2019 is coming. You can’t stop it, you can only embrace it! And we’re embracing it with Maria Menounos. She’s back to co-host FOX’s New Year’s Eve party (8PM-10PM ET & 11PM-12:30ET) in Times Square with Steve Harvey.
That place is crazy on an average Tuesday afternoon. But when it becomes Countdown Central, you never know what is going to go down. And Maria agrees. “That’s the fun part of New Year’s Eve, right? Especially with Steve Harvey and I. It is always unpredictable.”
Wedding Bells
And speaking of unpredictable, she took the term to a whole new level on last year’s show. “Last year I got married on the show and so that was something that was very surprising for everybody.” Yeah, she managed to hear wedding bells over all the revelry.
It was cool then, but a year later the pressure is on to top that. And with just hours to go, Maria still isn’t sure how to do it. “It’s funny, I’m still thinking about that. My husband joked that he’s gonna serve me with divorce papers. I was like I don’t think that’s fun, honey. Or festive. Or a great way to start the new year.”
Stroke of Midnight
Sure Dubai shoots fireworks from the side of buildings and Key West drops a drag queen in a life size high heel shoe from a hotel. But nothing beats the dropping the Waterford Crystal ball in Times Square. It’s been the place to be for decades. And this year Maria says she and Steve are ratcheting up the crazy.
“We have amazing performances lined up for this year. We’ve got the one and only Sting. We’ve got Robin Thicke. You’re gonna see Kim Jeong running around the city bringing people to Times Square. The FOX NFL crew will be joining us.”
“This is such a jam-packed, fun show. I just tell people we’re gonna be the fun show that you don’t wanna miss.”
And her now-husband isn’t the only man in Times Square Maria has chemistry with. “Steve and I have so much fun. I think this year instead of like that bitter cold we had to contend with, we’re gonna have to keep dry because it’s supposedly gonna rain. That will be a whole new challenge I think for us too.”
And then there is the omnipresent character, the location itself. And despite the cold and rain, Maria’s all in. “New Year’s Eve is such an electric experience in Times Square.”
But she wasn’t always a believer. “I never believed that before, cuz I thought everyone was crazy. But having experienced it for the first time last year it is like no other feeling. It’s pretty amazing, you should try it some time.”
12:01
So once the ball drops, the confetti flies, and we’ve sung Auld Lang Syne, what is the first thing Maria plans to do in 2019, like at 12:01. “I think I’m excited to kiss my husband and say happy anniversary. Well technically ours will happen before the new year, because we got married just before the ball dropped.”
“That new feeling of a new year is just beautiful and special and we have a lot to be thankful for.”
Going To Extremes
We’d be remiss if we didn’t ask the cliché, predictable, and obligatory question: what’s your new year resolution?
“One of the things I want to work on in the new year is extreme language. I know that sounds so boring. But we’re all so extreme with our language that I’ll be like ‘oh my god I’m starving.’ And my husband will look at me like ‘you’re far from starving.’ And I’m like ‘yeah, good point.'”
The Critic’s Cocktail Recommendation
For our last post of the year, we’re turning over bartending duties to Maria. She’s taking her cue from one tonight’s guest stars. “My all time favorite Snoop Dogg will be performing so we’ll have some of that gin and juice.”
We’ll be rolling down the street right along with you, Maria!
Happy New Year and Cheers!
Critic's Cocktail 