Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Live Event/Special
Mountain and Pacific Time Zones Celebrate New Year; Millennium 2000: A Look Back
Aired January 01, 2002 - 01:57 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone, I'm Catherine Callaway at the CNN center in Atlanta, and welcome to our special New Year's Eve 2002 coverage. We're just a few minutes away from celebrations going on in the Mountain time zone, but first a look at the big celebration that took place in the Big Apple -- New York City, of course. Just about two hours ago, a crowd estimated at half a million rang in the New Year at Times Square, of course, in New York.
There was cheering and singing, as that famous Waterford crystal ball dropped. Now, the patriotic crowd was wearing and waving red, white and blue, lots of red, white and blue confetti, and banners -- they were everywhere. Of course, as you can see, there were lots of flags flying as well, and of course in light of the September 11 attacks, security was extremely tight. There were some 6,700 police officers patrolling the scene. But things went off without a hitch.
You saw Mayor Rudy Giuliani, now former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, because just after midnight, Giuliani carried out his final official act as mayor; he swore in his successor, 59-year-old businessman turned politician, Michael Bloomberg. It was quite a moment.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR, NEW YORK CITY: The constitution of the United States.
RUDOLPH GIULIANI, OUTGOING MAYOR, NEW YORK CITY: The constitution of the state of New York.
BLOOMBERG: The constitution of the state of New York.
GIULIANI: And the charter of the city of New York.
BLOOMBERG: The charter of the city of New York.
GIULIANI: And that I will well.
BLOOMBERG: And that I will well.
GIULIANI: And faithfully discharge.
BLOOMBERG: And faithfully discharge.
GIULIANI: The duties.
BLOOMBERG: The duties.
GIULIANI: Of the mayor.
BLOOMBERG: Of the mayor.
GIULIANI: Of the city of New York.
BLOOMBERG: Of the city of New York.
GIULIANI: In the city of New York.
BLOOMBERG: In the city of New York.
GIULIANI: To the best of my ability.
BLOOMBERG: To the best of my ability.
GIULIANI: So help me God.
BLOOMBERG: So help me God.
(LAUGHTER)
GIULIANI: Congratulations.
BLOOMBERG: Thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CALLAWAY: And with that, a new mayor.
And just moments ago, Mayor Bloomberg swore in his new deputies.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY MAYORS, NEW YORK CITY: I (UNINTELLIGIBLE), ...
MICHAEL BLOOMBERG, MAYOR, NEW YORK CITY: ... do solemnly swear, ...
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY MAYORS, NEW YORK CITY: ... do solemnly swear ...
BLOOMBERG: ... that I will support the Constitution of the United States, ...
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY MAYORS, NEW YORK CITY: ... that I will support the Constitution of the United States, ...
BLOOMBERG: ... and the constitution of the State of New York, ...
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY MAYORS, NEW YORK CITY: ... and the constitution of the State of New York, ...
BLOOMBERG: ... and that I will faithfully discharge the duties ...
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY MAYORS, NEW YORK CITY: ... and that I will faithfully discharge the duties ...
BLOOMBERG: ... according to the best of my ability ...
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY MAYORS, NEW YORK CITY: ... according to the best of my ability ...
BLOOMBERG: ... so help me God.
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY MAYORS, NEW YORK CITY: ... so help me God.
BLOOMBERG: You are now sworn in. Congratulations.
UNIDENTIFIED DEPUTY MAYORS, NEW YORK CITY: Yeah!!!
(CHEERS)
CALLAWAY: And we are just a few seconds away, now, from ringing in 2002 in the Mountain time zone.
We're going to take you now live to Phoenix, Arizona, thanks to our affiliate KPNX, to the Fiesta Bowl block party. Let's listen in.
CROWD, PHOENIX, ARIZONA: ... six, five, four, three, two, one!! Yeah!!!! Happy New Year!!!!
