Copyright 2013 http://www.nbcnewyork.com/on-air en-us Tue, 21 May 2013 16:54:31 -0400 Tue, 21 May 2013 16:54:31 -0400 NBC Local Integrated Media Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:31:49 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/treetimelapse_722x406_2172576756.jpg Check out this awesome time-lapse video of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree from its arrival in the plaza to its big night at the lighting ceremony. ]]> Mon, 10 Dec 2012 11:43:03 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/2012SINGALONG.jpg Happy holidays from News 4 New York! Enjoy this sing-along of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" from the Rockefeller Center tree. (30-second version)]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 09:34:33 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/singalong+janice.jpg Happy holidays from News 4 New York! Enjoy this sing-along of "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" from the Rockefeller Center tree. (60-second version)]]> Sat, 17 Nov 2012 16:15:16 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/edt-black-friday.jpg A new app makes holiday shopping a whole lot easier. While it can't wrap your presents for you, it can help with everything from finding the best deals to locating your car in a busy Black Friday parking lot.

Photo Credit: Getty Images]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:35:05 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/TARANTALCHANUKAHCAROL_3961634_722x406_2175177636.jpg One of Broadway's funny ladies takes on Scrooge with the ghosts of Hanukkah past, present and future at New World Stages in "A Chanukah Charol."]]> Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:39:59 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/santa+letters.jpg For nearly 100 years, the Operation Santa program has provided gifts for needy kids. News 4's Erika Tarantal explains.]]> Fri, 09 Dec 2011 17:28:18 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/rock4_722x406_2175149541.jpg This is the first year 3 sisters will perform together as Radio City Rockettes. The Jantzie sisters -- Kristin, Alison, and Lisa -- take you behind the scenes at Radio City Music Hall.
]]> Sun, 25 Dec 2011 16:55:42 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/cimino+janice+singalong.jpg Happy Holidays from our family to yours.]]> Mon, 05 Dec 2011 13:33:20 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/webholidaybeers_3938156_722x406_2173482884.jpg There is a beer for every season and this is especially true as we head into the holidays. To help us spread a little holiday cheer, John Holl from beerbriefing.com has brought some holiday beers that are bound to please nearly every palate.]]> Fri, 09 Dec 2011 11:13:29 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/214*120/macyswindows4.jpg This holiday season, Macy's teamed up with the Make-a-Wish foundation on a series of windows that combine old-school puppetry with cutting edge tech.

Photo Credit: Catherine Blair Pfander]]> Fri, 09 Dec 2011 13:42:44 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/180*120/christmas-wrapping-gift.jpg If you find yourself wandering down the aisles trying to figure out what to buy we've got the ultimate holiday shopping helper. New York Magazine's holiday gift guide could help you find the perfect gift for the special people on your list. Diana Tsui is here with a few ideas.

Photo Credit: clipart.com]]> Tue, 13 Dec 2011 09:30:57 -0400 $385 at Net-a-Porter) pairs perfectly with Rachel Comey's romantic gray floral top ($449 at La Garconne). Add a pop of glitz with a Louboutin clutch ($795 at Barneys New York) and shimmery heels. ]]> http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/214*120/festivefeatherlookslead.jpg $385 at Net-a-Porter) pairs perfectly with Rachel Comey's romantic gray floral top ($449 at La Garconne). Add a pop of glitz with a Louboutin clutch ($795 at Barneys New York) and shimmery heels. ]]> It might seem a little over-the-top at first, but don't fear the feather trend for parties this holiday season.

Photo Credit: Polyvore]]> Wed, 07 Dec 2011 07:42:13 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/214*120/uglysweaters11lead.jpg Top designers' takes on the conventional holiday sweater.

Photo Credit: Net-a-Porter/Kirna Zabete]]> Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:39:02 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/derek-lam-barneys-event.jpg Designers like Derek Lam, Thakoon Panichgul, Charlotte Ronson, and Richard Chai weigh in on the top picks off their wish lists for the holiday.

