Rope. Speaking about their harrowing experience right here this morning. Crushing defeat. Ronda rouseys failed comeback attempt. A bruising knockout in just 48 seconds. I know the girls cant take my punches. I know that. Whats ahead for rousey now . Hey, good morning, happy new years eve. Paula is off today. Excited as always to have cecilia vega right on the desk here. Great to be here this last saturday of 2016. Thank you. Good morning to everybody. We are just hours away from 2017. A look right now at times square completely empty, you can see it there, security at an all time high ahead of the millions expected to pour in for the big celebration. And at the center of that party, there it is, a live look at the ball which, of course, drops promptly at midnight. And rob is right there. Hes going to have your new years eve forecast coming up. But were going to start here with the latest twists and turns in the russian hacking scandal. President elect donald trump making the extraordinary move praising russian president Vladimir Putin for not retaliating against american sanctions. This as dozens of Russian Diplomats are being kicked out of the u. S. , payback for russias alleged interference in the president ial election. So what is behind putins decision not to retaliate and what about these new reports that the russians may have hacked into a Power Company in vermont . Abcs mary bruce is on the story from washington. Mary, good morning to you. Reporter good morning. Yeah, this was a shocking 180 from russia. Experts say putins restrained response is likely a sign hes playing the long game hoping a President Trump will be more receptive and trump, as you mentioned this morning, is praising his decision not to fight back, all this as were now learning a Vermont Utility has discovered a code in its system linked to russian hackers. This morning, new concerns that russia may be targeting american utility systems. A code linked with russian hacking found on a Laptop Associated with a Vermont Electrical company. The apparent hack by the russians did not disrupt operations, but it raises questions about the security of the u. S. Power grid. The discovery comes as president elect trump is praising the russian president for defying calls to retaliate against american sanctions. Trump calling it a great move tweeting, i always knew he was very smart. But some members of congress disagree. I am frankly very, very scared that our next president hasnt a clue about what russia is actually up to. [ speaking russian ] reporter the russians had promised to counterpunch, the foreign minister threatening to kick u. S. Diplomats out of russia, but then president putin announced there will be no retaliation saying, we will not create any problems for u. S. Diplomats. We will not expel anyone. Instead, putin welcoming children of u. S. Diplomats to a new year and christmas childrens show at the kremlin. Experts say its likely not a magnanimous message for obama but a practical one for trump. Mr. Putin likely has an expectation that mr. Trump may put into play policies that will be beneficial to russian interests. Reporter questioned if russia interfered in the u. S. Election, but u. S. Intelligence says theres no question. And now this morning, Russian Diplomats are packing up and getting ready to ship out, after president obama expelled 35 russian officials and shut down two of their lavish diplomatic compounds. These decadent rooms used for meetings, parties and allegedly gathering intelligence, now all off limits. They have to leave within ho hours, and its its its just not human. Reporter and this morning another new years clock is ticking, those 35 diplomats and their families, almost 100 people in all, now have until noon tomorrow to leave the u. S. Dan. Mary, thank you. This hacking controversy is going to go down as a key story line in what has been an extremely tumultuous year but 2016 is now, as weve said, almost over, so lets get out to rob who is in times square, the focus of the worlds attention tonight as we usher in 2017. Hey, rob. Hey, good morning, dan. Here it is, times square, the e epicenter of north american new years, i guess, the ball behind me iconic raised and dropped promptly at midnight tonight to usher in 2017. Lets take a look at the Weather Forecast for not only times square but around the country looking at seasonable temperatures, really cold now but windchills right around the freezing mark, a chance of a brief rain shower lew with hold off until after midnight i think and a clipper system will bring snow to parts of the northeast and Northern New England like they need any more. Below freezing in boston, rain across through new orleans and showers out west not only across the northwest but southern california, as well, maybe rain showers in through the hollywood celebrations. Thats a quick check on your new years eve forecast and talk more about the big Party Tonight later in the program. Dan and cecilia, back to you. Hey, rob, dont touch that switch behind you, please. Hands off. As we ring in 2017, security is tight all across the country, here in new york especially ahead of tonights big celebration in times square. And that is where we also find abcs eva pilgrim. Eva, good morning to you. Reporter good morning, cecilia. The