(CHEERS)
CALLAWAY: And there you have it, 2002 being rung in, in Phoenix, Arizona. This is a Fiesta Bowl block party.
By the way, "USA Today" said that this is one of the top 10 places to dance in the New Year. And a number of stages there, and some 20 musical acts were performing, and as you can see, quite a fireworks display going on -- a big Fiesta Bowl party in Arizona.
Well, of course, New York has its own original way of ringing in the New Year, with the crystal ball. Other cities as well have original ways of ringing in, just like we saw with Phoenix, Arizona.
Let's take a look now at a few of those cities.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED PERSONS: ... five, four, three, two, one!! Happy New Year!!!! Yeah!!!!!!
(CHEERS)
(MUSIC) CALLAWAY: Happy New Year, everyone! Hey, it's still 2001 in -- those of you in the Pacific time zone. We'll be back to ring that in in an hour, so stay with us for that.
But right now, millennium 2000, a look back that begins right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: This is Friday, December 31st, the last day of 1999, and we are now on the eve of a new year and of a new century.
But first, people who ring in the year 2000 on earth are on Kiribati Island in the South Pacific. Now, to mark this occasion, part of the area has been renamed Millennium Island. It used to be Caroline Island. Now it is Millennium Island.
Ceremonies with tribal dancing and music and a lot of chanting will usher in the new year there. It's a major undertaking for the island, because it's normally unpopulated.
COLLEEN MCEDWARDS, CNN ANCHOR: They actually changed their -- the way the dateline goes through that group of islands, actually extended it out to include Millennium Island so that they could lay claim to being one of the first places to see the new millennium.
And you're actually looking at live pictures now from the Kiribati Islands, where 70 performers have traveled for some three weeks, some of them even coming by canoes to get to this island called Millennium Island, for the celebrations that you're looking at now.
It's the Micronesian celebration of hope. And you're looking at a very traditional celebration going on there. That's one of the wonderful things about our coverage. You're going to see things that are very traditional like this, very modern.
This is an ancient ceremony going on, on Millennium Islands by the Micronesian people, who live there. The Micronesians are from the very small islands in this Pacific area. The claps are part of their chants and the song that they're singing is a song asking for unity in the new millennium.
HARRIS: And they apparently have it, because they are now unified, and they are all together dancing and chanting, and it is now 2000. It's January 1st, the year 2000 on the island of Kiribati.
And you're now seeing the pictures there, the first pictures of the millennium.
MCEDWARDS: All right. And now we want to take you to another region. This is a region, actually, of New Zealand, about 800 kilometers south of New Zealand to the Chatham Island, where millennium celebrations are about to get under way.
(SINGING, CHEERS) HARRIS: Now we'll show some of the pictures that we're getting in from New Zealand, another one of these millennium marriages.
We're seeing couples in these, on the islands there in that part of the ocean, in that part of the world, all racing to be the first married couples of the new millennium. There you're seeing a couple tying the knot in Auckland, New Zealand.
MCEDWARDS: And no better way to do it.
TOM MINTIER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're starting to see some fireworks now, as well, that are starting to light up the sky. This is the largest fireworks display ever in New Zealand. Each one of these shells that you see weighs about 70 kilos and is about 24 inches long.
There was some concern that we wouldn't be able to see some of the higher fireworks here because of the cloud cover. It has been raining in New Zealand most of the day, but as you can see, the sky is definitely illuminated in Auckland as the year 2000 has arrived.
MCEDWARDS: You are watching an incredible fireworks display to usher in the new millennium in New Zealand's largest city and its largest port.
HARRIS: CNN's Tom Mintier standing by in Auckland, New Zealand, and we believe that we may have an announcement or two coming from down there. Tom, what's going on?
MINTIER: We do, Leon. I do have the stork report for you.
At one minute after midnight, the first child was born, and about 14 minutes later the second, the first being a boy born here in Auckland, in West Auckland in a hospital. Mother and son doing fine.
