Dick Clark Hologram for New year's 2012?

Too Soon for a Dick Clark Hologram?

Dick Clark passed away on April 19, 2012, and America lost its favorite TV host. This isn't a normal week, though, to the extent that any news-cycle week is "normal". This week, we've all been talking about the Tupac hologram at Coachella.

If you found yourself wondering, "What about a Dick Clark hologram for New Year's Rockin' Eve 2012?",  you're not alone. Some are suggesting a Dick Clark hologram in earnest, while some are using the idea as a joke, particularly to make petty, ill-timed jabs at Ryan Seacrest. 

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Dick Clark at the Emmys

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Too Soon for a Dick Clark Hologram

New Year's Eve is in seven months. Really, it's too soon. The Tupac hologram was accepted by fans because there was a demand, partly manufactured, for his presence.

Would a Dick Clark Hologram Work?

Well, do you mean "Is a Dick Clark hologram technically doable", or "Would a Dick Clark hologram serve its intended purpose"?

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Producers of New year's Rockin' Eve could create a Dick Clark hologram effect, but it would only be visible to live audience-members standing directly in front of it. Times Square isn't a festival stage, so this would be problematic. So, technically doable? Not unless the event's presentation is retooled.

The other issue is whether or not audiences in Times Square and at home would reject a phantom Dick Clark. They almost certainly would. The key selling point of a live host is that he or she is... live. Dick Clark's hologram would be pre-created: its every word and move would be coded, and someone at the mixing console would press Play.

So perhaps it's best to abandon the idea of a Dick Clark hologram. Ryan Seacrest, who has been taking a larger and larger co-hosting role in New Year's Rockin' Eve since 2006, will most likely take over primary hosting duties.

However, it wouldn't surprise us to see Tupac's hologram make an appearance at New Year's Eve, in one way or another. We just hope that Tupac is projected by R2D2.