countdown is on tonight. This area will be packed full of people. You can see the barriers are up, the stages are set and this year, there will be more security than ever before. This morning, cities all across the world, big and small, beefing up patrols. Bombsniffing dogs and Critical Response officers poured into times square overnight, an unprecedented level of security now in place for the 2 Million People expected to watch the ball drop. Authorities putting up 65 viewer pens from times square to 59th street each holding up to 3,000 people. All will pass through multiple checkpoints. This is a significant challenge for law enforcement. The type of attack weve seen in europe, driving a truck into a crowd, its really hard to stop every one of those attacks. Reporter 65 sand trucks and 100 blocker vehicles will form a ring of steel from times square to central park to prevent tragedies like in berlin and nice. There will be 7,000 extra Police Officers from highly visible special ops units to rooftop surveillance teams. Inside the command center, teams will monitor 9,000 video feeds and track license plates. In places like new york, the police are very well prepared for any type of activity. Reporter in baltimore and philadelphia, fences put in place to make sure ringing in the new year is done the safe way. And Authorities Say theres no direct threat. No specific threat against times square or any new years celebration in general but doing all of this to make sure everyone who celebrates is safe. Dan. Eva, thank you. Were going to turn now to a Major New Development this morning in a murder case that has spanned more than 40 years. A court in connecticut has reinstated the murder conviction of Michael Skakel. He is a cousin to the Kennedy Family and abcs Gloria Riviera is on the story from washington. Gloria, good morning to you. Reporter good morning, dan. Thats right, Michael Skakel whose aunt Ethel Kennedy lived next door to Martha Moxley has been a free man for three years after posting a 1. 2 million bail in 2013. Now a 43 majority has rejected the argument his trial for murder was tainted by bad lawyering sending him back behind bars. This morning, troubled kennedy cousin Michael Skakel is a convicted murderer again. The Connecticut Supreme Court reinstating his conviction for the 1975 murder of Martha Moxley. The 15yearold girl killed in her backyard the night before halloween brutally beaten with a golf club belonging to the skakel family. Skakel, who is Ethel Kennedys nephew, was first found guilty for the decades old crime back in 2002, but after serving over ten years in prison, skakels conviction was thrown out in 2013. Skakel a free man, his family claiming the lawyer botched the defense. He had a terrible lawyer. He didnt get a fair trial and hes not guilty. Reporter now in a new twist, skakel will be back on his way to prison. His team failing to prove the attorney actually mishandled the case. Its very difficult for a defendant to establish ineffective counsel. There has to be a major defect in the way that the defense was presented. Reporter the victims mother agreeing with the initial ruling. Michael skakel got a fair trial. I really believe it. Reporter while skakel plans to comply with the new court order, he will continue to fight the decision. His cousin, Robert Kennedy jr. Telling abc news overnight, right now we just want to concentrate on the legal process. Now, in that 2013 appeal that set him free, skakels attorney successfully argued his initial defense team failed to pursue an alibi witness or look at possible other suspects including skakels own brother thomas. Its not clear when skakel will return to prison. He has ten days to ask the court to reconsider. If that fails his attorneys say he could take this case to the supreme court. Dan, cecilia. More to come on this. Gloria, thank you. A lot of other news this morning and for that as always its over to ron, hey. Good morning to you, dan and cecilia, diane. Good morning, everyone. We begin with breaking news overnight from pennsylvania. A Pennsylvania State trooper gunned down in the line of duty while responding to a domestic dispute. This Morning Police are looking for the suspect, 32yearold jason robison, who is believed to be armed and dangerous. State trooper landon weaver on the force just a year was fatally shot answering that call of a Domestic Violence issue in a rural town in central pennsylvania. And in connecticut two people are dead and another two wounded after shots rang out following a concert by Rapper Meek Mill in wallingford. Police say the shooting took place outside in the parking lot around 11 00 last night while the concert venue was being shut down for the evening. And lawyers for bill cosby have filed a motion for a change of venue in the comedians Sexual Assault case. They are arguing that cosby cannot get a fair trial in montgomery county, pennsylvania, because of the negative Media Coverage they say that has tainted the jury pool, they are asking for a move to a larger venue but did not specify where. Now, cosby is charged with sexually assaulting a former Temple University employee and he has pleaded, of course, not guilty. Investigators in england say more tests will be needed to determine what caused the death of George Michael. This after