Fourteen minutes later, a baby girl was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Mother and daughter both doing fine.
HARRIS: 2000 falls on a midsummer's night in Sydney. Although it is a bit cool and windy there.
MCEDWARDS: Well, Sydney greets the New Year with a $3.5 million fireworks display. That should warm things up. And that's going to be launched from the harbor bridge and the opera house.
CNN's Michael Holmes is in Sydney and joins us now live -- Michael.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're looking at a beautiful picture there, Colleen, of the opera house and the Sydney harbor bridge.
It's ironic, though, you know, that the opera house, now considered one of Australia's icons. And the first of the fireworks have begun. Magnificent.
(CHEERS, MUSIC, SINGING)
HOLMES: The year 2000 in Sydney, Australia. A magnificent fireworks display underway here. It will continue for 23 minutes, and will cost some $3.5 million. They're claiming it's going to be the biggest fireworks display on earth.
And you can see in your picture there, even the opera house taking part. It's the first and only time the opera house will be used to launch fireworks.
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: Just to give you a sense of how big this current display is, the harbor bridge is a kilometer wide, and look at it -- completely lit up. A kilometer-wide shower of fireworks.
(MUSIC)
HOLMES: Just as a sidebar, I can record, as Tom Mintier did from Auckland, that it is now nearly 25 minutes past minute here in Sydney.
There's probably a dozen buildings in the city, too, which you may or may not be able to see at the moment that are all shooting fireworks at the moment -- very spectacular.
The whole display is probably covering something like seven miles by my reckoning.
Magnificent.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We'll be in Tokyo for a religious ceremony that will literally ring in the New Year. And the new century begins over a divided Korea. We'll go live to Seoul.
MARINA KAMIMURA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The lights have just been dimmed here on the grounds of Dojoji Temple, now that we're into the final seconds of 1999, here in Japan.
You can hear the crowd getting extremely excited. They've got 5,000 clear balloons prepared here with wishes attached for what they want to come true in the new millennium.
Here comes the countdown now. Let's listen in.
And there you have it. The new year in Tokyo. Atimushta magatomujida (ph), or as they say here in Japanese, or "Happy New Year" from Japan.
What you just heard was the ringing of a mass of bells.
As you can see behind me now, Tokyo tower is also lit in some brilliant colors. I saw the 2000 sign on it, a 2000 sign also adorning the main castle of Dojoji Temple here.
You can see the balloons heading off into the atmosphere, absolute excitement here as Japan welcomes the new millennium.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to go straight across the Sea of Japan to South Korea, take a look at some of the live pictures that are coming into us there.
Well, we saw President Kim Dae-jung there, presiding over the festivities. Fireworks and cheers from thousands upon thousands of people that line the streets in Seoul.
And then we heard, Korea had its first millennium baby. You even saw some live pictures of that, when we were able to get to them, because we were in Tokyo looking at events there.
(CHEERS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And that is how it went at the stroke of midnight in Seoul, South Korea.
Let's take a closer look now at what's going on in Beijing. Just a few moments ago, we saw President Jiang Zemin greeting people there outside the millennium tower.
You can see the shower of fireworks, and we want to bring in now CNN's Beijing bureau chief, Rebecca MacKinnon, for the latest.
Rebecca, can you hear me?
REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I can hear you, Jim. A massive song and dance extravaganza is underway at the same time as a massive fireworks display.
The -- right at the stroke of midnight, Chinese President Jiang Zemin lit a flame. It's going to be kept lit, supposedly eternally. It's called the eternal flame of the Chinese people, and it's meant to represent 5,000 years, nearly 5,000 years of continuous Chinese civilization.
This entire ceremony is full of nationalistic themes. It is showing Chinese pride in their very long culture.
One other theme that is very prevalent during this ceremony are dragons. The coming year, which in February of this coming year, there will be the Chinese New Year, which will mark the beginning of the year of the dragon.
