check check >> hello, welcome to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz in new york on this new year's eve. we are an hour away from the new year, looking live over times square as huge crowds get ready to wring in 2014. >> deep freeze - the new year begins with record-low temperatures, and the biggest low of the season. >> it's the law - a surprising look at what will become legal at the stroke of midnight over america. >> say, "cheese", the word of 2013. some of the most talked about selfies over the past 12 months.

[ ♪ music ] >> happy new year, we begin not with an image of times square, but one from way above. this picture was taken and tweeted out from the international space station. the crew has a birds-eye view of the celebration shown in bright white in the center. this is what it looks like from earth. hundreds of thousands braving the cold. somewhere in the crowd is a family face, our own john terrett. >> there it is, that's what this evening is about. we are in the center of times square, and i'm following lincoln, the cameraman. let's talk to the people here. hello, how are you? >> good, how are you >> happy new year.

what brought you to times square. >> the party. we have seen it on television. >> you lifted your jacket to reveal something to me. where are you from, sir? >> california. >> are you happy to be here, because you look a bit frozen stiff. >> yes, i'm very happy to be here. this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. >> is this your family and friends? >> yes, there is my sister's friend julia, olga and sister megan. happy new year to all of you. welcome to new york. happy new year: back to you in the studio >> looks like a lot of fun. we'll check in with john terrett in times square throughout the hour. it is very cold. kevin corriveau is here because cold on this new year's eve, but at least it's not stormy. >> no, it's not. it's 28 degrees out there now.

it's not the coldest new year's. in 1917 there was one degree with a windchill of minus 17. since they have done new year's in times square, they have seen snow 7 times. it's a rare event. chicago is at 11. minnesota is minus 8. i'll take you there. that is where we are concerned about the temperatures. fargo is at minus 17. this is colder than it was last night. by how much - you can see the temperature change over 24 hours. minnesota, it's 9 degrees colder. fargo is three degrees colder and bismark 9 degrees colder. when you factor in the wind chill, it is cold. we'll see records broken up near the canadian border. big problem there. the other big problem that we'll watch is what will start tomorrow night, a significant weather event, winter storm that

will make its way - actually, two things are happening, one part of the storm is coming up the eastern sea board. another to the midwest, merging together, forming energy, c combining energy. there'll be a lot of snow in new york, massachusetts. we'll see 6-8 inches. it could be up to 20. >> thank you. one big reason for celebration in this country - in 2013 the stock market bounced back in a big way. the dow rose more than 26% over the year. it started low, but began to rise when the federal reserve promised to keep interest rates low. investors could borrow money at low rates to invest in the economy and the stock market. consumer confidence is up. jumping higher than expectative. higher than economic growth in 2014. consumer lending growth is

almost back to what it was in october before the shutdown. >> i spoke to financial it writer and equity strategists jarrod leafy. saying that ek equities may be the best bet. >> just about everything was moving higher. the key is when you look at it indexed like the russell 2,000, which is smaller companies, that was the best purchaser. from a professional stand point investors were willing to take bigger risks. they had confidence, carry said through. the reality was there wasn't any place else to put the rubbish. equities were the best bet and will continue to be so going in at 2014. >> what did it mean for the smaller investors. >> nor the smaller investors, the danger, the problem is when you have a year like that, you have great performance, there's an air of confidence.

you could have thrown an arrow at "the wall street journal" and probably made good ony. you have to be careful going in. it was a dry, straight road in 2013. 2014 may be a little curved. you might start to see weather, therefore any old car or driver will not do. you'll have to use your wit and take precaution in the new year. >> stocks did well. when you look at the unemployment numbers, other indicators, it's the life of the average north american improving - is it improving? >> it's hard to tell. statistics, and what is happening in the real world are two different things. we all know that. from my perspective, and what i like to do is look at local papers and publications and talk to friends and family. the average american is doing better than three or four years ago. it's a safe bet. if you look over the past 20 years, i don't know that the

consumer is doing well, relatively speaking. it's good enough. confidence is good enough to sort of carry stocks higher and again i think that will continue for the next couple of months. >> you mentioned the consumer confidence index also up. how important is that? >> again you take it with a grain of salt. it's been declining. that was due to, you know, the debacles with obamacare and other factors. if you look at it - if you step back for a second, consumers are doing well in terms of confident, relatively speaking for the past four or five years. broad spectrum, there's a lot to do. housing market, yes, it's performing. rentals are high. consumers are finding themselves in a conundrum. if the housing market doesn't continue to improve, and rates low, there could be a twist.

