''First Night 2013 with Jamie Kennedy'' is a
New Year's Eve
In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve, also known as Old Year's Day or Saint Sylvester's Day in many countries, is the evening or the entire day of the last day of the year, on 31 December. The last day of the year is commonly referred to ...
television special
A television special (often TV special, or rarely television spectacular) is a standalone television show which may also temporarily interrupt episodic programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Some specials provide a full range of ent ...
that was hosted by comedian and television producer
Jamie Kennedy
James Harvey Kennedy (born May 25, 1970) is an American actor and comedian. He has played Randy Meeks in the ''Scream'' franchise (1996–2000) and a multitude of characters in ''The Jamie Kennedy Experiment'' (2002–2004) on The WB. His othe ...
. Broadcast live on December 31, 2012 from outside
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.
The original Chines ...
in
Hollywood, California
Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
, the special included comedy sketches, interviews with celebrities and others in attendance, and live musical performances by
Macy Gray
Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday.
Gray ha ...
and
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. The special was aired locally on the
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
-based
independent station
An independent station is an independent radio or terrestrial television station which is independent in some way from broadcast networks. The definition of "independence" varies from country to country, reflecting governmental regulations, market ...
KDOC-TV
KDOC-TV (channel 56) is a religious television station licensed to Anaheim, California, United States, serving the Los Angeles area as an owned-and-operated station of Tri-State Christian Television (TCT). The station maintains studios on East F ...
, and was also broadcast by the
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
MyNetworkTV
MyNetworkTV (unofficially abbreviated MyTV, MyNet, MNT or MNTV, and sometimes referred to as My Network) is an American commercial broadcast television syndication service and former television network owned by Fox Corporation, operated by its ...
affiliate
KQCA
KQCA (channel 58) is a television station licensed to Stockton, California, United States, serving the Sacramento area as an affiliate of MyNetworkTV. It is owned by Hearst Television (as the company's only MyNetworkTV affiliate) alongside NBC ...
.
After its broadcast, ''First Night'' became infamous for its low quality, as exhibited in a montage of scenes from the special that became popular after being discovered by comedian
Patton Oswalt
Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
. The special suffered from many technical problems (including
microphone gaffe
A hot mic, sometimes referred to as an open microphone or (in aviation) a stuck mic, is in general an apparent error in which a microphone is switched on or remains on, especially without the speaker's realizing.
As used in online gaming, the t ...
s and communication issues), featured scenes described as being "
surreal
Surreal may refer to:
*Anything related to or characteristic of Surrealism, a movement in philosophy and art
* "Surreal" (song), a 2000 song by Ayumi Hamasaki
* ''Surreal'' (album), an album by Man Raze
*Surreal humour, a common aspect of humor
...
", the very New Year being counted in too late and spontaneously ended with an impromptu fight breaking out on stage over the credits.
Based on the montage, several media outlets declared ''First Night'' to be the "worst New Year's Eve special ever". Kennedy defended the special in an interview with ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', by claiming that ''First Night'' was an "anti-New Year's Eve show" which was intentionally unrehearsed and unpredictable. ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
''s
Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin (; born April 24, 1976) is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for ''The A.V. Club'', a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013. would praise the special for meeting Kennedy's stated goal.
Production
![Grauman's Chinese Theatre Highsmith medium](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Grauman%27s_Chinese_Theatre_Highsmith_medium.jpg)
Kennedy suggested the idea of hosting a New Year's special on KDOC-TV in November 2012 whilst watching the
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade is an annual parade in New York City presented by the U.S.-based department store chain Macy's. The Parade first took place in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States with ...
with a friend from the station. Following Thanksgiving, he quickly used the final weeks of the year to attract sponsors and guests for the program (such as the restaurant chain
Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC is an American fast food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., with franchisees in North & South America, Asia, Oceania, Europe and Africa.
In 2016, ''Entrepreneur'' listed Carl's Jr. as No. 54 ...
, which served as its primary sponsor). In planning the special, Kennedy was influenced by the style of
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...
's
MDA telethon
The ''MDA Labor Day Telethon'' was an annual telethon held on (starting the night before and throughout) Labor Day in the United States to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). The Muscular Dystrophy Association was founded in ...
