Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Gets New Crystals

Workers put the finishing touches on the 2013 Times Square New Year's Eve ball, which is dedicated to late American television personality Dick Clark, who hosted the New York New Year's eve ceremony for 40 years.

Published

5 months ago

Categories

US

Topics

Celebrity, United States

People

Dick Clark, Tim Tompkins, Allison Hagendorf

Places

United States of America, New York City, New York

Transcript

Times Square's famous New Year's Eve Ball gets a facelift for 2013. Two hundred and eighty-eight new Waterford crystals were installed on the sphere, representing this year's theme of peace. Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance explains. SOUNDBITE: Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance, saying (English): "The ball has 2,668 Waterford crystals. And every year about 10 percent of them get replaced with a new theme. This year's theme is 'Let There Be Peace'. And so they've carved that and also they carved a dove onto the piece of crystal which is the symbol of peace." One of the triangles is engraved with Dick Clark's name, paying homage to the longtime New Year's Eve telecast host. SOUNDBITE: Tim Tompkins, President of the Times Square Alliance, saying (English): "He spent 40 years in Times Square when the celebration was small and crazy and now it's huge and wild." Clark's widow, Kari was on hand to help attach the new crystals. SOUNDBITE: Kari Clark, Dick Clark's widow, saying (English): "It's very special. Of course, it would be to him too. He was such a sentimental guy that things like that would really mean a lot to him." This year's broadcast, expected to reach more than one billion people across the globe, will be hosted by American TV and radio personality Allison Hagendorf.