DICK CLARK - DICK CLARK STILL ROCKIN' ON NEW YEAR'S EVE

DICK CLARK STILL ROCKIN' ON NEW YEAR'S EVE

Although his speech remained noticeably affected by the stroke that felled him in 2004, Dick Clark kidded co-host Ryan Seacrest and, as always, counted down the moments to 2008 in New York's Times Square Monday night. (The program actually made news when Mayor Michael Bloomberg told Seacrest that he would not run for president.) Orlando Sentinel TV columnist Hal Boedeker defended ABC's decision to bring Clark back each year despite his rather feeble appearance. "His presence offers several reminders," Boedeker wrote. "We're all growing older. We need to respect the aged. We're witnessing a TV icon setting a good example, growing old gracefully and not hiding." The primetime segment of Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve (10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.) landed in first place in the ratings, posting a 4.8 rating and a 10 share, beating reruns of CSI: Miami on CBS and Law & Order: SVU on NBC. It then went on to score an 8.8 rating/20 share from 11:30 p.m.-1:00 a.m.

02/01/2008