if people lose, sell the equity in their home, it could be a problem. >> the average rent in the united states is $1120. the observing home price is $207,000. if you did a 30 year loan, it comes out to be almost exactly what the current average rent rate is. believe it or not rent was a big motivational factor in the housing market recovery. i'm scared when i say 13.5% rises in home rates. if rejects are stable like i said earlier, and if people flock to housing and they do continue to buy, by i think they will. we'll be okay. i don't see a major sort of risk in the housing market. at least in the next 6 months or so. >> bottom line - good year or bad year for the economy? >> good year, the fed will begin

the withdrawal. in the latter part of the year the worry is where will mortgage rates go, and how will be continue on the trajectory. first year good. second maybe not so. >> thank you for your time. >> the supreme court is pouting a hold on a controversial part of the affordable care act that was set to go into effect in the new year. court suspended a birth control mandate for religious organizations. other key provisions will roll out. we have more on that. >> today americans who have been forced to go without insurance can now visit healthcare.gov and enrol in affordable plans offering quality coverage. that starts today. >> that was barack obama. on october 1st when the nation's insurance exchanges went live. what's now? for individuals the next big milestone is new year's day, when the bulk of the reforms take effect, and when

coverage kicks in if you purchased insurance on the markets. >> the uninsured has three months to get covered. there are some major provisions of the new health law that roll out on new year's day. the term pre-existing condition becomes a thing of the past. insurers cannot deny coverage if you are sick or raise the price if you are a woman. if you suffer from an illness, like cancer and want to take part in a clinical trial, your insurer cannot drop or reduce your coverage as a result of that decision. >> medicade will be available for millions and lower end people. a family of four erning up to $32,000 will be eligible for free coverage. looking further ahead, there are new dates to watch out for. under pressure after insurers drop the plans of millions of

americans, president obama offers states and insurance the opportunity to offer old policies, if they don't meet the new requirements. starting in october, insurers may no longer be able to renew the plans. >> what if you are an employer, there are changes coming for you too. after a series of delays, the online marketplace for small businesses is opening in november, when the open enrolment begins. it is available to employers with 50 or fewer employees, and owners with less than 55 workers could be eligible for tax credits. if you run a bigger country, you have another year before you are required to cover all your full-time workers or pay a fine. >> starting 1 january 2018, the law imposes a 40% tax on employer plans that cost more than $10,200, and $27,500 for

families. the idea is to reduce costs, by making employers more discerning in plans they offer their workers. but for now, as america's health reforms roll out, all eyes are focused on how many people buy coverage on the new exchanges. >> former first lady barbara bush has been hospitalized. she has been receiving treatment for early signs of pneumonia. the 88-year-old is said to be in a stable condition. the bush family released a statement saying: >> now to an update on the train derailment and explosion in north dakota. we showed you images last night of a fireball after one train slammed into another carrying crude oil.

residents in a nearby town were urged to evac ument. now they can return home. no one was hurt, officials are investigating the cause. >> utah's state's attorney filed an appeal asking the justices to block same-sex marriages. it was legalized earlier this month when a judge overturned a ban. we look at the lives of gay couples in utah. >> salt lake city is not san francisco, and not new york. but it's a great place for candice and colleen. they are same-sex parents of twins. >> this is lidia marie, and this is scarlett an. >> not far away in another salt lake neighbourhood rachel and claudia are serving breakfast to their 8-month-old daughter. they are among the 800 gay couples that rushed to get a marriage licence after the ban on same-sex marriage was

overturned. >> to be able to get married in utah, it's unbelievable. sometimes i pinch myself. it actually happened. >> the ruling surprised everyone. in utah, and beyond. but quietly, out of the spotlight. salt lake's gay community has been raising families here for years. >> because there is an emphasis on families and children, it just makes it easier to be a parent period, because everybody else has children. >> that emphasis on family comes in pardon the strong influence from the church of jesus christ latter day saint. we talk to a prover at the university of utah. >> utah is a family state. >> salt lake has the highest rate of gay parents as any large people. 26% of same-sex couples here are raising families, beyond san