Now, the year of the dragon comes every 12 years, and it is considered by Chinese lore to be a very special year, but also, in many cases, a turbulent year.
China is entering the millennium full of hope, both for its country and also for the coming year, and hoping that it will be a lucky year.
(MUSIC)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're looking at live pictures from Bangkok, Thailand. And it is also midnight in Jakarta, Indonesia -- two spots in the world that are now celebrating a new millennium.
(MUSIC, CHEERS)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In other parts of the world, in addition to Thailand, they are celebrating midnight right now.
Let's go live to Jakarta, Indonesia. Indonesia, we should note, is the world's largest Muslim nation, so this isn't New Year's there, either. We're in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, Ramadan.
So one thing religious authorities in Indonesia have been careful to remind people is to keep their mind on this as a holy time, not just a party time.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JOIE CHEN, CNN ANCHOR: It is a dramatic time in Moscow. You see Red Square celebrating this moment with fireworks in the less than 20 seconds now to midnight in Moscow.
It has been a day of dramatic events in terms of the Moscow government. We're not even sure how much of Russia knows what has happened to its leadership in the course of this day.
Let's watch the final seconds now to midnight.
As you see, the celebration, more than a million people expected to turn out. As you see, the fireworks, the pyrotechnics going out throughout the area around Red Square there in Moscow, a great celebration.
This is the area that is the traditional celebration point for events in Moscow. But this is also a dramatic day in terms of events for that city and for the country.
FRANK SESNO, CNN ANCHOR: It's been an extraordinarily dramatic day. A change of government.
In fact, Boris Yeltsin decided to close down the 20th century by closing out his presidency, and passing the reins to a younger and more vital leader, at least on an interim basis, on an acting basis, apparently counting on the fact of -- some political momentum to carry him, Mr. Putin, into the 21st century.
This becomes a truly, truly transitional moment in this country.
CHEN: Pilgrims from all over the world are gathering in Jerusalem and in Bethlehem. Each of them will use the millennium celebrations to show off its pyramid, those pyramids in a new light.
SESNO: And here you see in your split screen Bethlehem, Giza, Egypt, the site of the great pyramids.
And South Africa, all of which are preparing to usher in the New Year.
CHEN: You see the excitement outside Giza now. This huge celebration a spectacular showing of lights and fireworks, pyrotechnics there. We'll see more in a moment.
SESNO: Let us watch this. You know, part of this show, 2,000 schoolchildren will be entering this site, each with a candle, each to mark a year.
CHEN: And, there it is.
SESNO: Let me tell you what the Egyptians had to say when they issued invitations to this event. If you were lucky enough to receive one in the mail, it said Caesar stood here. So did Napoleon. It's the sole surviving member of the seven wonders of the world, and now you and your friends can greet the year 2000 as the sun rises up out of the African desert, and seven millennia of Egyptian history.
CHEN: We're looking down to another picture where -- another scene where history has been so much a part of the community. That would be Bethlehem, in the lower part of your screen there.
You see the celebration started out subdued and actually fairly political in Bethlehem earlier in the evening, but has now launched into full celebration and excitement, marking this historic occasion.
SESNO: It will culminate with the release of 2,000 doves, one for each year in great hopes for peace. And in fact, the Middle East is at a very dramatic moment.
On the threshold of peace are the hopes of those who live and work in this region, as the Israelis and the Syrians will mark the new year, January 3rd, as a matter of fact, by gathering in Washington, just outside of Washington, actually, to start some very dramatic peace talks.
Joie, in Manger Square, as well, the celebrations are going to include a special performance for Ramadan. Short Palestinian films and 100-strong children's choir, which will sing an ode to religious tolerance, is a message that the world very much wants to hear.
CHEN: It certainly is a balancing act, Frank, for Bethlehem to engage all the different faith and culture that comes together in this particular ...
SESNO: Yes.
CHEN: Of course, we know that this is the end of Ramadan, and so for the Muslim faith an important holiday. But of course this is also the Jewish Sabbath, and so there have been a great deal of concern about the level of celebration.
