Let's be honest, ticketed New Year’s Eve parties tend to offer the same exact things. You can usually count on an open bar, a buffet, champagne, party favors and lots of bros in vests. It can be hard to choose which party to go to because, really, it's hard to tell the difference between many of them.

Here’s a closer look at the New Year’s Eve celebrations in the Chicago area that stand out from the rest because they offer a performance or appearance by a recognizable name -- or somewhat recognizable name (keep in mind events are subject to change):

AFROJACK

Where: Studio Paris; 59 W. Hubbard Street
When: 9 p.m.
Tickets: $250 for general admission, $2,650-$4,000 for tables; studioparisnightclub.com
Preview: Studio Paris doesn’t need one of the world’s most famous DJs to pack the house on NYE, but the trendy club booked one anyway. Afrojack will also DJ Studio Paris the next night on Jan. 1.

ANDREW WK

Where: Thalia Hall; 1807 S. Allport Street
When: 9:30 p.m.
Tickets:...

They can be high-maintenance with all their requests, disrupt business (if not bring it to a halt) and often don't even pay — and just about every establishment in the city would give almost anything to get them in the door, entourage and all.

They are celebrities, and they have proven to be great for business.

Not only do stars help determine the trendiest hangouts in the Chicago area, they make for fun stories, like when Drake brought a laptop and speakers to Chicago Cut Steakhouse in August so that he could DJ his own dinner with friends.

The celebs spotted in and around Chicago this year formed your typical cast of characters: athletes playing for or against Chicago teams (Derrick Rose, Derek Jeter), musicians on tour (One Direction, Beyonce) and actors in town filming or promoting movies or TV shows (Henry Cavill, Sophia Bush).

Where did stars tend to hangout?

I tallied all the sightings I received in emails and texts and the ones I saw with my own eyes over the last 12 months;...

Comedian Chris Rock has been all over the place promoting his recently released film “Top Five,” including Chicago. Rock met with radio station contest winners while he was here and, it appears, revealed his Chicago pizza allegiance. Here’s that sighting and many more.

-    Rock visited Gino’s East in Streeterville Dec. 10 and tweeted “Landed in Chicago first stop, Gino's East with winners from WKSCFM radio.” He then plugged the pizza restaurant to his 3 million Twitter followers, tweeting “My favorite Deep dish!”

-    William H. Macy (“Shameless”) checked out the David Bowie Is exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art Dec. 9. Adrian Grenier (“Entourage”) stopped by Dec. 11.

-    John Cusack had dinner Monday at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse.

-    Country singer LeAnn Rimes had lunch Thursday at Japonais by Morimoto. “Chicago Fire” stars Taylor Kinney , Jesse Spencer , Monica Raymund , Eamonn Walker had dinner Thursday at Japonais with (spoiler alert) former cast member Lauren...

Charles Barkley felt bad for Jay Cutler following the news that the Bears’ quarterback had been benched for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions. And yes, the NBA Hall of Famer and TNT NBA analyst knows he’s in the minority.

“It’s unfortunate, man,” said Barkley Wednesday at Chicago Cut Steakhouse – the same restaurant where he ran into Cutler and fellow Bear Brandon Marshall in 2012 and picked up their check . “When you’re a celebrity and things are going bad, normal people have no sympathy for you. It’s interesting, I was reading Beyonce’s article ... she said once you’re famous, people don’t look at you as a person anymore. Jay Cutler is a person. He has a wife and kids.”

(Barkley was likely referring to “Yours and Mine,” the short-film Beyonce released last week in which she said, “When you’re famous, no one looks at you as a human anymore.”)

“Sir Charles” – who is in town to call Thursday’s Bulls-New York Knicks game at the United Center for TNT – has come to Cutler’s defense in...

Who is the last girl group to really make it big in the music industry?

I asked this question to the five members of girl group Fifth Harmony — who won MTV’s “Artist to Watch” award at the MTV Video Music Awards in August and performed in front of the president at the National Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony earlier this month — before their performance Wednesday at the AT&T store on Michigan Avenue. Until that point in the interview, the members had taken turns responding to my questions, almost as if there was a designated order.

That “order” ceased for this question, with the bandmates talking over each other and agreeing and disagreeing the way you’d expect when five people are involved — especially five people in their late teens and early 20s.

Lauren Jauregui suggested the Pussycat Dolls, but in question form. Normani Kordei Hamilton threw out the name Danity Kane. Camila Cabello disagreed: “I don’t think so. I think Destiny’s Child, I would say. Like, huge girl group —...

There were a few thoughts that crossed my mind as I took a seat on my tube at the top of Polar Peak and slid down the four-story snow tubing hill located in MB Financial Park at Rosemont:

1. Pfff. I thought it would be higher.

2. On second thought, this is pretty high.

3. Uh oh, I just got spun around and am sliding down backward. I didn’t sign up for this trust fall.

4. Did I just go airborne? I think I just went airborne? Was I supposed to go airborne?

5. I think I’ll do that again.

Polar Peak features five lanes and was created in partnership with Stack Box Structures. Like the hill, the snow used for Polar Peak is man-made. Because it needs to be cold to make the snow, Polar Peak may be closed on unseasonably warmer days. Check the website before you go.

If your friend or loved one is scared of heights and tries to play the “I don’t have a tube” card in order to get out of going, let them know tubes are provided. There’s also a less steep children’s lane at Polar Peak, which is...