The Annual Kennedy Center Honors (CBS) - General Discussion

[Inquisitionist]

President and Dr. Biden will attend.

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This year's recipients include Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Justino Díaz, Berry Gordy and Lorne Michaels.

Very music-heavy list.  

[ebk57]

13 hours ago, vb68 said:

Is this still happening this calendar year? it usually tapes in the beginning of December for broadcast later in the month. But so far, I've heard nothing.  I wouldn't be surprised if this got pushed to next year sometime.

Anybody know what's up? Ebk57, you have any info?

Just asking because I was excited about this ceremony.

Definitely happening.  The brothers-in-law are working night and day at the moment, getting ready for the multi-hour extravaganza on Sunday.  The first article in the WaPo appeared today profiling Joni Mitchell.  She declined to be interviewed, but the article is lovely.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/12/03/joni-mitchell-kennedy-center-honors/

 

[Vermicious Knid]

Kennedy Honors sparkled back to full festive life.
 

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The production, as is traditional, consisted of five segments celebrating the careers of the award winners. This year’s show, directed by Glenn Weiss, with music direction by Rickey Minor, was as sharp and lively an installment as the franchise has seen in years. It had a passel of prize moments: Brandi Carlile gave resonant lilt to 78-year-old Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi,” and Brittany Howard and Herbie Hancock united to perform her eternal “Both Sides Now”; mezzo-sopranos Grace Bumbry and Denyce Graves offered heartfelt tributes to the 81-year-old, Puerto Rican-born Díaz. And for the tribute to Michaels, 77, a series of hosts over the decades of “Saturday Night Live’s” venerable “Weekend Update” segment — Kevin Nealon, Amy Poehler and Seth Meyers, and Colin Jost and Michael Che — appeared on a mock-up of the television set to make a hilarious target out of their former (or current) boss....

Broadway star Kelli O’Hara was tapped to fete Midler, 76, with a silky version of her 1988 hit “Wind Beneath My Wings,” from the movie “Beaches.”

The evening of encomiums began with Yo-Yo Ma playing a moving opening cello solo of the national anthem and offering an inspirational boost: “The land of the free and the home of the brave,” he declared. “This is who we are.” An irreverent follow-up occurred with David Letterman’s appearance....

The proceedings moved in polished fashion through the first tributes, to Mitchell and Díaz, but a technical problem required one of the final numbers of the evening, with Stevie Wonder, to be restarted. Seated at a piano, [Norah] Jones performed a medley of Mitchell songs, including a fine version of “The Circle Game.” The Díaz segment featured a chorus led by Graves, Christian Van Horn, Ariana Wehr and Hannah Shea in the Toreador Song from Bizet’s “Carmen.” And it closed with Van Horn, Anna María Martínez and Matthew Polenzani in the finale of Gounod’s “Faust.”...

Midler’s tribute included a trio of actors from her hit 2017 Broadway revival of “Hello, Dolly!” — Beanie Feldstein, Kate Baldwin and Taylor Trensch — singing a Midler favorite, “You Gotta Have Friends.” Goldie Hawn, Melissa Manchester and Barbara Hershey — the last her co-star in “Beaches” — provided warm anecdotes. And emulating Midler from her early, campy performances, actor Billy Porter emerged from a clam shell to sing a knockout version of her “From a Distance.”

 

Unfortunately it was 4 hours that will be cut down to 90 minutes for broadcast :(. Or about half if it's a 3 hour program.

[Inquisitionist]

I've set my DVR for tomorrow, 12/22, at 9e/8c on CBS!

[ebk57]

2 things early - I miss seeing the faces of the audience (but I totally understand, and support the reason why I can't see them).  And, Dave looks good!  He trimmed the beard to formal length. I love Dave.

[Thumper]

I know some of Joni Mitchell’s songs, but not many. Am enjoying Brandi Carlisle’s rendition of “River” ( which I don’t remember).  This is why I love this show.

[ebk57]

And now - Brittany Howard!  And Herbie Hancock!! 

 

Okay, I'll stop giving the play-by-play and just watch.  (or at least I'll try... 😄 )

[Crashcourse]

Brittany Howard has a lovely voice but what's up with that outfit?