And it is midnight in Bethlehem, as you see. And the year 2000 has arrived on the Gregorian calendar, and Walt Rodgers is right there. Walter? WALTER RODGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The fireworks have been blasting over five minutes now, over the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem's Manger Square. Perhaps a little risky. That church has had roof fires before, but perhaps tonight we'll be blessed with good fortune.
It is certainly a joyous event here in Bethlehem, the cradle of the millennium, the birthplace of the millennium, the fireworks being ignited over the Church of the Nativity -- a fourth century church built in the reign of the emperor Constantine, over the traditional site of Jesus' birthplace -- Frank.
SESNO: Walter and Joie, you know, after all the concern that's been expressed about security, about Y2K, you're struck when you see this, that this really is an ode to joy.
It really is a moment to celebrate and to ponder what the future may hold. As Walter pointed out, prospects for peace, clearly the hopes of those who are gathered there, very much (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on a better tomorrow.
CHEN: Yes. If you think about the words, the "Ode to Joy" -- let each man in every nation live in peace and brotherhood. And I think they are attempting that tonight, the doves notwithstanding.
Let's go now, as you see in the upper part of your screen to Giza, the Great Pyramid there. And you see the celebration.
This is a -- let's see -- dusk-to-dawn celebration at the pyramid. This is one of the three main events in the world that international travelers wanted to go to for the millennium.
SESNO: And you can certainly see why. And the light show that is promised up against the pyramids is something that we have yet to, yet to see here.
But clearly, the significance of these structures, the ancient civilization that emanated from Egypt itself, the fact that Egypt is celebrating its seventh millennium as the world, marking on the Gregorian calendar, celebrates the year 2000, it makes this a key location.
And we should remember, not everybody's calendar, at least culturally and religiously, is tuned into the year 2000 and where the Gregorian calendar sits.
For the Jewish calendar, it's another 240 years -- this is -- before another millennium strikes. It's 5760 on the Jewish calendar.
The Muslim calendar, it's the year 1420.
(MUSIC)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHEN: Counting down at Rome, as well, for the Pope's "Urbi et Orbi" message, the message of the Pope to the city and to the world, as well.
There you see the square at St. Peter's. You can see some of the fireworks in the background.
The Pope appearing before the amassed crowds there at St. Peter's Square.
This is a relatively shorter message that the Pope will give. He will give another one at dawn at the Vatican, at Vatican City, as well, laying out further his thoughts and his prayers and his hopes for the new millennium as well.
SESNO: And now, Joie, to Madrid, as our tour continues. This is pretty good. You don't have to pay for it. We'll take you all over the Europe and the world.
This is the Puerta del Sol plaza, which is considered, the geographic center of this wonderful city of Madrid, as they commemorate midnight there, as well, with fireworks and -- I think we could say it literally -- a star-studded cast.
CHEN: Stars over the skies there in Spain.
We're going to move a little bit further south to Lagos in Nigeria. A party, something of a dance party underway in Lagos.
This is a square in the capital -- well, in the traditional capital of Nigeria, which is Lagos. The country now has an official capital at Abuja.
But this is a ceremony in the place where Nigerians have traditionally gone to celebrate and share their joy.
This has been, of course, an interesting political year for Nigeria.
SESNO: A rich and culturally diverse society in its own right. About 114 million...
CHEN: Definitely.
SESNO: ... people or so and religiously divided. About 50 percent Muslim in this country, 40 percent Christian, 10 percent indigenous beliefs.
Want to take you to Berlin now and Bettina Luscher who's there for us -- Bettina.
BETTINA LUSCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amazing pictures here at the Berlin Brandenburg Gate. This old symbol of division of Europe, a symbol of the Cold War, tonight it is a place of celebration as the Germans are looking forward to a new century, a century that they hope will be peaceful.
