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CNN Live Event/Special

Interview With Carlos Yulo; Interview With Usman Mukhtar; Interview With Zarna Garg; Times Square Set For New Year's Celebration. Aired 11:30a-12p ET

Aired December 31, 2024 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

[11:30:26]

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN HOST: Welcome back.

It is half past midnight right now here in Hong Kong. We have been ringing in the start of 2025 for the last half-hour or so with that dazzling fireworks and laser display over Victoria Harbor.

And, meanwhile, in Taipei, fireworks were shot off atop of Taiwan's tallest high-rise to celebrate the new year. And it doesn't stop there. We will continue to countdown the new year in each region around the world until everyone has celebrated everywhere.

Now, Bangkok, you're up next, ringing in the new year about 30 minutes from now.

Now, it is midday in New York City, but anticipation is building ahead of tonight's festivities.

And Brianna Keilar is there. She joins us once again from the Marriott Marquis hotel -- Brianna.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Yes, hello from 2024.

As you are beginning a new chapter, we are getting ready to close the book on 2025. And folks are getting ready. They are soon going to begin taking their places here in Times Square. The ball has been checked for the ball drop. There can't be any mishaps, of course. The confetti has been checked. It is going to be dropped by the thousands of pounds, hand-dropped from buildings all over Times Square.

And in that confetti, there are actually going to be little wishes that people have written about what they want, of course, no doubt wishes for health and happiness and love. And that is going to come raining down here at midnight, still many hours away.

I want to go down to Brynn Gingras, who is on the ground, where people will soon begin gathering -- Brynn.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Brianna, I got to say, it's a little bit lonely right now. If we zoom out, I am in the middle of one of those giant pens where an estimated one million people are going to be when this ball drops into 2025, welcoming in the new year. I got to tell you, Brianna, like, usually, there's a ton of people

here, but for security reasons, this year, they are pushing back that time when all of those revelers are going to be allowed to come into Times Square.

So, right now on the ground, this is what we get. We get just open rein of Times Square, which is actually kind of fun. I'm not going to lie to you.

But, yes, we're seeing all the preparations under way for all the productions that are going to be going on all through the evening. And then, hey, Jimmy, look. Oh, we just missed it. There was a giant happy new year behind us because that is the main event right there. That is where that ball drops.

That is what everybody will have their eyes on as we get closer to that midnight clock. Now, listen, right now, we're also seeing a lot of preparations for security reasons, of course. I have already seen some NYPD drones up. We know that there are barricades all around this area extending into avenues to our east and our west to make sure there are no mishaps, nothing goes wrong, so all of these people who come in here tonight can enjoy it, including us, Brianna.

It's going to be quite the celebration.

KEILAR: Yes, soon enough, it will be chockablock there, Brynn, so enjoy it while you can have it there all by your lonesome.

(LAUGHTER)

KEILAR: Brynn Gingras, thank you so much.

And, Kristie, back to you in 2025. How's it going so far?

LU STOUT: It is feeling pretty good. I got some new shades to share, because, again, we're in the future, 2025, feeling good. And I'm sending from the future good wishes to you, to Brynn, to the entire team there.

I love seeing the scenes behind Brynn just now of the completely open city streets there in Times Square, free of pedestrians and cars. And it's going to be, as you said, chockablock, full of revelers in just a few hours from now. Wishing you a very happy new year. We will talk again soon.

Now, meanwhile, New Delhi is soaking up the final hours of 2024. And I want to introduce you to our next guest. She has been on "Late Night." She has been on "The Tonight Show." She's even starred in her own Amazon Prime special.

But Zarna Garg is not your typical comic. She left India as a teenager to avoid an arranged marriage, and she has found immense success in America.

Here's my conversation with Zarna Garg.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ZARNA GARG, COMEDIAN: If my parents were alive today, they would be devastated that they didn't get the doctor, they didn't get the accountant, they didn't get the scientist. They got the comic.

[11:35:04]

(LAUGHTER)

LU STOUT: You studied law. You studied finance in the U.S., and you became a stay-at-home mom for 16 years to three kids. And it was your kids who encouraged you, who wanted you to do stand-up; is that right?

GARG: Mostly, they forced me.

(LAUGHTER)

GARG: So, I am licensed to practice law in New York, but I try to forget it.

At one time, all my clients were in jail, so I knew that that was not going well.

(LAUGHTER)

GARG: Because I made my kids do everything they didn't want to do for all those years, they ganged up on me and they're like, mom, you should try comedy.

