Kennedy Center Honors Held In D.C.
Billy Joel, Carlos Santana, Herbie Hancock, opera star Martina Arroyo and Shirley MacLaine received the Kennedy Center Honors over the weekend in Washington. (Their rainbow ribbons are tres gay, no?) I have to confess that this isn’t my favorite group ever: there’s not a single one of them who is on my gushy-fan Top Ten. But I’ll reserve judgment until I see the performances and tributes, which will be broadcast on CBS on December 29th. Here’s a summary of the event. I’m pretty sure I’ll fast-forward through Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly‘s tribute to Hancock. As usual, Shirley was her wry self. She said the award is like a homecoming because she grew up in the Washington area. “My life as a professional was etched here in the Washington School of Ballet,†she said, but now, “everyone wants to know about ‘Downtown Abbey,’ never mind the last 60 years.†To which Maggie Smith would have replied: “Be gracious, dear — not a vulgar American.”