I love Herbie Hancock but they barely showed him.

Edited December 23, 2021 by Crashcourse

[ebk57]

I love Paul Simon, but I was kinda hoping he'd be dressed as a turkey. 

[chitowngirl]

I was hoping for appearances from of the seasoned SNL players

[ebk57]

I just love Bette!  And there really is nothing like seeing her live.  Her concerts are always an event, and she was fabulous as Dolly.  Just the best.

[wonderwoman]

i know this is shallow — and maybe a little mean — but goldie: did you not look in the mirror and notice the side boob before you left the house?

Edited December 23, 2021 by wonderwoman

[Thumper]

You can see Bette’s appreciation of this rendition of “The Wind Beneath My Wind,” but it cannot compare to Bette’s.

[ECM1231]

7 minutes ago, Thumper said:

You can see Bette’s appreciation of this rendition of “The Wind Beneath My Wind,” but it cannot compare to Bette’s.

True,that. Bette has her own unique style. WBMW was a massive hit for her.  I didn't catch the name of the woman who was her friend for 50+ years, The Harlette. I thought perhaps Barry Manilow might have made an appearance. Billy Porter...just wow!!!!

 

 

 

 

[Thumper]

I know very little about opera, but that performance was wow!!!!!!

[ebk57]

4 minutes ago, ECM1231 said:

True,that. Bette has her own unique style. WBMW was a massive hit for her.  I didn't catch the name of the woman who was her friend for 50+ years, The Harlette. I thought perhaps Barry Manilow might have made an appearance. Billy Porter...just wow!!!!

 

That was Melissa Manchester.  Love her, too! 

It is too bad Barry couldn't make an appearance.

[Thumper]

I didn’t catch that it was Melissa Manchester, either.  Cool!

[ebk57]

Andra Day is amazing.  

[vb68]

I love the show and performances. And I really love these honorees specifically.

I will say this show really, really needed to be three hours.  They were moving fast.

Did they actually edit out the last verse of Both Sides Now?   No. Just No.

I too was hoping to see Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Bill Murray.

All in all though, it was a really fun show. And Dave was a great host.

[possibilities]

Who was the kid playing the harmonica? I feel like there's something wrong with my  life that I didn't know he existed until now.

I did not know Bette was still playing the bathhouses when she was also playing Carnegie Hall. I love her for that. 

I had her Divine Miss M album and played it so much ... I wonder what happened to it. I don't remember getting rid of it. I had a friend who would come over and ask me to play "Friends" for her. 

I missed the beginning of the broadcast but anything with Brittany Howard is always amazing. I can't wait to see what outfit she was wearing, if it was astonishing enough to draw attention from her voice.

 

[ebk57]

1 minute ago, vb68 said:

I love the show and performances. And I really love these honorees specifically.

I will say this show really, really needed to be three hours.  They were moving fast.

Did they actually edit out the last verse of Both Sides Now?   No. Just No.

I too was hoping to see Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Bill Murray.

All in all though, it was a really fun show. And Dave was a great host.

Agree!  I do hope that Dave actually had more to do in the part of the show we didn't see, because if he came here just to open and close the proceedings, well, he must really be bored 😄

[buttersister]

The performances were stellar as usual. This show is one of the year’s best—welcome back. Hard not to be emotional over the artistry involved and how life-enriching and life-affirming the arts are.

[vb68]

I was genuinely surprised and delighted that Adele narrated Bette Midler's package. That was a wonderful surprise.

[susannah]

I so liked Bette's segment, and also Stevie Wonder's. I did not know that Melissa Manchester was a Harlette, nor til I read here that Katey Sagal also was! I liked that Melissa and Barbara Hershey were there to honor her. Bette's looking great and I really like her environmental work and teaching. It would have been cool if Barry Manilow was there too. I think Goldie and Smokey overdid the eyelifts! I also wondered who was who in the audience, I didn't recognize anyone with the masks on! I probably will be killed for this, but I have never cared for Joni Mitchell, I don't get why people think she is God's gift to music, and have always loathed SNL. I do not like crudity or think it is funny. I like intelligent humor.