But they have the best jokes, and I'm the first one to steal a punchline from one of my kids.

(LAUGHTER)

LU STOUT: There you go. Props to your kids for that.

GARG: Yes.

LU STOUT: Zarna, you have got a comedy coming up. It's called "Zarna."

What is thrilling you the most about your new show?

GARG: The fact that I have a platform to trash my mother-in-law.

(LAUGHTER)

GARG: People want to laugh and I want to trash my mother-in-law.

(LAUGHTER)

GARG: See, already in business. You're laughing.

LU STOUT: Yes, that's right. It just -- it works.

Zarna, what do you love most about being a comic and what's the most challenging part?

GARG: The most challenging part, I would say, is the upside-down day- and-night schedule, because it's a nighttime job. You work a lot at night.

But it is also the best part, because, when my whole family is home, I am not. It's great.

(LAUGHTER)

GARG: My husband for the first time in 25 years has to be the hands- on parent and deal with dinnertime and all of that.

LU STOUT: Thank you for hanging out with us here at CNN.

GARG: Can we just hold on for one minute? Thank you to my mother-in- law.

But my big New Year's resolution is to find a way to put her on the no-fly list.

(LAUGHTER)

GARG: If you're watching, get in touch with my team right now. We will work out a deal. Get her on that list, and I will come and do a show for you. Whatever you want, you get it from me.

(LAUGHTER)

LU STOUT: You heard it here on CNN, Zarna Garg's message to the world.

Zarna, thank you so much. Take care.

GARG: Thank you. Thank you so much. Namaste.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: She had me in stitches, Zarna Garg there. She is such good fun.

Now, Bangkok is less than 30 minutes away from 2025, and we will be following festivities on the ground as it rings in the new year.

Plus, Islamabad prepares to ring in 2025. We will be speaking to Pakistani TV and movie star Usman Mukhtar about his reflections from the past year and what lies ahead next for him.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello. We are Avantgardey. And...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALES: Happy new year!

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:42:08]

LU STOUT: Welcome back.

Now Pakistan is counting down to the start of a new year, and there are just over a couple of hours until festivities begin there.

Our next guest is a man of many talents, a 39-year-old Pakistani actor, Usman Mukhtar. He led the resurgence of fantasy, sci-fi, those genres, in his home country. He is a director, producer, cinematography. He has acted in plays, TV shows and feature films.

And in 2024 he starred in "Umro Ayyar: A New Beginning," a movie that's been billed as Pakistan's first superhero fantasy.

And he joins us now live.

Usman, happy new year and welcome to CNN.

USMAN MUKHTAR, ACTOR: Happy new year, Kristie. How are you doing? Thank you for having me.

LU STOUT: Doing so well, especially we're already 2025 here in Hong Kong. I know it's just hours away for you where you are.

Let's talk about the last year for you, 2024, because it's been a stellar one. You start in "Umro Ayyar: A New Beginning," this modern take...

MUKHTAR: Yes.

LU STOUT: ... of a classical Persian and Urdu folklore hero and story.

How's it been? How's the film been received so far?

MUKHTAR: Well, I mean, it was a very big year for me. I have been a big superhero fan. And kind of -- I mean, getting an opportunity to play Umro Ayyar in a live-action film in Pakistan was a very big honor for me.

And it was a movie that took four years in making. It finally released last year. And we were absolutely blown away by what we saw on big screens, because we hadn't seen the movie prior to the release. All of us actors were in the cinema when we saw the film for the first time. It was amazing. It was an experience like none other.

It was just a great experience that we had. And the kids, especially the young kids who don't have a lot of material to watch coming out of Pakistan, they really enjoyed the film. And we're hoping that we work on more sci-fi, more superhero stuff for the global audience.

LU STOUT: Yes, and that's the question I wanted to ask next. I mean, the movie had such a huge domestic reception. Do you think there's a strong global market for "A New Beginning" and other stories, especially sci-fi, fantasy, based on South Asian culture and folklore?

MUKHTAR: No, absolutely, I think we have a lot of material. We have a lot of literature in Pakistan that we could turn into films and comic books.

And I think the audience really wants to watch something different coming out of Pakistan.

LU STOUT: Yes. Yes.

And, also, it reflects your own interests. Like, I can tell that you're a bit of a fantasy nerd.

[11:45:01]

MUKHTAR: Yes, absolutely.

LU STOUT: And you have set your own path in this industry...

