New Year S Eve

Fireworks Where: Las Vegas Strip Highlights: After last year's fizzle -- when the pyrotechnics were launched from parking garages instead of hotel rooftops -- the midnight show will be up top once again. Seven hotels, including the new Aria at CityCenter, will host the midnight show in the sky. Info: www.lasvegasevents.com Supernova 108 Where: Stratosphere Highlights: Watch the fireworks from the indoor/outdoor party at the top of the tall tower.

Dick Clark, the youthful-looking television personality who literally introduced rock 'n' roll to much of the nation on "American Bandstand" and for four decades was the first and last voice many Americans heard each year with his New Year's Eve countdowns, died Wednesday. He was 82. Clark died after suffering a heart attack following an outpatient procedure at St. John's Health Center in Santa Monica, according to a statement by his longtime publicist, Paul Shefrin. Clark's health had been in question since a 2004 stroke affected his speech and mobility, but that year's Dec. 31 countdown was the only one he missed since he started the annual rite during the Nixon years.

Scrambling to accommodate its Big Gulp of an ensemble cast, for which disaster movie maven Irwin Allen would've killed, "New Year's Eve" does for its holiday what last year's "Valentine's Day" did for Valentine's Day. If this one's a hit, as was "Valentine's Day" ($200 million worldwide), surely we can expect "Presidents Day. " With nice cameos for actual ex-presidents. As with "Valentine's Day," the template for director Garry Marshall and screenwriter Katherine Fugate is "Love, American Style" except some of the plotlines interconnect.

Reporting from San Francisco -- A contrite and tearful Sheriff Ross Mirkarimi, sentenced for falsely imprisoning his wife during a New Year's Eve argument, apologized Monday for the pain he has caused and said that "I accept full responsibility. " In a plea agreement reached as the high-profile case was about to go to trial, the district attorney's office dropped misdemeanor charges of domestic violence battery, child endangerment and dissuading a witness. Mirkarimi was sentenced to three years' probation.

Attention L.A. hipster-parents: New Year's Eve isn't just for grown-ups anymore. And apparently, neither is alternative comedy, that awkward, absurdist brand of humor so popular with the skinny jeans-and-cardigan crowd. So take note of "The Not Inappropriate Show" on Thursday afternoon at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre in Hollywood. The show is curated by Bob Odenkirk, one of the alternative-comedy scene's godfathers, and his talent-manager wife, Naomi, and features sketches written for adults but "not inappropriate" for kids.

Weren't we supposed to be partying with robots on Mars by 2010? While someone's working on that, L.A.'s finest night owls have prepared some stellar parties for us to celebrate the beginning of this new decade. Here are a few of the best. But before you read further, please note: Lineups and ticket prices are subject to change, so call ahead before heading out Thursday night. Twenty Ten: A Space Odyssey L.A. Center Studios The club kingpins at Dolce Group have teamed with the event producers at Pandora Nightlife to take over L.A. Center Studios, an 18,000-square-foot soundstage.

ALAMEDA, CALIF. New Year's Eve on the USS Hornet When, where: Dec. 31, USS Hornet Highlights: Aboard this historic aircraft carrier, three dance floors come alive with big-band music as attendees get dance lessons, party favors and a panoramic view of San Francisco's skyline from the flight deck. There will also be a midnight countdown and a silent auction; the event is black-tie optional but period, swing and formal military attire are encouraged.

Closures Friday is New Year's Eve. The following schedule will be in effect: * State offices are open. Most city, county and federal offices are closed. * Schools, including colleges and universities, are closed. * County, state and federal courthouses are closed. * County libraries are closed, as well as most city libraries. * Banks and savings and loans are open. * Mail: Regular service. * Trash: Regular service.

Angelenos had no shortage of options when it came to musical ways to ring in 2009. Snoop Dogg celebrated at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip, and, just up the street, legendary reggae band the Wailers played the entirety of the landmark album "Exodus" for crowds at the Roxy. At the Wiltern, Travis Barker and DJ AM reunited their drum-and-DJ project TRV$DJ-AM for its first public performance since the duo survived a tragic plane crash in September.

Kanye West earns a living as a rap impresario and moonlights in fashion with women's apparel and sneaker design collaborations. But there's a new bullet point on his résumé: celebrity DJ. On New Year's Eve in Las Vegas, West climbed into the booth to spin the grand opening of 1 OAK — the Mirage hotel and casino edition of New York City's exclusive haunt from Scott Sartiano and Richie Akiva. Under the name "Yeezyworldpeace," West played hits of his own (natch) like "Gold Digger," "Good Life" and the ubiquitous duet "… in Paris" with Jay-Z.

A Navy pilot committed suicide after apparently killing three other people in a Coronado apartment during a night of New Year's Eve celebrating, according to information released Wednesday by San Diego County authorities. John Robert Reeves, 25, an F/A-18 Hornet pilot in training at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar in San Diego, killed himself with a gunshot to the head, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department and medical examiner. The other three people killed — Navy pilot David Reis, 25; his sister, Karen, 24; and Matthew Christopher Saturley, 31, of Chula Vista — are listed as homicide victims.

As Kaskade, Ryan Raddon is at the forefront of an electronica wave that's sweeping pop music and upending underground dance culture. But after a year when he did almost everything right as a DJ and producer, he's still trying to shake the one concert that went wrong. The San Clemente-based artist was among the biggest stories in dance music this year, reportedly commanding up to six figures per gig and conquering the global circuit with a double album, "Fire & Ice," that redefined his near-decade-long career and landed in the Billboard Top 20 (with its iTunes release hitting No. 4 on those charts)

Far from the lights of Hollywood, Las Vegas is the town where you star in your own movie — especially on New Year's Eve. Big stars host the partying there, and Ministry of Gossip tracked down Stevie Wonder and Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am and Fergie, all of whom are hosting events, to talk New Year's Eve do's and don'ts and just how that midnight kiss is supposed to go down — if you're lucky enough to nab one. Stevie Wonder, performing at...

New Year's Eve in Southern California has it all. Whether you want to ring in 2012 partying with 10,000 of your closest friends, sharing an intimate dinner with someone special, meditating for personal growth, or honking party horns with the kids, we have found an event for you: Big parties Together as One The gargantuan shindig moves from the L.A. Coliseum and takes on an all-star lineup of entertainment, including Diplo, Chromeo, Duck...

Pink Martini, the "little orchestra" of Portland, Ore., returns to ring in the New Year with its genre-crossing fusion of Brazilian samba, '30s Cuban dance and Parisian cafe, with special guest National Public Radio correspondent Ari Shapiro, who sang vocals on the group's fourth album, "Splendor in the Grass. " Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., L.A. 7 and 10:30 p.m. $78-$209. (323) 850-2000. http://www.laphil.com

The Mexican electro band Kinky plays its signature Latin-rock-funk-techno blend for this pre-New Year's Eve celebration. The quintet has earned an international following touring with Modest Mouse, the Flaming Lips and De La Soul and playing festivals including Mexico City's Vive Latino and Austin City Limits. The Conga Room, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., L.A. 8 p.m. $35-$65. (213) 745-0162. http://www.congaroom.com

Those who hesitated might have lost out on bargain New Year's Eve hotel rooms in New York City and San Francisco, but how much you pay also might depend on where you want to stay. NewYorkHotels.org reports prices in Big Apple hotels are way up for Dec. 31 compared with regular rates. The survey shows rooms at Hotel 91 on the Lower East Side jump from $125 to $933, and the Cosmopolitan in the Wall Street area increases from $129 to $549. Even the midtown Holiday Inn NYC's rates jump from $179 to $649.