initial autopsy results came back inconclusive. Michaels manager saying the 53yearold singer apparently died of Heart Failure at his home outside of london on christmas day. Police do not suspect foul play. And from indonesia, disturbing video of a pilot who appears to be impaired as hes boarding his flight. Watch as he stumbles past security, barely able to retrieve his bag off the xray belt making his way to the plane packed with more than 150 passengers. A passenger recording this video out of concern claiming the pilot slurred his speech during the overhead announcement. That pilot though was removed from the plane before it took off and fired. And finally its the end of an era for a new York City Institution famous for its gigantic sandwiches and gigantic prices. After 79 years the Carnegie Deli shutting its doors for good. The owner of the famed eatery featured in woody allens Broadway Danny rose and on a number of Television Series is calling it quits, she says, because of rising costs. I was there yesterday. Had a sample of their corned beef on rye. It was past tense now great. And you did not bring us said little sample. You didnt get it . Of corned beef on rye. I left it in your office. What a way to end this year. Hes been worried about your cholesterol level. Its up there somewhere. Thank you, sir. Unless someone took it. All right, imagine this one, being trapped on an Amusement Park ride for hours, more than 100 feet in the air. This happened overnight in california. Firefighters had to use ropes to get the riders down one by one. No thank you. Abcs Erielle Reshef joins us with more. Tell us the details, erielle. Reporter all right, cecilia, that slowmoving ride at a california theme park turned terrifying a day of fun coming to a grinding halt. A night at the Amusement Park proving not so amusing for more than a dozen riders of the sky cabin at buena vistas knotts berry farm. The sky cabin stalling out around 2 00 p. M. Leaving 21 people including seven children stuck more than 100 feet in the air for hours. Im ready to go into tears. Reporter the Fire Department arriving on scene just before 5 00 p. M. But their ladders too short to reach parkgoers and the ride operator stranded in the sky. After numerous attempts to bring the tram down, rescuers forced to lower the passengers by rope one by one. Being up there knowing that youre going to be coming down tethered is fearful. Reporter by 10 00 p. M. After spending eight hours suspended in the air, everyone on board the sky cabin made it safely to solid ground. Knotts berry farm releasing this statement friday night saying the ride will remain closed during the investigation, adding the parks number one priority is the safety of all its guests and employees. And, again, thankfully no reports of any injuries but certainly a very scary situation in the sky. Cecilia, dan. Erielle, thank you. Wild story. Now to what will hopefully be a safer form of entertainment today at least for the spectators, College Football. Yeah, we are down to the final four and the semifinals are kicking off in just a few hours. Jesse palmer is here spending your new years eve with us with these matchups. What are you looking for today . Well, we got two awesome games today. Itll start with alabama versus washington. The key in that game will be washingtons quarterback jake browning. Hes been sensational this year, accurate throwing the football deep down the field. But you look in recent history the quarterbacks that have given bamas defense issue have been mobile quarterbacks. Jake browning is not overly mobile so he has to be great anticipating throws in this game today. The next game, ohio state versus clemson i think really is a tossup. Clemsons offense has so many weapons at wide receiver and running back and quarterback, but i think ohio states defense from a personnel standpoint probably matches up with them probably than most have this year. This will probably be the toughest defense the tigers have faced since their week one opponent back when they played against auburn earlier in the season. If we had to push you out on a limb here, can you pick who is going to win . Dont shove me too far. Dan, i would say i will take bama early because of their defense. Theyve given up 15 touchdowns all season long. Theyve been outstanding on that side of the ball. So much talent and i like clemson. Deshaun watson will have a big game. I think hes motivated after not winning the heisman trophy. I think he will try to make a statement tonight. All eyes really are on bama. Can anybody beat this team . You know, a lot of people are calling them the greatest team of all time. I think the other three teams i think could beat them. I think theyre all very balanced and they play well on offense and defense and all have good quarterback play. Alabama has just looked so good, especially on the defensive side of the football. They could beat them, but theyre going to have to bring their a game. And youre going to be calling the sugar bowel on monday. Any predictions . Its going to be a good one. Oklahoma auburn. Actually im not allowed to call it. Oh, youre not . Thats what happens in that industry when you call the game. You have to be neutral. Objectivity. Looking forward to it. Happy new year. Happy new year to you. You can