The countdown to the new year is on and the stars are ready to party!

Carrie Underwood and Miley Cyrus are ringing in 2008 with Ryan Seacrest on Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve from Times Square, while newly-engaged Fergie is fronting the show from Hollywood.

"Entourage" star Adrien Grenier will party in sunny South Beach at hip hotel Victor with his band The Honey Brothers. Also in Miami: Playboy's December centerfold Kim Kardashian, who will be holding court at club Mansion.

But when it comes to star-gazing this New Year's Eve, Sin City is the place to be.

Avril Lavigne is hosting the grand opening of hotspot Prive at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino, while Mariah Carey will be ringing in the new year at Tao nightclub.

And some stars in Vegas are getting paid incredible sums to party.

Pam Anderson's reportedly raking in $500,000 to host a bash at Pure in Caesar's Palace. Paris Hilton and sister Nicky will be paid $1 million to whoop it up at LAX inside the Luxor Hotel.

Marie Osmond's rollercoaster run on "Dancing with the Stars" has made her one of Hollywood's hottest commodities. Now the resilient American sweetheart is telling "Extra" why fame is even better the second time around.

"I have great kids. I love my kids, you know that and it's okay," she said. "It's okay to be alone, and it's okay to be busy and it's a choice you make to be positive with what comes at you in life."

It's been a turbulent year for Marie. She lost her father and saw the end of her 20-year marriage. Still, she has a lot more coming at her in 2008: She'll reunite with partner Jonathan Roberts for the "Dancing" tour and somehow find time for even more.

"We have a lot of offers on the table right now," Marie explained about a possible talk show.

She added, "I'd love to sing opera. I love theater. But truly, when you get to a certain place in your life, the joy comes watching your kids."

Victoria Beckham may be on tour with the Spice Girls, but she's dishing all about personal time with soccer stud hubby David.

"We spend a lot of time socializing at home so we don't get photographed," Posh told "Extra." "I couldn't live a life where I was under the spotlight everyday."

She added, "If you look at someone like Britney Spears, I couldn't do that. I've got to have my privacy at home with my husband and my children. Otherwise, I'd end up going loopy."

But this private gal and mom of three is a powerhouse businesswoman, working seven days a week on her DVB fashion line.

"That brand for me is like my fourth child and I've very passionate about what I do," she said. "I'm not just a celebrity who puts my name on things. That doesn't interest me."

Only "Extra" is with the dynamic duo inside their top-secret denim lab as they reveal their biggest denim fashion secrets.

What's the major trend they say is out? And what's in for 2008?

Greg Kinnear is haunting the streets of New York City in his new romantic comedy, "Ghost Town," and "Extra" is first on the set.

But why did co-star Tea Leoni give Greg the brush-off?

Is Nicole Kidman pregnant with her first child? Not at all, says her rep.

"It is incorrect," the rep says of a story reported in the U.K.'s Daily Mail. "She must have had about 30 babies by now."

Adds her rep, "She's in Australia, and her family are in Australia. It's the silly season. As far as we're concerned, it's another rumor out of London."

Are more babies on the way for Charlie Sheen and fiancée Brooke Mueller?

"Absolutely, yeah, I think so," Charlie told "Extra." We're just dealing with what's in front of us right now, and get through all this crap, and get back to our regularly scheduled life, and then deal with getting married, and having out own family, which is exciting, you know."

This year has been a rough one for the "Two and a Half Men" star. He's been locked in bitter custody battle with ex Denise Richards, with whom he has two daughters. But through it all, Charlie said he's keeping perspective.

"You know they say this type of stuff builds character and all that, and what doesn't kill us makes us bitter - I mean, stronger," he joked.

“Extra” has learned that no charges will be filed against Brandy. Brandy was involved in a car crash in December 2006 which took the life of Awatef Aboudihaj. This announcement comes after reports surfaced that Brandy may have been a victim of a car pileup and not the cause of the accident.

Official statement from Frank Mateljan, Press Deputy:

"The City Attorney’s Office has decided not to file misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter charges against Brandy Norwood in the case stemming from a December 30, 2006 traffic collision. After conducting a thorough investigation, which included consulting with some of the top accident reconstruction experts in the country, City prosecutors concluded that there was insufficient evidence from which a jury could find Ms. Norwood guilty of such a charge beyond a reasonable doubt."

After 11 years as husband and wife, Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn are splitting up.

Their rep confirmed to People that the couple will divorce, but didn't say why.

Sean, 47, and Robin, 41, tied the knot in 1996 and had been dating since the early '90s. They have two children together, Hopper Jack, 14, and Dylan Frances, 16.

One year after spending 30 days in rehab following her scandalous stint as Miss U.S.A., Tara Conner has announced plans to write a memoir.

Conner, 22, told the "Today" show that she'll pen a book about her life lessons, which included admitting that she used cocaine during the pageant and nearly being stripped of her title. Donald Trump, co-owner of the pageant, famously gave her a "second chance" on the condition that she seek help.

Conner, from Kentucky, spent 31 days at the Caron Foundation rehab facility in Pennsylvania last December. She completed the treatment on Jan. 21 and later admitted that she was just a small town Kentucky girl who got lost in the bliss of the Big Apple.

“When it was time for me to walk away and take the sash off, I turned into a completely different person,” Tara said.

It looks like things may be heating up between Carrie Underwood and Chace Crawford.

The country cutie reportedly spent Christmas with Chace's family, and Us Weekly reports that the "whole family loves her."

In fact, the family may have marriage on the mind!

"They believe 'Carrie Crawford' would be a great addition to the family,'" the mag claims.

Click on an image to view the CARRIE UNDERWOOD photo gallery!

Three years after beating cancer, Melissa Etheridge has a new CD and a new outlook on life.

"It was an awakening to absolute joy of what our lives really are," Melissa explains.

Melissa's personal new effort, "Awakening," was written while she was going through chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. The songstress also dropped a bombshell about her new song, "Threesome," revealing that it was written about her partner, Tammy Lynn Michaels!

"I don't want to have a threesome ever again!" she confessed. "It's rock and roll. I had to live the rock and roll lifestyle."

Shirley MacLaine has long claimed that she has been reincarnated. Now the legendary actress is sitting down with "Extra" to talk about another idea - aliens - in an all-new interview.

"Extra" hits the fast-forward button on youth and takes a hard look at how beauty can fade without the proper lifestyle.