francisco's 13% and new york's 17%. >> i think one of the key things to remember is that when we say 26% of same-sex couples are raising children together in salt lake city, that's in spite of serious obstacles. >> among them, homophobia and hostility. and another - abduction. >> under utah law, if you are allowed to marry, you are entitled to adopt. >> it's been a worry for us that the babies were not legally protected in utah or federally without the adoption. so it's going make the process easier for us. >> married with children, it's a utah tradition. now that same-sex marriage is legal. these parents believe they'll put out the welcome mat for many more same-sex families. >> all-night long we have watched celebrations around the world as the clock struck

midnight from london to australia. now, in 45 minutes, it's times square's turn to ring in the new year. >> let's go to john terrett in the thick of sings all -- thick of things all night long. how is it? >> it's very cold. there's no snow, but it's cold. i was trying to estimate the size of the crowd. they reckon a million come here. what the crowd has is long blue things that they wave and batter in the air. people have been giving out goodies to them like handwarm s handwarmers. they are prepared for the midnight hour. something that i noticed about being here in times square as late as i am now, is the amount of kissing that goes on. i haven't been kissed myself, but i live in hope of that, maybe after midnight, if i'm

lucky. they were organising competition on the stage for people to kiss prior to midnight to get practice in. it's important. you only get one chance. we stumbled across a couple that have been doing practicing as well. >> happy new year. >> ain't that the cute. that's all i have to say about that. >> sonya is the supreme court justice who was born in the bronx and, of course, grew up there with a single mum, she had a hard upbringing - lots of love in the family, but not much money. she became a star at yale and princeton and now is a supreme court justice. i think she's about the third woman to hold that position. she's potentially more powerful than the president. because she gets the job for

life. she'll be around for more years. she's the person who will trigger the ball. there's no mayors here. michael bloomberg is at home watching and so too the new mayor of new york, bill de blasio, after the ball drops, and there's a ceremony for him presided over by former president bill clinton. no mayor, but sonya will trigger the ball drop. >> that's an interesting choice, a supreme court justice. i feel for you with the weather. we saw kevin talk about the temperatures. is the crowd excited? >> yes. >> or are they trying to stay warm? >> are you kidding? the crowd is excited. most of the people in the crowd are pleased to be here, for a lot of them i think this is the fulfilment of a dream, something they wanted to do for a long time. we wondered who excited the crowd the most. they have seen spider-man, he's

good, but doesn't talk. they like blondie, from new year's eve in 1979. my favourite, miley cyrus was terrific, exciting the crowd, with the exception of me when i put these on - maybe i answered my own question. >> i have my own in the studio too. we are celebrating 2014. >> happy new year to all of you. >> all righty. thanks so much. we'll check in with you a little later. happy new year. still ahead - no place to call home as new york celebrates the new year, homelessness is rising. >> we'll look at some medical breakthroughs in 2013. stay with us.

>> welcome back and hae -- happy

new year, we are looking at a live shot from times square. many are crowded in the street to watch the ball drop. stay here, leading to the big drop, you'll see it live at midnight. >> on a might when new yorkers are celebrating, others are in the cold. the number of homeless people did not drop, unlike across the rest of the country. the outgoing mayor michael bloomberg has explained. >> raising small children will be tough for any single mun. daniel is doing it without a home. >> when you are home it makes it 20 times pressured. i want the best for my kids. this is not the best. >> this is where they stay for a year and a half, along with 90 other families - at a city-funded shelter in the bronx. >> infested with mice. it's not well kept. >> since 2012, the number of homeless people in new york city

rose 13%. families make up the largest and fastest growing homeless population. advocates blame the recession. outgoing mayor michael bloomberg as well. >> for the first time in three decades there's literally no permanent howing assistance to help homeless families move from shelters into their own homes. >> critics say he abandoned funding for the homeless, opting to expand shelters. the mayor's office said expanding shelters keeps the homeless off the sheets. at the same time rents are rising to an average of $3,000 a month. most homeless people can't afford to rent a place. subsidised housing doesn't have enough openings. >> the soup kitchen at the holly apostles church served hundreds

a day. >> some college students that come out. they can't find a job. a lot of people who are underemployed. people in between jobs, people struggling. many of them are homeless or on the verge of buying home, like sharon scott, a mother of five. >> the mayor and president has to do something. this must come to an end. >> daniel agrees, and says without more help from city hall, her family will be stuck in the smelter. >> people look at us like they are not trying to do something. that's a lie. i work many jobs and keep working. with the minimum wage, how is that possible. >> bill de blasio who campaigned as an anti-michael bloomberg populist promised to help the poor. starting january 1st, he'll get the chance as mayor. >> there were intriguing

