{"id":149658,"date":"2022-12-06T10:33:29","date_gmt":"2022-12-06T10:33:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kennedy-center-honors-celebrate-george-clooney-gladys-knight-u2-more\/"},"modified":"2022-12-06T10:33:29","modified_gmt":"2022-12-06T10:33:29","slug":"kennedy-center-honors-celebrate-george-clooney-gladys-knight-u2-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/harchi90.com\/kennedy-center-honors-celebrate-george-clooney-gladys-knight-u2-more\/","title":{"rendered":"Kennedy Center Honors Celebrate George Clooney, Gladys Knight, U2, More"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\tA lively and music-filled edition of the Kennedy Center Honors was held in Washington, DC Sunday on behalf of the latest group of worthy honorees: actor\/filmmaker George Clooney, soul legend Gladys Knight, Christian music singer\/songwriter Amy Grant, composer\/ conductor Tania Leon and Irish rockers U2.<\/p>\n

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\tU2’s set was \u201cinterrupted\u201d midstream by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, who stepped out in full Borat mode, a first for the unbridled entertainer at the Honors event. He gazed around the packed house before delivering a hilarious riff of off-color topics such as the persecution of Jews in his \u201cnative\u201d Kazakhstan (while targeting Kanye West) to Donald Trump, whom he sought to locate in the presidential box. (Trump famously shunned the Honors event throughout his term.) It brought down the house.<\/p>\n

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\tSeated in the presidential box of the Center’s Opera House alongside President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, as well as Vice President Kamila Harris and husband Doug Emhoff, the honorees were treated to a time-honored blend of entertainment and heartfelt testimonials from assorted pals .<\/p>\n

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\tPity the folks at CBS who will have to trim precious elements of the polished three-hour event for its scheduled airing Dec. 28.<\/p>\n

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\tOthers seated in the VIP tier included House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and husband Paul, who was making his first public appearance following the assault in his California home. The pair received a lengthy standing ovation from the audience filled with DC insiders and politicos.<\/p>\n

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\tAmong the principal themes of the evening, were the many philanthropic\/good will activities generated from within this year’s crop of honorees \u2014 especially Clooney and U2 band members Bono and Dave \u201cthe Edge\u201d Evans, Adam Clayton, and Larry Mullen Jr. Their deeds were emphasized during the affair by A-listers that included Julia Roberts for Clooney and Sean Penn for U2.<\/p>\n

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\tThe 45-year-old event was produced for the first time by Dun+Dusted, in association with ROK Prods., following expiration of the center’s contract with White Cherry Entertainment. (The Honors event was conceived by, and produced for years, by George Stevens Jr.) D+D also produces the center’s Mark Twain Prize, which is now held each Spring.<\/p>\n

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\tIt was an astutely-paced production that incorporated limited but effective use of video elements reprising each honoree’s life and career, live entertainment and emcee duties from past honorees such as Garth Brooks and LL Cool J. There was no official host for the evening.<\/p>\n

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\tPer the event’s longstanding tradition, the lineup of participants \u2013 typically showbiz chums of honorees and other associates \u2013 remained a carefully guarded secret to surprise both audience and honorees alike. Case in point: The evening’s closing tribute to U2, which showcased polished performances of the group’s faves \u201cElevation\u201d and \u201cOne\u201d by Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. U2’s rousing \u201cWalk On\u201d helped close the evening with a flourish.<\/p>\n

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\tThe show opened with the tribute to Knight that began with \u201cMidnight Train to Georgia,\u201d performed by Brooks with backup from several Pips. Mickey Guyton and Ariana DeBose followed with \u201cBest Thing that Ever Happened to Me\u201d and \u201cI Heard It Through the Grapevine\u201d respectively.<\/p>\n

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\tPatti LaBelle reviewed six decades of friendship with the honoree, and joined the other performers singing \u201cThat’s What Friends Are For.\u201d Previous honoree Michael Tilson Thomas said of Knight, \u201cShe has the staying power and a voice that brought us timeless joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\tThe segment for Clooney was led by Julia Roberts, who called him a \u201cRenaissance man.\u201d Then the curtain rose to reveal a cozy bar and nightclub scene, where Clooney’s father, Nick, was seated at a table. He reminisced about memorable times with a young George, who \u201cnever stopped surprising me \u2013 just look at who he married!\u201d The tribute was clearly enjoyed by Clooney and wife Amal in their box.<\/p>\n

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\tOthers seated on set were actors Richard Kind, Matt Damon and Don Cheadle, each offering praise for their colleague. The set also included a sultry version of \u201cHow High the Moon\u201d sung by Diane Reeves.<\/p>\n

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\tThe segment for recipient Grant was introduced by TV news anchor Katie Couric, who highlighted the artist’s multifaceted talents. Former honoree Chita Rivera also welcomed Grant to the \u201cclub\u201d as its first contemporary Christian music member, whose faith-based career has generated some 30 million album sales. Songs including \u201cSing Praises to the Lord\u201d were performed by Sheryl Crowe, BeBe and CeCe Winans, and the Highwomen \u2013 Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires. It was backed by the Howard University Gospel Choir.<\/p>\n

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\tHonoree Leon received a loving tribute from Anna Deavere Smith, who reprized her life as a refugee from Cuba where talent and good fortune \u2013 including a boost from Leonard Bernstein \u2013 aided her success. The set included the Dance Theater of Harlem, of which Leon is a co-founder, performing one of her compositions. Highlights included a touching performance of Leon’s Pulitzer Prize winning \u201cStride\u201d by singer Alicia Hall Moran, accompanied by the Kennedy Center Honors Orchestra.<\/p>\n

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\tThe wrap-up segment for U2, the fifth musical group to receive a Kencen Honor, featured a moving film about social justice and human rights and ended with a laser light show. In between, along with Borat, was actor Penn’s testimonial about the legendary (and still performing) band formed during the violence of the 1970s that still champions worthy causes with largesse and benefit concerts in their fight against poverty and other causes.<\/p>\n

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\tThe show concluded resoundingly with the song \u201cWalk On,\u201d joined by multiple performers from the evening.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n