catch all the action from College Football semifinals starting at 3 00 eastern at espn. Time now for the weather and lets go back to rob in times square. Rob does not have to be objective about the weather. How is it looking out there . I try but im threatening to turn this off and shut down all of broadway but ill leave it on for now. Big doings happening tonight in times square. Want to talk about the big noreaster across parts of maine. Look at what happened there and theyre having a hard time unloading some of that snow. Still tens of thousands of people without power. Also upstate new york western new york seeing upwards of 12 to 18 inches of snow during the day yesterday. More lakeeffect snow showers are streaming in and now heres the radar. Youll see that with a little clipper system that will bring another shot of moisture mostly to the northern tier. Maybe hartford, springfield and boston. And new england. 1 to 3 inches of snow i think and then drier air coming in for the new year 2017 there it is. But with that will be some periods of heavy rain across the south. Louisiana, mississippi, alabama along the gulf coast, flash flood watches posted for several pulses of moisture that will dump anywhere from 3 to 5 plus inches of rainfall down there, so flooding possible there at least through monday and severe storms possible across parts of texas. Good saturday morning. Im meteorologist lisa argen, waking up to a pretty nice view here, but there are a few scattered showers around the bay area, mainly along the coast. After that, well have a chilly and dry new years eve and looking at some high elevation snow the next couple of days. So afternoon highs in the mid50s today, partly cloudy skies. Tonight, our coolest numbers will be inland, in the upper 30s by midnight, 40s elsewhere, and all right. This is my First Experience with the ball. 12 foot in diameter and it is a doozy, guys. Were going to talk more about the history of why times square is so important to the new years celebration in the next half an hour. I invite you guys to come down here. Its chilly but invigorating. Wait. Was that a dance move . Was that a dance move we just witnessed or was that like its so cold out here im shaking . No, thats the bouncing trying to get the body heat going move, yeah. You dont want to see my dance moves. And dan will tell you that. Ive seen rob do the stanky leg. Its really impressive. Love you, rob. Thank you. It is stanky. Well talk to you in the next half hour. By the way, theres another big sports story this morning and it involves ronda rousey. Yeah, it sure does, the ufc star was hoping to mount a big comeback after losing her belt in a stunning loss last year but she had another tough night and diane macedo has much more. Ron wants you to say something. I know. Im not going to. I like my job. I intend to keep it. But this fight was no doubt painful for ronda rousey but it was also just painful to watch. After disappearing for a year, she came out seemingly in the best shape of her life and more focused than ever. All the more reason fans were completely shocked when it ended with one of the fastest losses in ufc history. Overnight what was meant to be a superstar comeback ended in another crippling defeat. Watch as ronda rousey falls just 48 seconds into the first round. Reigning champion amanda nunes, aka the lioness, lived up to her nickname pummeling the former champ with one vicious blow after another. I know the girls cant take my punches, i know that, and it happened tonight. Reporter its been a tough year for rousey who fell from grace after her first loss last november to then challenger holly holm. The knockout ruined her undefeated record but as she told Ellen Degeneres back in february, it also left her incredibly depressed. And i was literally sitting there and like thinking about killing myself in the exact second im like, im nothing. What do i do anymore . Reporter the big question is whats next for the once seemingly unbeatable fighting star who stunned the masses both in the cage and on the red carpet. Some are now calling rousey a sore loser like after last time she left without addressing the crowd or press. Nunes seems to be poking fun at that on twitter with this image showing her pushing rousey in a stroller as she holds her belt. You can say a big ouch to that one. Yeah. Ooh. But the president of the ufc also reminded us that it is only because of ronda rousey that women were allowed in the ufc. He said they never would be until she convinced them. I think thats a great point. Whether you want to call her a sore loser or not, shes been a pioneer. Absolutely and so all her predecessors at the very least owe her that. The big question i have, how long dan would last in the ring with i can answer that. I can answer that. 0. 00001 seconds. Someone did say last night on twitter, you could beat rousey. No, im good just watching from the couch. Ill just analyze from right here. Yeah, obviously. All right, well, thanks. Good. Theres more. Coming up on gma this saturday morning, an abc news exclusive. Todd fisher opens up about the final moments he shared with his sister Carrie Fisher and mom Debbie Reynolds and their unbreakable bond. Gearing up for dick clarks new years rockin eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017, say that title twice. Cohost Jenny Mccarthy tells me who shes going to be kissing at midnight. Good morning america is brought to you by macys. Ght to you by macys. What if an Insurance Company wasnt only there when things went wrong . Because for every tornado. Theres a twister. For every crash. An even bigger collision. And for every tailspin. Well, tailspins. 