technological breakthroughs and development that could impact society for years to come. now to jacob ward to tell us more. >> 2013 was a mix of goofy inventions and transformative discoveries. shrinking electronics gave rise to what the industry calls wearable computing - fitness tracking, smartphone watches and google glass. glass sounded like a gooded in, it freaked out our friends and made serga look scary. it will take a year to work out what to do with body-mounted things. >> on the plane you'll be able to keep tablets on. 2013 was dull for apple. no truly new products and the growing perception that an android phone can do what iphone can, means in 2014, the apple television set or iwatch, long

roumured, will be what fans are waiting for. >> why wait around when you can print them. personal 3d printers fell to the $1,000 mark. don't expect to keep anything private. rely vasion that the n.s.a. has monitored telecommunications destroyed notions of password protection and digital privacy. >> in 2014 companies will compete to prove that products will put text and emails out of the government's reach. the greatest area of achievement, and that will see the most excitement in 2014 was in medicine. scientists used the body's own immune system to fight cancer. >> a technique called crisper turned on and off the genes leading to certain afflictions. scientists may have figured out how to clone human stem cells,

which could create an endless supply of cells for research. what got attention this year as the brain, deep brain stimulation, a method of breathing stimulation into our heads ease the the symptoms of parkin sons. similar afflictions may be used like post-traumatic stress disorder. >> in switzerland, they are building a computer simulation of the human braining. and scientists at last worked out what sleep is for - removing toxins from the brain. in 2014, that discovery could lead to a better night's rest for everyone. >> you know, some might say 2014 is going to pot. a few hours until colorado's new marijuana laws go in effect. plus, new year's - seattle is about to launch another

fireworks display from the iconic building.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm jonathan betz on this new year's eve. here are the top stories this half hour. >> you are looking at a live picture from times square, where police expect a million people to watch the ball drop, signalling the end to 2013. it comes to an end when supreme court justice and bronx person signals the drop. >> the s&p 500 and nasdaq saw huge gains, the federal reserve kept interest rates low to people could borrow money cheaply. >> vladimir putin vowed to fight

terrorists until their "total destruction", three dozens were killed in twin bombings in volgograd. >> the music of a huge part of the times square celebrations, blondie, melissa eth ridge and mackel more, and the most anticipated act is miley cyrus. more from john terrett. [ chants ] >> well, it looks as if you have crossed over to us at the right time. we caught a glimpse of miley cyrus, and these girls absolutely adore her. why do you like miley cyrus so much - tell me? >> because i love her voice. it's amazing. her songs are amazing. >> what is your favourite song? >> "breaking ball" >> i like "breaking ball", and the way it goes like that. that's the coolest thing. >> ♪ i never been so high ♪ all i wanted was to break you

up ♪ >> and where have you two come from to be here? >> florida. >> and now you are miley cyrus fans. >> she's the best, we love miley. >> what do you think about being in times square? new york. what do you feel about it? >> it's amazing. the best place in the world. >> what a happy new year to all of you. we love miley. . all: we love miley. >> we are getting closer to the ball dropping. the a supreme court justice will trigger the ball. it's exciting, but cold atmosphere. >> celebrations around the world started yesterday for some. revellers counted down more than 12 hours ago. here are celebrations in the capital taipei.

in moscow security was tight. fires works were spectacular over the cathedral. >> big ben rang in the new year. those aren't any fireworks, it's a multisensory display with peach snow, edible confetti and orange-scented bubbles. >> it's the largest fireworks show launched from a structure for the past two deg aids. the seattle space needle welcomed the new year with a blast of cover. allen schauffler takes us to the top for the difficult work behind the high altitude show. >> this fireworks setup takes a special workplace approach. buckle up. keep i don't remember eyes on the job. >> you don't look down. if you do, you hit veterinary go. focus on what you can do. >> we know how to handle explosives, now we have to handle them six feet off the