MUKHTAR: Yes.

LU STOUT: ... exploring fantasy, exploring sci-fi, exploring horror.

What is it about these genres that you like so much?

MUKHTAR: See, I grew up reading comic books. I'm a huge D.C. fan. I'm a big-time Superman fan. So I grew up collecting comic books and collecting action figures and film memorabilia.

So I -- it just -- it's something that interests me a lot. And I want to do a lot for the -- my children. I want my children to be watching a lot of stuff that their dad did.

LU STOUT: You grew up reading D.C. comics. You're excited about fantasy, sci-fi, these type of adventure stories in your home country Pakistan. You want to go global.

What next? How do you want to change the game? What's going to come up in 2025 for you?

MUKHTAR: Well, right now, we're working on -- we're working on a web series called "Fatima Jinnah," which is actually based on Fatima Jinnah, who was a Pakistani stateswoman. She was a politician.

She was a philanthropist. She was sister of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Quaid-e-Azam, the founder of Pakistan. And I'm playing the Allama Iqbal, who was the first -- I mean, he was a South Asian Islamic philosopher. And he was a poet. And I'm playing him in a Web series.

So, I mean, I'm hoping that people like it. It will come out in 2025.

LU STOUT: It sounds like a very compelling next role for you.

Usman, thank you so much for joining us. Great hanging out with you, and happy new year.

Usman Mukhtar, joining us live, take care.

Now, it is already 2025 in many parts of the world, including the Philippines. The country is ringing in the first hour of a brand-new year.

And our next guest, he won this historic double gold at the Paris Games for gymnastics, the first for any Filipino athlete.

I recently talked to Carlos Yulo about his remarkable achievement.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CARLOS YULO, OLYMPIC GOLD MEDAL WINNER: It was really surreal. I still couldn't believe I could reach that far. And I'm really grateful for everyone who helped me to get that goal, and, of course, to my Filipino fans. I'm really grateful for their prayers and support for me.

LU STOUT: And how has life changed for you after the Olympics? Do you get recognized when you're out and about?

YULO: Yes, yes, a lot. It's really big right now. And I couldn't even go outside.

(LAUGHTER)

LU STOUT: And, Carlos, you're so gracious, and you make it look so easy, but it has been a difficult journey for you.

Could you tell me about the time when you were young? You moved to Japan at age 16 to train. How tough was it for you to be away from home, to train and to learn a new language?

YULO: So, I went to Japan when I was 16. And it was year 2016.

At first, it was really hard for me. I couldn't even speak English at that time also. And it was really hard to adapt.

LU STOUT: You're focusing on the L.A. Olympics. That's coming up. What's your goal? What do you want to achieve there?

YULO: One of my ultimate goal is to win an individual all-around, if I can, yes. And we will prepare for that one.

LU STOUT: Carlos Yulo, thank you so much for joining us. You're such an inspiration, and we are wishing you the very best in 2025. Happy new year.

YULO: Thank you so much, ma'am. It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you so much, and happy new year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LU STOUT: Carlos Yulo there. I love him. And he called me ma'am too. Love him.

Now, CNN is going to be with you all around the world until the ball drops in New York in the hours ahead. And in just a few minutes, 2025 will arrive in Bangkok, in Jakarta, in Hanoi. And, right now on your screens, you're looking at live pictures from Bangkok, where, in just a few minutes, fireworks will light up the sky.

Will Ripley is there.

Will, I'm hearing -- is that a live rendition of "APT" (ph)? Because I love that song. People must be dancing.

(LAUGHTER)

LU STOUT: Excitement must be building where you are.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: To be honest with you, Kristie, it's so loud here, I have to have my earpiece in both ears, so I have no idea what's happening with the audio.

I just hear kind of like crowd noise, because that's the mood here. It's literally we're packed in here. Maybe -- organizers were saying 70,000 people.

And I will tell you what. I mean, ICONSIAM is a fun place to ring in the new year. I was last year at another fabulous place and we were on the rooftop overlooking the Temple of Dawn about a mile down the Chao Phraya River here.

But when you walk around this mall, it's a shopping mall, but it's much more than that. They have a natural food market where they bring in local vendors from all over Thailand. There's a vendor there, Kristie, that's selling roasted baby crocodile. That apparently is delicious. I haven't tried it yet.

[11:50:10]

If I'm brave enough, I'm going to check that out tomorrow. There's so much food to eat, and I have already had pad thai probably three times. But I need to venture out and try to expand my culinary repertoire, because there's a lot to offer.