[HelenBaby]

I thought it was the worst. I was expecting to be overcome with emotion but I guess when the show was 4 hours and edited to about 90 minutes a lot was left on the cutting room floor. I worshipped Joni & Bette and grew up with Motown and SNL. And what they showed was the best they could come up with? 

[chitowngirl]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

 

Who was the kid playing the harmonica? I feel like there's something wrong with my  life that I didn't know he existed until now.

 

He wasn’t playing the harmonica. He just had his hands in front of his face miming. When the curtain opened , you could see that it Stevie playing the harmonica.

[Spartan Girl]

9 hours ago, vb68 said:

I too was hoping to see Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Bill Murray.

Me too. But I did smile seeing Kate and Kristen as the Blues Brothers. And then that made me feel sad because in another life John and Dan would’ve done it together.

[sugarbaker design]

2 hours ago, HelenBaby said:

I was expecting to be overcome with emotion but I guess when the show was 4 hours and edited to about 90 minutes a lot was left on the cutting room floor.

I've been watching this for years.  My friends and I refer to the KCH as our Super Bowl.  As far as I can remember it's always been five honorees in 2 hours.  Of course there's going to be a lot cut out.  When Dolly Parton was honored the editors cut out Jessica Simpson performing 9-5.  For that I am very grateful.  How could you not be overcome with emotion when watching Justino Diaz watching his daughters sing?!

 

10 hours ago, ebk57 said:

Agree!  I do hope that Dave actually had more to do in the part of the show we didn't see, because if he came here just to open and close the proceedings, well, he must really be bored 😄

Not as bored as the audience.  My one complaint is having a person host who's known for being arch, snide and snarky.  I miss Walter Cronkite and Caroline Kennedy.

 

3 hours ago, susannah said:

I do not like crudity or think it is funny. I like intelligent humor.

Not to be contrary, but intelligent humor can be quite crude.

 

[cinsays]

3 hours ago, susannah said:

 I probably will be killed for this, but I have never cared for Joni Mitchell, I don't get why people think she is God's gift to music

Yeah, you're dead!   Joni's a wonder and I still love and play her music.

[possibilities]

4 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

He wasn’t playing the harmonica. He just had his hands in front of his face miming. When the curtain opened , you could see that it Stevie playing the harmonica.

That's what I get for listening harder than I watch. But it makes me feel much better about not knowing who the kid is.

[Crashcourse]

I loved Stevie Wonder closing things out.  The people in the audience looked like they all wanted to bust a move!

[susannah]

9 hours ago, sugarbaker design said:

I've been watching this for years.  My friends and I refer to the KCH as our Super Bowl.  As far as I can remember it's always been five honorees in 2 hours.  Of course there's going to be a lot cut out.  When Dolly Parton was honored the editors cut out Jessica Simpson performing 9-5.  For that I am very grateful.  How could you not be overcome with emotion when watching Justino Diaz watching his daughters sing?!

 

Not as bored as the audience.  My one complaint is having a person host who's known for being arch, snide and snarky.  I miss Walter Cronkite and Caroline Kennedy.

 

Not to be contrary, but intelligent humor can be quite crude.

 

I guess it just depends on how one defines intelligent humor and crude humor. It's subjective.

2 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

I loved Stevie Wonder closing things out.  The people in the audience looked like they all wanted to bust a move!

They did! Everyone was dancing!

[possibilities]

Finally caught up with the beginning, which I'd missed last night. 

The Joni Mitchell tribute brought back so many memories! I think I had all her albums. And, again, I have no idea what happened to them. I definitely didn't get rid of them on purpose. Hmmmn....

As for Brittany Howard's outfit, it was the hat that struck me as odd. Not sure what she was going for with that particular choice-- and I generally love hats! 

 

[Crashcourse]

42 minutes ago, possibilities said:

As for Brittany Howard's outfit, it was the hat that struck me as odd. Not sure what she was going for with that particular choice-- and I generally love hats! 

 

And when she came out with the group at the end, the hat was missing.  Maybe she realized how silly she looked wearing it?

[HelenBaby]

8 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

And when she came out with the group at the end, the hat was missing.  Maybe she realized how silly she looked wearing it?