, promising a broadcast which would be "fun and spontaneous" and leave viewers guessing what would happen next. He intended ''First Night'' to be an "anti-New Year's Eve show" with an informal
block party
A block party or street party is a party in which many members of a single community congregate, either to observe an event of some importance or simply for mutual solidarity and enjoyment. The name comes from the form of the party, which ofte ...
atmosphere, held at what he considered to be Hollywood's "apex of craziness",
Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...
in front of
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.
The original Chines ...
.
Synopsis
Kennedy opened the special with a comedy
monologue
In theatre, a monologue (from el, μονόλογος, from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes a ...
, which among others, included a joke relating to the "percentages" of 2012 (the
99%,
47%, and the 8% score of his last film on
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
), along with joking that because of
Psy
Park Jae-sang (, ; born December 31, 1977), known professionally as Psy (stylized in all caps as PSY) (; ; ), is a South Korean singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Psy is known domestically for his humorous videos and stage perf ...
, the packaging of a
fortune cookie
A fortune cookie is a crisp and sugary cookie wafer usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and sesame seed oil with a piece of paper inside, a "fortune", usually an aphorism, or a vague prophecy. The message inside may also include a Chinese ...
would no longer be the only thing people think about when they hear the words "
Asian rapper
Asian may refer to:
* Items from or related to the continent of Asia:
** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia
** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia
** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
". The special was plagued with technical problems throughout the night: a camera shot of Kennedy lingering on-stage was shown at the beginning of an interview with
Shannon Elizabeth
Shannon Elizabeth Fadal (born September 7, 1973) is an American actress, conservationist, animal activist, model and poker player. A popular sex symbol and teen idol of the 1990s and 2000s, Elizabeth is best known for her roles in the films '' A ...
by
Stu Stone
Stuart Stone (born Stuart Eisenstein) is a Canadian film, television, and voice-over actor as well as a producer of television, film and music. He is best known for his roles as Ronald Fisher in the 2001 cult film, ''Donnie Darko'' and Ralphie Ten ...
, and issues with
walkie-talkies
A walkie-talkie, more formally known as a handheld transceiver (HT), is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, ...
affected the level of communication between the show's crew (also leading to several occasions where Kennedy was unsure of whether the show was live). Although several
fleeting expletive
A fleeting expletive is a non-scripted verbal profanity or obscenity expressed and broadcast during a live television broadcast or radio broadcast. The term appears primarily in discussions of United States broadcasting law.
Notable examples
In ...
s from open microphones were also broadcast during the special, they were also caused by technical faults and were not intentional.
[ ]Jessi Cruickshank
Jessica Shaia "Jessi" Cruickshank (born July 17, 1983) is a Canadian television personality. She is the former co-host of MTV Canada's program ''The After Show'' and its various incarnations including ''The Hills: The After Show'' and ''The City ...
(who hosted The CW
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
's game show ''Oh Sit!
''Oh Sit!'' is an hour-long game show competition series that premiered on September 27, 2012, on The CW. The series, according to the network, was a "high-octane musical chairs competition". Despite low ratings during its run, on September 26, 2 ...
'' alongside Kennedy) interviewed guests throughout the show, such as actor Drake Bell
Jared Drake Bell (born June 27, 1986) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in Newport Beach, California, he began his career as an actor in the early 1990s at the age of five with his first televised appearance on ''Hom ...
and Olympic gold medalist Dawn Harper. As part of an interview outside a local nightclub
A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music.
Nightclubs gener ...
, Bridget Marquardt
Bridget Marquardt (born September 25, 1974) is an American television personality and model, known for her role in the reality TV series ''The Girls Next Door'', which depicted her life as one of ''Playboy'' founder Hugh Hefner's girlfriends. A ...
was encouraged by Cruickshank to eat a Turkey Jalapeño burger from show sponsor Carl's Jr.
Carl's Jr. Restaurants LLC is an American fast food restaurant chain operated by CKE Restaurant Holdings, Inc., with franchisees in North & South America, Asia, Oceania, Europe and Africa.