LU STOUT: No, you do not need to expand it to baby crocodile.

I mean, that is not just requiring bravery, but it's sadism as well.

(LAUGHTER)

LU STOUT: It's a baby. My gosh. And is it served on a stick, right? I don't want to see that. I don't want to visualize that right now.

RIPLEY: I don't know.

(LAUGHTER)

RIPLEY: You're probably right. You're probably right. LU STOUT: Oh, Will.

RIPLEY: But I'm just -- don't shoot the messenger, Kristie. I was told that this is -- this is one of the most delicious dishes available, but there's plenty of other options as well, surprisingly delicious sushi, yes.

LU STOUT: Oh, absolutely.

(CROSSTALK)

RIPLEY: I mean, not that I want to go on a food tangent here, but I'm getting a little -- I'm getting a little bit hungry.

(LAUGHTER)

LU STOUT: Yes, I should not judge. Thai food in general is fantastic, yes, even baby crocodile. Have an open mind.

RIPLEY: Yes. Yes.

LU STOUT: Will Ripley in Bangkok, thank you so much.

We're going to check in with you very, very soon.

I'm Kristie Lu Stout. You have been watching New Year's Eve live right here on CNN. The global countdown of 2025 continues with Brianna Keilar and me after this short break. Keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[11:56:03]

KEILAR: We are looking at live pictures of Times Square, as New York is putting its party clothes on to welcome the new year.

Our special coverage will continue throughout the day, culminating in the New Year's Eve show with Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen at 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

I'm Brianna Keilar live at the New York Marriott Marquis. Welcome to CNN's New Year's Eve live.

LU STOUT: And I'm Kristie Lu Stout live here in Hong Kong.

We already got our party clothes on. This is where we have already just rung in the new year. And that was the dazzling display here in Hong Kong less than an hour ago and a little bit earlier. OK, Australia, you win. You knocked it out of the park with those famous fireworks launched from the Sydney Harbor Bridge, the Opera House and other landmarks, a real and true stunner.

And, next, we're going to bring you the light show, the pyrotechnics, the party in Bangkok, as CNN takes you around the world celebrating 2025 in style until everyone everywhere rings in a new year.

Now, Bangkok, that is where Will Ripley is standing by. And the excitement is building. We are just three minutes away from midnight.

And, Will, when the clock strikes midnight, what exactly is going to happen? What are you looking out for?

RIPLEY: All right, well, first of all, I'm keeping my eye on the countdown clock, which is behind me. So pardon me if I keep glancing over my shoulder because I want to make sure I don't miss the countdown itself.

It's so loud here, I'm not really sure what's happening around me. This is crazy. There's like tens of thousands of people. We just saw Lisa perform live. And at -- as the clock strikes midnight, we're two minutes and 25 seconds away, we're going to see a spectacular fireworks show, actually, two fireworks shows that are going to be happening.

They have these barges that are aligning the Chao Phraya River for more than a kilometer, like a kilometer-and-a-half. There's going to be six minutes of fireworks here. There's also going to be fireworks in front of the Temple of Dawn, which is where we were live in front of last year.

So we're going to actually kind of do a split screen moment and show you all of the action, both here at ICONSIAM and also at the Temple of Dawn as well. Bangkok just is really an extraordinary place to ring in the new year. I have done it at Times Square in New York. I have done it there in Hong Kong. I rang it in Taipei a few years ago, but I have done it now two years in a row here in Bangkok.

I have been lucky enough, Kristie, with one minute and 38 seconds left until we countdown to 2025. And we're excited. I can feel the energy here. How's it doing there? You guys already had your fireworks in Hong Kong.

LU STOUT: We already had our fireworks here in Hong Kong, so all eyes what's happening in Bangkok. You just mentioned Lisa. You're talking about Lisa from Blackpink, the global pop and K-pop superstar. She's going to be counting down with you, right?

RIPLEY: She is. This is her first ever New Year's Eve countdown where she's been a headliner.

We're just over a minute until the -- midnight. We're at one minute, one minute on the dot as of now. So this is Lisa's first time that she's been headlining a show. I don't know if we were able to show in the split screen. You can see Lisa on stage, if we could take the ICONSIAM feed.

And then we're going to be able to see the fireworks momentarily. She's not performing anymore. So I think by -- licensing allows us to show this.

All right, the countdown is on. So let's just listen in as Bangkok counts down.