Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve will take place in New Orleans after all, but still without Lauren Daigle.

On Friday, the Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund voted 5-1 to cover the half-a-million-dollar bill so New Orleans can have its spot on the national stage as the countdown for the entire central time zone.

“This was going to be in agreement and a funding in partnership with the state. That has changed,” Board President Lisa Alexis said.

Of course, what Alexis is referring to is the fact that Lieutenant Governor Billy Nungesser pulled all $500,000 of the funding to stage the event after New Orleans Mayor Latoya Cantrell said she didn't want Lauren Daigle to perform.

Oh, by the way, Daigle is the ambassador for Nungesseer's Tourism campaign, the Sunshine Plan. The Lt. Governor says that without Daigle and her fan base, he wasn't getting the best bang for the taxpayer's buck.

“This allows us to use dollars that were intended for major events to save a major event in the city of New Orleans,” John Pourciau, Chief of Staff for the Mayor’s Office, said.

So, who will be performing then? It appears that the Big Easy's time on the nationally broadcasted event will include performances by local artists and interviews with first responders on the front lines of the pandemic.

All total, the city will get about eight minutes of air time. Last year, it was 25 minutes long.

“This is network coverage,” Board Member Lloyd Dennis said. “There’s a pent-up desire all over the world to travel and this allows us to be in a position in the front of mind because everybody in the world is trying to decide where they want to go next.”

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