In 2016, ''Entrepreneur'' listed Carl's Jr. as No. 54 ...
in a sexually suggestive manner.[ Kennedy also starred in a pre-recorded comedy sketch promoting ]Commerce Casino
Commerce Casino is a cardroom located in the Los Angeles suburb of Commerce. With over 240 tables on site, Commerce Casino is the largest cardroom in the world. Established in 1983, the casino accounted for 38% of Commerce's tax revenues for th ...
; where he played a Mayan
Mayan most commonly refers to:
* Maya peoples, various indigenous peoples of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Maya civilization, pre-Columbian culture of Mesoamerica and northern Central America
* Mayan languages, language family spoken ...
chief trying to win back his fortune by participating in a poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
tournament.[
Prior to the arrival of midnight, singer ]Macy Gray
Natalie Renée McIntyre (born September 6, 1967), known by her stage name Macy Gray, is an American R&B and soul singer and actress. She is known for her distinctive raspy voice and a singing style heavily influenced by Billie Holiday.
Gray ha ...
performed "I Try
"I Try" is a song co-written and performed by American musician Macy Gray. The song was released on September 27, 1999, as the second single from her debut album, ''On How Life Is'' (1999). It is Gray's most successful single to date, peaking at ...
", along with a medley of other songs. Due to her slurred speech and an occurrence where she thought that the time was only 11:15 p.m. instead of 11:50 p.m., it was speculated by critics that Gray may have been drunk
Alcohol intoxication, also known as alcohol poisoning, commonly described as drunkenness or inebriation, is the negative behavior and physical effects caused by a recent consumption of alcohol. In addition to the toxicity of ethanol, the main ps ...
during the performance. Kennedy has personally denied that this was the case, however.[ During the countdown to 2013, Kennedy was unable to find a clock, and the cast's countdown to 2013 was completed 10 seconds late.][ Following midnight, the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony performed their songs "]1st of tha Month
"1st of tha Month" is the first single by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from their album '' E. 1999 Eternal''.
It was certified Gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 copies. It peaked at No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming their first top t ...
" and "Notorious Thugs
The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...
".[ Near the end of the special, Kennedy interviewed a pair of ]African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
women (one of whom claimed her New Year's resolution
A New Year's resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behavior, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise im ...
was to "get rid of all my haters") and quipped to one of them that "going white" instead of "black" would "keep ervagina very tight", followed later by a comedy sketch involving puppets making jokes regarding rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...
.[ Whilst signing-off at the end of the show, Kennedy declared that the show was "ending with a fight"; as promised, a fight began to break out on-stage.][
]
Reception
Following its broadcast, Burbank-based actor and comedian Shaun Broyls posted footage from the special on YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
. When the footage was posted on Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
by fellow comedian Patton Oswalt
Patton Peter Oswalt (born January 27, 1969) is an American stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is known as Spence Olchin in the sitcom ''The King of Queens'' (1998–2007) and for narrating the sitcom '' The Goldbergs'' (2013–present) as ...
, the footage quickly became popular, and was picked up by a number of blogs and news outlets. Broyls himself believed that "there was no way that this broadcast was meant to turn out the way it turned out" due to the large number of technical problems that were seen throughout ''First Night'', but acknowledged that the special may have a "rough charm" similar to that of B-movie
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
s or ''The Star Wars Holiday Special
The ''Star Wars Holiday Special'' is a 1978 American television special that originally aired on November 17, 1978, on CBS. It is set in the universe of the sci-fi-based ''Star Wars'' media franchise. Directed by Steve Binder, it was the first ' ...
''. Professional wrestler Adam Pearce
Adam John Pearce (born June 24, 1978) is an American professional wrestling executive and former professional wrestler. He is currently employed by WWE as Director of Live Events, producer, trainer, coach, and on-screen authority figure. He is ...
attended the event in person, but did not notice any abnormalities aside from the fight at the end. Pearce did not rule out the possibility that certain aspects of the show were intentionally designed to increase the possibility of disorder.