Photo Credit: Barneys New York]]> Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:05:45 -0400 $23 at Saffron Rouge) to lips, concentrating on the inner lip and blending out with short strokes. ]]> http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/holiday11lipstick.jpg $23 at Saffron Rouge) to lips, concentrating on the inner lip and blending out with short strokes. ]]> The holidays are stressful enough without worrying about your makeup. We asked natural beauty artist Jessa Blades to create an easy holiday look that's as festive as it is healthy for parched winter skin.

Photo Credit: Catherine Blair Pfander]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:40:51 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/gingerbread4.jpg Check out these cool pictures of gingerbread houses that are part of a contest to raise money for charity.]]> Wed, 30 May 2012 14:41:53 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/2011_sherlock_holmes_a_game_of_shadows_001.jpg Here's more than two dozen of the most buzzed, most loved, most hotly anticipated movies for the 2012 holiday season.

Photo Credit: Daniel Smith]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:06:41 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/tree+rock+center+vid.jpg Check out this video of NBC's Al Roker and Savannah Guthrie leading the countdown to this year's lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

Photo Credit: Getty Images for NBC]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 13:02:49 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/rock+tree+11+30+11.jpg

Joy to the World -- the spruce is lit!

Neil Diamond, Cee Lo Green and the Radio City Rockettes joined hundreds of thousands of people on the plaza at Rockefeller Center Wednesday for a night of performances that culminated with the lighting of a 74-foot Norway spruce from Pennsylvania.

The program for the world famous tree-lighting began at 7 p.m. and Mayor Bloomberg helped flip the switch to illuminate 30,000 lights two hours later as a choir sang "Joy to the World."

"It just brought so much joy to me," said Cynthia Hodge of Bronx. "Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas!"

Young Brando Ortiz of Queens couldn't contain his excitement about seeing the tree light up: "It was like a rainbow," he said.

The Christmas tree was cut down in Mifflinville, Pa., where the Keller family had been tending to it for years on their property.

Debra Keller told NBC New York Wednesday evening before the lighting, "It's just a surreal moment... We come in every year, we shop, we go for lunch, and we always end up at Rockefeller Center and say, 'Wouldn't this make a great tree?' And here we are."

Her mother Nancy said of their day at Rockefeller Center: "We have been treated like royalty. Everyone has been so nice to us!"

Some 250,000 people were estimated in attendance and 11 million viewers were expected to take in "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" broadcast live on NBC.

The crowds, combined with President Obama in town for a series of fundraisers, made for a massive midtown gridlock for much of the evening.

Obama attended three evening fundraisers: one at a private residence where tickets begin at $10,000; one at the Greenwich Village restaurant Gotham Bar and Grill at $35,800 per ticket; and a reception at the Sheraton Hotel, where tickets begin at $1,000.

At the Sheraton, Obama was greeted by Occupy Wall Street protesters, who had gathered at Bryant Park ahead of a planned march. They said they were angry the president was entertaining the so-called 1 percent to collect campaign funds.

As Obama traveled between events, traffic was locked down, causing a mess for drivers. The president left New York City shortly after 11 p.m.

At Rockefeller Center, crowds thinned quickly after the official lighting.

An army of gardeners will take care of the tree, watering it every day with a giant fire department-style hose.

The lights will be on until Jan. 7. After that, the Christmas tree will be turned into lumber for the housing charity Habitat for Humanity.

This is not the tallest tree to stand in Rockefeller Center -- that honor goes a 100-foot tree in 1948.

Photo Credit: NBC New York]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 11:07:42 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/tree+owners+contrast.jpg Mother and daughter Nancy and Debra Keller of Mifflinville, Pa., talk to Tom Llamas about the thrill of seeing their 74-foot Norway Spruce up at Rockefeller Center on the night of the tree lighting.]]> Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:35:02 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/214*120/partydresses11lead.jpg Get ready to deck the halls in the season's most lust-worthy holiday party dresses.

Photo Credit: 3.1 Phillip Lim/Shopbop/Bergdorf Goodman]]> Wed, 30 Nov 2011 11:11:16 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/RockTreea.jpg

It's Christmas tree crunch time.