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Sure its free for everyone. Oh well thats nice and checking your score wont hurt your credit. Oh im so proud of you. Well thank you. Free at at discover. Com creditscorecard, even if youre not a customer. Good morning. Im jessica castro. We have developing news in the southbound. Authorities are investigating a pair of suspicious fires along highway 101 in san jose. One fire started after 1 00 a. M. Near story road. Three to four palm trees were burning. Flames spread to a nearby caltrans storage unit. Firefighters had to put out another brush fire along 101, as well, about a half mile away. Arson investigators do believe the fires were intentionally set. They are still investigating. Lets talk weather. Its the last day of 2016. Hi, lisa. Hey, jessica, good morning to you. Heres a live doppler 7. A few very, very light scattered showers from southern marin down to the peninsula. Sfo reported a shower. This system continues to track to the south. Highs today under partly cloudy skies, 56 in oakland, 54 in palo alto, and the accuweather sevenday forecast, a little wet into the new year. Lisa, thank you. The news continues with Good Morning America. It is already next year in new zealand. They launched their fireworks a short while ago ringing in 2017. We still have a few more hours to go here. The final preparations under way now. We will see that ball drop in not too long. Not too long. Much more from times square coming up including a little chat with the hosts of tonights big party. But were going to start here with Todd Grantham, what hes saying now in an exclusive abc news interview about that double loss, his sister carrie and then his mom Debbie Reynolds dying just a day apart. A dual funeral is planned for both actresses and abcs phillip mena has more on what Todd Grantham is saying about these two remarkable women and how they will be remembered. She really wanted to be with carrie. Reporter a grieving son and brother todd fisher. And i watched her leave and go to carrie. Reporter speaking with abcs Elizabeth Vargas two days after his beloved mother, Debbie Reynolds, and sister, Carrie Fisher, passed away less than 35 hours apart. Carrie obviously had more needs in many ways and my mother loved helping her. You tweeted out this. I did. Magical. The idea that they would leave, walk off together in their respective roles just, i dont know, it just made sense to me, and i thought they would like it. Carrie would like it. Reporter fisher providing new details about the planned double funeral for the iconic actresses. Will they be buried next to each other . They will be buried next to each other. Their life is high class stuff, and these were high class broads, very high class. Reporter his mother, americas sweetheart, best known for singin in the rain. Singin in the rain just singin in the rain reporter and her oscar nominated performance in the unsinkable molly brown. That ship may be down but not me. Im unsinkable. Reporter her daughter a fierce onscreen princess. Somebody has to save our skins. Reporter and bestselling author. Their relationship, though, not always picture perfect. There was this friction there, but you a lot of friction. But no one is running away from it. Reporter however their last tender years together the mother daughter duo living as nextdoor neighbors. Mommy, mommy, im home. Reporter that closeness featured in the upcoming hbo documentary bright lights out next month giving fans one last look at their happiest days. Happy days are here again reporter for Good Morning America, phillip mena, abc news, los angeles. Im really looking forward to seeing that documentary about the two of them. Yeah, completely. Such an interesting pair. Time now for the weather once again as promised. Lets get it back out to rob in times square. Now doing the dougie. No, not yet but you never know. New years eve is just some hours away where theyll launch the ball up in the air and drop it back down and usher in 2017 and theyre celebrating out west for sure. There may be some rain tonight across southern california. Thats where we start our weathercast. Unsettled weather. A couple of systems rolling through. This is great for mountain snow but i5, i15, the Higher Elevations will be slick. If you do have to do some travel and then another shot coming down across the Pacific Northwest and great, great snow for the skiers into 2017 and an arctic blast coming in for the good saturday morning. Im lisa argen waking up to a few light showers and partly cloudy skies this afternoon. 