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
's Nathan Rabin
Nathan Rabin (; born April 24, 1976) is an American film and music critic. Rabin was the first head writer for ''The A.V. Club'', a position he held until he left the ''Onion'' organization in 2013. dubbed the special ''The Jamie Kennedy Falling Apart At The Seams New Year's Eve 2013 Spectacular; he'' supported Kennedy's assertion that ''First Night'' was an antithesis
Antithesis (Greek for "setting opposite", from "against" and "placing") is used in writing or speech either as a proposition that contrasts with or reverses some previously mentioned proposition, or when two opposites are introduced together f ...
to other similar specials, suggesting that "if Dick_Clark">/nowiki>Dick_Clark.html" ;"title="Dick_Clark.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Dick Clark">/nowiki>Dick Clark">Dick_Clark.html" ;"title="/nowiki>Dick Clark">/nowiki>Dick Clark/nowiki> is the trusted authority figure who made sure everything went swimmingly, Kennedy is more like the creepy uncle whose idea of discipline and order is making the 15-year-olds he hangs out with promise they’ll get good and drunk before playing with the illegal fireworks he’s bought them." Rabin criticized Kennedy's opening monologue for potentially being anti-humor, anti-comedy or just bad material, and his confrontational attitude towards the audience throughout the show. Jessi Cruickshank
Jessica Shaia "Jessi" Cruickshank (born July 17, 1983) is a Canadian television personality. She is the former co-host of MTV Canada's program ''The After Show'' and its various incarnations including ''The Hills: The After Show'' and ''The City ...
was critiqued for her "over-the-top" recognition of Drake Bell
Jared Drake Bell (born June 27, 1986) is an American actor, singer, songwriter, and musician. Born in Newport Beach, California, he began his career as an actor in the early 1990s at the age of five with his first televised appearance on ''Hom ...
's nine Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards
The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...
(which Rabin joked that, in the opinion of the show, was equivalent to winning an Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, ESPY
An ESPY Award (short for Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly Award) is an accolade currently presented by the American broadcast television network ABC, and previously ESPN (as of the 2017 ESPY Awards the latter still airs them in the form ...
, Grammy
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...
, Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfr ...
, and Tony
Tony may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer
* Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...
in the same year), and interviews with Dawn Harper and Bridget Marquardt that he felt were "clearly a set up for a plug for Carl’s Jr."[
Kennedy was also panned for his Commerce Casino sketch, which Rabin felt was "racist in its grotesque minstrelsy of Native American culture", and not funny. He also felt that Macy Gray's performance was "shambling yet strangely majestic" (speculating that she, and the rest of the production staff, may have been drunk), and felt that the performance by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony would have been a "muddy, dispiriting dirge" even without a ]backing track
A backing track is an audio recording on audiotape, CD or a digital recording medium or a MIDI recording of synthesized instruments, sometimes of purely rhythmic accompaniment, often of a rhythm section or other accompaniment parts that live music ...
. In conclusion, however, Rabin praised the special for its unexpectedly surreal nature, considering it "the least professional and most entertaining New Year’s Eve broadcast I have ever seen." In a December 2013 article highlighting other critically-panned New Year's Eve specials, it was remarked that in comparison to the other seven personalities highlighted (including Andy Williams
Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...
and Paul Shaffer
Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian, and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader, and sidekick on the entire run of both '' Late ...
's stints on ''Happy New Year, America
''Happy New Year, America'' is an American television special that aired on the CBS television network to celebrate the New Year. It first aired on December 31, 1979 (leading into 1980), and last aired December 31, 1995 (leading into 1996).
The s ...
'', Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American radio and television personality, comedian, and author. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terre ...
, and Merv Griffin
Mervyn Edward Griffin Jr. (July 6, 1925 – August 12, 2007) was an American television show host and media mogul. He began his career as a radio and big band singer, later appearing in film and on Broadway. From 1965 to 1986 he hosted his own ta ...
), "few hosts, though, have matched Jamie Kennedy's spectacular failure on the Orange County station KDOC last year", and concluded that "As 'Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" (: note "s" rather than "z") is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. By extension, it is also often ...
' played over on ABC, Kennedy reminded the world that some auld acquaintances really should be forgot."
References
{{New Year
New Year's television specials
Local television programming in the United States
2010s American television specials
Viral videos