The Brandenburg Gate is -- was of course in the old East of Berlin. At the other side of the four-and-a-half kilometer long street party is the Victory Column and all in between are hundreds of thousands of people and they are celebrating that the century is over. They're looking with optimism to the future. But when you talk to the people, they mainly say that they hope for health and for peace.
CHRISTINE AMANPOUR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Greenwich Mean Time -- where we are right now is the Greenwich Meridian, considers itself the arbiter of Universal Time and as such, considers the millennium will not start officially until it starts here.
With that in mind, the British over the last few years have been determined to make the biggest and the best splash for the millennium and the centerpiece of their party is the Dome, the Millennium Dome where we are right now. This incredible structure, which you can see from our overhead camera, but it has taken many, many months, almost a year to build. It's supported by these 12 huge pylons. It's an enormous, the world's biggest roofed structure, twice the size of the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, which, until now, was the biggest roofed structure.
The tidbits say that it can contain The Great Pyramid of Giza, the Eiffel Tower on its side and indeed 18,000 of those red double- decker buses.
(BELLS CHIMING)
CHEN: If you have any doubts that this is the largest fireworks demonstration you have ever seen, let us assure you that this in fact is the case. In fact, they claim that this is such an elaborate demonstration of the pyrotechnic power of the British that you'd be able to see this from space, if you had been in space to watch all this. It's 39 tons of fireworks, all operated by remote control, and you can see on the River Thames, they put them on the barges for safety, and then lit them by remote control.
SESNO: And there are 16 barges up and down The Thames, and the light show, you can still see the remnants of that, and I actually believe that you might have been able to see it from space.
CHEN: Christiane, we are looking at the River Thames, and you know that you are just down the way a bit from where the location is of the beacon.
AMANPOUR: It is extraordinary to think that over the past 24 hours, we have watched for the first time in the history of our planet all peoples of the world, different nationalities, different cultures, different religions, celebrate the same event .
LARRY KING, CNN ANCHOR: This is Larry King in Los Angeles, it's midnight approaching in the Western Hemisphere, and the first city we get it, major city, is Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Copa Cabana Beach. There is the scene. It's summer in Brazil, and it's five seconds to go. Let's watch together.
(MUSIC)
KING: 2000 has arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and in the Western Hemisphere, and there you see the celebration in one of the world's most beautiful cities. What a day it has been. And CNN brilliantly, I think, has covered this. We're going to check in momentarily with Charles Zewe, who is on the scene in Rio de Janeiro. And there's the fireworks going off at Copa Cabana Beach; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 2000 has arrived.
Charles Zewe, where are you and what's happening?
CHARLES ZEWE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Larry, I'm standing in the surf here on the Copa Cabana Beach and the third millennium, Larry, has arrived in the Americas. This is the scene: fireworks overhead, beautiful fireworks in the colors of the Brazilian flag, of yellow, and green, this is supposed to go on for about 18 minutes, before it finally finishes in a 20,000 shell explosion of gold and silver and white shells.
Two million, perhaps as many as three million, two million people are on the beach here, they are saying it could be three million, five million overall in Brazil on beaches here, tourists, Brazilians alike. They call them careokas (ph).
This is a country that is celebrating what it hopes will be a new birth of its economy in the new millennium. Brazil has long been considered a third world country, but the president of Brazil told me today he hopes this New Year's marks the end of that, that this country will go and become a modern country. This is still a country, though, where most of the people earn only 165 reals a month, that is about the equivalent of $75 U.S.
So here is the scene. This is expected -- this party is expected to go on all night long -- Larry.
KING: Thanks, Charles. There is the scene in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. As he said, it is expected to go on all night long. It is summer there, isn't it, Charles?
ZEWE: It is summer, and what you are watching right now, Larry, this is a tribute that most Brazilians who are wearing white on the beach engage in. They are throwing water, this woman dousing herself with champagne, this is in a tribute to Lamanja (ph), she is a mythical god of the sea. This is a custom that is a couple hundred years old, perhaps older, here in Brazil. It is meant to bring good luck and health and happiness in the new year.