56 in this weathercast is brought to you by Ashley Furniture home stores. I have with me now jeff straus president of countdown entertainment. You are in charge of most of this shebang. Just ast an incredible setup wee for tonight. How many people will be watching here and at home . Its amazing. Well have over a Million People here tonight but whats magical is over 198 million americans will be watching tonight at home and as we count down, well all be counting down together those final seconds with hope for the future. Theres no other moment like it. Ive always been wondering why has times square been the epicenter of the countdown for america . It all dates back to the New York Times built their headquarters right here in One Times Square where were standing and they wanted to celebrate their new headquarters so they took amarry time tradition where they drop a ball at noon so the navigators at sea can adjust their timepieces and created this ball to drop to signify the beginning of the new year. What was the ball like back then, the first time . Six feet with only 125 watt lights in it, this ball is 12 feet in diameter and weighs nearly 6 tons and has over a ton. Waterford crystal and over 32,000 phillips l. E. D. S that illuminates it as we see it come down at night. This is one of those waterford crystals. I dont want to drop it. Its a pretty pricey operation for sure and, of course, the show has gotten to be huge, as well. What kind of surprises . Whats on the lineup tonight . Amazing lineup tonight. Weve got mariah carey. Weve got gloria estefan, weve got dnce and so much more entertainment tonight. We actually have silento coming, were going to be doing the whip and the nae nae, its amazing and Rachel Platten singing imagine as we ring in the new year. I cant wait. Itll be magical. Youre an expert on counting down so if you dont mind, five, four, three, two, one. Happy new year. I love it. Were ready. Dan and cecilia, back inside to you. I didnt see that countdown coming. All right. Thank you, robert. Coming up, my interview with the hosts of dick clarks new years rockin eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017. 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Clear, tastefree, benefiber®. 24 karat magic that is a live look at times square where a million plus people will be headed in just a matter of hours. Were just a few hours away from kicking off the biggest blowout bash of the year right there. Its all going to go down right there. Ryan seacrest and Jenny Mccarthy are once again hosting dick clarks new years rockin eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017. I had a chance to speak with him earlier from a very strategic location. What are your favorite parts of this evening . Oh, my god. Well, i think tonight im looking forward to i brought my son who is 14 years old and he wants to be on camera for the first time to say like happy new year and i think thats a big deal. Because hes always been camera shy. A huge deal. Evan, right . Hes 14 and wants to look good for his chicks at school and that was his big request all year long, he said this year is the year i want to say hi on camera. So im really looking forward to that so ill kiss him at midnight. Youll kiss him at midnight. Thats phenomenal and donnie is coming. Its true that everybody that i know asks to come to this. This is the one thing sick of seeing me but one thing they want to come to because its an incredible experience. Correct. Family members, friends, Everyone Wants to come. Youll have great musical guests tonight. Who should we look forward to . Well, were going to have mariah here live in times square. Demi lovato is on the show. Lionel richie in las vegas and of course, fergie will be in hollywood with a ton of people. And shell be performing too in hollywood. Two songs. Two practical questions. How do you deal with the cold all night and how do you keep your energy up for that many hours . The energy is not a problem. Correct. Theres such Incredible Energy in times square so thats not an issue. The cold, i dont really feel it until we go to commercial then i freeze. Thats true. You know what, theres a big breeze, our face is frozen and you you cant move your face. Yes, and people will tweet me and say, you have so much botox and i go, my face is frozen. I swear its not the botox. We cant move our faces. You cant move and sometimes it doesnt sound totally normal. I understand youll be doing a George Michael tribute. Can you tell me about that . I was listening to his music on the flight out here. We all talk about the body of work that he has had but when you think of all the different genres he played in it as well its incredible and it deserves to be celebrated. I will be watching you at work, very, very excited for it. Thank you very much. Happy new year. Dick clarks new years rockin eve with Ryan Seacrest 2017 starts tonight at 8 00, 7 00 central right here on abc. I will be watching that too. Cool. Coming up on gma, we are breaking out the champagne, some important tips from a wine expert. Thats the job im getting in my next life. That is coming up on our weekend download. Im going to be an interpretative dancer in my next life. How long will it take to get rid of that holiday weight gain. Mark your calendar. It may take a while. Thats coming up in pop news. That weight . It may take a while. Coming up in pop news. Theres a twister. For every crash. An even bigger collision. And for every tailspin. Well, tailspins. State farm understands that getting the most out of life doesnt just mean being there when things go wrong. Its about being here. In all of lifes moments. When