Rodney Carrington to Host Fox's AMERICAN COUNTRY NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE, 12/31

Multi-talented comedian and actor Rodney Carrington will stay up late to host the biggest celebration of the year and ring in 2012 on AMERICAN COUNTRY NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE airing Saturday, Dec. 31 (11:00 PM-12:30 AM ET live; CT/MT/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. Carrington, and co-hosts Rick Harrison and Austin "Chumlee" Russell of "Pawn Stars," will help count down to 2012 during the ultimate year-end party featuring some of country's biggest and brightest musical stars.

Grammy-nominated country star Joe Nichols will join previously announced AMERICAN COUNTRY NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE performers Lauren Alaina and Rodney Atkins to rock the Vegas strip. The year-end festivities also will feature performances by Eli Young Band and Toby Keith. Howie Mandel will make a special appearance to share his New Year's resolution and offer a sneak peak of his upcoming MOBBED series of specials, airing Wednesdays, Jan. 4, Jan. 11, Feb. 1 and Feb. 8 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

Rodney Carrington is a comedian, actor, singer and writer who has recorded eight comedy albums that have sold more than three million copies. His album "Morning Wood" has been certified gold and his "Greatest Hits" recently was certified platinum. Carrington starred for two seasons on his own TV sitcom "Rodney," and co-wrote and co-starred with Toby Keith in the feature film "Beer for My Horses." According to Pollstar, Carrington was one of the Top Five highest-grossing touring comedians in the past five years, and he consistently has been in the Top 10 over the past 10 years. He regularly performs to sold-out crowds across the U.S. and Canada.

Rick Harrison, who is currently starring on "Pawn Stars," is the owner-operator of Las Vegas' World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a family business. Trained in the pawn business from the age of 13, Harrison was born a hustler. He dropped out of high school and later, with enough money to partner with his father, he opened the Gold & Silver, where his son also works. Harrison is the author of "License to Pawn: Deals, Steals, and My Life at the Gold & Silver."

Austin "Chumlee" Russell stars on "Pawn Stars," working at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop for the Harrison family. Having been around the shop since he was a kid, Chumlee's heart of gold makes him a pro at customer service, and he always wants to give his patrons the best deal.

Grammy-nominated country star Joe Nichols has received many accolades and accomplishments throughout his career, including four No. 1 and eight Top 10 singles. Legends like George Jones and Merle Haggard have given Nichols their public seal of approval, adding luster to accomplishments that reflect the respect he has earned across the board, including new artist awards from the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music; four Grammy nominations; a CMA Album of the Year nomination; and multiple RIAA platinum and gold albums and singles. His stream of hits include chart-toppers like "Brokenheartsville," "Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off" and "Gimmie That Girl," and Top 10 smashes like "The Impossible," "If Nobody Believed In You," "What's A Guy Gotta Do," "Size Matters" and "I'll Wait For You." His sixth, and most recent album is "It's All Good."

Howie Mandel has remained a constant force in show business for over 30 years. As host and executive producer of the FOX series MOBBED, Mandel has put a hidden-camera spin on the "flash mob" concept by helping a special guest plan an extraordinary surprise for a friend, family member, loved one or co-worker. Mandel recently received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality/Competition Host for "Deal or No Deal" and a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Game Show Host for the syndicated version of the show. Mandel has done countless comedy specials both on cable and network television; has hosted his own syndicated talk show, "The Howie Mandel Show"; and continues to be a mainstay on the talk-show circuit. He frequently appears on "The Tonight Show" to perform his signature hidden-camera bits, and he was always one of the first people Regis Philbin called to fill in for him on "Live with Regis and Kelly." He also continues to perform as many as 200 concerts a year throughout the U.S. and Canada.

AMERICAN COUNTRY NEW YEAR'S EVE LIVE is executive-produced by Bob Bain, produced by Paul Flattery and directed by Michael Dempsey.

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