The day before the biggest Christmas show in the country, changes were still being made to the lineup. Faith Hill canceled. The Justin Bieber and Mariah Carey "All I Want for Christmas is You" music video set to debut Wednesday night was still being edited in Los Angeles. And Neil Diamond had to reschedule his Tuesday taping, though his choir still showed up. They'll have to try again hours before showtime.

About 250,000 spectators and 11 million viewers are expected to take in "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" broadcast live on NBC. The show, which includes live performances from Cee Lo Green, Carole King and a host of other artists, culminates with the lighting of the 74-foot Norway spruce by way of Pennsylvania.

On hand to light the tree this year: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Ted Harbert, chairman of NBC Broadcasting and Rob and Jerry Speyer, CEOs of Tishman Speyer — the owner of Rockefeller Center.

Making sure the 79th annual tree lighting event runs smoothly takes months of preparation that intensifies as the show approaches.

On Monday, a team of lighting technicians buzzed around the plaza adjusting giant spotlights, hovering over computer screens and conducting the one and only tree lighting test that would happen before the real deal. At around 4:30 p.m., the switch — hidden away in a secret location and described as more of a lever — went on.

"It worked," reported a lighting designer who arrived at 2 p.m. and expected to stay until 4 a.m. as his team reviewed plans for the show.

Meanwhile, producer Bill Bracken and his team were still working out final details — making sure no two artists had plans to sing the same Christmas song, adjusting the show's script to account for Neil Diamond's late entry into the lineup and getting that Mariah Carey-Justin Bieber video delivered on time.

"I wake up at 3 o'clock in the morning and think: did I remember to do that? Did I get that into the script? Do I have enough time in the schedule?" Bracken said.

The way the plaza is shaping up pleases Keith Douglas, a managing director for Rockefeller Center who oversees shows on the iconic space — from summer concerts to a recent Ocean Spray event that transformed the plaza into a big cranberry bog. His crews transported the 10-ton tree to the heart of New York from Mifflinville, Pa., on a flatbed truck.

They wrapped the tree with five miles of wire, 38,000 bulbs and topped it with a 25,000-crystal Swarovski star. They erected giant toy soldiers and metallic flags around the skating rink, which will be covered with a white carpet stage for the show.

Backup generators are ready in case power fails for the big moment. One of the few things beyond Douglas' control is the weather, though it promises to be clear Wednesday night.

"It's forecast to be gorgeous," he said. "No rain after noon."

Douglas, who's helped run the show for the last six years, says Tishman Speyer aims to maintain the traditions started when the first tree lighting took place in 1933. There are no ornaments on the tree and the lights are turned off at 11:30 each night and lit again at 5:30 each morning.

Finishing touches, to both the plaza and the show's script, will continue through a dress rehearsal late Wednesday afternoon. After a quick dinner break all the teams will come together for the live show, which kicks off at 7 p.m. ET. It begins broadcasting one hour later.

"The best time," Bracken said, " is when it's off the air and we're happy and there were no technical problems, and we just finished a great-looking show."

Photo Credit: Getty Images]]> Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:39:50 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/Ferrari-FF.jpg Get ready to do some millionaire Christmas shopping with a look at the Fantasy Gifts offered by Neiman Marcus this Christmas.

Photo Credit: Neiman Marcus]]> Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:31:59 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/rockcentertreecutdownAP_722x406_2166041894.jpg A 74-foot Norway Spruce started its journey to New York City, where it will stand in Rockefeller Center through the holidays. Watch the now-famous tree cut down from its home in Pennsylvania and loaded onto a trailer.]]> Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:38:15 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/rockcentertreehoist_722x406_2166723967__640674.jpg Check out this raw video of the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree being hoisted into its iconic spot in the plaza.]]> Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:36:04 -0400 http://media.nbcnewyork.com/images/213*120/gaga-holiday-workshop-barneys-opening-lead.jpg The much-anticipated holiday shop-in-shop is now officially open, boasting 5500 square feet of delightfully creep holiday decor, Gaga-themed items, and even armadillo shoe-shaped cookies.

Photo Credit: David Swanson, Terry Richardson Photography]]>