things go perfectly. Right. Just want to make you fee just want to make you feel good tell me all your problems that is the sound of new years right there. In todays weekend download, you can practically hear those. Those popping corks, and joining us with some tips and tricks is wine writer, the guy whose job we all want here, david white, the author of but champagne first. Okay, were hours away. Theyll be popping bottles. You say champagne not everything has to be really expensive. Its sort of true. People think its going to cost a lot of money. Absolutely. People always ask me for advice, what to open. If you have 15, look to cava, a region and a wine from spain. For about 15 you can get fantastic wine made from indigenous spanish grapes and for 20 i always steer people to roederer, anderson valley, california launched by Louis Roederer in 1982. They make delicious wine, pinot noir and chardonnay like a lot of real champagne. You can go high end. Up to the far over there. You can. Which is what, 150 150 so youll notice then we have the real champagne. This third bottle is from gimonnet from a wine growing region in france 45 minutes east of paris and its a growers champagne which means the same farmer who grew the grapes also made the wine. Its families like the gimonnets which is why i fell in love with champagne in the first place. Real people making real wine. Deserves to be enjoyed. 20 to 40 a great bottle of champagne. Yes. What i dont see here are champagne flutes. We dont have them. I always know new Years Eve Party hosts stress out if they dont have enough flutes for their party. Dont stress. Flutes are actually terrible. Flutes were designed to show off the bubbles. Hard to stick your nose in the flute. Hard to drink a lot from a flute so flutes are not great for champagne. I recommend the traditional yeah, serious wine deserves a serious glass, so thats why i always drink champagne out of a white wine glass. Seriously quick demonstration on how to open. Sure. People open a bottle carefully. A flying cork is dangerous. 50 miles per hour. So you want to keep your hand on the cage and you want to keep the cage on the bottle when you open it. Cover our eyes. So you got to twist the bottle in the opposite direction from the cork. Hopefully its soft. That wasnt too bad. Thats my favorite sound. Because it always means youre celebrating. It does mean youre celebrating. Sorry. Hes too eager. He wants to drink straight from the bottle. Straight from the bottle. So, lets toast with these six glasses, guys. Cheers, guys, happy new year to everybody. Happy new year. No pun intended. Pop news is next. Well played. Thank you. Thank you, guys. Even accept a higher risk of stroke due to afib, a type of irregular heartbeat not caused by a heart valve problem. But no matter what path i take, i go for my best. So if theres Something Better than warfarin, ill go for that too. Eliquis. Eliquis reduced the risk of stroke better than warfarin, plus had less major bleeding than warfarin. Eliquis had both. Dont stop taking eliquis unless your doctor tells you to, as stopping increases your risk of having a stroke. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fatal bleeding. Dont take eliquis if you have an artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. While taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily. And it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Im still going for my best. And for eliquis. Ask your doctor about eliquis. Customer service d. Maam. This isnt a computer. Wait. Youre real . With discover card, you can talk to a real person in the u. S. , like me, anytime. Wow. This is a recording. Really . No, im kidding. 100 u. S. Based customer service. Here to help, not to sell. If you could see your cough, youd see just how far it can spread. Robitussin dm max is now better tasting, with the same fast powerful cough relief. Robitussin dm max. Because its never just a cough. Is this my car . Ck. State farm knows that for every one of those moments. What . This is ridiculous theres one of these. Sam, i gotta go. Is this my car . What . This is ridiculous this cant be happening this cant be happening oh, its happening sweetheart. Oh, its happening sweetheart. Shut up shut up thats why state farm is there, what a day. With car insurance, for when things go wrong. But also here with car loans, to help life go right. State farm. What a day Good Morning America is brought to you by state farm. Here to help life go right. Final pop news of 2016. Diane macedo, make it a good one. Ooh. No pressure. Well, i have good news for you, dan. You said you were looking forward to seeing that documentary. Well, the documentary bright lights starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds has actually moved up its release date so you wont have to wait so long. Hbo was set to air that project in march. Now well actually get to see it in just a week, january 7th. The special will feature vintage family movies and extensive reallife footage and tells the stories of their eccentric lives as hollywood royalty but also their eccentric relationship. The documentary has already garnered critical acclaim as well but how amazing that after essentially passing together that one of the last projects they worked on is all about