Today's Entertainment

December 28, 2015 - January 3, 2016 Page 3 ACROSS 1. 2015 sci-fi series 4. Bridges of "Diff'rent Strokes" 8. Actor Hunter 11. Saturn model of the past 12. Blue Bonnet, for one 13. Suffix for percent or text 14. Matthew Perry sitcom (3) 17. Sean Taro __ Lennon 18. Monogram for the author of "Kidnapped" 19. Seymour, for one 21. Ms. Redgrave 24. Initials for actor Bean 25. Ending for train or absent 26. 90 degrees from NE 27. "Deal __ No Deal" 28. __ May; role for Donna Douglas 30. Advice to Nanette (2) 32. "__ Pray Love"; 2010 Julia Roberts movie 34. Hospital floor supervisors, often 35. Role on "The Astronaut Wives Club" (2) 41. Prefix for cycle or form 42. __ Diamond 43. "What'll __ __"; Irving Berlin song 44. Title for some police officers: abbr. 45. Actress Kathryn 46. Santa's shoe, perhaps DOWN 1. Undesirable spot 2. __ and aah; express delight 3. "__ __ One" (2001-06) 4. "What's Love Got __ __ with It"; film about Tina Turner 5. "Ask This __ House" 6. What we're almost at the end of: abbr. 7. "Let's Make a Deal" contestant's choice 8. Inebriated 9. "__ My Children" 10. Mayberry resident 15. "__ __ __ a Time" 16. Liv's relatives 19. Actor Ferrer 20. Man killed by his brother 22. Marquee light gas 23. "__ Wolfe"; 1981 William Conrad series 29. "__ __ Be"; hit for the Beatles 31. Mr. Davis 33. Tim's sister 34. Irritate 35. Son on "Father Knows Best" 36. 90 degrees from NNW 37. Setting for "Hogan's Heroes": abbr. 38. Tease 39. Elegant poem 40. Stooge's name Solution on page 2. By Jay Bobbin © Zap2it It's fitting for Carrie Un- derwood to end an event- ful 2015 with someone who helped put her on the road to superstardom. The much-awarded singer reunites with the host of "American Idol," of which she was the Season 4 winner, as the headlining performer on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2016 With Ryan Seacrest" Thursday, Dec. 31. Luke Bryan, Demi Lovato and Wiz Khalifa (featuring Charlie Puth) also are slated to appear in New York — with others in- cluding One Direction, 5 Seconds of Summer, Fall Out Boy, Andy Grammer, Ellie Goulding and Rachel Platten in the Hollywood segments guided by Fer- gie — but Underwood will have a major showcase with Seacrest and reporter Jenny McCarthy in Times Square throughout the night, both before and after the ball drops at mid- night. "I've been lucky enough to be a part of it be- fore," Underwood says, "and just being in Times Square on New Year's Eve, there's so many people and such a great energy. To be in the midst of the craziness, it's really cool." Still, she hopes it isn't too cool outdoor-tem- perature-wise: "That is a big deal, in terms of what I wear and how many lay- ers I put on. And do I go for the long underwear?" Underwood always appreciates getting back together with Seacrest, since she notes, "I've known him since Day One of all of this." Starting Fox's final "American Idol" season Jan. 6, Seacrest deems Underwood "so special. She's just so endearing, and you know how talented she is. It's seamless for her, and to see the rise she's had and her ability, it's unlike most people in our business, let alone coming from the se- ries. I think it adds to the narrative of the night, on New Year's Eve, for both of us." Taking the "New Year's Rockin' Eve" stage on the added strength of her latest release "Storyteller," Underwood reasons that in having such new hits as "Smoke Break" and "Heartbeat" to sing, "I'm lucky enough to have a lot of songs that I love to per- form, and it doesn't feel like I've performed them as much as I probably have ... but it's always fun to have new stuff that you haven't done, and that people haven't heard, a million times." After many other recent TV appearances that also have encompassed ABC's CMA Awards (as co-host again) and American Mu- sic Awards, CBS' "Sinatra 100" concert special and Fox's "American Coun- try Countdown's Top 10 Stories of 2015," Under- wood — a seven-time Grammy winner now nominated for another, for her single "Little Toy Guns" — is revving up for a several-month concert tour she'll launch Jan. 30 in Jacksonville, Fla. It'll be her first since she and NHL-player spouse Mike Fisher became the par- ents of 10-month-old son Isaiah, and she admits she's still working on the balancing act between motherhood and career. Mentioning she and Fisher had their first date on New Year's Eve, she says she's pondering how that night is "gonna work" where the baby is concerned. "Who's going to watch him? Where's he going to be? Can I even stay up that late? There's a lot more to think about, es- pecially since my husband is as busy as I am. It's very different, but it's good. (Isaiah is) the bright spot of every day, such a sweet little guy. We're just making up the rules as we go." Carrie Underwood performs on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest" Thursday on ABC. CoverStory Carrie Underwood rejoins Ryan Seacrest to rock the new year in DON'T STAY DON'T STAY … IN THE DARK. CALL 574-533-2151 OR 800-487-2151 ext. 393 TODAY ! Start your newspaper subscription today and see the light. Stay up to date on all the latest business, entertainment, sports, local news and more! EVERY SATURDAY Keep that coupon clipper in your family busy … Nobody Covers Your Hometown Better!

• Cover