Retro Friday: Los Angeles' Lame Millennium

Above, coverage from KABC (Harold Greene and Laura Diaz, now both at KCBS) of the festivities in Los Angeles as 1999 turned into 2000. And what a sad, sad recap of festivities it is. Clip begins with Carlos Granda in Van Nuys, where he admits that not too many people showed up at first, but that "2,000 or 3,000 are here now." Uh, how about maybe 200. But you know us journalists, not so hot with numbers.

Later, at about 4 minutes in, it's the famed one-night-only Hollywood sign lighting. Jay Leno is there to help Richard Riordan flip the switch -- and can't help but comment on the lameness of it all. "It doesn't get any cheesier than that," he says.

Oh, but Jay, you weren't watching KABC. Less than ten seconds after the clock struck midnight, Greene chimes in, "A friend of mine at the Los Angeles Police Department asked me to reiterate this: Please do not fire off guns." Happy New Year!

And now, a bonus clip:



It's Guy Lombardo's last New Year's Eve, telecast on CBS as 1976 turned into 1977. The entertainer synonymous with New Year's Eve passed away later that year.