ground. >> a 12 person crew works for three days for one of the world's largest fireworks display launched from the building. >> it's a special challenge, facing pyrotech nick charges where they accentuate the architecture of the tower guilt for the 1962 world spare. >> with a structure like this we have the opportunity with a circular roof and the opportunity with the legs. we'll move things up and down the legs as we go through the show. >> the fireworks are packed into prebuilt boxes and lefted on to the roof or legs for positioning. each effect with a specific role. >> they are comets, ones that instead of going up and breaking apart like a shell, they go up and burn out and that's how they go. sometimes they go up and break into pieces, and split out. >> this is the 21st year that they fired the needle for the city, cued the music and lit the

fuse. it doesn't get home. new - more emotion, wave, water falls of life. >> combining tilt and pan we can create wave movements which are special and unique to the structure because of opportunity. >> a computer printout details every split second of action. >> that is our show. >> all of this takes place in eight minutes. >> how many separate explosions or effects. even the boss will not put a solid number on that. >> 750 lines of code, 750 cubes shot. each of those cubes is anywhere from one to 100 items. if you start to do the maths, it's thousands. with a bunch of people over the area, an estimated 400,000 expected to watch the show. >> some people in colorado have another reason to celebrate the

start of 2014. at midnight it will be legal for anyone over 21 to smoke, and buy marijuana in stores. >> harvesting and processing pot is a family affair at nature's herbs and wellness in garden city colorado. >> this is my aunt judy, mum and dad. >> three generations of rotherhams work here, business is booming. >> we started with 1200 square feet and have 10,000 square feet bursting at the scene. the next is we are finishing 10,000 square feet and have plans for two to three more facilities of that prize. >> pot is the biggest game in town in garden city, the marijuana dispensaries count for a quarter of tax revenues, a fact that has the mayor seeing green.

>> there's not a pothole in my town, i like to joke. we've been able to reinvest without a new industry in town. >> colorado is about to reap a bumper crop of cash. one study says sales could hit $606 million in 2014. they are about 100,000 users of medical marijuana in the state, but another half a million are expected to start legally lighting up recreationally, not counting marijuana tourists. >> it's the next vacation destination, no doubt about it. we get so many phone calls. now, being closer to the first, we are getting 50 phone calls a day. >> the u.s. department of justice said it will not try to shut down the remrational pot industry, but grey areas remain. banks are not taking money at

least for now. there are, of course, worries about increased crime and drug use. john thinks other states will see dollar signs through the haze. >> colorado will be one of the richest states. eventually everyone will follow suit, if they can, if the voters allow it. >> while there are questions about how legal weed will play out, it is safe to say that hopes for the future are high. >> and at the stroke of midnight 40,000 new laws will go in effect across the country. we look at what is in store. >> oregon has a new law about smoking, cigarettes, and bans lighting up in the car if children are inside. some guns are banned in connecticut, following the shooting deaths of 26 at newtown sandy hook elementary school. gun owners lined up to register

assault rifles and ammunition magazines holding more than 10 rounds. in order to keep them legally. e-cigarettes are getting attention. there's a ban on smoking e-cigarettes in public and work places, where cigarette smoking is no longer allowed. the big apple joins four other states in imposing this law and others are debating whether to restrict the devices. if you got or gave a pet. the pet law may interest you, allowing a new owner to return or be reimbursed for pet bills it they discover undisclosed illness. illinois is cracking down on drivers who passed buses. school districts can install cameras. >> there are new rules in schools. children can choose a bath room or sports team based on agenda they identify with. >> in wisconsin you can drink

while riding in a pedal tavern. not all of these will happen in the first day, some may take in effect into the new year. it's year 2014 will bring more changes than the calendar year itself. >> there's a blockbuster year for the u.s. housing markets. prices on homes in 20 maimer cities rose in object at the fastest rate in seven years. rising mortgage rates could scare off buyers in 2014. >> the demand for home help turned up the heat in the u.s. in october. all 20 cities in the s&p index posted gapins. the biggest in the west, where home values increased more than 20%. there were gains in other regions as well. cities like atlanta and detroit

saw double digit price moves. this man says housing demand has been strong, because real estate investors and consumers feel good about the economy. >> what is driving that is economic growth in employment as well as income growth. those are flat and steady. you are seeing a lot of pent-up demand from people for the last few years. >> in many regions demands for homes are outpacing supply. there are fewer foreclosurures. >> inventories are down 30%, and bidding wars are breaking out on property. >> mark and barbara home shopped before closing in on this three bedrooms. >> our needs was low. the places that were really nice or fit our needs would tend to go under contract very quickly. >> however, rising interest

