Washington saluted five of the nation’s top artists with the Kennedy Center Honors this weekend.
Bruce Springsteen, Robert De Niro, Mel Brooks jazz pianist and composer
Dave Brubeck and opera singer
Grace Bumbry were honored Sunday night during a show attended by President Barack Obama and other power players from Washington and Hollywood, including Aretha Franklin, Jack Black, Edward Norton, Matthew Broderick, Ben Stiller, Martin Scorsese, Sharon Stone Sting, Philip Seymour Hoffman were at a reception in the East Room of the White House. The honors recognize individuals who have helped define American culture through the arts, part of a living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.
In his address to the honorees, President Obama said: “These performers are indeed the best.” “They are also living reminders of a single truth — and I’m going to steal a line from Michelle here — the arts are not somehow apart from our national life, the arts are the heart of our national life.”
Mel Brooks, 83, said it was special to receive the honor during the Obama administration.
“I think when all my awards go to e-Bay, it will be the last,” Brooks said of the Kennedy Center medallion. “That’s how much I treasure it.”
The Kennedy Center Honors will be broadcast December 29 on CBS in a two-hour special.
