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AUDREY’S SOCIETY WHIRL: Kennedy Center Honors
Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Barbra Streisand, Twyla Tharp, and Pete Townshend & Roger Daltrey are the 2008 Recipients of the 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
*On Sunday, December 7, America celebrated the extraordinary careers of six eminent individuals for their lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts in dance, music, theater, opera, motion pictures and television at the 31st Annual Kennedy Center Honors at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
For the sixth consecutive year, Caroline Kennedy returned as host. Kennedy, who looked regal in a bright royal blue designer’s gown topped off with a sparkling bejeweled necklace, set the tone for a majestic evening honoring these exemplary artists: actor Morgan Freeman, singer George Jones, director, singer, actress, composer and producer Barbra Streisand, choreographer Twyla Tharp, and musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who.
As President and Mrs. George W. Bush, Vice President and Mrs. Richard B. Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice seated with the honorees looked from the presidential box in the Opera House of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Kennedy commenced the festivities by quoting her father, President John F. Kennedy, who said, "I see little of more importance to the future of our country and our civilization than full recognition of the place of the artist." She then described the six 2008 honorees:
"a dance-mad girl from Indiana who -- when push came to shove -- kicked down the wall between high art and low to stage her own revolution in dance; two rockers from working class London who emerged as founding fathers of the British invasion, talking for their g-g-g-generation; a funny girl from Brooklyn whose outsized talent as a singer, actress and director let her put her stamp on the way we ...are; a lanky son of the Mississippi delta whose ease and honesty on the screen paved his path to Glory'; and a honky-tonkin' boy from East Texas whose tear stained voice and raw emotion made him the King of Country."
"With their extraordinary genius and tenacity, the 2008 Honorees have redefined the way we see, hear and feel the performing arts. We will forever be thankful for the great gifts they have shared with us," said Kennedy Center chairman Stephen A. Schwarzman.
"Morgan Freeman's name is synonymous with great screen acting and is one of the most respected performers in American cinema. With his unique voice and extraordinary career endurance, singer George Jones has been instrumental in making country music a vital force in American life.
Barbra Streisand's trailblazing career in music, theater, films, and television is one of the most thrilling spectacles of our culture. Choreographer Twyla Tharp is an American original, whose work has indelibly enriched the vocabulary of modern dance, contemporary ballet, and the Broadway musical. As the heart and soul of the seminal band The Who, songwriters and singers Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey transformed the sights and sounds of rock and roll."
Performers and Presenters included Beyoncé, Jack Black, Garth Brooks, Glenn Close, Chris Cornell, Clint Eastwood, Honeyboy Edwards, Marcelo Gomes, Dave Grohl, Nathan Gunn, Alan Jackson, B.B. King, Bettye Lavette, Shelby Lynne, Idina Menzel, Ne-Yo, Kelli O'Hara, Brad Paisley, Luciana Paris, Pinetop Perkins, Queen Latifah, Joss Stone, Koko Taylor, Rob Thomas, Lily Tomlin, Randy Travis and Denzel Washington.
The spectacular soiree has become the main cultural event of the Washington calendar year. The fantastic weekend is filled with one fabulous event after the other kicking off with the Kennedy Center Honors being bestowed the night before the gala on Saturday, December 6, at an elegant State Department dinner, hosted by Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice.
On Sunday, December 7, the President and Mrs. Bush hosted a stellar pre-gala party at the White House for the Honorees and members of the Artists Committee, who nominate them, along with the Kennedy Center Board of Trustees.
The 2008 Kennedy Center Honors Gala concluded with a star-studded supper dance in the Grand Foyer of the beauteous Center. The Boeing Company was the exclusive underwriter of the Honors Gala and weekend of events including the honorees luncheon and post-gala supper dance in the Grand Foyer.
George Stevens Jr., who created the Honors in 1978 with Nick Vanoff, produced and co-wrote the star-studded show for the thirty-first consecutive year; and Michael Stevens was a co-producer. The Honors Gala will be broadcast on the CBS Network for the 31st consecutive year as a two-hour prime time special on December 30 at 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT). (Photos by Walter McBride/Retna Ltd.)
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Kennedy Center Honors producer George Stevens Jr., Kennedy Center president Michael M. Kaiser, 2008 honorees Roger Daltrey, Barbra Streisand, Morgan Freeman, Pete Townshend, George Jones and Twyla Tharp, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Kennedy Center chairman Stephen A. Schwarz (Photo by Kevin Wolf/Associated Press)
First Lady Laura Bush & President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney & Lynne Cheney
James Brolin, Clint Eastwood, Barbra Streisand, Dina Ruiz Eastwood
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice congratulates Morgan Freeman
Audrey J. Bernard is an established chronicler of Black society and Urban happenings based in the New York City area.
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