Gala White House Event: 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors Five Amazing Artists
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on December 29, 2010
The 33rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors event, which was held on December 5, 2010, was broadcast last night on CBS. President and First Lady Obama presided over the gala event, honoring country musician Merle Haggard, composer Jerry Herman, choreographer Bill T. Jones, musician/composer Paul McCartney, and TV talk show host, actress, and successful business woman Oprah Winfrey.
The president opened the ceremony by stating that it was a privilege to recognize artists who help people understand the human experience through the arts.
Last year’s honorees were Dave Brubeck, Mel Brooks, Grace Bumbry, Robert DeNiro, and Bruce Springsteen.
This video clip of highlights from this year’s Kennedy Center Honors is from the WhiteHouse.gov website.
From the Kennedy Center website:
“The Kennedy Center celebrates five individuals who have spent their lives enriching, inspiring and elevating the cultural vibrancy of our nation and the world,” said Kennedy Center Chairman David M. Rubenstein.”The honesty of Merle Haggard’s music and poetic lyrics has helped to shape the world of country music for nearly five decades. Jerry Herman’s musicals rank him in the pantheon of Broadway’s Golden Age and will keep audiences humming along for generations to come. The inventive style and imaginative artistry of Bill T. Jones has had an invaluable impact on the varied landscapes of dance and theater. Sir Paul McCartney is one of the most influential and successful songwriters and musicians of all time, whose work has continuously altered both the creation and perception of music all over the world. For more than 25 years, Oprah Winfrey has established one of the most innovative careers in the entertainment world, with distinctive accomplishments in television and film.”
“The Kennedy Center Honors continues to be an evening like no other and one of the most prestigious telecasts of the television year,” said Leslie Moonves, President & Chief Executive Officer, CBS Corporation. “The intersection of Washington, New York and Hollywood for this event speaks to the importance of the performing arts to all of us. We’re proud of our longstanding partnership with the Kennedy Center and privileged each year to be part of a broadcast that honors those whose talents and achievements influence our arts, entertainment and culture in such a profound way.”
The annual Honors Gala has become the highlight of the Washington cultural year, and its broadcast on CBS is a high point of the television season.
From New York Times, Okie to Beatle: Kennedy Center Honorees:
WASHINGTON — Oprah Winfrey said her initial reaction to being told she was a 2010 Kennedy Center honoree could be summed up in two words: “Wowie gazowie.” Merle Haggard? He compared being named an honoree to a “nice kick in the stomach.”
The center announced on Tuesday that Paul McCartney, the composer and lyricist Jerry Herman and the dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones, along with Ms. Winfrey and Mr. Haggard, were recipients of the 2010 Kennedy Center Honors, which are given for lifetime contributions to American culture.
The 2010 group will be honored at a gala at the Kennedy Center on Dec. 5.
Mr. McCartney, 68, has had a long recording and touring career with his own bands in the post-Beatles era.
He issued a statement saying that “President Kennedy was such an icon for us in the ’60s, and his presidency was so inspiring for so many people that it is a great pleasure for this kid from Liverpool to receive this honor.”
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