I think she may have changed into a completely different outfit. She seemed to be wearing a green velvet dress with the matching hat in the tribute to Joni but when she came back at the end that dress looked like it was black and a different fabric. 

[jah1986]

Like others have mentioned, the KCH is like my SuperBowl. I look forward to this every year and am so glad they were back in the opera house this year. 

I appreciated all the honorees. I had not heard of Justin Diaz but loved his tribute and the emotion he showed watching his daughters sing.  

But, except for Billy Porter and Stevie Wonder, I felt underwhelmed.  It definitely was better than some of the previous years but it felt like a lot of the heart was missing.

[Crashcourse]

I forgot to mention those Temptation guys.  They were great!

[annzeepark914]

I enjoyed the show...especially Bette Midler's & Lorne Michaels' tributes. The only part that saddened me was Paul Simon's voice.  Either he had a cold or he's lost his voice.

[vb68]

I was shocked we didn't hear anyone sing The Rose during Bette's tribute. That was such an iconic song. Did Billy sing it and it got edited out?

I could listen to Brandi Carlile's version of River all day.

Edited December 27, 2021 by vb68

[SunnyBeBe]

I loved this program so much that it’s difficult to articulate it right now now.  I just watched it tonight.  It’s as if the producers were channeling the best musical highlights ….omg!   Knocking me out!   Britney Howard for Joni Mitchell….Paul Simon for Lorne Michaels….Billie Porter for Bette Midler……I’m speechless!  I’ll likely watch this a dozen times or more! From A Distance…………..this show is award worthy! Omg!

[SunnyBeBe]

I’ll add my admiration of  the performance of Stevie Wonder to honor Barry Gordy!  Just superb!  Everyone up on their feet!  There’s nothing like it! Just a great production all the way around l

[bunnyface]

I did see Caroline Kennedy in the audience.  I hope she got to speak and they just (horribly) cut it out of the broadcast.  Seems like for a 50th anniversary of the Kennedy Center, she might have gotten to say something.

[Good Queen Jane]

2022 Kennedy Center Honors were announced. Recipients are U-2, George Clooney, Gladys Knight, Amy Grant, and Tania Leon. 

[jah1986]

1 hour ago, Good Queen Jane said:

2022 Kennedy Center Honors were announced. Recipients are U-2, George Clooney, Gladys Knight, Amy Grant, and Tania Leon. 

This makes me so happy! I’ve been waiting for Gladys Knight to be inducted for years.  Really looking forward to this year’s broadcast, a great slate of honorees.

[Vermicious Knid]

Surprised Gladys Knight was not honored before. Could do without Amy Grant. U2 was not expected.

[vb68]

I have to say this year's class doesn't measure up to last year's for me with the exception of Gladys Knight and maybe U2.

Clooney is fine and sure everybody loves him, but he could have waited another decade. There are people like Jane Fonda, Robert Duvall, and Gene Hackman who are really getting on as they say. I'm also surprised they haven't gone with Denzel yet.

And I honestly didn't realize Amy Grant was at this level. I don't really follow the gospel music scene and hadn't thought of her all that much in a couple of decades. For a gospel singer, I would probably had gone with Shirley Caesar.    

[possibilities]

GLADYS!!!!!

[Good Queen Jane]

On 7/22/2022 at 3:17 AM, vb68 said:

And I honestly didn't realize Amy Grant was at this level. I don't really follow the gospel music scene and hadn't thought of her all that much in a couple of decades. For a gospel singer, I would probably had gone with Shirley Caesar.    

Amy Grant really isn't a gospel singer. Her musical genre is Contemporary Christian Music, which is more pop than gospel.

[Vermicious Knid]

Honorees feted at Kennedy Center Honors.

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A heartfelt Patti LaBelle praised her lifelong friend Gladys Knight. Sean Penn called U2 “four scrappy Dublin punks.” Ballet dancers performed for conductor and composer Tania León. Matt Damon playfully teased his friend George Clooney — a lot — while Sheryl Crow delivered a heartfelt rendition of “Baby Baby” to Amy Grant during Sunday’s Kennedy Center Honors.

[Eureka]

Anyone watching tonight?