Entertainers busy on New Year’s Eve

Elton John, the Jonas Brothers, Daughtry, Taylor Swift, Lil Wayne and Fall Out Boy all have something in common this New Year’s Eve:

They’ll all be working – even if only through the magic of videotape.

There’s some stiff competition among the networks for people who will be partying in front of their television sets Wednesday night.

The granddaddy of New Year’s Eve entertainment is “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2009,” the title made even more torturous by the baton-passing between the two entertainment utility players.

The show has a prime-time hour at 10 p.m., breaks for news, then returns with Swift, the Jonas Brothers and Lionel Richie in Times Square. Fergie will host a Hollywood segment with the Pussycat Dolls and others.

Carson Daly is hosting his fifth New Year’s Eve special on NBC, with the same format: an hour in prime-time, a break for news, and a longer party.

T.I., Ludacris, Katy Perry, the Ting Tings and Elton John all join Daly.

Daughtry and Scott Weiland are featured players on Fox’s late-night special, with Spike Feresten and Mark Thompson as hosts. It airs at 11 p.m.

CBS, by contrast, is going to bed early. It’s airing a David Letterman “Late Show” rerun.

One recent trend is partying news networks: If you want to jam with Anderson Cooper or Bill Hemmer, you can.

Cooper, teamed with comic Kathy Griffin, is in Times Square for CNN, which boasts a surprisingly cool lineup of Lil Wayne, My Morning Jacket and Hinder.

Fox’s “U Party 2009” has LoCash Cowboys and Chuck Hicks.

The hardest workers of the night? Try the classic rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd – they’re booked on both CNN and the Fox broadcast network.