FERGIE RETURNS AS HOST OF LOS ANGELES PARTY SEGMENTS DURING "DICK CLARK'S NEW YEAR'S ROCKIN' EVE WITH RYAN SEACREST 2011"

Natastha Bedingfield, Jason Derulo, Drake, Far East Movement, Jennifer Hudson, La Roux, Avril Lavigne, Mike Posner, Ne-Yo, Willow Smith and Train Confirmed to Perform During the 39th Annual Broadcast on December 31

For the 39th consecutive year, "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011" will lead America into the New Year. Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest will host the special with recently announced Times Square Correspondent Jenny McCarthy. The show will begin at 10:00 p.m., ET on Friday, December 31 on the ABC Television Network. Singer/songwriter Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas returns to host the Los Angeles-based party portions of the specials. The Los Angeles lineup includes performances by Jennifer Hudson, Willow Smith, Ne-Yo, Avril Lavigne, Drake, Jason Derulo, La Roux, Mike Posner, Natasha Bedingfield, Far East Movement and Train.

The bi-coastal celebration will include three and one-half hours of special performances and reports on New Year's celebrations from around the globe, as well as the American tradition of Dick Clark counting down to midnight from Times Square in New York City.

The festivities will kick off with "Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011" from 10:00-11:00 p.m., ET, featuring the only live performances from New York's Times Square, as well as multiple performances from the Los Angeles celebration.

During "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011, Part 1" (11:30 p.m. - 1:08 a.m., ET), in addition to reporting on the final minutes of 2010 and the traditional Times Square countdown to midnight, the show will feature music performances from both Los Angeles and Times Square in New York.

Wrapping the night's activities will be "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2011, Part 2" (1:08-2:11 a.m., ET), when musical acts will continue the party into the early hours of the New Year with additional performances from Los Angeles.

The specials are presentations of dick clark productions, inc., with Dick Clark, Ryan Seacrest and Orly Adelson serving as executive producers. Larry Klein produces. Klein stated, "Fergie is back to host a terrific lineup of performances in Los Angeles that celebrate the most outstanding songs of the year." Adelson added, "Fergie returns for her fifth year as the host of the west coast party. She has truly become a part of the New Year's tradition."

ABOUT FERGIE

Six-time Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum superstar Fergie, who joined The Black Eyed Peas in 2002, released her solo debut, The Dutchess, in 2006. She began her career at an early age, first as the voice for the cartoon series "Charlie Brown" as both Sally and Lucy, later as a cast member of "Kids Incorporated" during her teen years, followed by singing in the all-female pop trio Wild Orchid. Fergie also had a starring role in the 2009 feature film, "NINE," and featured roles in "Madagascar 2," "Poseidon" and "Grind House." She is a global ambassador for the Avon Foundation for Women. The Black Eyes Peas, who will perform during "The Bridgestone Super Bowl XLV Halftime Show," recently released their sixth album, entitled The Beginning, the follow-up to the group's blockbuster CD The E.N.D. Released in June 2009, The E.N.D. has sold more than 11 million copies worldwide, while spending 52 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 chart. It is also the first album in two decades by a duo or group to yield five Top 10 songs on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, including the No. 1 hits "Boom Boom Pow," "I Gotta Feeling" (which is the best-selling digital song in SoundScan history) and "Imma Be," as well as the Top 10's "Meet Me Halfway" and "Rock That Body." Fergie's solo debut, The Dutchess, which spent an astounding 94 weeks on the Billboard 200 albums chart, sold over 6 million copies worldwide and achieved triple-platinum status in the United States.

ABOUT NATASHA BEDINGFIELD

Natasha Bedingfield's first album, 2004's Unwritten, debuted at No. 1 on the UK album chart and sold over two million copies worldwide. The album's title track became the most played track at U.S. pop radio in 2006, and recently received a BMI Award for 3 million plays. It was also the first No. 1 pop single by a British female solo artist in the U.S. in almost 20 years and garnered Bedingfield her first Grammy nomination for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance." On her latest album, Strip Me, Bedingfield hopes to take things to the next level. Strip Me is the follow-up to 2008's Pocketful of Sunshine, a megahit in the U.S. selling over three million singles of the title track and featuring four No. 1 dance singles.

ABOUT JASON DERULO

Derulo has been going full steam since the beginning of 2010. In late January, he wrapped up a six-week stint on the road with Lady Gaga on her red-hot, sold-out Monster Ball tour of North America, which included four shows at New York City's famed Radio City Music Hall. In February he made his feature film debut in MTV Films' "Turn the Beat Around." On March 2 he released Jason Derulo, which debuted at No. 4 on the Digital Albums chart and No. 11 on the Billboard Top 200 Album chart. Since then, he has performed on "American Idol," "The View," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "Lopez Tonight" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." Collectively, his videos have racked up more than 175 million views on YouTube, making Derulo the channel's 20th most viewed musician of all time. In June he was nominated for three 2010 Teen Choice Awards in the music category, including the highly coveted "Choice Music: Breakout Artist � Male." "In My Head" has been nominated for "Choice Music: R&B Track," while the album has been nominated for "Choice Music: Album � R&B."

ABOUT DRAKE

Already a two-time Grammy nominee, Drake's debut album, Thank Me Later, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, with a powerful opening sales week of 446,680. With guest appearances from Alicia Keys, Jay-Z, Young Jeezy and mentor Lil Wayne, among others, Thank Me Later was the most anticipated and buzzed about debut release this year. It marks one of the top five biggest sales weeks of the year, coming in third behind country act Lady Antebellum's Need You Now, with 481,000 copies and Sade's Soldier of Love, with 502,000 copies.

