Happy New Year with Hulu

According to the Times Square Alliance, New Year’s Eve in New York City’s Times Square is a bonafide international phenomenon. According to me it’s a headache of unadulterated tourism best viewed from afar.

For those of you without basic cable but with an internet connection that are interested in watching the festivities from whichever type of New Year’s parties you attend, Hulu‘s got you covered. Following up on its live casting of the final two presidentail debates, NBC Universal and News Corporation’s joint venture will live stream the events from the (presumably Carson Daly hosted

If you’re looking for a rason why you should watch the 105 annual incarnation of the celebration here’s one:

The ball that drops right when Cinderella’s coach turns into a pumpkin is a brand new “12 foot geodesic sphere, double the size of previous Balls, and weighs 11,875 pounds…Covered in 2,668 Waterford Crystals and powered by 32,256 Philips Luxeon Rebel LEDS, the new Ball is capable of creating a palette of more than 16 million vibrant colors and billions of patterns producing a spectacular kaleidoscope effect.”

That sounds just awesome enough to get me to tune in, but still make me smile that I’m not sandwiched between a couple hundred thousand people staring up at One Times Square. 

Happy New Year, drive (and walk) safe, and here’s to a great 2009!