitely seemed to understand just how close to fans' hearts the franchise had become. It had, after all, touched them too. Asked if there'd be tears upon the film's release, Emma Watson cheekily told MTV News at the MTV Movie Awards, "Maybe a few. Maybe one or two, just little ones."

The film set box-office records for the biggest first day ($92.1 million) and largest opening weekend, both domestically ($168.5 million) and worldwide ($314 million), ever and received the best reviews of any film in the franchise. The praise wasn't contained to critics and fans: Even the stars of the film were in awe of the final product. "I was a wreck because of the film itself," Daniel Radcliffe told MTV News at the film's New York premiere. "You've got to have a heart of stone to not find part of it — especially Alan Rickman's performance — heartbreaking, so yeah, I've done my fair share of crying already. ... I think that we proved in doing 'Potter' that you can bring integrity and perpetual growth to a franchise."

Fans' devotion to the books, films and characters created by J.K. Rowling was manifest in the enthusiastic response to our "Harry Potter" World Cup, MTV News' month-long, March Madness-style tournament to find out which character was the fan favorite. More than 7.4 million votes were cast in the competition, resulting in a final face-off between Ron Weasley andProfessor Severus Snape. In the end, the compellingly complex Snape took the title, and star Alan Rickman thanked fans at the film's New York premiere, telling MTV News that Snape's victory was "a vote for ambiguity and things where you don't quite know how they're going to turn out." He continued, "Also, it's [Snape's] values that you can't talk about without ruining the film, but things like courage and determination and loyalty and love, actually."

The success of the series itself could be seen as a celebration of those same things. On the surface, the "Harry Potter" films are fantasies about a boy wizard and his underdog friends navigating a magical universe in which evil lurks in the shadows. But above all, the "Potter" books and films champion courage, determination and loyalty in the face of great adversity and are premised on the notion that love ultimately conquers all. We can think of no better message for a film series to impart on a generation of young people facing a real world mired in conflict and economic turmoil.

It's sad that there's no more "Potter" to look forward to, but the magic created by Rowling; directors Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuarón, Mike Newell and especially David Yates (who helmed the final four films); screenwriter Steven Kloves; and stars Radcliffe, Watson and Rupert Grint will live on to do great things — much like the Boy Who Lived himself.

MTV continues our Best of 2011 coverage by looking back at the biggest pop-culture stories of the year. As we count down the newsmakers that mattered to you most, also check out our topArtists, Songs, Live Performances and EDM Artists of 2011.

Source:www.mtv.com