ABOUT FAR EAST MOVEMENT

Far East Movement (also known as FM) has bridged the gap between underground party records and mainstream hip-hop and pop. They blend elements of hip-hop, electro and dance to create an original sound and lifestyle they dub �Free Wired.' Kev Nish, Prohgress, J-Splif and DJ Virman have taken the current Los Angeles club scene global, having to their credit numerous world tours, multiple song placements on television and film, plus a No. 1 hit on Los Angeles radio before they dropped their debut album, Free Wired, October 12th on Cherrytree/Interscope Records. The album's first single, "Like A G6," is a platinum-plus selling single that exploded on radio and sales charts, hitting No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 and Digital Song charts, as well as multiple appearances at the No. 1 spot on iTunes top songs.

ABOUT JENNIFER HUDSON

An Academy Award-winning actress and a Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Jennifer Hudson is an extraordinary talent. In 2007 she won an Academy Award for her role as "Effie" in the smash hit "Dreamgirls," an adaptation of the Broadway musical. Hudson is making the same kind of impact in the world of music that she has made in film with the successful release of her Arista Records debut album in 2008. The self-titled album won a Grammy Award for "Best R & B Album," which was presented by one of Hudson's idols, Whitney Houston. She also received three additional nominations, including "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance," "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" and "Best R&B Song." The album also won three awards at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards, including "Best Album." The RIAA Gold Certified album entered Billboard's Top 200 at No. 2 and marked the biggest first week sales for an R&B female entry since 2004. In early 2009, Hudson performed the national anthem to spectacular response at the Super Bowl. She began her debut national tour in March 2009 to sell-out crowds in every city.

ABOUT LA ROUX

Synth-pop sensation La Roux have made an incredible stir stateside with their glittering self titled debut. Twenty-two-year-old Elly Jackson and co-producer, co-songwriter and cohort Ben Langmaid -- who are La Roux -- have made an extraordinary impact on the music scene since joining forces two years ago. What began in London's burgeoning underground warehouse scene has since landed the pair nominations for the highly coveted Mercury Prize, an MTV Europe Award, an MTVu Woodie and numerous Dance Music Awards. La Roux has caught the attention of all the right ears with recent appearances on "Ellen," "Good Morning America" and "The View." Sizzling first single "Bulletproof" became an instant summer hit, climbing the Top 40 charts and making itself at home in the Top 10. Second single "In for the Kill" will head to radio in the coming weeks and features a remix with Kanye West.

ABOUT AVRIL LAVIGNE

Avril Lavigne will be debuting her first single, "What the Hell," from her forthcoming fourth studio album in 2011 during the special. Lavigne has made an indelible mark on the music community, selling more than 30 million albums worldwide, earning 8 Grammy nominations and as the winner of 7 Canadian Juno Awards. She burst onto the music scene in 2002 with the critically acclaimed Let Go and featured smash singles "Sk8r Boi" and "Complicated." Her 2004 release, Under My Skin, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, as did her third album, The Best Damn Thing, which produced the irrepressible No. 1 single, "Girlfriend," and logged more than 130 million views on YouTube! Lavigne also wrote the song "Alice" for Tim Burton's critically acclaimed Disney Film "Alice in Wonderland." Outside the recording studio, she is continuously adding pieces to her lifestyle apparel brand, Abbey Dawn, has released two fragrances, Forbidden Rose and Black Star, and recently launched The Avril Lavigne Foundation to raise awareness and support children and youth who are seriously ill or have a disability.

ABOUT NE-YO

Ne-Yo is a Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, composer and producer who is one of music's most talented and prolific artists. He has released three No. 1 albums, sold more than 10 million copies worldwide and collaborated with everyone from Michael Jackson to Tim McGraw. Ne-Yo's latest critically-acclaimed CD, Libra Scale (Def Jam Recordings), just debuted in the Top 10 and features hit singles "Beautiful Monster," "Champagne Life" and "One in a Million."

ABOUT MIKE POSNER

In mid-May the Los Angeles Times declared, "Mike Posner is on a quest to be pop's next best thing." Posner's explosive first single, "Cooler Than Me," from his debut album 31 Minutes to Takeoff, reached the No. 3 position on the Top 40 Chart and has sold 2 million downloads, securing its position as one of the summer's biggest hits. His second single, "Please Don't Go," is currently Top 10 at Top 40 radio and zooming up the charts. He recently wrapped his first headlining club tour, The Up In the Air Tour, and was nominated for the T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist Awards at the American Music Awards.

ABOUT WILLOW SMITH

Before she was a pre-teen, Willow Smith had been seen on both the small and big screen opposite some of today's most successful actors and actresses. Already a trendsetter with her unique and distinct fashion sense, she has been seen sitting front row at some of the most exclusive fashion shows. Now she is pursuing a new dream and showcasing her talent in music. Signed to JAY-Z's Roc Nation, Willow recently released her debut hit single, "Whip My Hair," garnering acclaim from critics and fans and millions of views for her energetic video. The chart topping song is just the beginning and only a taste of what's to come from Willow's 2011 album. While pursuing her creative outlets, Willow remains an active philanthropist, joining her brother Jaden for the "Keep a Child Alive" Buy Life campaign benefiting families affected by HIV/AIDS in Africa and India.

ABOUT TRAIN

Over the course of 15 years, Train has made its mark on music history with their Grammy Award-winning song "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" and chart-topping singles "Meet Virginia" and "Calling All Angels." Since forming in San Francisco in 1994, the multi-platinum selling band has traveled a long, successful and sometimes arduous journey. Following their 2006 release, For Me, It's You, the band took a three-year hiatus, and in that time Train has experienced an epiphany as a whole. Now, with their fifth album, Save Me San Francisco, they have channeled their early days, revisiting the roots rock sound that has made the band such a tour de force � and, in turn, the band is united stronger than ever.