their life. Yeah. It was a roller coaster relationship, im really looking forward to learning more. A very special one as we hear. Everyone says its just such a beautiful love for one another and you realize the amount of affection they had for one another. Certainly. We also have a behindthescenes look at the new disney Animal Kingdom attraction called pandora the world of avatar. Take a look. The navi river journey is a beautiful, lyrical ride into the bioluminescent forest. Theres something Pretty Amazing at the end of that river ride. Youve never seen anything like it in your life. Amazing is right. A team of digital design artists, Structural Engineers and robotics technicians work to bring this amazing pandora universe to life and avatar fans will also be happy to hear James Cameron said hes working on three sequels to the movie and just in case theyre looking for extra cast members, i just want to remind james of my halloween costume. True. James, im available just in case you need it. She looks good in blue. I went all out with this crazy avatar costume this year and had fun with that one. I cant decide whether to crown this next story the best time story or worst time story. A new study warns against overindulging during the holidays saying it can take up to five months to lose that holiday weight. Whoops. The school studied the yearround weight patterns of 3,000 people. Their takeaway. Better to start off your diet in october instead of the new year so im taking that as good news that now the diet has to start in october instead of tomorrow. That means you cant indulge during the holidays. Too late now so might as well continue it and dont start or have to worry about it until next october. Fair enough. A good strategy. A dating app called clover is revealing the most popular first date sites. I gave you guys a little clue here. Can you guess what came in as number one . Yeah. Im surprised. Starbucks. Starbucks. Thank you. I guess its not really a romantic spot but a place where you can meet people and theres not too much pressure. Heres the thing, Innout Burger comes in at number two. Innout burger . Chickfila. All these men. Followed by central park and panera round out the top five. The app analyzed data from 1. 5 million users across the country, and clover says, this is interesting, its actually women who favor fast food chains over formal restaurants so they can quickly screen the dates. I think that makes a lot of sense. We are the smarter gender, im just saying. Aint nobody got time for that. You can get in and out at Innout Burger and starbucks much quicker. Very quickly before we go just going to if youll indulge me i just want to wish happy new year to a couple of people. First of all to all the Police Officers who were going to be out there in the cold tonight. Keeping all of us safe, you know this as your husband is a former officer himself. Also very specifically to the patients and staff at the residence, which is a hospice in new york and specifically one patient named ronnie, happy new year to you and much love to all of you guys and happy new year. Pleasure to work with you every week. Honored to be with you. Thanks so much. Thanks for watching, guys. Have a great day. Good morning. Im jessica castro. We are closing out 2016. And happening today, goodwill San Francisco holding its annual new years eve donateathon. Organizers hope to fill 75 trucks full of donations that help programs in the bay area that give people a chance to get back to work. Your last chance to receive a 2016 tax receipt for donations. The goodwill donation drop is located on Mission Street between 11th and south van ness. It will be opened from 7 00 a. M. To 5 00 p. M. The first 400 donors will receive free movie passes. San francisco getting ready for tonights big new years eve fireworks show. Abc news was along the embarcadero as the barricades were set up to control the big crowds expected. The show starts at midnight. Police say theyll be out in full force in uniform and undercover to keep everyone safe. If youre still up in the air about what to do and how to get around tonight, we have a great resource for you on our website, head to abc 7 news. Com. And how will the weather look tonight . Lets check in with lisa argen. Were getting rid of the scattered light showers this morning. You can see them from san rafael, down along the peninsula, san mateo, very hit and miss. But, were certainly going to look for the system to push quickly through the bay area. You can see the rotation off the coast here. So overall, temperatures today, mild, in the mid50s. Well be looking at a dry start to the new year. And then monday, tuesday, wednesday, increasing rain chances, high temperatures will be in the 50s. Perhaps some low snow levels into monday. But other than that, were looking at a good amount of snow for the Sierra Nevada tuesday into wednesday, several feet. So if you have the week off, youre going to want to stay tuned to the forecast and have a happy new year. Jessica . Lisa, thank you. The Buffalo Wild Wings is citrus bowl is next. Abc 7 news continues at 5 00 p. M. Have a safe and happy holiday. Happy new year. Zero really can be a hero. Ds get zero down, zero deposit, zero due at signing, and zero first months payment on select volkswagen models