This is a combination of Carnival and New Year's and the biggest party you have ever seen all rolled into one here. It is summertime, people have been enjoying the beach, no Y2K worries here. People have been more intent on having one heck of a party, and you can see they are doing that right now.
KING: One other thing, Charles. Why the white? Why is everyone in white?
ZEWE: It has to do with tradition, Larry. They are called kariokas (ph), which is an Indian term means that means white hut. When the Portuguese first discovered Brazil, and settled Brazil 500 years ago, and this by the way is the 500th birthday of Brazil, they built white huts on the beach. It is an Indian term that got adopted here, that is why they are wearing white tonight.
The officials here who have been organizing this celebration have said that they expect at least three million people along Copa Cabana Beach, which is about two miles long, shaped in a crescent here in Rio, and another two, maybe three million on other beaches in Brazil.
KING: Thanks, Charles. Charles Zewe, on the scene, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It's the year 2000 in the Western Hemisphere.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Washington, D.C., New York City, and the countdown on the East Coast is under way, a matter of seconds. Less than 45 seconds now, as we go down to approaching 30 seconds before the new millennium on the East Coast of the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The fabled ball, now a Waterford Crystal creation, is about to drop in Times Square. We will be there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This crystal ball has never been seen before. Waterford crystal. It is hand-carved. It will only be seen this one particular time. It weighs 1,070 pounds. It has 504 individually-cut crystals.
(CROWD CHEERING)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. We have two million people here. Looking back behind me, toward the south, past One Times Square, all the way back to 34th Street, and then back north, all the way down to 59th. Sixth Avenue, Eighth Avenue, it is wall-to-wall people down here, and they're well-behaved. They're having a great time.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: We have tens of thousands of people who have simply packed around -- it's unbelievable.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In your upper, left-hand corner, the Windy City. The largest fireworks display in Chicago's history, about to get under way. We are at a minute and eight seconds and counting.
BERNARD SHAW, CNN ANCHOR: People in Granbury, Texas, are poised in the town square.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We are here in Granbury, Texas. What you are looking at is the courthouse, which is the centrifugal force of this town, around which all of the New Year's Eve activities. Right now you are there listing to the tones of Larry Joe Taylor (ph), a Texas-bred, country-western singer. He is the one that is going to lead the countdown to New Year's, here in this small town of about 6,000.
LARRY JOE TAYLOR, SINGER: Now are y'all ready to party? Let's show Granbury something they've never seen before, and the good folks at CNN, let's show it around the world. SHAW: It's very interesting, as we watch the fireworks over Lake Michigan, on the shores of Chicago, guess what? Last year, this time, this city and it?s residents were suffering under 22 inches of snow. And Jeff Flock, have you seen a flake today -- tonight?
JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not a one, Bernie, and you know, it's been a beautiful night, and you can see the fireworks are just gorgeous. It's been unseasonably warm. These people are tremendous. But the reason that I think I couldn't think of any better place to be than Chicago, tonight, is the people that you see.
The faces from literally, 200 -- I think, and 205 is now the total -- countries from around the world. Two people from each of those countries coming here. You know, a pharmacist from Albania, Priest from Bulgaria, a farmer from Indonesia, a housewife from Mexico. The list goes on.
All coming together in Chicago, tonight, which has always been a melting pot, but probably never more so than at this very moment, as this new millennium (UNINTELLIGIBLE) new year. And it has really been an extraordinary evening to spend time with these people, and just watch the whole world come together, both on CNN, as well as here, in Chicago -- Bernie.
SHAW: Jeff Flock, our Chicago Bureau Chief.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And now we want to go to?
SHAW: Mexico City. Our Bureau Chief there, Harris Whitbeck.
