Hollywood Exclusive by Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith

Dick Clark expects to be in the thick of things again on "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest" — counting down the last seconds of 2011 on live TV, as he's done with only one exception since 1972.

Clark is especially looking forward to this year's show because it marks the 40th anniversary of the event. That's according to those close to the 82-year-old, who was known for decades as America's Oldest Teenager. His wife Kari will be waiting for him to complete his midnight countdown so they can share their traditional New Year's kiss and then head out for their annual post-show snack at a nearby NYC hamburger spot.

Clark is continuing to do daily physical therapy, still in recovery mode from the stroke he suffered in 2004. He also still goes into his office almost every day — not at Dick Clark Productions, which he sold years ago, but at his current Dick Clark Company, where he is involved in several businesses and has some new TV projects in development.

And as for Dick's relationship with his successor, Ryan Seacrest, they're in touch by phone — especially this time of year — and they see each other at the NYC run-throughs of their "Rockin' Eve."

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS: Sure, celebrities are used to getting big-ticket items such as luxury trips and jewelry and cars for Christmas and Hanukkah, but what stays in the minds of many — as is true for most of us — are the small but meaningful presents they received as children. Here are a few favorites we've collected over the past few years.

Mr. T.: "My mother's love. We didn't have much money, but I knew I had that, and that's all that really mattered."

John Travolta: "I don't even have to think about it. I was 8 years old, and it was a DC-8 (model plane) with all the details and a stewardess at the door.

Garret Dillahunt: "It was a big deal when I got my first guitar. That sounds like I'm a heck of a guitar player now, which is not the case. I remember coming downstairs before everyone was awake and there was that little-kid's-size guitar. That was a big day."

Keri Russell: "My first bike. It was a red 10-speed. The first time you get a bicycle is a big deal when you're a kid. It's like you're a big kid. Transportation."

Jim Belushi: "I was 6 years old, and I was surprised with a beautiful red bike with a banana seat and big handlebars.

It was a beauty, and I loved it, except that I didn't know how to ride a bike, and by the time I learned, it was a beautiful red bike with a lot of dents."

Stephen Root: "When I was 2 years old, my mom tells me, I wanted a cuckoo clock, so they got me one of those old-fashioned cuckoo clocks with the bird coming out of the door, which I still have."

Marlee Matlin: "I loved the Hanukkah when I got a Spirograph. It was the most fascinating thing to me. The ever-changing patterns, the myriad of colors, and I had control over it all. It was instant art, and I remember showing off my creations to my mom and dad or anyone who was willing to look. I absolutely loved it."

James Franco: "My old Nintendo."

Tim Curry: "Scrabble. I was completely obsessed with it. I asked my mother once, maybe 10, 15 years ago, to describe me as a child, and she said, 'You were the kid in the corner of the room with his face in a book.'"

Vanessa Hudgens: "My guitar when I was 16."

Susie Essman: "My mother would always do themes for the eight days of Hanukkah, and one year she gave us an office. The first day, a cigar box. The second day, a stapler and tape. The third, pencils and pens, and so on with all these supplies. We started getting annoyed - 'What's with these gifts?' On the eighth day, I think I got a Barbie or something, a toy I wanted. But it's funny, what I really remember is the office."

Vera Farmiga: "My favorite childhood Christmas gift was this baby doll that you could feed real food and it could poop and you could change the diapers. That was the best gift I ever received."

John Stamos: "The year I got a Tony the Tiger drum set. That was absolutely the best."

David Thewlis: "My first guitar, I suppose. My brother fell over it and broke the neck of it. It traumatized me so much. Now I have 20 guitars."

Henry Winkler: "My favorite Hanukkah gift was a working model of a Studebaker automobile, where when you could turn the very tiny steering wheel, and it turned the wheels of the car. It was sea foam green."

Ed Begley Jr.: "Without a doubt, my favorite Christmas gift: an erector set."

Scott Porter: "I have to say, my brother, Brendan, was born on Christmas Eve, and that was the greatest gift of all. And my sister, Ariana, was born when I had my 15th birthday — my greatest birthday gift. If I mention one, I have to mention both."

To find out more about Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith and read their past columns, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2011 MARILYN BECK AND STACY JENEL SMITH

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