rates could undermine the markets recent moves. the average interest rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage is over 4.5%, more than ta percentage point higher than a year ago. rates could rise once the federal reserve scales back on bond buying. real estate broker scott newman things the prospects is causing his clients to buy now, rather than wait. >> when you explain the terms, cold-hard dollar, your $600,000 will cost you extra, they snap out and say, "i need to play by the rules, i want the best raid." it's changing buying behaviours." >> some buyers could get sidelined if mortgage rates rise beyond 5%. if it happens sellers will have to lower expectations by lowering home prices if they want their properties to move. >> and still ahead on

aljazeera.com, the year of entertainment - how the years are changing as america moves into 2014. >> i'm john terrett, that midnight hour is creasing closer. join me and a million of my closer friends - some of whom are here - to welcome 2014. happy new year.

>> earlier i told you about the cold weather across the north

central parts of the united states. record-breaking lows will continue as we start the new year. the big problem, or the next big problem is what will happen down here, across the south-east, and moving towards the north-east because this is our next area of low pressure and our next winter storm. we are getting snow showers moving across the region. as we go towards wednesday the snow conditions across new york. this is not the bad day. temperature wise it looks like this. new york will reach 32 degrees, and washington at 45. it is as we go towards thursday, that there is snow accumulation beginning to develop across the region. we'll watch this carefully the the models changed a little. in the dark blue area to the north, that will be the bulls eye. we'll see 15-18 inches of snow in some locations. in some pockets we could see two feet. if you travel, we can see

delays. washington at 43. by the time we get to friday things will improve, and the snow showers will ease. >> this is a live look at times square in new york city, we are about 15 minutes away from the year 2014. stay here. when the ball drops we'll show it to you live tonight. >> while we look towards 2014, we are mindful of stories, events and lives that made news here and around the world in

2014. al jazeera america looks back at this extraordinary year. >> this is the first ever news hour from al jazeera america. welcome everyone. >> the fire jumps the highway we took earlier. this is a remote and mountainous part of california, one of many wildfires happening simultaneously across the united states. >> they have come back, reload and hit it again. >> with no funding the white house orders the government to begin the shutdown process. >> the american people do not want a shutdown. neither do i. >> there's no winning. when families - certainly whether they'll get paid. >> election day 2013 not over. that is not stopping the speculation about the future. >> this was the story of the night. governor christy came seeking a second term in office.

he got it in spades. people are saying this was the beginning of 2016. >> the website has been slow, people have been getting stuck during the application process. it's fair to say no one is more frustrated by that than i am. >> i intend to release every last document in the public interest that's newsworthy and doesn't endanger the lives of 2013. >> i pronounce you loving partners in mattery moany. >> this couple were legally married in new york. like many couples across new jersey, it meant more to have their marriage count at home. >> it was a mass shooting beginning at 8:20 in the morning. amidst the rush hour. thousands of navy employees and civilians were preparing for work. >> detroit, once of the nation's fourth largest city is bankrupt. >> these are victims of chemical weapons. >> we can't turn away from the

mass anger of civilians with chemical weapons. >> he is either getting cold feet or thinks he has the votes. >> 11-year-old mohammed is the survivor of an air strike. these children are traumentized and scared to go home. >> the president mohamed morsi leaves office - calls are getting louder. >> the government lunched into its biggest crisis in a decade. >> announcing that they have chosen a pope. white smoke.

>> the attack on the boston marathon shocked america. >> we have seen a plane crash. >> spanish media reports the plane was travelling at twice the speed limit. >> my daughter is in there. she's been working in the garment's factory for three years. >> waves pounded the coast as typhoon haiyan hit the philippines. >> it's hard to imagine that anyone could have lived through this. then a shout. >> is this your brother. >> it's your older brother. that has been saying they'll wait all night to say goodbye to the man they call father.

