The year -and decade- are done, and the city's biggest, most buzzed about New Year's Eve bashes (Hard, Giant, Gridlock) are either out of your budget or out of your comfort zone. The house party of a good friend -with lots of other good friends- might be optimal this Thursday night, but we think we've got the next best thing right here: smaller, scene-specific shindigs thrown by many of the clubs that made '09 a fine year for nightlife, each more different than the next. In fact, all of the following only have one thing in common and it will involve a hangover on January 1st. Our last blogging challenge of 2009: finding different ways to say “free champagne toast.” Read on for the hub-bubs, and check out our complete guide to New Year's Eve here.

Nuthin' like a Brut buzz. Photo By Lina Lecaro.

POP N' GREASE FREAK CITY

Dante's Fried Chicken provides the grub and Arabian Prince (aka Professor X of N.W.A.) the Lady Tigra, Maluca, Monksphere, Purple Crush, The Keyishe (and more TBA) provide the grooves. Champagne toast and finger lickin' good times. 6613 Sunset Blvd., Hlywd.; $25, $20 presale tickets at Rojas or Freak City LA. 10 pm-4 am. Info at Freak City's Twitter.

DANCE RIGHT NEW YEARS EVE MASQUERADE PARTY

Masks seemed to be popular last year -before and after Halloween- so why not on NYE too? You never know who you might be locking lips with during the first minutes of 2010 at Dance Right's Masquerade, featuring Fool's Gold performing live, plus DJs and bands including Prince Language, Asa Ransom, Valida, Alphabeast, Smiles Davis and DJ Pubes, also MCing. Free bubbly at the bewitching hour. At The Standard Hollywood, 8300 Sunset Blvd.; over 21; $30. Tix at the Dance Right site.

CRAZY '80S PARTY

What better time for a flashback than NYE? New Year's Nation, in association with The Ricardo Montalbán Foundation, present this totally awesome, like ohmigod bitchin' gathering with Nina Hagen, Josie Cotton, Roy Hey (Culture Club), Tommy Tutone and Cure coverists Boys Don't Cry, and it's all hosted by the venerable Rodney Bingenheimer. Blue Moon reception (free beer served from 8 – 10PM); complimentary champy clinking; “lite nites” buffet til 10 PM); coffee and dessert later. At The Montalbán, 1615 North Vine St., Hlywd.; $50. Buy tix at New Years Nation.

NEW YEARS EVE @ GRAND STAR

One of the funkiest fetes to close out '09, features some of our favorite spin-sters at a legendary dance dive. Kutmah (Firecracker, Dublab), Clifton (Funky Sole), Dorian (Solid Gold), and Maurice De La Falaise (Automatico), plus La Ghost live. Plastic flutes to sip for everyone at 12. Grand Star Jazz Club, 943 N. Broadway. Chinatown; $10.

AFEX NYE AT TS2

DJ Adam 12's hip-hop humdinger promises “real music, real people, good times” and most importantly, “no BEP (Black Eyed Peas).” DJ line-up includes Arabian Prince (hoppin from Freak City), Marvski, Jahi Sundance, and Mr. Choc. $35 Bottles of champizzle (no Cristal or Dom, duh); old school photo booth by the Originators; Old English 40s (in paper bags); free Philly Blunts. At Temporary Spaces II, 4658 Melrose Ave. Free With RSVP. Info at Afex and Adam 12's blog.

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Whom and where will you kiss at Midnight? Photo by Lina Lecaro.

ENCHANTMENT

Here Lounge will be transformed into a magical forest with falling snow, ice sculptures and fog at Paul Nicholls Magical NYE man-fest. DJ Casey Alva spins, and Woody Woodbeck, Lanny Leyda, Cheyne Hauk, Luke Nero, Rossmar, Sarah Smart, Hector Monserratte, Livonia, Morgan, Mayhem, Detox & DIVA host. Freebie sparkling libations to ring in the new decade. At Here Lounge, 696 Robertson Blvd. West Hlywd.; $10. Info at Here Lounge.

PART TIME PUNKS AT FOOTSIES

Dance like an Echo Park punk in Cypress Park for one night only with the PTP boys, spinning “obscure and classic music coming out of America, the UK and Europe in 1978 to the present: Punk, Post-punk, Punk-funk, New Wave, No Wave, Hardcore, Indie-Pop, Twee, Grunge, Electro, Minimal-Synth, Shoegaze, Baggy.” Get so drunk you can't tell the difference. Don't drive. Comped 'pagne, party favors, balloons and messy hair. 2640 N. Figueroa St.: over 21; free. Info at www.parttimepunks.com

CBGB 1977

The sounds of the legendary NY punk club come to life in Hollywood courtesy of DJ Apollo Staar (out of retirement for one night only) on this New Years Eve, because, well, why not? Expect “Ramones, Lou Reed, NY Dolls, Blondie, Sparks, Queen, Vibrators, The Stranglers, Damned, Dictators, Johnny Thunders, Runaways, Bowie, TRex, Generation X, The Saints, Ultravox, Gary Numan, Sex Pistols, Pretenders, Stiff Little Fingers, Kraftwerk, Sham 69, Jayne County, Misfits, Iggy & the Stooges, The Clash, Wire, Joy Division” and much, much more, plus random Corridor debauchery. 1621 Cahuenga; over 21; free. See Staar's Twitter.

THE BULLET

This mod mash invites you to “Party like its 1965” all night, as LAs top mod DJs spinn 60s Soul, Garage, Mod Power Pop and two tone Ska. Big dancefloor with special fx lighting, video projections and a live performance from Los Angeles power pop band The Question. Vino bubblito gratis. 1231 Vine St., Hlywd.; over 21; $15. Chck Bullet's Myspace for details.

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Miss Kitty and the Boulet Brothers go back to the future for the new year. Photo by Lina Lecaro.

2010: A SPACE SEX ODYSSEY

Billed as an electronic disco-dance brothel from the future,

Miss Kitty's Parlour's peeps/pervs promise sexbots, lazers, “live erotic interplanetary shows and interactive pleasure simulation areas,” plus Ernie Omega's “future fashion fucktacular,” DJs Barbeau & RX Slaughter and last but not least, a fizzy-stuff-free-for-all when the ball(s) drop. At the Dragonfly, 6510 Santa Monica Blvd; over 21; $10. See www.misskittysparlour.com

HANG THE DJ'S, UNDERGROUND & THE ECHO's

ROARRRINN' YEAR OF THE TIGER!

DJs Aaron Castle (Rhonda), Dan (Cosmic Kids), Alex (Am/Fm/Transistor)

and Underground DJs spin and The Growlers (just off the Julian Casablancas tour) and My Pet Saddle get animalistic for the New Year.

Midnight Balloon Drop and yes, champaña at no charge during the countdown. At The Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd.; over 18; $12. See HTDJs Myspace for info.

VENDETTA NEW YEAR'S EVE

This 1920's Prohibition Era Mobster-themed party will offer noir-ish shebas and sheiks, Flappers, Dappers, Burlesque babes, and formal Black and White attire. DJs Mike Stewart, Amanda Jones, Xian and Daemon spin darkwave, industrial, ebm, goth, synthpop, dark indie, elektro, dark 80's and even some jazz and swing. VIP area will have a top shelf open bar & SuicideGirl Blackjack tables. Champagne? It's just another one of the many forbidden nectars in this speakeasy, but get there early for “prohibition-hour” (9-10) when the drinks will be retro cheap. At the Monte Cristo, 3100 Wilshire Blvd.; over 21; $20 general admission; VIP $150 (free drinks all night). Discounted advance tix at www.ladead.com/vendetta

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