Thoughts

DICK CLARK ROCKIN' NEW YEAR'S EVE
I have to admit that as I had mixed feelings over watching the return of Dick Clark to TV after he suffered a stroke last year.
On the one hand, I can only imagine how far he has come from probably not being able to speak, eat, walk, or even sit up. I'm sure he worked extremely hard and for him, the return to Times Square for New Year's Eve served as motivation. And I did feel extremely proud of him for such an accomplishment.
But on the other hand, it was so difficult for me to see the still very young looking Dick Clark have such difficulty talking. As a result, the show relied heavily on co-hosts Ryan Seacrest (who will undoubtedly take over the show) and Hillary Duff (pictures above). Clark's slurred speech, albeit fairly clear, felt almost painful to me because it was such a stark contrast to the smooth-talker he was before. After watching him host the New Year's Eve show, American Bandstand, and TV Bloopers and Practical Jokes, I just think so fondly of him in those capacities. And now that image has changed a little bit. I guess it just served as a reminder that we're all gettinng older and ultimately not in control of our lives.
But thank God we know who does have control.