Kathy Griffin Bleepin' Entertaining, but Dick Clark Still Rules New Year's Eve

Fri., Jan. 2, 2009 8:27 AM PST by Gina Serpe

Griffin Gaffe: They may not have garnered the night's highest ratings, but CNN's odd-couple pairing of Kathy Griffin and Anderson "Andy" Cooper undoubtedly provided the night's best viral—and memorable—moment, thanks to an open mic and Griffin's special way with a put-down.

Our Guy Ry: Once again, ABC dominated the countdown specials, with Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest ruling the night with 8.5 million viewers tuning in, per early estimates.

On the Other Hand: If ratings hold, the ABC stalwart will go down as the second-lowest rated Clark countdown since 2000, with the lowest telecast being 2004's Clark-less, Regis Philbin-hosted special. This week's countdown also marks the third consecutive year the ABC special has seen a ratings drop.

Daly's Good Night: Despite being relegated to NBC's late-night afterthought, New Year's Eve With Carson Daly did what Clark and Seacrest combined couldn't—see an increase in show ratings. If numbers hold, Daly's 5.0 metered-market rating will mark his best showing in all five years of his manning the ball drop.

Countdown Letdown: Forget the joyous, hope-filled nostalgia of a new calendar year. What viewers really wanted to see on New Year's Eve was some dead bodies. During the 10 p.m. hour, CBS' rerun of CSI: New York placed second in the ratings, nearly doubling those of Daly's countdown with 6.8 million viewers.