>> an extraordinary 2013. i want to thank you for spending part of it with us. it's quite a year for net flix, stocks soaring 300% when the top performers. does the popularity of tv on the internet have cable companies running squared. i asked al jazeera's cultural contributor bill wyman if online video may be the way forward. >> this is not a pretty time. there's a lot of outsiders coming in - first of all to the tv industry where the cost of getting in is less than the movie industry. it's really grate for cop assumers on one level, because it gives us a myriad of choices. the tv industry will always be dominated by the cable companies that we are shelling $150 a month to, making it difficult for new things to happen. the great thing about netflix and amazon prime, they are

coming through the internet, not the cable. that will worry not just the mainstream tv creators, but the cable companies. >> how do you think the popularity of the netflix, amazon prime will change the way cable companies do business. >> hopefully it will lower their power, and it's beginning. people with apple tv - it's a little difficult to get internet content on to your tv, but with the rise of apple and google has chrome class. you plug it in the back of your tv and anything on the laptop goes on to the tv screen. once that is typical household appliance, i think you'll see a lot of people unplugging themselves from the cable bill, which is a lot of money. it's not a $10 cd, it's a $150 cable bill. that will make them sit-up and take notice. new companies are saying, "make us tv shows", "house of cards"

is netflix saying, "we want to be like hbo", they are saying, "we are not going do a duck dynasty, we want sac like the "sop ran joz", for producers, company is bad. >> what is not talked about is there's a line between movies and tvs that is beginning to blur. certain series, as we know, that are as good as movies, and some series like "sherlock", from bbc, which is like a mini movie, and a lot of movies, the quality is like old-fashioned crappy tv. when you go to standard good old-fashioned movie going, it's so dominated by "the avengers", "thorough", "the rebots", and there's a movie called "the lego

movie", it occupies the top 10, 20 grosseses in the year. i think that there's two movie and streams. we like "wall street", and "silver lining playbook", we often wait for them to come around on netflix, to watch on the 50 inch and 60 inch at home. a lot of adults consume movies in that way. great for the consumers, but makes the movie production industry a dog fight. >> thank you to bill wyman. we are just minutes away from 2014. this is times square, and new york city, live this evening, stay with al jazeera america as the ball drops ring in the new year. we'll show it to you live. >> a look back at the good and the bad in the year of selfies.

>> welcome back. it's only just been added to the oxford dictionary, but already it's topped 2013's most annoying words' list, selfie, shorthand for a self-taken photo. it's shared on facebook and twitter, from pop stars to politicians. here is a look at those that couldn't resist the lure of a smartphone self port rate. >> we begin up high and the

coolest selfie, astronaut taking a time during a spacewalk to snap this picture from himself, from the orbit to the vatican, pope francis posing with parishioners, not a bad selfie for the person of the year. how is this for a close call. a woman at a baseball game has no idea what is coming their day. >> mallee and sacha had this selfie. >> some probably wish to take back their selfies. consider this, shirtless and shameless - this did not go over well with a lot of folks. >> same for the world series fan who ran on the field and while being chased shows everyone how foolish she looks. doubt the selfie was worth it. >> celebrities embrace selfies in a big way. remember this one.

and how about miley cyrus, a self-promoter, giving her fans more of herself than justin bieber. >> my favourite selfie of the year is not from a star, it's this? the good crew at al jazeera america - working hard on this new year's eve to bring the world to you. >> we appreciate all the work of our staff. if you want to follow me on twitter, you can. >> we are minutes from the end of 2013. the ball will drop in times square, ushering in 2013. more from john terrett who has been out there all day with the crowds. (count down). >> what a great time to drop to us, this is a kissing competition going on here. new year's is an important time for giving kissers. you have to get it right. they are practicing on the stage. we thought we'd chat with a few people in the crowd, starting with my friend. what is your name? >> craig. >> where are you from?

>> new york. >> how has 2013 been in your household. >> 2013 - it was a great year, but 2014 will be a better year. >> what are you looking forward to in 2014? >> the super bowl coming to new york. >> right. i know. i'll cover parts of that. i'm excited. it will be great. >> it will be amazing. if you can get me a tick, it will help. >> i know friends in low place, i'll see what i can do. >> what is christmas and new year like in perth, western australia - presumably sunny? >> bathers and the beach. barbecue and beer and family. >> what do you think about standing in times square and the level of cold? >> it's a once in a life-time opportunity. we travelled 30 hours on an airplane. a few hours waiting is not bad. >> it's great to have you here. happy new year to you both and hope 2014.

>> thank you, you to. >> thank you very much. >> happy new year to them and you. back to the studio. >> happy new year to you john terrett. we appreciate it. the count down is about to begin. let's listen in. >> 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, is. 1. [ cheering ] [ cheering and applause ] [ ♪ music ] [ auld lang syne played ] >> happy new year to you. it's officially 2014 on the east coast of the united states after an incredible 2013.