HARRIS WHITBECK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The tradition here in Mexico says that if you are wearing red undergarments as the New Year arrives, that will ensure a lot of prosperity, a lot of love and a lot of good luck in the New Year, so I can assure that at least some of those 200,000 people who are out there are wearing bright red underwear tonight.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy New Year.
(SINGING "AULD LANG SYNE")
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is two minutes and thirty seconds to midnight, Pacific Standard Time. The Millennium Sweep returns to the Pacific, as CNN tracks 2000 to the west coast of North America.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Las Vegas, the biggest party in town, we're told. A downtown light show and concert covering four city blocks.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're now looking at live pictures of Millennial celebrations underway in Hawaii. As millions have done before them, Hawaiians are now ringing in the year 2000.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And there you see the fireworks going off, there, in a display in Honolulu harbor.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These fireworks are being launched, actually, from a barge out there somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. You can see where they're being launched at from out there. It's off the beach, there. Actually, it's quite a beautiful shot.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One of the downtown hotels is also hosting a Hawaii-style welcome -- what they describe as a Hawaii-style welcome. There's lots of music and dance from Hawaiian performers.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KING: Now it's the dawn of another New Year. There's only one thing left to say. Fortunately, there's a way to say it in every language of the world.
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: Happy New Year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy New Year. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE). Happy New Year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: Happy New Year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy New Year. (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED GROUP: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Happy New Year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE) Happy New Year.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING IN FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED CHILD: This is my first time celebrating a new Millennium.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CALLAWAY: Happy New Year, everyone. I'm Catherine Callaway, at the CNN Center in Atlanta, and welcome to our special New Year's Eve 2002 coverage. We're just a couple of minutes away from celebrations going on in the Pacific Time Zone, and we'll bring that to you in just a moment.
But first, we want to talk about the big celebrations that occurred in New York, at the Big Apple. The New Year, of course, already arriving in a number of cities, one, of course -- of the first -- one of the first, of course, being New York. The traditional Waterford Crystal ball dropped in Times Square. It was surrounded by a sea, as you can see, of 500,000 people who were cheering and waving red, white and blue, in fact.
In light of the September 11th attack, security was very tight. There were about 6,700 police officers patrolling the scene. We're told, for the most part, things went off without a hitch. You see Rudolph Giuliani, there, and just minutes after the ball dropped, Mayor Rudy Giuliani carried out his final official act as Mayor, and swore in his successor, 59-year-old businessman-turned-politician Michael Bloomberg.
A short time later, Mayor Bloomberg swore in his new deputy. The new Mayor and his staff face a host of challenges.
Now, we're waiting to ring in the New Year in the Pacific Time Zone. As you can see, Las Vegas, San Francisco, Seattle and San Diego. Happy New Year. Look at the fireworks displays. In Seattle, Washington, there, you can see about 40,000 people on hand at the Seattle Center to watch the fireworks erupt in the Space Needle. What a beautiful sight that is.
Six-and-a-half minute fireworks display beginning right now. That's about 4,000 separate fireworks. Now, you may remember that about two years ago the Millennium celebration was canceled, there, because of terrorism scares.
And let's take a look at Las Vegas, now. Being called their biggest fireworks display, ever, some 300,000 people expected tonight on the strip. Still a bit smaller than past crowds, there. However, this is the busiest night of the year in Las Vegas.
Now, let's go to San Francisco. A tremendous fireworks display over the bay. This from CNN affiliate KRON.
Now, back to Seattle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 2002 with a little "Auld Lang Syne." Let's give him a nice round of applause.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, let's go to Nina Himanes (ph), now. Nina.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All right, Herb. Well, I can tell you there's been a whole lot of kissing?
CALLAWAY: And that was celebrations going on in San Diego, there at the end. Happy New Year, everyone in the Pacific Time Zone, and we'll see you back here just a little bit later.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GIULIANI: Leaving. And I was thinking, it's like really long way from then, and I still remember back and I think about the people we lost. And I just marvel at how strong all these people are.
(END VIDEO CLIP) TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
