MUSIC SENSATION FERGIE TO HOST AND PERFORM AT THE HOLLYWOOD PARTY SEGMENTS OF "DICK CLARK'S NEW YEAR'S ROCKIN' EVE 2008"

The 36th Annual Broadcast Will Air December 31 on ABC and Will Feature Performances by Akon, Natasha Bedingfield, Sean Kingston, OneRepublic, Plain White T's, Taylor Swift and will.i.am

Dick Clark Productions, Inc., producer of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2008," today announced that multi-platinum three-time Grammy Award-winning artist Fergie will return to host and perform during the New Year's party celebration in Hollywood. The Hollywood party will also feature performances by Akon, Natasha Bedingfield, Sean Kingston, OneRepublic, Plain White T's, Taylor Swift and will.i. am. In addition, "Dancing with the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba, whose new ABC show, "Dance War: Bruno vs. Carrie Ann," debuts in January, will make an appearance in the first hour.

The 36th Annual Edition of "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" will be broadcast on December 31 on ABC. The special event will be hosted in New York by Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest starting at 10:00 p.m. (ET & PT) and will include three and a half hours of special performances and reports on New Year's celebrations from around the globe.

Fergie, who joined The Black Eyed Peas in 2002, released her solo debut, "The Dutchess," last year. The album has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and achieved double-platinum status in the United States. The success of "The Dutchess" was propelled by the hit singles "London Bridge," "Fergalicious" (#1), "Glamorous" (#1), "Big Girls Don't Cry" (#1) and "Clumsy." Fergie is the first artist since Christina Aguilera (in 2000) to score three #1s from one album. She also recently won her first-ever American Music Award.

Since his debut in 2004, Akon has sold over 10 million records worldwide. His growing list of accolades includes winning World Music and American Music Awards, and achieving a Grammy nomination. The Senegalese talent's sophomore album, "Konvicted," continues to set records � currently Akon is the only artist to have three tracks from the same album to hit double-platinum in mastertones.

With over six million units sold worldwide and a No. 1 single in America -- "Unwritten" -- Natasha Bedingfield has become the hottest British female pop music star bar none. She took the U.S. by storm last year with the release of "Unwritten," which marked the first time a British female topped the American charts in almost twenty years. The first single from her new album, "Pocketful of Sunshine," a playful hit entitled "Love Like This" and featuring Sean Kingston, is bulleting up the U.S. charts and has already reached Top 25 status.

At just 17 years of age, Sean Kingston has accomplished the rare task of creating a new musical genre where pop, reggae, hip-hop, doo-wop and remarkable songwriting all combine into a refreshing and versatile new sound. He's had an amazing year with his ubiquitous #1 hit, "Beautiful Girls," which topped the charts in the United States and throughout Europe and Asia. His album, which also features his follow-up singles "Take You There" and "Me Love," has been one of the most exciting debuts this year.

OneRepublic is an LA-based band whose debut breakout #1 single, "Apologize," has set a record for Top 40 airplay with over 10,200 spins in just one week. Their MySpace page received over 11 million hits and has captured the public and industry's attention. The second single from the debut CD "Dreaming Out Loud," "Stop and Stare," is a fusion of anthemic guitars and insistent vocals.

The Plain White T's are enjoying a string of successes with the release of their third album and major label debut, "Every Second Counts." Their smash hit single, "Hey There Delilah," rocketed to the #1 spot on Billboard's Hot 100 chart and propelled the album to gold-selling status.

Just shy of 18 years old, Taylor Swift is already a Platinum plus-selling country artist whose debut CD consistently ranks in the Top 10 on both the Country and Pop album charts. Dubbed "Country's Teen Queen" by People magazine, she is the reigning CMA Horizon Award winner, and also won the 2007 CMT Music Award for Breakthrough Video. Taylor is the #1 Country artist on MySpace, with over 30 million song streams, and was named Country's Hottest Female Artist of 2007 by AOL Music. w

ill.i.am, the front man and producer behind the multi-platinum, three-time Grammy Award-winning group The Black Eyed Peas, has just released his solo CD, "Songs About Girls." On his own, will.i.am has established himself as one of music's top producers. He has collaborated on tracks with Justin Timberlake, John Legend, Kelis, Nas, The Game, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, Sergio Mendes, Carlos Santana, The Pussycat Dolls, Busta Rhymes and fellow Black Eyed Pea Fergie. He has developed into a highly revered, sought-after musician, songwriter and producer.

The specials are presentations of dick clark productions, Inc. Executive producers are Dick Clark, Ryan Seacrest and Terry Bateman. Larry Klein produces. Barry Glazer and Bruce Gowers direct. Production designer is Bruce Ryan. Talent producer is Melissa Trueblood.

A TV parental guideline will be posted closer to airdate.